Magnavox MDR533H/F7 HDD/DVD Recorder

• Records up to 604 hours of content onto 500GB HDD
• 4-Way Dubbing (HDD->DVD, DVD->HDD, DV->HDD, DV->DVD)
• Watch, Forward, Rewind or Freeze Live TV while recording
• 1080p Up-Conversion
• Maximum 36 programs per month

I've been accused of being an "old fart" with a lack of tolerance for technology. It isn't true: I own a cell phone and the kids gave me a Kindle thingie over on the table somewhere. So, you might sense my apprehension about getting another box on the TV, another remote, and a headache setting the darn thing up. (I'm old school where buying a hard drive for your computer was an expensive option, and it took you a week to get it configured to your 8088 desktop.)

I was pleasantly surprised that the MAGNAVOX MDR533H/F7 320GB HDD and DVD Recorder with Digital Tuner was so easy to set up. I went on night shift and couldn't stand the thought of missing Big Bang Theory, Person of Interest, and NCIS so I had to record them. My VCR is packed away in the closet, but I don't have any tapes. Within a few minutes, I set up the recorder to save to hard disk drive (HDD) and scheduled a show. Today we watched my shows just fine. Perfect for what I wanted. It looks like you can also save to DVD, and/or playback DVD's. I played a DVD movie, and see I can eliminate my old DVD player using this box. (I think the kids are getting me a Blue Ray player for Christmas, whatever the hell that is.) Probably another box for the TV & another remote! Do they make remotes to manage all the other remotes? I have a drawer full, most of which I don't know what they go to anymore.

The recorder has RCA, S-Video & HDMI outputs to the TV. It passes the antenna/cable signal IN and OUT to the TV as well. You can "dub" your DVD's using the remote, whatever dubbing is. I think it's adding titles to the recording; I haven't tried that yet. This machine has a lot of options and features going for it. It is perfect, and easy, for my purpose, so I think you would be pleased with it. Especially if you are an old fart like me.

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If this was 10 years ago, it would be Ok, but it isn't

SDTV (standard definition) is long gone (for the most part). Sure, this receives and can record HD stations, but only at DVD quality which is SD (as in NTSC). The editing ability is good without the hassle of a PC, but come on Funai, lets get with the program.

As important, the HDD has been downsized to a 2 1/2" Laptop drive (see below). This is a HUGE disappointment as they went backwards, since the mount for a full size drive is still there. It was adapted to a smaller drive with the associated smaller SATA & power interface that won't allow a full size drive to be used. The power supply was modified to reduce power consumption, which is good, BUT, it was discovered this caused issues with the full size 3 1/2" drive so they did this fast fix.

Pros;

1. Self contained ATSC/QAM/NTSC tuner (see below),

2. HDD & DVR recorder,

3. Able to record from composite, S-Video & DV inputs,

4. You can swap drives between units (yours or anyones) and use as large as a 1TB replacement,

5. Edit out commercials (or any other material),

6. Edit recording titles,

7. Transfer recordings from the HDD to a DVD and vice versa (as long as the DVD isn't copy protected),

8. Low power consumption (21 watts). less than older versions, (but see below).

Cons;

1. This does not record HD, nor does it even show HD when using it as a tuner,

2. HDD has been changed to a smaller 2 1/2" Laptop drive format. This is due to cutting corners in the PS (power supply). This in turn caused issues with the larger 3 1/2" drive, forcing this modification,

3. The tuner is called a 'hybrid' that forces the user to switch between analog & digital channels when operated on a CATV feed,

4. Two ugly oversized and unnecessary buttons on the front panel that should be replaced with full menu & navigation functions. After all, this can be used as an editing deck that can be used at a desk. You don't need a remote to use this,

5. No front panel pause button,

6. No component record ability (no issue with DRM, it isn't digital),

7. No Guide of any kind for recording off air. Recordings have to be labeled to program names,

8. High power consumption when in standby by todays standards (4-5 watts),

9. Can not combine titles,

10. Some operational procedures are confusing causing one to jump back and forth though the menu.

I dropped the rating to two stars due to the downsizing of the PS & HDD.

Read Best Reviews of Magnavox MDR533H/F7 HDD/DVD Recorder Here

I have been using VCR to record TV programs until my digital to analog tuner died. Instead of buying another one, I thought I would look into a hard drive recorder. Price is important to me as I don't want to spend too much money. I found this unit. I have to admit that this is the first time I ended up with buying electronic product somewhere else because the price at Amazon is quite high, around 20% more. It took me no time to set it up. If you need something simple to operate and not having a lot of fancy functions, this is the unit I would buy. In SP mode, it could record up to 124 hours. I do not have any paid channel, I use attennae since I live in an area that has good reception. The digit tuner built into the unit scanned and found all the channels I needed. The timer programming is very simple, it's almost like my VCR. The playback is so much better than my tape. I can even play my DVD on it. I haven't tried the DVD recording feature since I don't have any DVR at hand. It may be too late to buy it as a Christmas present but if your parents are still using VCR for recording, buy them this unit this year. They would love it.

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Only had it for a few days but so far loving it. I used to have a recordable DVD player to save all the tv I missed when out of the house. But when the remote broke and I needed to replace it I found out that just a recordable DVD player was no longer easily available anywhere. This unit has the DVD player/recorder but I'll probably be only recording with the digital part of the player.

I have cable tv, but the setup was easy. Just undid the cables on the old broken DVD recorder, and reattached this new unit. Set up was very simple, I did it without even using the instruction book that came in the box. Set up the recording and it's working fine.

Wish it wasn't so expensive :( but it is what it is, and this was less than other units on amazon.

So easy setup, works great, and is easy to use.

This DVR is great! If you are used to programming a VCR back in the day, then using this DVR is a breeze. The extra functions are just icing on the cake.