Over the past few years, I have watched much of the tv I watched after it has been recorded. At any given time, I will have programmed to record two to five shows. Well, as you can imagine, this went through video tapes and my VCR. With my VCR tearing up, I got this.

Recording from TV

Recording from TV has worked out pretty well. A DVD+RW disk can record up to eight hours on the lowest setting. The lowest setting reminds me the the poor video quality my messed up VCR did. However, the next higher level records for four hours, and the quality is like watching tv. This is a great feature for someone who records so much. I had to use two or three tapes in a week, but now one disk works.

Recording from other Sources

I remember hooking up the AR 230 thinking, "Look at the inputs." It has Cable in, AV In, S-Video in, and a convenient AV in from the front. I used it to put a friends wedding video on DVD. Unfortunately, I tried to copy an old VHS that was rotting away to DVD but it will not let me.

Disk Issues

I bought two big stacks of DVD+Rs thinking I could preserve the failing quality of my VHS tapes, but since that will not work, those disks are useless to me. My old DVD player will not play the DVD+RWs, so I cannot edit my recordings onto DVD+Rs. Newer DVD players will play DVD+RWs, the best way to tell is try it.

Other Problems

When recording by pressing the "record" button, I once made the mistake of pressing the power button. It cut off without finishing the file, so six hours of recording was not viewable. Also, the timer only has five spaces. I wish it had more.

Suggestions

I strongly suggest purchasing a DVD Recorder that has hard drive on it. This way you do not need a mess of DVD+RWs to keep recordings on. Furthermore, the one shows you want to keep, could then be placed on DVD+Rs.

This product is still far superior to a VCR

Recommended:
No

Amount Paid (US$): 299