Posted by J Brockley on 10/10/06 05:24

"Stan Brown" <the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm> wrote in message
news:MPG.1f933f138ded9e9598a759@news.individual.net...
> I'm getting rid of a Pioneer 533 (80 GB) and looking for a new
> machine. Web searches make the Pioneer DVR640HS and Toshiba RD-XS52
> look pretty promising, but I'm wondering if anybody knows (a) another
> good unit I'm missing or (b) something horrible with either of those.
>
> My criteria:
>
> ** Must timer record from RF (basic cable) with its own tuner, or
> component input (output of cable box). If I can schedule half a dozen
> programs in advance, that's plenty.
>
> ** TV Guide not in the unit, or able to be 100% disabled. TVGOS was a
> *giant* problem in my Pioneer 533. I have no problem scheduling
> recordings manually and setting the cable box to turn on to the right
> channel at the right time.
>
> ** No Tivo -- again, I'm fine with scheduling manual recording.
>
> ** Must be able to edit on hard drive (e.g. delete commercials)
> before burning to DVD.
>
> ** Must be able to put chapter marks into recording on HDD and have
> them transfer to DVD when burning.
>
> ** Nice to have, if possible: two-level menus on burned DVDs that
> show chapters within titles. (The Pioneer 533 has only title-level
> menus.)
>
> ** Nice to have, not essential: burn DVD-RW and DVD-R DL. Essential:
> DVD-R, though I imagine any unit nowadays can do that.
>
> I've had really, really bad experiences with Pioneer customer
> service, so if you could say anything about customer service from the
> manufacturers that would be nice too. If the Pioneer 640 is reliable
> and I never have to deal with Pioneer customer service, that would be
> a plus.
>
> Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
>
> --
> Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
> http://OakRoadSystems.com/

Check out Panasonic or Sony. I've found Panasonic to be pretty good.

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