Everything I wanted in a DVD recorder
Written: Jul 30 '04
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Pros: Very simple to operate; outstanding picture quality at 1 and 2 hours; good value
Cons: Lower quality at longer duration (4 and 6 hours) but not horrible
The Bottom Line: Meets all of my needs for a reasonable price without being complicated to operate.
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| fskinner's Full Review: Samsung DVD-R4000 DVD Recorder |
I purchased my DVD recorder in early 2004 from Best Buy. It was in-stock when I went for it and got it for about $340.
I like gadgets but am not highly proficient with electronics. Therefore, one of my criteria for my very first DVD players was that it be idiot-proof. I wanted it to hook up easily to my TV, VCR and stereo speakers. Within one hour of getting this machine out of its box, after following the very clear instructions in the fabulous manual, the machine was up and running properly. This was no easy feat for this machine given my vcr is over 15 years old and my tv is ten years old.
I rave about the manual because all manuals should be this good. Instead of cumbersome paragraphs, this manual is laid out with various "decision trees". You choose the page that talks about what you want to do, go to that page, and as you make your choices, you are lead down maps that take you to the next instruction. This clears the way for you to only follow the instructions you are interested in at the moment and not be bogged down by meaningless alternatives.
The exterior aestetics of this machine are fine. Its all silver and rather flat, so it doesn't take up a lot of shelf space height-wise. It is a bit wider than I expected but it still fits nicely on the entertainment center pull-out shelf. The front display is clear but you definitely need the instruction manual to understand the various codes/keys it is displaying other than the time/channel.
The book says you can use DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD-V, VCD, CD and MP3 in this machine. DVD-V are regular videos: Shrek, Sound of Music - the regular ones simply for viewing. Those have worked flawlessly and produce a beautiful picture.
For video recordings, I have only used the DVD-R. I can't comment on the DVD-RAM's. The DVD-R's run about $1.70 per disc purchased in a case of 10. (They're cheaper if you buy larger packages without the jewel cases) You can't erase on these so once you record something on these, it stays. I was a little nervous about that but haven't run into any big problems so far.
Similar to a VCR tape, you can choose the quality: 1 hour, 2 hour, 4 hours, 6 hours. The 1 hour quality is outstanding. I use this for things that are special. The 6 hour quality leaves a bit to be desired - it is not very crisp. I've only used it once, wasn't very happy with it and haven't used it since. I generally use the 2 hour quality, which is very good. I just pop the DVD in, follow the manual for setting things the way I want, and it works flawlessly.
Note: there are a lot of extras on here that I have either only tinkered with or not used at all (ie. titles, editing, play lists, setting marks etc.). I'm a straightforward recorder - nothing fancy. If you want to see all the extras that it can do, you'll need to check out the specs. I will tell you that the on-screen menus that you use to operate these functions appear to be very simple.
The biggest reason we wanted a DVD recorder was to transfer all of our VHS-C tapes to DVD. We've lost a couple of the early ones (circa 1992) to deterioration and we didn't want to lose anymore memories. With the cables that came with my camcorder, we play the VHS-C tape in our camcorder, hook it up to the DVD player, and hit record on the DVD player. It's that simple to copy our VHS-C tapes and preserve our memories to DVD. If that's why you are considering a DVD recorder, this machine won't let you down. The book says buying an S-cable will improve this type of copying. I haven't done that yet and don't have any complaints about the quality of my DVD's.
I've copied television programs just like you would a VCR. It's a snap either live or by following the onscreen menus to set the timer. The manual says you can watch a program from the start while you are still recording it. I haven't done this since I'm usually not around (that's why I'm recording it). But, if that's important to you, this machine can do that. Just remember, you can't erase on the DVD's once you record onto them. So, you may want to keep your old vcr around for that kind of television recording. That's what I've done.
When you are done copying on your DVD, you have to finalize the disc. Again, this is just a simple menu choice and takes about 3-4 minutes. Once you do this, your DVD can not be used for recording anymore but it is now ready to be played on any DVD recorder. The manual warns you that the DVD's you recreate may not be compatible on all machines but I have played these DVD's on other people's DVD players and laptop computers without any problems.
We have also played regular music CD's on here, which saved us from having to buy a separate CD player for our older stereo set-up. I don't have any MP3's so we've never tried playing those on here.
We've had this machine for about seven months now and absolutely love it. It is so easy to use, we have made copies of various family videos for gifts. I'm sure I've only scratched the surface of what this machine can do but it's doing everything I want it to, so that's just fine.
There's a lot of these DVD recorders popping up now. Some that have a hard drive that you can record to, others that use other types of DVD's etc. For the money and for my primary needs (watching store-bought movies, copying home movies to DVD, and recording from television), I have absolutely no regrets with this machine.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 340
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Epinions.com ID:
fskinner
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Reviews written: 42
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