LG DR787T 1080i Upconverting DVD Recorder with Built In Tuner

• Super Multi DVD Recorder with ATSC/NTSC/QAM Clear Tuner
• 1080i Upconversion via HDMI Output with Digital Camcorder Input IEEE 1394
• LG Simplink for Convient Control of Other LG Simplink Products via the HDMI Connection
• Digital Cable/Satellite Box Controller for recording from most boxes with a Set-Top Box Controller
• Front AV Panel with IEEE 1394 and USB Media Host

I bought this unit when my old DVD/CD player died. I'm still on an old technology tube TV but anticipate replacing that. So I wanted to be sure that my new DVD / CD unit would meet my needs when I move on to the next generation.

The combination DVD recorder / CD player (plus MP3, WMA) and DTV tuner made this an easy choice. The DVD recorder works with pretty much any kind of DVD media you can find. I immediately started transferring those old family VHS movies to DVD+RW. The process is as simple as it could possibly be.

HDMI output with upconvert to HD 1080i bridges me to my next TV. Meanwhile, by choosing 4x3 letterbox aspect ratio, I can view broadcast HD material on my old tech screen (though obviously in reduced resolution).

After adding a tabletop antenna and auto-scanning for channels, the DTV is working great. I'm currently picking up about 25 digital stations in this urban area, including some that are not available here on cable.

So far the only downside I've found is that this unit has almost no front panel controls. I had better not lose that remote! That's the only reason I've given a rating of 4 instead of 5. This unit really does give everything I need in one box, at a great price.

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The unit has a number of drawbacks as noted in one of the other reviews. Shortly after the 90-day warranty expired, the unit stopped recognizing the discs it recorded. It showed an error message of "Unknown disc." Soon after that it began refusing to play commercial DVDs that I bought, with the same error message. I used a head cleaner but that didn't help. It is useless and I am going to throw it out. It was a complete waste of money. Very disappointing.

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When I recently got a HD flat screen television, I decided to look for a dvd player or recorder that was HD compatible or upgradable and affordable. I found this LG DVD recorder at Best Buy. It is compatible with DVD-RAM, DVD +/-R, DVD +/RW for recording video and playback. It is also able to play DVDs, audio CDs, and CD-R or CD-RW. I have been able to record tv shows with any of the listed type of discs for recordable dvds. The taped shows have been high quality and I have had no problems setting a timer to tape shows. I also play dvds and the picture quality with my HDTV is excellent. The only problem that I see is the remote control is the only way to control the dvd recorder especially when opening and closing the dvd slot. Other than that, I have no problems with this product and would highly recommend it to others looking for a high quality and affordable dvd recorder.

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I originally bought this DVD Recorder/Tuner to replace our cable DVR. We decided to cut costs and just go with over the air channels. My TV doesn't have a digital tuner, so we figured this would be a great choice to go with. Well I have tried this tuner with 2 different, well rated HDTV antennas. I cannot get a single channel to come in very well. I live in an area where there are plenty of available channels. I hooked up a friends TV down the road with just bunny ears and she gets plenty of channels. So I figure it must be the tuner. My other complaint is that the DVD recorder must be turned off in order for it to start recording. This problem was fixed with VCRs years ago, so I don't understand why LG has this problem. Also, you can only watch what you are recording through the recorder unless you have a separate tuner. My last problem is the remote is basically useless with anything other than the recorder. It only gives you 5 brands of TVs and 10 possible codes, so good luck getting your TV to work with the remote. It is very inconvenient to have to use 1 remote to turn on the TV and control volume and then another remote to work the DVD Recorder. Other than that the recorder records just fine and I have no other problems with this model.

I've been using the recorder for about eight months now. It works pretty well and I'd buy it again and recommend it to friends. The tuner works great in both digital and analog mode. I have one other digital tuner and this one always pulls in signals the other can't find. If you watch a lot of TV you may want to go with a Windows Vista Media Center PC w/ a digital tuner.

Likes:

* Allows you to set favorite channels. Now with each digital channel comes two or three digital subchannels. Setting up favorites allows me to skip these channels easily.

* Small, looks nice

* Easy to use

* Can be set to automatically "shrink" HDTV programs to 4:3 aspect ratios so they can be watched on regular/non-HD TV's.

Dislikes:

* Biggest problem is when the disc the machine is recording on becomes full (or nearly full) the unit works at a snail's pace. For instance, if there's no room on the disc it may take 60+ seconds to change a channel (even if you're not recording or doing anything related to the disc it's just sitting in the drive). Once you clean off some programs (or hit the eject button and wait 60 seconds for the drawer to open and take out the disc) the unit goes back to normal speed. Keep a few discs that the unit has initialized around and swap them out if you don't watch your recorded programs regularly. This is the only fix LG Tech Support had.

* The unit does "see" the program guide information that is now broadcasted on digital channels but it's displayed almost nowhere. To see the name of the show on right now you have to push the display button on the remote. It would be nice if it just put it up on the screen as you flip through channels. Even nicer would be if it could label your recordings using this name instead of "Title 1", "Title 2", etc. Even better would be to let you see the program guide when choosing which programs to record.

* The remote doesn't work with my TV (a Toshiba). It doesn't look like it works with very many at all.

* You can't eject the disc without using the buttons on the remote.

* If you leave the unit on by accident it doesn't record. No warnings popping up like Tivo, you just miss your show.