Pros: Excellent recording capacity; easy to see menus on screen
Cons: Small remote buttons; manual needs to be studied; no titling recording until it's completed
The Bottom Line: Don't expect plug and play. Know your expectations prior to purchase. Be prepared to study. Have a tech savvy friend or patience with customer service if you're techphobic.
rallynow's Full Review: Philips DVDR3575H/37 (160 GB) DVD Recorder / HDD R...
UPDATE: I have now owned it for 10 weeks and have NO defects to report. I still have no complaints except, as mentioned originally, it is not an intuitive machine and the manual has to be kept close if you want to be innovative, change quality of recordings (to have more time on the disk), or understand more features. The best thing I like about this machine is that I can record a program as I view something else on the hard disk.
I read reviews before acquiring my DVR on January 3rd and understood the limitations as well as the frustrations that a few had (although I think one reviewer posted under the wrong model). My unit was manufactured in October 2007 and I understand that Philips made a few minor adjustments but not ones that most critics hoped. Overall as a dinosaur owner, I can't compete with Ames100 comprehensive review but will write as one also who owns a Sony dual deck VCR/Disc Recorder as a backup and wanted to replace an antiquated VCR.
Preliminarily, I should let you know that I am a cable subscriber and the DVR is hooked up to an Hitachi 55" Plasma TV (also reviewed under TVs). I have the Bose Lifestyle 28 Series for surround sound. So, I have absolutely no complaints about the AV when playing back my recordings and find the quality to be excellent.
I can only hope, after reading a couple of the horror stories, that it lasts for more than 30 days and does not crash when the warranty expires. I am assuming that those who had problems read the manual and quick start guide studiously and did not try to install and operate it "intuitively".
Those who are used to automatic programming and titling prior to recording will feel frustration. I just resort to keeping a written list by the unit and if I don't look at the recording within 48 hours I title it for future remembrance. I don't know if that's absolutely necessary because when I bring up the recordings I can highlight them individually and get the small box preview of what they are before going to full screen playback.
Overall, be prepared for easy hookup and setup but then devote time to understanding the manual, which at times can be confusing or deficient as a reference, so that you can enjoy it at its best. Keep the manual handy because the procedure for what you want to do will probably not be transferable from other systems owned. It was new jargon for me and a strange design. I finally had to accept that the inventor wasn't the most logical type of thinker when it came to feature design and the technical writer did not improve the situation when the guidance was put into writing.
Since I just wanted to be able to easily record without keeping track of tapes or discs and I wanted the greatest capacity available at a reasonable price, I have no complaints after my first week of use. Especially since I am not being held hostage to monthly fees, e.g. TIVO. If I have a tragic story several weeks from now I will let you know and adjust the rating.
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
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2008 Shopping.com, Inc.