Cyberhome CH-DVR1600 DVD Recorder

• Built-in TV tuner lets you record directly from TV onto DVD+R or DVD+RW discs
• Plays DVD, DVD-ROM, DVD+R/+RW, DVD-R/-RW, CD, CD-ROM, CD-R/RW, SVCD, VCD and Photo CD
• Firewire (IEEE 1394) input delivers fast data transfer and one-touch recording directly from your digital camcorder
• Connections: composite (1 in, 1 out), S-Video (1 in, 1 out), component (1 out)
• Dolby Digital decoding; digital coaxial audio output

I was looking for a DVD Recorder that I could use to transfer a load of old home movies I have on VHS tape to DVD and this unit looked just right price-wise, i.e. very inexpensive, since I did not envision much further use once I got all the tapes transferred to DVD. But this baby has proven to be a real versatile unit. I have it hooked up to my VCR on one line input and my TIVO on the other line input and I can easily transfer materials from either unit to DVD. I also hooked up the built-in tuner and recorded a couple of programs right off the air to DVD. Again, no problems ... and in all cases the quality of recording was awesome (I used the default 2 hour mode). The built-in MP3 player is a real bonus. I transferred a lot of my MP3's to a DVD Disc with 4.7 Gig capacity (yes, that's a lot of MP3's) and I could easily play them all on this unit. I have not tried the JPEG viewer but if that works as well as the other functions that I have tested then what is there to complain about? For a hundred bucks ... how much better can you expect? I am wondering about all those one star ratings ... this unit is a bit complicated to set up and I can understand someone's frustration if they have a less than satisfactory out-of-box experience. But if you are not technically challenged or if you are willing to spend some time reading the manual and understanding the setup you will not be disappointed. I took away one star from my rating because the remote is not very well organized and has very small keys. But all in all, great product at an unbelievable price!

PS. Someone reported that they were able to burn a DVD-R on this unit even though it is advertised as a DVD+R only. If that is true then this is truly one outstanding device!

UPDATE 12/21/05 - Out of curiousity, I went out and got hold of a couple of DVD-R discs to try out with this unit. They worked just fine. Upon insertion of the DVD-R I was prompted to format the DVD-R which I did. Then I proceeded to record a couple of programs off the air, all recorded just fine, each recording in a separate "Chapter." Then I finalized the disc and was able to play the DVD-R on a regular DVD player. So this unit DOES indeed work with DVD-R even though it is advertised as DVD+R only. I have not tried DVD-RW so I cannot say for that type of disc. DVD+RW works just fine. Lastly, what is truly a wild card is the overall long term reliability of the unit. In today's age of rapid obsolescence and cheap, cheap prices for consumer electronics the very definition of "long term" needs to be rethought. To me long term means 12 months. So if the unit dies after 12 months I will have gotten my money's worth since I would be looking to upgrade to the next, new thing anyway right about in the 18-24 month time frame. It is unfortunate that we have come to view consumer electronics items as essentially "disposible" ... but that is how things are. So all in all, I am a happy customer with this unit.

The "Version" information from my unit (obtained from the Setup screen) is as follows:

UI: C00065MCU

Serve: DX043D D 037S

Adap: V08.00.01.46.R0.2

Control: DVR1600CHN1M02540

Buy Cyberhome CH-DVR1600 DVD Recorder Now

Junk

update unit started oscillationg and BestBuy replaced it under servica agreement with a Liteon 1 Star

----

UPDATE I was able to duplicate the problem others have reported with a warbling audio on this unit. I applied the firmware 9/2005 and the problem is fixed. I had to apply the Back-End firmware twice for some reason.

---

This seems to be a fantastic product. Check out the features at Cyberhome's website.

Almost too good to be true. It records BOTH +/R and RW DVD's, even though the box says + only. It has the ability to become region-free. It has 2 video source inputs AND has a built in tuner. It has DV input for camcorders. It records in 6 speeds which is great. The unit is very easy to use... press the SOURCE button on the remote until you see the source you want to record, press ENTER and then press the RECORD button. How hard is that? Takes 2-3 seconds.

Some people have reported problems on various forums with a warbling sound and some hum from the tuner. I have the device sitting on TOP of a TIVO and have none of these problems. Mine is a model 1600MU. I am running the original firmware (100) but there is a firmware upgrade available. The MU's have some additional features over the ZU's, I have heard.

Keep in mind, you have to FINALIZE a disk in order to play it on another DVD player, according to the online HELP.

There have been some criticisms of the remote control. I find it very nice and replacements are only $12.00.

Please ignore M. Smith's timings on how long it takes to do things on this recorder. You can format and/or finalize a disk in seconds... not minutes. Programming a schedule is as easy as manual scheduling on a TIVO. Unless I am missing something, this is a great machine. I'll report back if long term usage proves otherwise.

Read Best Reviews of Cyberhome CH-DVR1600 DVD Recorder Here

This exact unit, with slight differences to the face buttons, has been released under the names CyberHome and Ilo, and I tried both of them. I also tried three other DVD recorders from big name companies, was disappointed with every single one, but was the least disappointed by the CyberHome / Ilo model. For $100, it's easily the best bang for the buck. I attached the CyberHome 1600 where my VCR used to be, had it "learn" my cable channels, set the time, and was good to go. The menu system and LED display on this unit is the best I saw on all the DVD recorders I tested. Use +RW media (I used Memorex with no problems) and the disc will play in other DVD players without having to finalize the disc. If companies like Panasonic and Sony can't get a DVD recorder to work for $300, I'll use this $100 model until someone gets it right.

Want Cyberhome CH-DVR1600 DVD Recorder Discount?

This is my first dvd recorder. I was able to copy vhs, dvd, and tv programs to dvd+r, dvd+r/w. I also played the recorded disk on another dvd player. It played fine. The manual could be better. There's a section on how to edit the dvd. It did not state you must press the "edit" button on the remote. It took me 3-4 hours before a figured it out. Hook up between vcr, tv and recorder is simple.

For the price it's a bargain. Cyberhome recommends that you use Fuji, Sony, memeorex .. dvd+r, dvd+r/w. Make sure you finalize the recorded disk. To play the disk the player must be able to read dvd+r media.

...I wouldn't bother buying a different burner. This is a great unit at a great price, assuming it lasts at least a year. I like this thing so much that it's prompted me to write this as my first hardware review anywhere. After blowing countless hours futzing with computers, video files, pass-through devices, and balky burners, I've found this to be a _tremendous_ time saver.

Key points (in no particular order):

-Solid construction, while being compact and lightweight.

-FOUR inputs !! (firewire, composite in the front, composite with S-Video option in the back, and RF).

-Easy to use menus.

-Many quality settings (1hrs and up per disc).

-Easy titling and ability to leave discs for later finalization.

-Compact remote control.

-Clock display when on standby.

-Chinese-made players like these play nearly ANYTHING. Not picky like the Sony's, Pioneers, etc.

So far, I have no cons to note, just caveats:

-The box indicates the latest BIOS, currently at 540/105N, as well as the model number. At my Best Buy, there was 1600MU and 1600MU1.

-I got the MU and was able to make it region-free.

-A full burn does not necessarily mean a full disc.

-2hr "SQ" recording is "better than VHS" in the manual, but is somewhat disputable and subjective.

-NOT ALL DISCS WORK WELL. NOT EVEN NAME-BRANDS: I wasted several Memorex +R's trying to figure out a problem, only to use generic CompUSA media without a hitch.

-Use Nero CDSpeed to find out the true mfr of the media (that Memorex was Ritek, while the CompUSA was Ricoh, Your mileage will vary).

-When buying media, buy Taiwan or anywhere else, just NOT Chinese made, if at all possible.

(**If you like to do video editing, go out and get Ulead Video Studio 9 and up. It allows you to import the video files from your DVDs!!! No more hard drive thrashing and eating up computer time waiting for transfers to finish!!! Just drag and drop your .VOB files over and you can edit and save at will!!)

**Lastly, a note regarding burners in general:

I have found on 3 totally different burners (computers and the Cyberhome) that occasionally a series of bad burns will happen. What seems to have fixed this for me is to burn ONE TIME onto a +RW. It is almost as though the +RW mode forces the internals to recalibrate. I can't verify the validity of that, but it's a trick that has worked for me on several occasions.