Any one have a ilo DVD Recorder With 80 GB Hard Drive, DVDRH04, from Wal-Mart,is it a good recorder?

Depends. I just leave them in because it generally isn't worth it to edit them out. However, if they are a sticking point for you, you can go into the EDIT mode and cut the commercials out by freeze-framing at the point where the program interrupts for a commercial and remove the offending sales pitch. Problem is, even though you stop the program at the exact frame where the commercial begins, the ilo will actually include the last moment or two of the show in what it removes, so it's hit or miss with the editing feature. Just like with the thumbnail feature--you freeze the shot you want as the identifying thumbnail, but you end up having to go past the scene you want and actually freeze the next scene in order to make the prvious one the thumbnail. This is a good week for the ilo in Nicks's household, as there have been no hair-pulling problems from it. That's cause for celebration around here. Now if those shits at ilo would just fixed the damn green tint problem.....

 

Are you guys using the regular recorder or the one with the hard drive? I think I see a green tint now and then but it comes and goes so fast, I can't pinpoint it as a problem, working like a charm (so far) DVDRHDO4

I do all the editing of the commercials on the hard drive, much faster and precise than on the dvd itself THEN when you're done send it to dvd....dvd's being slow to respond is nothing new to any brand of recorder from my experience anyway

 

when I talked about editing I was referring to the hard drive. No matter where you stop the program at the ilo will cut just before that, so you have to go a few frames into the commercial to get the ilo to cut right at the commercial itself. Also, I have the DVDRH04 with the hard drive, and the green tint is an issue with it. On certain shows that have predominantly low lighting, such as "Angel" or "Buffy The Vampire Slayer", you'll see the green tint in the dark areas, such as hair or doorways. Just about any dark shadows will show a greenish color.

 

yep, Nick that's it then, that green tint, it only happens in dark lighting, so when the scene changes it's gone, sometimes it was so quick i just couldn't tell but really just noticed it with Lord of the rings

 

What ever happened to that firmware Ilo said would be here by now?

 

philli,

They sent out a beta version (1194) to a couple of people, which I have posted on my site. 1195 is suppose to be out in about 2 weeks.

The 1194Beta does fix the green tint and audio cd playback issues.

 

Rats. When moving stuff from HD to RW, when I try to move a second entry, it keeps telling me I need to split the title or some crazy thing like that. (Not an issue with DVD-R). Any, can someone tell me what they want me to do. I tried to merge programs first but that did not seem to work either. According to Users Manual, you do a little zigging and zaggin and hit split and your title is "splitted," (doncha just live Chinese English?) but why would I want to split a movie into two pieces? Anybody got this figured out?

 

"why would I want to split a movie into two pieces?"

If the size of a program you recorded to the HDD is too large for the DVD disc.

 

Sorry, Al, you obviosly don't know any more than I do. One should be able to get three 2-hour movies on a dvd in SLP mode. I have put three 2-hour movies on a dvd+r. But there is something different the way it records to a dvd+rw such that you can't just add the next one on like you can with a +r where you can keep adding stuff until the disk is full. But to add to my question which hopefully someone can answer, do you split the title of the movie you have already moved to the dvd or do you split the title to the second movie you want to move and then do the same to the third; or so on if you are moving some one-hour tv shows?

 

I have a problem. It seems that every solution that ILO comes out with spawns two more hair-pullers. I installed the 1194 upgrade and yes, it did seem to fix the green tint issue, but it immediately caused two more issues. First, the skip buttons, the ones that allow you to advance to the next chapter, don't work. It takes 4 or 5 attempts to move to the next chapter, it just keeps restarting itself at the beginning of the chapter I'm already on. Same thing with the skip button that allows me to go back one chapter. I changed out the batteries in case it was that. Nothing. If it started happening days later I wouldn't have linked them, but it started happening immediately after the upgrade. Second, I transferred some 30 minute shows back to the hard drive after restoring it and some of the shows will get about 5 minutes into the program and then the program stops running as if it was at the end even though it still has another 24-25 minutes left. I tell you what, if this is the best we can expect from the Chinese then I have no fear of a nuclear confrontation with them in the future because any nuke they attempt to launch at us is not just likely to turn around and plow back into them, but is most likely going to take out a nearby silo or nuclear power plant with it. I hope it also gives them a green tint.

 

Well, Nick2, there is another side to the story. The only problems I have ever had with my ILO have been operator error and operator stupidity. The Chinese are credited with the saying, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step." It seems like any action you want to take with the ILO is a journey of a thousand steps through lengthy menus and if you make a mis-step, you have to go back to start. Kinda like getting caught when playing Mother May I. Plus, us senior citizens have a long learning curve.

 

ooooooooookay. That doesn't really help, or have anything to do with the problems I mentioned, but thanks for that anyway. Perhaps "operator stupidity" accounts for the majority of problems for some, perhaps it's even so prevalent that it keeps some people from recognizing when it isn't even their fault, but I'm pointing out that for every solution ILO, or their parent Lite-On, or even their parent the Chinese Military Industrial complex comes out with there is another one or two created.

 

the chapter skipping thing is an issue - it works fine for me as long as i press the skip button, wait a moment and then hit it again. If i hit it in rapid succession like i used to, the problem you mentioned does happen.

I also have had the issue with playback stopping in the middle of a show and the unit locking up.. hopefully they'll have that fixed with 1195 when it comes out..

Overall i've been very happy with this unit..

 

I don't think its operator stupidity. In many years of TV and computer service the vast majority of problems should be attributed to operator error. I dialed a wrong number and cused out the phone company. I lost my OS because two necessary files were missing and I had to install them [I just poked the wrong button.] We, and I mean we, sometimes don't see the trees for the forest and we don't want to admit it. Sometimes we get carried away and go off on tangents and or disagree. That does not make anyone stupid. I have an ILO and it works fine and [EASY]. You want a thousand steps, Go the PC route. As a senior, senior citzen I don't think I have a longer learning curve, evan if I have to get my grandson to operate these new fangled gatgets.

 

Here is another problem I've encountered lately: tonight I recorded a block of programming that was 2 hours and 3 minutes long. When I went back to watch the show later the future doorstop which is now my dvd recorder refused to play the show. It would simply stop when I pressed "PLAY". And yes, the video was there because it had a thumbnail and the numbers underneath it indicated how long it had recorded. I also transferred a 30-minute program onto the hard drive from a dvd I recorded earlier and that show also refused to play. I had to delete both without being able to view them. The whole point is to be able to record a program to be watched and enjoyed later, but that is kind of impossible when the ILO refuses to hold up its part of the deal by actually playing the video.

 

dayturner,

Before you dismiss my advice so quickly, I assumed you have check to make sure the recordings are all 2 hours and under. I have copied three recordings, all 2 hours, from HDD to a dvd +rw and have no problems. The only time that a split comes up is when it is over the allowed space.
However, you're correct to assume most of the problems are caused by operator errors. I find that I have been guilty of that many of times,as well.

 

Nick2,

Try defragmenting your HDD as often as you can. Or better yet,(it may not be an option for you) reformatting the HDD. I find that I have less of recording problems when I do frequent defrag and reformatting.

 

I also get "can't send this to HDD, because of limitations" on movies less than 2 hours,and all of my settings ARE correct, no bitching from me though,I just record my videos directly to dvd now.
If i record tv for 2 hours on the HDD it sends to dvd with no problems... I'm still a positive person about this unit, i edit out the commercials burn to dvd+r-finalize, play in my panasonic with perfect picture , getting quite a collection of my favorite shows with no commercials

 

Not really complaining myself. Just wish I could figure out what you are suppose to do. Split movie that is already on DVD? Or split the one you want to move. Where do you split? Just anyplace? Or is it ok to split off a ragged beginning or ending and eventually erase it? Guitarman -- have you figured this out????

 

concerning my above problem with the chapter skip buttons on the remote not working, having to press the skip button almost a dozen times last night to move ahead one chapter almost caused my remote to become a permanent fixture of my wall. After watching a DVD this afternoon, I started to realize that the problem may not be with the remote, but rather the hard drive of the unit. I noticed no problem with the skip button while watching the DVD, but it immediately started up again while watching something stored on the HDD. I restored and defraged my HDD yesterday, so there's nothing more I can do about that.

P.S. Anyone have a clue how I might go about getting the hard drive swapped out? Can it even be done?