Not so long ago, the VCR reigned supreme. Much like the proverbial chicken in every pot, there was a VCR in every house. If you wanted to time-shift the soap opera that your job inconveniently caused you to miss, you programmed your VCR. If you wanted to watch a movie, you turned to your trusty VCR. Store shelves were chock full of tapes for sale or rental.
That was then, this is now. VCRs are being replaced by DVD and hard-disk recorders, the first of the new breed. The only question is which one to buy. There’s a wide range of prices, so there are plenty of models to choose from. But keep in mind that DVD recording and hard-disk recording represent two very distinct approaches. To help point out the scope of the selection, we gathered the RCA DRC8000N ($599), a DVD+R/RW recorder; the Toshiba SD-H400 ($550), a DVD player with TiVo hard-disk recording; and the Panasonic DMR-E100 ($1,200), a high-end DVD-R/ RAM recorder that includes a hard disk as well. With these three models warmed up and ready, I rudely shoved my trusty (but dusty) VCR aside and stepped into the future.
RCA DRC8000N
Of the three models, the RCA DRC8000N is the most straightforward. If you’re looking for a direct replacement for your tape muncher, this may be your ticket. The RCA recorder does everything a VCR does, but does it with DVD+R/RW discs instead of VHS tape. It can also play a wide variety of disc and file formats, including DVD-R/ RWs, MP3
music files, and JPEG image files.
The front panel is visually uninspired, and the array of inputs and outputs on the rear panel is standard issue, but the DRC8000N should be able to handle most anything you throw at it. (Click to see the Features Checklist.) Highlights include a front-panel USB port to jack in an optional reader for flash-memory cards so you can view photos or play MP3 files, or move them to disc.
To use a cable box or satellite receiver for timer recordings — or recordings programmed using Guide Plus+, a free interactive onscreen guide to cable and broadcast TV in your area — you also have to connect the supplied infrared (IR) emitter to control the satellite receiver or cable box via its IR sensor. RCA also supplies a two-way RF splitter so you can run one analog cable-TV line to the recorder and another to the TV for watching one channel while recording another. But if you have a digital cable box, you’ll need a digital splitter.
The remote control is small and stylish. It provides all of the buttons you need to run the recorder and can also control your TV and a cable box or satellite receiver.
As with any DVD setup, mine began with a special start-up menu that appears onscreen the first time you power up. It lets you select a menu language, tell the recorder what connections you’re using, and also set up Guide Plus+, which makes it a snap to record scheduled programs. In no time, I was watching TV. Next step — recording TV.
Like most DVD recorders, this one has multiple recording modes. RCA calls the five it offers Best, High, Good, Normal, Basic, and Low, and they store about 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 hours, respectively, on one 4.7-gigabyte (GB) write-once DVD+R or rewritable DVD+RW disc. Recording is easy — load a disc and hit the record button, and the DRC8000N will save the show you’re currently watching. If you use the Express mode, you don’t even have to remember to hit the stop button: every press of the record button increases recording time by 30 minutes.
You can schedule a session using Guide Plus+ by simply highlighting the program you want to record in the onscreen guide. Of course, you can also manually program timer recordings. Conveniently, when you use the timer the deck automatically picks the record mode that will deliver the best quality for the available disc space.
| RCA DRC8000N |
| DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 17 1/4 x 3 1/4 x 14 1/2 inches WEIGHT 12 pounds PRICE $599 MANFACTURER RCA, Thomson, Dept. S&V, 10330 N. Meridian, Indianapolis, IN 46290; www.rca.com; 800-336-1900 |
Other niceties: After you highlight a program title, a playback preview starts a picture-in-picture (PIP) window. You can insert and delete chapter markers, and a chapter hide/unhide feature lets you automatically skip playback of selected sections of a recording — both for DVD+RW only.
To check out the playback performance, I popped in Ghost Ship, a floating haunted-house story about a luxury liner whose crew and passengers met a gruesome fate and is found adrift years later in the Bering Sea. The DVD’s opening scene shows an elegant shipboard ballroom full of women in gowns and men in tuxedos, and the RCA recorder’s progressive-scan output looked sharp on my Princeton Graphics TV. The champagne in the fluted glasses was properly pink, and the Italian singer’s gown was realistically red, as were the buckets of blood that soon appeared.
Next I recorded some TV shows from cable to DVD+RW. Video quality was purely a function of bit rate: the higher the rate, the better the picture quality, but at the expense of recording time. In Best mode, the recording was close to the original in quality, though with some softening. This might be attributable to the analog circuitry handling the S-video input signal.
With the High and Good recording modes, the picture quality was still quite good, but I noticed MPEG encoding artifacts in the details. For example, the patterns on fabric were blurred, and there was a fuzz around moving objects or panning shots. These modes are suitable for off-air recording. Artifacts grew more pronounced in the Normal and Basic modes. For example, diagonal lines displayed jagged edges, details such as fine print were lost, and there was some oversaturation. Even so, the picture quality was okay for recordings you don’t want to archive. While marred by obvious encoding artifacts that gave the image an uneven, gritty quality, the Low recording mode would still be okay for cramming a week of soap operas onto a single disc.
RCA’s DRC8000N is virtually a drop-in replacement for your VCR. It lets you time-shift TV programs that are on tonight or quickly arrange to record next week’s episode of NYPD Blue, and even its medium-quality modes are as good as any videotape. Throw in Guide Plus+, its USB port, and the ability to watch slide shows, and you’ve got a real winner. Yes, discs are more expensive than tapes, but sirloin is also more expensive than hamburger.
Toshiba SD-H400
The SD-H400 is a hybrid component that takes a different approach to recording. Instead of recording on DVD, it combines a DVD player with an 80-gigabyte (GB) hard-disk drive controlled by a TiVo-system recorder/electronic program guide (EPG).
Besides the usual inputs and outputs, there are two USB ports and a phone jack so the SD-H400 can dial up TiVo to download program information. To display live TV and to record programs, the recorder needs to be able to change channels. If you use an antenna or cable without a box, you connect that to the SD-H400, and it feeds the signal to the TV. Otherwise, the cable or satellite box needs to be controlled. The control signals can be sent along an IR or serial control cable (both are provided). The IR cable talks to the remote sensor on the component via a flasher, while the serial cable uses a nine-pin connector.
The DVD player has all the usual features as well as picture zoom and programmed playback. I particularly appreciated the onscreen remote control, which was easy to use in a darkened room. I also liked Toshiba’s Navi menu, which takes you to submenus such as Strobe Viewer (still frames of a selected scene), Preview (thumbnails of titles or chapters), Capture (for grabbing a frame and using it as a background), and Picture Setting (for fine-tuning picture quality — you can store your tweaks in three custom picture presets).
The player also lets you pick how it converts the interlaced DVD video signal to progressive-scan format for output to an HDTV or other progressive-scan display. You can specify a Film Source (24 frames per second, or fps) or a Video Source (30 fps), or opt for the Automatic setting in which the player senses the signal type and chooses the conversion that will provide the best picture quality.
DVD playback quality was very good. In a scene from Ghost Ship, rain streams down, backlit by powerful searchlights. I could make out individual rain drops, and the fast-moving detail looked quite sharp. Also, the plaid pattern of a flannel shirt worn by one of the ship’s crew looked clean and was free of any smearing.
As the crew begins to explore the ship, their flashlights project beams of light through the haze, which reflects from water pools on the floor, creating shimmering highlights on the rusted walls. These subtle gradations of light and dark looked chillingly real.
| TOSHIBA SD-H400 |
| DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 16 7/8 x 3 1/8 x 14 1/8 inches WEIGHT 10 pounds PRICE $550 MANFACTURER Toshiba, Dept. S&V, 82 Totowa Rd., Wayne, NJ 07470; www.tacp.toshiba.com; 800-631-3811 |
The SD-H400’s prime draw is the TiVo system with its features-driven channel guide. TiVo stores programs on a hard-disk drive, which yields a number of perks: You can easily fast forward through commercials. You can pause live TV while you leave the room for more pretzels. Although playback is stopped, the program continues to be recorded to the hard-disk drive, waiting for you to return and resume playback from where you left off — or you can catch up to real time if you fast forward.
TiVo’s strength lies in its program guide. Free services such as VCR Plus+ and Guide Plus+ perform similarly, but TiVo’s guide is more refined. If you pay for the full TiVo service, it can automatically record any program with, for example, “Everest” in the title. It also knows the difference between a first-run show and a rerun, and it will look up to two weeks ahead and pick shows to record while you’re away.
All TiVo recorders used to require a fee. But the SD-H400 provides basic TiVo service with a three-day electronic program guide at no charge. You can pause, fast forward, rewind, and watch slow-motion playback of live TV, and you can manually record by time and channel. For $12.95 a month (or $299 for the lifetime of the recorder), you get the full service, which adds perks like a 14-day program guide, the ability to record every episode of a show no matter when it airs, find and record programs that feature your favorite actor or director, and search for a show by title.
The SD-H400 is also a TiVo Series2 recorder, so if you have a wired or wireless home network, you can download Home Media Option software to network two or more TiVo recorders. After you pay $99 to activate it, you can move programs between the SD-H400 (via its USB ports) and another Series2 TiVo. For instance, you could watch a show on the TiVo in your bedroom even though it was recorded on the TiVo in your home theater. Also, via the network, the SD-H400 TiVo can play MP3 files or display photos stored on your PC. And while you’re away on vacation, you can tap into your TiVo via the Internet and tell it to record Monday Night Football.
Setting up TiVo takes about 15 minutes after you hook it up. But then you’ll have to wait from 30 minutes to several hours while your account status is verified and programming information is downloaded and processed before you’re ready to record.
As with any digital recorder, the Toshiba’s picture quality depended on bit rate, which differs for each of the four recording modes. The SD-H400 is equipped with an 80-GB drive, which provides almost 24 hours recording time in Best (quality) mode, about 38 hours in High, 49 1/2 hours in Medium, and 82 1/2 hours in Basic. The Best mode was excellent, providing a picture that was nearly indistinguishable from the original, with only slight softening.
High mode was a step down from Best, with some loss of detail but still providing a nice picture. Medium mode was okay, but betrayed smearing and further loss of detail as well as oversaturation and some motion artifacts on fast pans. Still, for casual viewing it was adequate. The Basic mode stretched disk capacity, but picture quality was grainy, and entire details were wholly lost. Yet even this lowest rate provided a usable picture for casual viewing.
The Toshiba SD-H400 is an interesting hybrid that’s perfect for TV fans who do a lot of time-shifting and appreciate the convenience of having one component that handles those recording needs and plays DVDs. Its use of a hard-disk drive means there’s a limit to how many programs you can archive (unless you export them to a VCR or DVD recorder). On the other hand, this is mitigated by TiVo’s networking capabilities — two or three TiVos can hold a lot of “keeper” programs.
Although TiVo’s hard-disk tricks can now be enjoyed on other, non-TiVo hard-disk recorders, and its free basic service is similar to other free services, there’s no denying that its full-service subscription guide brings a lot to the party. Add to that the full complement of video adjustments, and the Toshiba SD-H400 is a great choice if you don’t mind the service fee and aren’t worried about creating a big archive of recordings.
Panasonic DMR-E100
The DMR-E100 is a genuinely high-end component in terms of both features and price. It has the two hottest features today: DVD recording and hard-disk recording, sporting a DVD-R/RAM drive and a 120-GB hard disk. The DVD drive accepts both disc cartridges and naked discs, and it can even play DVD-Audio discs, though only in stereo. (If you want multichannel sound, you can use the digital audio output and decode the disc’s Dolby Digital soundtrack in your receiver or surround processor.)
The front panel has slots for SD flash-memory cards and a PC Card slot that, with the appropriate adapter, also accepts CompactFlash cards, Memory Sticks, Microdrives, and Mobile Hard Disks. With these media you can save, edit, and display JPEG or TIFF still pictures and play SD Video programs encoded in MPEG-4, the low-resolution format used by devices like Panasonic’s tiny e-wear camcorders. A DV (FireWire) port lets you plug in your camcorder — a key feature because it provides fast video transfer. There’s also a set of A/V inputs on the front panel. The remote control is comprehensive, attractively styled, and easy to use.
When first plugged in, the recorder searches for on-air or cable channels and sets its clock. It recognizes VCR Plus+ codes, found in many printed TV listings, which let you schedule a timer recording by entering the code for the desired show — the recorder does the rest. You can enter up to 32 programs, up to a month in advance (a daily or weekly series is counted as one program). For recording on the fly, you can select an approximate recording duration by simply punching the record button repeatedly. Each punch nets you another 30 minutes.
The DMR-E100 lets you devise extensive playlists (up to 99 lists and 999 scenes) and edit them any way you like. Similarly, you can manipulate and edit hard-disk or DVD recordings — for example, you can divide a program, shorten a segment, erase a program, erase-protect a recording, and change thumbnail images used to signal a program or scene. You can also create and edit slide shows of photos, and copy them between flash memory and the hard drive or a DVD-RAM.
| PANASONIC DMR-E100 |
| DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 17 x 3 1/8 x 11 3/4 inches WEIGHT 12 1/8 pounds PRICE $1,200 MANFACTURER Panasonic Consumer Electronics, Dept. S&V, One Panasonic Way, Secaucus, NJ 07094; www.panasonic.com; 800-211-7262 |
When you’re ready to record, you have to decide whether you want to use a DVD or the hard drive. Next you select an input, such as a TV channel, and a recording mode (quality level). The choices are XP, SP, LP, and EP modes for both drives. Maximum recording times depend on media capacity and bit rate. The 120-GB hard drive can hold about 27, 55, 110, and 165 hours, respectively, in the four modes. A single-sided (4.7-GB) DVD-RAM or DVD-R disc holds about 1, 2, 4, or 6 hours, while a double-sided (9.4-GB) DVD-RAM holds twice that. After choosing a mode, hit the record button.
You can record up to 250 programs on the hard drive and up to 99 programs on a DVD. The deck automatically selects the recording mode that will fit programs into the available space with the best possible quality. It also allows “chasing play,” in which you watch a program from the beginning while it’s still being recorded on either the hard disk or a DVD-RAM. Or you can watch a previously recorded program while recording something else.
You can also watch video from one drive while recording to the other. But you can’t play back from both the hard drive and a DVD simultaneously. After you’ve recorded a library of programs on the hard drive, the deck displays a menu that identifies them for quick access. My favorite feature: the CM SKIP button, which lets you jump over 1 minute of commercials.
DVD playback quality was excellent. In one scene from Ghost Ship where the ship’s ballroom comes back to life, a glitter ball casts specks of colored light across the shiny parquet floor. Guests politely applaud a terrified crew member, who stands in the middle as the sultry singer seductively approaches him, red gown clinging to her swaying hips. All of that fine detail and rich color were accurately conveyed. And, yes, very bad things were about to happen.
As with the other recorders, the picture quality depended on the recording mode I selected. I recorded a number of programs from cable and off the air. Picture quality was the same on both DVD-RAM and the hard disk, again suggesting that the limiting factor was upstream data compression.
The highest-quality mode, XP, provided a picture that was almost indistinguishable from the source. Fine details were clearly visible, and colors were rich. This is the mode to use to transfer your most valuable DV camcorder tapes to disc, especially if your cam has a FireWire output. The SP mode was very good, but there was some breakup in fine-line details, and images didn’t have cinematic depth. This mode would be fine for off-air recording. The LP mode was good, but horizontal resolution started to suffer. Some details were lost, diagonal edges were noticeably jagged, and there was fringing around moving objects. The EP mode was watchable but was reminiscent of old — very old — VHS tapes. Details such as thin horizontal lines were absent, and the picture had a pixelated, granular look. Still, for casual viewing of long programs, even EP is usable.
I also transferred some home videos from VHS to DVD-R. By making some test recordings, I was able to select a quality level that captured everything on the tape while maximizing playing time. Generally, the SP mode worked best for this.
The Panasonic DMR-E100H is an impressive component. Its ability to record and play back from two media, one removable and one fixed, perform editing and navigation on their content, and provide topnotch image quality makes it a videophile’s dream machine. VCR Plus+, PC and SD card slots, and a FireWire port make it even more flexible. I only wish it fully played DVD-Audio discs. Still, if you’re looking for a technological tour de force, this is it.
Tape Is Finished
You probably have a DVD player. You almost certainly have a VCR. Together, they perform about the same functions as any of these three components — that is, in the same way a horse and buggy performs about the same function as a car. The fact is that these recorders establish an entirely new baseline in home recording.
Should you trade your tapes for discs? Blank DVDs cost more than blank tapes. Of course, that’s not really an issue if time-shifting is your main focus. But if you intend to start an archive, disc cost is a consideration. On the other hand, DVDs of your home movies will be seen more often and last longer. The bottom line here: Tape is history and DVD rules.
Do you also need hard-drive storage, or would you prefer a hard drive over DVDs? That depends on how heavily you’re into time-shifting. A hard-disk drive isn’t for long-term archiving. Its forte is to record programs off the air so you can view them at your leisure and then erase them. For short-term archiving, a hard drive is far more convenient than a DVD. But for collecting programs, you need DVD. Whichever way you go, video recording just got a lot more interesting.
PDF: Features ChecklistPDF: DVD recording/editing options
| In The Lab |
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Our standard lab tests showed that all three machines did well as DVD players. But both the Panasonic and Toshiba suffered from the color-smearing chroma-upsampling “bug” when their component-video outputs were set to progressive-scan format, the Panasonic’s case being milder than the Toshiba’s. The Toshiba’s TiVo video and audio capabilities seemed to equal those of previous TiVo recorders we’ve tested. The two DVD recorders seemed well matched. As with previous DVD recorders we’ve tested, the video performance of the Panasonic and RCA changed much more than the audio as the recording mode changed. The audio remained superior to VHS Hi-Fi in all regards, but particularly in the low level of background noise, regardless of recording mode. The Panasonic and RCA DVD recorders each have a 4-hour recording mode that cuts the horizontal resolution in half (from the prerecorded DVD value of 540 lines to approximately 260 lines). This also happened in the Toshiba’s Medium-quality TiVo mode. Each DVD recorder also has a mode that cuts vertical resolution in half (from 480 to 240 lines). For the Panasonic this occured in its 6-hour mode and for the RCA in its 8-hour mode. At this point the picture detail was pretty “soft,” like VHS tape. Like other DVD+R/RW recorders we’ve seen, the RCA switches to MPEG-1 video encoding in its 8-hour mode, which caused objects moving at moderate speeds to appear jerky. Using a long-playing mode with all three machines, including the Toshiba, exposes your material to all manner of MPEG encoding artifacts, which can look pretty nasty, depending on the program material. For example, our acid-test camcorder footage of Rockefellar Center fountains broke into decidedly nonliquid blocks and strips with all DVD recording modes longer than 4 hours and with the Toshiba’s Medium and Basic TiVo modes. These effects were reduced considerably in the DVD recorders’ 1- and 2-hour modes, which provided reproduction close to a prerecorded DVD in quality. Recordings on the Toshiba, in all its TiVo modes, were not quite as clean or sharp. The most nearly “universal” machine was the Panasonic, which played DVD-RW discs in both VR and Video formats, DVD+R/RW and, of course, DVD-RAM and DVD-R discs. The RCA and the Toshiba couldn’t play DVD-RWs in VR format or DVD-RAMs, but they were fine with the other disc types. |