Posted by Phil Wheeler on 11/15/35 11:29

Serial # 19781010 wrote:
> On Fri, 14 Oct 2005 06:35:27 +0100, Paul Hyett
> <pah@nojunkmailplease.co.uk> wrote:
>
>
>>>Also the Pioneer has some other features that are very nice like a
>>>variable bit rate that allows you to set the recording time in 5 min
>>>increments
......

a total of 32 different recording times between 1hr and 6hrs.
>
> Also it has the ability to setup input filters so you can use either
> preset filters or user defined filters
>
> You can set VNR (video noise reduction)
> Amount of detail to retain
> Black level
> Hue
> Chroma
> and more.
>
> These act at hardware level directly on the input before anything is
> recorded. It's very nice for someone like myself who has recorded a
> lot of old movies with a lot of flaws in them. Often using the filters
> the resulting DVD looks better than the orignal tapes.
>

I have a low end Sony (ES10) which has worked well for me; think I paid
around $170 for it at a COSTCO. Not all the above bells and whistles,
but it does let you set the record time, to the minute, to match the
length of the program you are recording -- giving great flexibility in
that area.

>>Does the above come in a HD version, too?
>
>
> Yes it goes for about 350 bucks-I forget the model number.
>

So far I've mostly recorded older movies from TCM, focusing on those
that are not letterbox. One limit of mine is that it will not record
16:9, except apparently on DVD-RAM -- which I'd rather not use. Despite
limitations, I'm very happy with it as a "starter" recorder.

I suspect I will eventually want an HD recorder, since I have an HD 16:9
monitor and 10-12 HD cable channels. But unfortunately the HD channels
often screw with the formats of movies (e.g., take a 2.35:1 film and
chop the ends so it fits on a 16:9 screen with no top-bottom borders.

Are there any good web sites with reviews of HD recorders?

Phil

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