CyberHome CH-DVR 1500 Progressive-Scan DVD+R/+RW Recorder and Player , Silver

• Records DVD+R and DVD+RW discs, which allow on-disc editing and auto or manual chapter marking
• Front-panel composite- and S-video inputs ensure simple hookup with camcorders and other video devices
• Progressive-scan video output renders seamless, flicker-free images on high-definition and HD-ready TVs
• Compatible with DVD-Video, MP3 CD, and JPEG image CD playback
• Record off-air TV programs through built-in NTSC tuner and 8-event advance programming

Before I buy, I research everything completely and look through all the product reviews (Amazon and elsewhere).

I read some good things and some "horror stories" about some Panasonic and Philips DVD recorders that I was really interested in. The Sony GX7 looked pretty good, but way over-priced. The Philips R-75 had pretty much what I was looking for, and was $450, but had many reports of very pood customer service and very difficult controls and instructions. At this point, I decided to just buy a cheap player and wait a while for these companies to improve their products and get their prices down. While looking for players at W.M. I found the CyberHome CH-DVR-1500. It looked like an "el-cheapo" model, but after reading the reviews on it, I thought I would take a chance and buy it. At least it would be easy to return if there were any problems. After getting it home and set-up, I was REALLY surprised (for a recoder priced under $300). I haven't had it real long

yet, but I have done EVERYTHING with it that it was capable of doing. And I have found NO negative points. Here are a few of the many positives........

---complete, consise, and easy to follow instructions. They tell you, in "normal" language, how to do everything. Best of all, when you do what the manual says, IT WORKS!!!

---easy to understand remote with most of its features ALSO available on the front panel of the unit itself. You don't have to rely only on the remote.

---every A / V input and output that you need to hook-up your other equipment. Rear and front inputs also.

---great picture quality from boughten DVDs and "home-made" ones from TV and VHS tape copying. It gives you 5 different choices of recording quality and hours per disc. HQ-1hr (highest), SP-2hrs, LP-3hrs, EP-4hrs, and SLP-6hrs. The first two are very good. The next two are acceptable. The last one (SLP) is not that great, but viewable, ok for some things.

---some reviewers said that their units developed a lot of heat and gave off an electrical smell. My unit got no warmer than the average VCR does. I had a slight electrical smell, but only from being new. It was less each day I used it. No problem really.

---it has a lot of other features that you wouldn't expect to find on a $300 unit, like -Zoom, auto chapters, segment repeat, commercial skip, and others.

I guess what I liked the best about this recorder is that it did EVERYTHING that it said it could and in an EASY to follow and well explained way. The best way for you to really find these things out is to get one and try it. Most stores will

easily let you return them. Read the rest of the reviews that you find here. All of the positive comments are true. The few negative ones I found to be wrong. Good luck. For only $300, you'll like it !!!!!!

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I bought my unit a couple months ago. It has been reliable but works a bit differently from a VCR and is more complex.

It plays every format of CD, DVD and R or RW, and jpegs, etc.. It will only handle the first 250 jpegs or mp3's it finds on a disk you insert. This is a potential nuisance. It records only the DVD+R and DVD+RW formats but can also play the "-" formats. A majority of DVD players and PC's will play the + format but some will only play the format. A few older players will only play factory DVDs. DO NOT BLAME THE RECORDER for an industry with multiple standards. The RW discs are simpler to use than R discs, but cost more.

While recording, the pause contol works very nicely, but plan ahead for STOP. This results in a long delay while the disc index is written and you cannot resume or anything else until this step is complete.

You can choose the compression to record with to yield 1,2,3,4 or 6 hours on a single-layer single-sided disc. The 1 and 2 hour modes are very very good. Three hour mode is acceptable VCR quality, but the 4 and 6 hour modes suffer from the high compression.

Be sure you let it format the new disk when you first put it in. This takes about 90 seconds. Also allow about 20-30 seconds warm up when you program it to record TV broadcasts. I just set the system clock 30 seconds fast.

Editing takes some practice. I strongly suggest you practice first with material that can be discarded.

The menus need to be made more user friendly, but there is not much else to criticise. Recorders will surely become faster and easier to use in the future, but are already much easier than using a PC for recording.

I am transferring my 10-20 year old home videos to DVD before they go bad. The DVDs will also take up less shelf space.

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I had one of these for (5) days and made a few recordings with it. In all honesty, the picture quality was very good. Included are (3) DVD+RW discs, a nice touch. However It seemed to stay QUITE warm all the time (even when turned off) and started to emit that nasty "electrical burning smell". It had also frozen up a couple of times....nothing would work until I unplugged it and plugged it in again. I had E-Mailed Cyberhome about this (they responded almost immediately to my surprise) and they said that "most" of the recorders work fine, but mine should be unplugged IMMEDIATELY and returned to the store. This could be a nice recorder (it is simpler to operate than the Philips that I have now)but be sure to buy it from a store that will let you return it should you need to.

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This does a very good job on recording from external sources, such as analog cameras, etc. Very good unit for the money.

Do not buy a Cyberhome product. I have the 1600 model and started having problems viewing DVD's and using the DVD recorder 2 months after purchasing the product. The customer service was terrible. I e mailed them several times without receiving an answer. The labor warrenty was only 3 months. I contacted them via phone, was on hold for an hour, and finally talked to a rude man who told me that I should have updated my firmware via downloading it from the wedsite. The download wouldn't work and he stated he would send me a disc. It never arrived. Awful company!!!