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

I remain silent from now on regarding the ILO

 

I haven't had any real problems with my ilodvdr04. I love it actually. I did finally notice something though. When backing up dvd's I notice a slight high pitched buzz. I dubbed my Deadwood season 1 set of dvd's and played them on my portable dvd player and noticed this during a quiet part of the movie. When I recorded some of my favorite VHS movies onto dvd I didn't get that buzz. Anyone else have this problem? I wondered if the Sima GoDVD video/audio enhancer would kill it. Any suggestions. Thanks

 

RAPR

Some one I think said that if you are running your A/V cables in through the front you might pick up some noise. Most people go with using the back hook ups.

 

I'm extreamly happy with my ilo, I have the DVDRH04 and am completely satisfied. I did what's recommeneded on this forum (Applied most update firmware upgrade) right after I pulled it out of the box.

I saw someone asking about a remote code, there isn't one....but....if you have a learning remote, easy fix. If you have a JP1 compatible remote, I've created a JP1 upgrade file for the DVDRH04. This file was created for the Kameleon 9960 remote but could be modified if you have a different one.

If you don't know what JP1 is, look here:

http://www.hifi-remote.com/jp1/index.shtml

To put it plain and simple, it allows you to connect your universal remote (JP1 Compatible) to your computer and configure it any way you want to. I've even been able to get my Kameleon to work with my Bose Lifestyles 28 system. 6 peices of equipment, different manufacturers, all working with 1 remote and it's so easy to do.

 

ydkjman,
Did you ever get the CD tray to open? I had the same issue with the firmware upgrade. If so how did you do it? I want to avoid sending to ILO

 

Ray_Ray

Nothing I did I couldn't get the door to open so I had to open the case to get the cd out and then I returned it to walmart and exchanged it for another one. I just updated it again last night it that one worked fine.

 

Bought the DVDR04 a week ago. Very happy with it. Bought a 4-pin to 4-pin firewire cable to use between my Sony Digital8 (DCR-TRV140) and the iLO. All seemed well at first, but then I noticed that the audio portion of the DV was overmodulated -- badly. If I switch the cam connection to analog s-vid and L/R audio, all is well.

After finding no info online about garbled audio on DV input of DVDR04, I exchanged mine for another. New unit has same problem. Considering that a) the chap I spoke with at Sony had no ideas, and b) the DV output of the Sony is fine when I capture with my PC ... I'm thinking that there might be some weird compatibility issue between the TRV140 and the DVDR04.

FYI, I did try Digital8 segments recorded with both 16-bit and 12-bit PCM audio settings with no difference -- both overmodulated on iLO.

Any ideas folks?

 

You might want to drop a line at the Ilo Help website (www.ilohelp.com). I havn't tried the Ilink yet but did have a problem with bad colors in low lighting. I thought it was just my unit but a friend also bought one and had the same problem.

I emailed ILO and they were taking it to their R&D department. Hopefully firmware upgrade can fix it. Maybe they can look into that also.

Spuds

 

First I was having trouble with the "Split" option freezing up at 60% and I would lose the entire video file. I downloaded the firmware upgrade and installed it and the freezing problem went away. However, in its place is a new problem which started immediately. Now I can't use the "Merge" function. I cannot get two seperate videos to merge together into one. If I record a 4 hour movie like "Lawrence Of Arabia", then split it to fit onto two dvds, then want to put it back together to keep on the hard drive and watch later I'm screwed. It seems that the first day is the only good day with one of these machines. After that it's a trade off. Falling prices goes hand-in-hand with falling quality at Wal-Mart.

 

I have been reading about the GREEN TINT for awhile and had never seen it before until yesterday when backing up the movie "ELF". It is very obvious!! If you have doubts about the green tint on your HD04 try the movie "ELF" Now, I do not know if its been there all along or if it started after the firmware upgrades. I also had problems when recording from the front firewire input with a Sony Digital 8 video camera, the audio was WAY off!! I was so in love with this thing especially for the money, but I am slowly getting irritated as new problems show their ugly head. My 90 days are up at Wally World so I am sort of up a creek. I hope one of those hardworking firmware hackers can figure it out for all of us.

 

I noticed the green tint on everything i have backed up. I am hoping my godvd enhancer takes it away. I just got it from ebay for $50.00. Got it in the mail yesterday. I am going to give it a try this weekend. I pray it works. Thats the reason I got it. I also hope it takes away the little lines I can see in movies when dubbing on dark scenes.

 

I am new here and new to the stand alone DVD/HDD recorders. I was eye balling the iLO DVDRHD04 at Walmart the other day and thought it might be a good deal.

I have been using a VCR to record TV shows that I miss when I am at work, but it is starting to crap out on me. I am either going to get a new VCR or upgrade to a DVD/HDD recorder. After reading through this thread it is my understanding that you CANNOT watch a different channel if using the record function on the iLO. I take it this means that the iLO does not have something like a TV/VCR button which when pushed bypasses the VCR tuner and allows you to use the TV tuner while recording to a VHS tape.

It seems that the only workaround is to split the cable from the wall connection to both the TV and the iLO. If you do that how do you switch to using the TV's tuner while recording a show onto the iLO?

Are there any DVD/HDD recorders that allow you to record one channel while viewing another?

Also, does the iLO have a record timer that allows you to set start/end record times so I can record a TV show while I am gone?

Thanks for the help..

 

I just looked at the back of my ILO DVDRHD04, there is a place for the cable TV in, and cable TV out. It is more or less a pass thru so that the ILO's tuner can pick up the signals. This way you don't have to buy anything. But, for playback to the TV, like most all DVD players I have seen, your TV has to have the audio/video inputs.

There is what I consider an excellent timer capability in the ILO. You can tell it what to record, whether it be a channel on the built in tuner, or signals fed into it from the front or rear audio/video inputs. You can also select whether to record to a blank DVD or the hard drive. Of course you can also select the start/stop time, once, daily or weekly, and 1 of 4 different quality settings. The max is approx 6 hours on a blank dvd (i use RW's most of the time, blank ones at Staples were about $10 for 10 on sale. Alsthough the 6 hour mode is watchable, I stich with SP mode (gets about 2 hours on a DVD.

To summarize, it is a cheap unit, but not too bad. I use it strictly for recording and watching TV, just like my VCR. I never get into the split, merge, etc features others have had a problem with. For the $278 I paid, it was the best deal at the time I bought it (around 3 months or so ago) and I don't regret it.

I also have one of the ILO DVD recorders without the hard drive. It also is a good deal, to me.

Do download and patch it with the latest patch at their website before using the HDD one. It probably still has some weird glitches somewhere, but for someone with my uses, it is just fine.

 

Thanks for the reply. I was really only planning on using the iLO like a VCR for recording TV shows and, maybe, the occasional movie. I doubt I would get too much into copying DVDs and the such.

As I understand it you can't record on one channel and watch another unless you split the coaxial cable to both the TV and the iLO. Please correct me if I am wrong.

 

Well, I think there is another way although somewhat bothersome. I think you can just unplug the video (yellow) av wire from your tv set when you want to watch another program and then plug it back in when you want to program or watch the ILO. My ILO is connected via an RF modulator and I can accomplish the record one, watch another trick either by bypassing the modulator and hooking the tv directly to the coaxial cable outlet of the ilo or by unplugging the video input from the modulator. It would seem that you should be able to accomplish the same thing merely by disconnecting the video input from the TV or the video outlet from the ILO. I have posted this solution before but no one has commented that it worked or didn't work with a TV that has both kinds of input. Meanwhile, when it comes to recording something to just watch once later, I cannot tell the difference from the lowest quality recording and my regular cable reception. For my simple needs, this has been a fine machine. However, I have not tried to do any of the fancy stuff other than copy from hd to dvd which turned out ok.

 

As for recording one channel and watching another, I may not be understanding something you are asking here.

The ILO works almost identical to a normal VCR, except you don't watch the ILO by switching the TV to channel 3 or 4. You watch the ILO by switching your TV to receive signals from its AUX inputs. Now that's assuming your TV is new enough to have aux audio/video inputs. If it doesn't, yes it might get somewhat complicated as you will have to buy an RF modulator that will take any audio/video inputs (the ILO) and convert them to an RF signal on channel 3 or 4.

When you record on the ILO, you are using it's built in tuner. When you watch TV you are using it's built in tuner.

Hope I haven't confused you more.

 

I understand what you are saying. The iLO has coaxial (TV) in and out. In from the wall jack, out to the TV, just like a VCR, but the VCR has a TV/VCR button that you can press that will basically turn off the VCR's tuner and allow you to use the TV's tuner thus allowing you to set the VCR to one channel to record something and still be able to change the channel on the TV to watch a different channel.

 

You got it...and if you really want to...just like with a VCR, you can watch TV thru the VCR or ILO tuner (assuming you aren't recording anything else)and switch channels by changing the channel on the VCR or ILO (also assuming you have set the TV to receive from that input).

I think the best thing I enjoy about the ILO is, I can record a whole week or more worth of TV, and I don't have to fast forward or rewind on tape to find the exact show I want. I just look at the menu which shows the date/time and length of shows I recorded (I wish it showed the channel, but it doesn't), and just watch whichever one I want. If I'm thru with it, I can delete and that disk space is available again.

If you want, there is even a menu to defrag the hard drive if you have deleted a bunch. Don't know if that really helps it in any way.

 

Thanks for the help...

I just had a thought on how to be able to recored on one channel using the iLO, but still be able to watch another channel at the same time.

What if you were to split the coxial cable from the wall to both the iLO and TV and use the RCA video/audio out to connect the iLO to the TV. The TV would have to be set to the input channel (usually "input" or double zero) for you to be able to view the signal from the iLO, but if you were to change the channel on the TV tuner it would change channels via the TV's tuner instead of the iLO tuner. If you wanted to change channels via the iLO's tuner all you would have to do would be to set the TV tuner to the input channel. Doing this (in theory) you should be able to set the iLO's tuner to any channel and view that channel on the TV tuner's input channel, but still be able to change the TV tuner's channel and have the iLO's tuner still set to the original channel (unless, of course, I am way off base).

Do you think that would work or can you experiment with that idea to see if it will work?

I can probably test this idea using my VCR (assuming I would get the same outcome using the iLO).

 

Here's how I have my ILO setup

I have digital cable, but without the box I still get analog cable.

Coax from the wall then split

One side to the ILO, ANT IN (Analog, tuner controlled by the ILO for regular TV programs. Allows me to set timer just like a VCR and still watch anything I want on digital) If you don't have digital, just split the analog into two TV different TV inputs or get something to switch between the two.

One end into my digital cable box ANT IN.

SVideo Out from ILO to SVideo in on my Bose LS28.

SVideo Out from the Bose LS28 to Video2 (SVideo) on TV.

SVideo Out from Digital cable box to SVideo In on ILO (To record digital channels from cable box. I set the "VCR Timer" on the cable box and set the ILO timer to the same time using "SVideo" as source, the cable box will change the channel to the program I want to record and the VCR signal to activate the VCR will go out into never never land but the ILO will activate on it's timer and recieve the input from "SVideo").

I have coax out of my cable box to Video1 (coax) of my TV.

All primary Audio is Fiber and interconnections are RCA.

This way I can watch digital cable anytime as a primary, change to Video2 to watch either the ILO or the Bose LS28.

I also have a VCR and the Bose LS28 sharing the front connections on the ILO to record DVD's or VHS. I just switch them to whatever device I want to record from.

I hope this makes sense, cause I think i've confused myself.