Any opinions on the Sharp DV-HR300?

Hi Erikk
You say you are not getting a DD or DTS output from material you've recorded on to the Sharp Hard drive but don't have a problem with DD or DTS playback from a DVD.
I am just wondering from what source you recorded to the Sharp Hard Drive, Was it TV? In the UK we don't, as far as I am aware,receive Dolby Digital or Digital Theatre Sound broadcast on any TV Channel. Maybe the TV source you recorded from was in Nicam stereo or Dolby surround sound and therefore only recorded by the Sharp as Stereo. regards Silver 64.

 

Hi Silver64,

I didn't say that the Sharp doesn't output DD or DTS on the optical output when playing from the HDD. What I said is that it doesn't output sound (just any sound) on the optical output when playing from the HDD.

The sharp does not record in DD or DTS anyway so I don't expect it to output DD or DTS when playing from the HDD. Nevertheless, it should output sound, even in 2 channel stereo, on the optical when playing from HDD.

 

Hi Erikk,
What you have encountered is, in my humble opinion, a design deficiency of the machine. When the digital output is set to PCM, it does not pass DD through, only DTS and PCM from the DVD. Sharp has confirmed this quirk. It's not a bug, it's a feature!
The only way I have found to work around it is to connect the digital sound plus video signals to the amp's (say) DVD input, and another set of audio and video cables to the amp's VCR (say)input.
That way you have to select DVD on the amp to play DVD's and VCR to view and listen to the hard disk recordings, just like it was in the old days It's a pain, but it works.
I have connected my old VCR to an AUX input on the amp for occasional recordings. All of the above assumes you have sufficient input channels on your amp.
Hope this helps!

 

Hi Erikk,
Forgot to say in the previous post that the digital output should be set to bitstream, sorry.

 

Hi EA5E,

Thank you for your suggestions.
I also concluded it's a design deficiency in the Sharp - not the only one It was just to post and share the information on this thread.
Anyway, I don't really use the Sharp much to play DVDs as I have another DVD player, so for now I just set it to PCM digital output. Then if occasionnaly I play a DD or DTS DVD, I will know I have to set it manually to bit stream again. As the matter of fact I don't have many more inputs left on my amp My old VCR is still connected

Thanks

 

Hi Everyone,
After much scratching around, here is the long awaited URL for the multi region patch. Load this URL into your browser:
http://thor.prohosting.com/e5e/Sharp_DV-HR350.exe
That will download the file directly. It is a self extracter, so probably best to put it in its own folder. There are two folders in the file, Disk 1 and Disk2. Burn the files in each to two separate CD's (Don't include the folder level) Load the CD's into the machine according to the instructions in the text file, and you should be happy consumers!
Note: I don't know how long the downloads on this free site will last, so if someone else would be so kind as to post it after they get it, that would be helpful.
Happy viewing.
(what I don't know is the compatibility of your individual machines, versions and so on, so check. ALl I know is that it worked on my machine sale date November 2004.)
PS On the subject of multi Region peeves, HP is now regionalising printer cartridges, 50% of the profit of HP's printer division is from ink. I just bought a Canon print head in the US, $48. Price in Australia $190!! Wonder why customers do it?

 

Hi EA5E
Thanks for the info on the multi-region patch download.
Hopefully all will be fine though I note this is for the 350 I'm hoping it should be OK for the Sharp 300 as well. On the subject of regionalised ink-jet cartridges. My son took his six month old Epson C84 printer with him from the UK when he emigrated to Australia. When it required new cartridges he couldn't get them anywhere. Epson Australia advised that even though the C84 was same printer as the C83 (Singapore/Aus model)the cartridges were not compatible! In the end I had to mail him replacement cartridges from the UK! Incidentally I have an Epson C300. Official Epson replacement cartridges cost GB pounds 60 for a set. I buy compatible sets on the internet for GBP 15 ie 25 per cent and they are equally as good! Printer manufacturers are all the same worldwide rip-off merchants!

 

Hi Silver64,
Yes, you should be fine for the 300. My manual is for the 300 and 350. I think the hard disk size is the only difference, and that won't be a firmware difference.
Regards

 

Hi, I am a happy user of DV-HR300A for the last three months, not until I started to use the HDD->DVD-R dubbing. I first hitted the "10 second" dubbing bug, after a power reset, retried and finished the dubbing. Then I hitted the finalizing bug - it hung after finished over 90% (I waited for over 8 hrs). This time, both reset and power off have no use. The machine stays in the powering on state with both the "hdd" and "dvd" lights flashing. I guess it hangs when reading the partially-finialized DVD and I can't open the tray to take out the disc. What can I do ? Any fixs to the 2 mentioned bugs ? I bought it as a parallel imported goods, i.e. there is no dealer support here. PS, anyone has tried the multi-region "upgrade" for the A model ?

 

thanks heaps ease....My sharp is now multi region woo hoo

 

I'm not looking for technical support but wonder if anyone else has had a problem with Ea5e's MR firmware upgrade.

The first CD did exactly as expected (200 to 208) but the second disk went straight from 300 to 30E (I presume E for Error) then spat it out. When I then put a region 1 disk in, it reads but the picture is unwatchable with blocking and smearing of the picture. I tried all steps 3 times to make sure the bios CDs were burnt OK.

The machine is a 350 and was bought in Germany (region 2) in June 04, although it now lives in Oz.

Any ideas/anyone else with this problem? Sounds like I need a full firmware update from Sharp (maybe up to Ea5e's late 04 level).

Incidentally, I'm thinking about upgrading the DVD drive to double layer. Do you think it would be a go-er?

Cheers

 

Hi Norisk,
Sounds like you have good news and bad news;
The upgrade has removed the MR protection, otherwise you would just get the annoying "naughty!" message. The fact that you get something on the screen with region 1 is hopeful.

Have you tried your region 1 DVD on some other player / TV combination? Perhaps it is do with PAL / NTSC compatibility of your TV? I'm not sure how Sharp does it, whether they only output PAL, or output in the system of the disk's region. All I know is that it worked on my system, but my TV is NTSC / PAL. You could try taking it (DVD) into a dealer for a test. That way you could isolate it to player or system.

My DVR is a 350X, whatever the X means, so perhaps the second disk is something to do with version checking / updating and finishing the flash process, while the first is probably the specifics of removing the protection - wild guess! I would think that i

Also try resetting the unit?
Regards

 

Hi EA5E I am a "Numpty" i.e.Scottish word for someone not very bright! No matter how I tried I couldn't get the link to the MR download to happen. In the end perserverance and switching off my firewall did the trick. I am now ready to burn the necessary discs to make my 300 multi-region and I am frightened!
Maybe the firmware will only work with the Australian "X" model and maybe I'll completely screw-up my 300's ability to play region 2! BTW the letters after the 300 or 350 only denote the market the machine was made for; hence in the UK it's "H", in Continental Europe it's "F" etc. Wish me luck! Silver64

 

Ea5e
The TV is NTSC OK, and I guess you're right about the MR being broken but I wonder if the second disk contains the SWare to decode NTSC properly. When you say reset the box, do you mean the AutoInstall procedure (Channel ^ and DVD simult)?

Silver
Didn't mean to concern you - I should have added that the playing of Region 2s is unaffected by the failure I had trying to remove MR. So you shouldn't be any worse off even if, like me, you can't play Region 1s after applying Ea5e's MR upgrade.

 

Norisk,
To reset open the door on the bottom left that covers the front AV connectors. The reset button lurks in a little hole on the left. Push it with a stick! (Not uphill!)
Everything will go back to factory default, so all your settings will have to be re-entered. It's only a long shot that it will make anything better.

Silver,
It makes sense that X means Australia - You know that the only reason that they make XXXX beer in Queensland is because Queenslanders can't spell beer.
I saw somewhere, and can't find it again, that there is way to read what the version is. That way I could tell you guys what my version has ended up with, but not what I started with It may be that the software version and the patch as well is either Australian or Region 4 specific, or it's just plain a later or earlier version to other machines.
In either case, not very clever software management.
Regards

 

Is it possible to record somethin onto dvd-rw without finalising and playing that on a pc? I dont wanna waste a dvd-r just to get something onto the pc.

 

Hi Wook, Finalise the dvd-rw. Play this on your PC and then it's only a matter of "initialising" the RW to use it again. Initialising will wipe the disc clean and enable it to be recorded on again. If you don't finalase the disc it won't play on your PC. BTW how much are you paying for DVD-R's. I can buy excellent 4x DVD-R's in the UK for 15p ( AU 35c)

 

Hi EA5E
Finally bit the bullet and loaded the discs I had downloaded to make my 300H Multi-region. Loaded Disc 1, display showed "200", then display changed to "208". I powered off. Powered on again, loaded disc 2, Display showed "300" then changed to "307" and tray opened. I then loaded a region 1 DVD and the on-screen display on my TV showed " Region code of disc is wrong". Sadly my Sharp still won't play region 1. I am just wondering if any other UK forum members had any success with the MR firmware and managed to make their 300 or 350H multiregion? Cheers

 

Hi Silver 64,
Hmmm... There could be a few possibilities:
1. The patch only does Region 4 to 0
2. The overall firmware version is different, but it looks as if your machine took it OK.
3. Different region machines = different firmware versions. Same as 1 + 2 really.

Don't know what else to suggest, other than to call around to see if any dealer can or is selling it as MR, in which case they have the software, and after that it's a matter of persuading them to give it to you or have them upgrade it for a fee.

 

Please help me choose a DVD/HDD recorder

The only difference between the HR300 and HR350 is a colour change and the HDD 80Gb and 120GB. Sorry for the long post

1) Ok regarding the remaining DVD time are you talking about when you are recording a TV prog? Does it not have a timer to say how long it has been recording and you can then tell depending on mode you used how much time you have left?

2) Ok, disc resume will be miss but not totally important (can the other recorders to many resume of DVDs ie more than 1?)

3) Is it easy to pick a thumbnail image? can you do it after a recording, or whenever you want to do it? The prog channel, date will be hard to remember so I would name all mine is it easy to do with the remote?

4) What is dubbing like? DVD>HDD and HDD>DVD, can you do your own DVDs like this or does it not allow with the copy protection?

5) Have you managed to get any firmware upgrade yet? LiteON! recorders are easy downloadable and update bug fixes often

6) what about naming programmes on DVD? ie if you record off the TV is it the same system as the HDD, thumbnail, or manually type in programme name?

7) It does mention in the manual but does it work ok:- playing a DVD whilst recording onto HDD, and recording on DVD can you watch a programme off the HDD (some recorders dont allow this)

8) What is the timer programming like? Do you use Videoplus? is it ok, the only think I would love is a EPG guide 9As per Philips 720 but this is £500) is it worth the extra £200 over the Sharp??

9) What is the compatibilty of the recorded DVDs like from the Sharp to play on other set top boxes? or does it depend on the media rather than the Sharp?

10) what exactly is Showview? is it to do with videoplus? I have it on my video at the moment, ie type in the code from the paper to record is this the same? I thought that was videoplus so what is showview?

11) what is the chase TV like? does it work fine?

12) Can you group programmes on the HDD, eg in sport, soap, films etc, noticed this feature on the Pioneer, quite neat.

Been reading all the reviews (online) in the magazines what hifi, hifi choice etc and all give really good marks, looks like its a old model about a year here in UK but is now half the price, think I will get it maybe tomorrow now if I get a post back from you (or anyone) with the questions abaove answered

) I like the look of the Sharp and the price I can get it for, here is a rival for it (for me) it £335

http://www.liteonit.com/DC/english/lvw_5045/lvw_5045.htm

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/prod...2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X3Jldmlld3M=&product_uid=79374

it is a LiteOn! 5045, it has a 160Gb HDD, but cannot watch, and play at same time ie play DVD, watch from HDD as per Sharp (I think). it also writes to everything + and -RW R, and CD-R RW

Or the PIONEER DVR420HS but this has a 80Gb HDD, seems a nice product as well, also has RGB (what is this though?)

thanks for any help you can give me
ps what do other DVD/HDD recorders use to list programmes? thumbnails etc? is there a better system?

thanks
Andy