zzyzzx's Full Review: Philips DVDR3575H/37 (160 GB) DVD Recorder / HDD R...
I have been wanting a TIVO that works off the air for a few years now. That and the fact that my VCR broke in the summer of 2006, and I wasn't going to get another one with an analog tuner with the digital TV being just around the corner. So I waited until something good came along, and this is it. I don't have cable, so I'm strictly OTA. I like getting TIVO like features, but with no monthly fee or phone line hookup required. Although no guide is provided, I don't need or want the dumbed up version anyway. I live in Baltimore City, and with just rabbit ears, I was able to get all my local digital stations except one that's really weak and nobody gets (24). With a good antenna aimed the right way, I pick up another channel from another city (22 in Annapolis). Supposedly if I put my antenna on the roof, I can get all the DC stations too, but I'll do that some other time.
I record everything in the SP mode and can put over 60 hours of recording on it. The playback picture quality is indistinguishable from the original broadcast. One of the nicer features is that it will start a programmed recording irregardless as to if the unit is on or off, so I never miss anything because of that (unlike when I had a VCR). I also like it that I'm not constantly swapping out discs. Many of the competing models don't have hard drives and you can only put two hours or a recording on a disc! The unit does not make any noise either or is otherwise very quiet. Sometimes I make discs with TV shows on them (I record a bunch of stuff in the middle of the night) and take them to a friends house. The discs I have made have worked perfectly elsewhere if the other player likes RW media. I can even edit out the commercials before making discs and it's easy enough to do.
If it matters, I am watching everything on a low end 20" CRT type analog TV, and I am using the Philips DVR as the tuner. I also have it set to 4:3 pan and scan and it doesn't stretch out the picture or anything else bad when given a widescreen input, rather it cuts off the sides which means it does fill up my 4:3 screen properly and I think that looks good.
Quite frankly, this DVR is the best thing since sliced bread!
DVD Recorder with 160 GIG built in Hard Disc Drive Dual Media play and record in DVD-R-RW and DVD+R+RW 1080p and 1080i upscaling for optimum HD pictur...More at Amazon
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