anyone have either emerson dvd recorder from Walmart and do you like it?

Got an Emerson EWR20V5 as a gift yesterday. After figuring out how I needed it hooked up, it seems OK so far - but I've done little with it yet. Got a couple of questions, maybe someone can help out.

First: Can the 20V5 use 16X discs? Saw several on sale in the Sunday adverts (about $15 for 50 pk. spindles, Verbatim & Memorex), so I was thinking about getting some today. And yes, I know that it won't record at 16X - I just thought the price wasn't too bad, esp. for my first set of discs (I gotta get some so I can start using the thing!).

Second: The manual, while quite thick, is confusing as hell - even to a Ph.D. like me! I just want to be able to transfer my older VHS to DVD, while removing the commercials. A chapter/title menu would be nice, too. Is there a way of editing out the commercials easily? Of course, the manual doesn't cover this at all...

Lastly: Is there a firmware update for this model yet? Just curious...

 

Greetings,

I don't have the combo but I think the emerson dvd recorder is pretty much the same in either case. I will help if I can.

[bold]First: Can the 20V5 use 16X discs? [/bold]

I don't believe it or any dvd recorder can. A pc dvd burner is what those are made for. I may be wrong on that so someone correct me if so.

[bold]Second: The manual, while quite thick, is confusing as hell - even to a Ph.D. like me! I just want to be able to transfer my older VHS to DVD, while removing the commercials. A chapter/title menu would be nice, too. Is there a way of editing out the commercials easily? Of course, the manual doesn't cover this at all...[/bold]

I am the kind who never looks at the manual until I have to. I figured this thing out pretty much without it.

Editing is simple once you figure out what it can do and how. First you will have to use a [bold]-rw disc[/bold]. The Emersons can be quite fussy about those so I use the Maxells from Wal-Mart (2x I think). I cannot say they are the best discs but they work until I can put the finalized product onto a -r disc.

To record and edit the recorder must be set to the [bold]vr mode[/bold]. From the menu I believe you would look under the recording option and set it to this from there. It is not the default setting. This will only apply to the -rw discs so I just leave it set there.

Once you record what you want onto the -rw disc you can then edit the disc. Press set-up from the remote and then edit from the screen menu and then [bold]original[/bold] playlist. What you will have is a small screen with options to the right. One of them is scene delete. Press that and you get another menu. It will give you the start and the stop option on what you want to delete. Just press start (when the commercials start) and stop when they do. With a little practice you can learn how to perfect it and have no trace of the unwanted stuff. You will have to do some forwarding and reversing to get your stop and start points. You can then preview what you have done when you are finished. Make sure you then press delete after the preview. Once you have finished the disc you will have to finalize it. It takes a little practice but it is really easy once you learn what to do.

As far as hooking it up those who have that combo unit will have to help but it isn't too much trouble. I have three different units all hooked together and I can record from (and to) three different machines so tapes shouldn't be a problem to record from.

[bold]Lastly: Is there a firmware update for this model yet? Just curious...[/bold]

If it is new you probably don't need one. The issue before was concerning the 8x discs. If yours can do the 8x you are good.

Have a happy new year!

Jesse

 

Jesse,

Thanks for the tips. I've done a little more research on this unit today, and this is what I've found:

16X discs ARE OK with the V5. However, 4X or 8X are recommended. I got a spindle of 30 Memorex -R's at Wally World today, 8x, and I'll try 'em out as soon as I get a chance. The wrapper says "made in Taiwan", though, so I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope they work.

The editing process you described sounds very difficult, to say the least. Not to mention more expensive, using only -RW's. As I only have the V5 unit as a set-top DVD player (I have a couple DVD-ROM drives in computers, but I'm pretty sure that they can't read VR mode -RW discs), it would be extremely difficult to edit on a -RW, then copy the edited material onto a -R disc. There must be a way to do this. Can I just pause the disc while it's dubbing from tape, FF the tape, and restart it once I get past each commercial sequence? Or will this result in a coaster like a CD-R/-RW will?

Another issue I ran into: I have a Scientific Atlanta DVR from my cable company. It has the option of outputting recorded shows to an external recording device (DVD or VHS) by a secondary output, without having to watch the show during the process (Called "copy to VCR"). The 20V5 does have a primary line-in in the rear, and a secondary one in the front. I tried to do the "copy to VCR" using either of them, but I could not change back to TV viewing during the attempt. Kinda defeats the purpose of moving it off of the DVR while being able to watch something else at the time, eh?

Ideally, I'd like to be able to move stuff off of the DVR in the background, like I'm supposed to be able to do, to the V5. This is so I have the option of recording with either the VHS deck, or doing it straight to DVD if I want to preserve the better picture quality. I COULD hook the DVR up to a spare VHS deck I have, and monitor it if needed through the surround tuner, but I'd much rather use the 20V5 if possible.

So, anyone know if it's possible to switch between the component/s-video inputs, while recording on either the VHS or DVD drives, and the tuner - and have it continue to record the desired input? As it is now, I either can't switch between L1, L2, and the tuner, or I can, but it winds up recording what I'm watching - not the line-in.

 

Hi,

What I can help you with I will try. There are many much more knowledgable people here ( I'm sure the holidays have everyone doing other things) so I hope they will do what they can for you when they return.

It really isn't difficult just time consuming. You will find it easier than it sounds. I think you have the right idea though in just pausing the recorder and ff as you dub from a tape. With tapes that is what I generally do although I do not pause. I stop and restart.

As far as chapters and menus I haven't done that so I can't help you with that. Mine is set to automatically set a chapter mark every 10 minutes and that has served me well enough.

There are just a few things I edit commercials out of. Frankly I leave them in because years down the road they can add to the nostalgic quality of some things... for instance I recorded some Christmas shows years ago onto tape: Charlie Brown and Garfield for example. Last year I put them on disc. As I sat with my grandchildren watching them this year it was fun to see some of the old commercials. Who doesn't get a kick out of the Santa riding the electic razor through the snow?

I have a second dvd set up with my recorder. When I do something on a -rw I finalize it and then pop it into the Sony. I record that onto a -r with the Emerson and that fixes that. I can reuse the -rw again. I will also add this... -rw discs do not have the same quality as -r discs in my opinion. I also get some bad sectors at the end of -rw discs very often. I rarely record to the end of one for that reason. In other words if I have the rec speed set to 2 hour I only record about an hour and a half of programs on it.

I haven't tried a -rw (vr mode) in my computer. I would be willing to bet newer drives probably could but I do not know. My Sony player handles them just fine so I can't imagine my pc not being able to as long as it is finalized.

I wonder. I have a Hughes Directv dvr. It also has the "record to vcr" option but I have never explored that. I have the dvr plugged directly into my Emerson. When I am recording off the dvr I have to watch what I am recording. This is why I do this as I am leaving or when I go to bed. I will look into that but maybe someone can help us with the way to do that without having to watch what you are backing up. I'm not sure how that will work.

You have probably already read the horror stories concerning Memorex brand media. I have had some problems with those discs. I have also had some compatibilty issues with CompUSA discs. I recommend TDKs and Verbatims as you will find them most readily. You will find the best deals on the internet. Also discs I put labels on will sometimes have issues. Not sure why. It may be a media problem but it has been my experience to leave off the labels no matter how pretty they make the disc.

Have a Happy New Year,

Jesse

p.s. Does anyone know a reason not to store recorded discs in binders that are sat upright?

 

@Macguy
I would recommend steering clear of any media made in Taiwan,I bought a couple of spindles of made in Taiwan media solely because of the price,these discs are now unreadable after 1 month on any player.Go with Jesse`s suggestion of TDK,Maxell or any brand that is manufactured in Japan.

 

Hi,
I hope everyone had a Good Christmas.

My solution for not having to watch what I am recording may work for some of you folks.

I put the cable box to playing and the DVD or VCR to recording, and then I switch the TV from "Line one, or Line Two what ever thw case may be" back to a regular channel, 2,3,4,5, 7. etc. Then it is possible to watch any of the channels that my TV receives while the Cable Box and the Recoeder are doing their thing. You can switch back to the line channel any time you want, to check on the recording.

I hope this will help....motorcycl

 

Not all Made in Taiwan media is bad.

Verbatim Digital Movie and Verbatim Datalife are Made in Taiwan and
this is excellent media. (These are also Made in India and are just as good.)

While most of the best media is Made in Japan, do not sell yourself short on Verbatims.

 

Thats right. If you went into most stores and excluded every disc made in Taiwan you may not have any options. Most are. I suppose it is the particular manufacturer in Taiwan.

The 8x Maxells in the three packs are the only Japanese made discs at Wal-Mart for instance.

Jesse

 

Sure,all Taiwanese media are`nt coaster material,I had no problems backing up Data,just in my case DVDs and games have been unreliable after a certain period of time.I was dissapointed because I bought a huge spindle of "Hi Disc" brand DVD-R`s and almost 80 percent are not loading,hence the recommendation to use made in Japan.It`s just my personal opinion...

 

what dvdr discs are still made in Japan and are reliable to use that are up to 4x?

 

I know Cookie. I always look for anything other than the Made in Taiwan stuff first. Its just hard to do.

J

 

JBarth,

I think that Maxells are (if you can find them at 4x now). Certainly Taiyo Yudens are if you can get the folks to send you the actual 4x disc. SuperMedia sent me 16x when I ordered 4x. You will have to order from the internet I'm sure. There are others that will know this better than me so perhaps they will let us know.

J

 

Cookieboy,

Hi Disc media? That is an off brand. I wouldn't buy those period.

Verbatim Media made in Taiwan is actually japanese made. Mitsubishi rents space from CMC Mag but uses its own stampers and equipment to make the DVD's. Its only made in Taiwan but it is Japanese all the way. They are MCC (Mitusbishi Chemicals)coded discs.

On another note, I use CMC Mag Imations made in Taiwan. You can find these at Officemax. These work great in the Emerson and are DVD-R x4 for 5-6 bucks for a 25 pack. People knock these x4 Imations, however, if you check here http://www.videohelp.com/dvdmedia.php?selectmedia=686#comments you will find most people have had good results with this stuff.

Alot of good japanse x4 media nowadays can only be found online.

Don't forget that Verbatim Digital Movies can be found at Best Buy and Microcenter. These are x4 DVD-R's and are excellent. Lately they have been on sale for 9.99 to 12.99 for 25 pack. These will also burn at 8x in your computer burner. The Emerson loves these discs!

 

Thanks for the advice Greg.I live in Japan so it`s not a big problem to find good media,I learned the lesson "You pay for what you get" to be very true when trying to save a few Yen on discs.Will check for the Imations.
Cheers

 

A friend of mine who has worked with disc's since they came out and he rated them thusly:

1--Maxell
2--Verbatim
3--Sony

He says the reason any of them is more expensive is 'quality control'. Makes sense.

 

Thanks for the media tips, everyone.

Other than the Memorex Taiwan 8x -R's I got the other day, I picked up a 15 spindle of Maxell 2x -RW's today, and I'm recording my first disc (one of the -RW's) as I type this. Doing it in VR, SP/2hr for now. I wanna see how it turns out, and then I'll futz with the settings.

The Maxell 2x -RW's I got were also Taiwan-made. Unfortunately, EVERYTHING Wally World had was Taiwan, and I didn't really want to drive miles to someplace else that MIGHT (or might not) have something else. I may soon order some online, if I find a reputable seller & the shipping isn't too bad.

Tried to call Emerson today to find out a few things (editing and the record/watch something else issue) but I got a recording saying that their call volume was too high, and to try again later - then they hung up. Lovely.

Motorcycl, thanks, but that won't work for me. My "home theater" situation is a little unique.

My TV, as it were, is a Gateway Destination computer, w/ a 36" CRT monitor. It has plenty of RCA/S-Video inputs, but I dislike using more than one or two. Doing so then means I have to pull out the mouse or keyboard to switch inputs.

I have a Sony SLV-AV100 4 head VHS/Dolby Digital Surround tuner combo system that I use as my main switching unit (it has the most inputs). Along with that, there is the Emerson EWR20V5 VHS/DVD unit, and the cable box/DVR.

I'd love to be able to hook the 20V5 up to the cable box, so I could "copy to VCR" as the DVR says, using the V5. That way I have the option of recording on either VHS or DVD. It would be much better if I could do it without having to watch everything that's being recorded, though.

If someone has played with one of these V5's (or similar) and knows how to set it up this way, PLEASE let me know. Otherwise, I'll keep trying to get through to Emerson and hope 1) that the rep I get will be clueful, and 2) that the V5 has the capability I need.

I found out today how much this unit cost. For $200 or more, it darn well better be able to do such things! Otherwise, I'm off to the computer store and getting a PC/Mac DVD+/-R/RW drive. They're cheap now (Under $100).

 

I would be careful of any Funai products anywhere. Funai DVD recorders are awful. I tried a few and encountered everything from discs not being read to the tray on the dvd player not working. Customer service is difficult to reach and their solution is to take it back. No sorry for the inconvenience or nothing. They sell the same VCR/DVD recorder under 3 names at different prices too such as Emerson, Sylvania or Symphonic.

 

I can understand your frustration Zoeyy, but many of us have had good luck with this Emerson Recorder.

I've had mine for almost a year. I've had no problems with my unit.

I think many times it boils down to using the right media. If you use off brand media it may not work in this unit. Also, many people gripe about this unit saying it does not work, but they use 8x media when out the box it only takes 4x media. Doesn't mean its a crap unit rather the user used the wrong media.

I just used mine to record the Pats vs. Jets on Monday Night Football using the timer at 4hrs. Outstanding!

 

I have the ewr20v4 it works with 8x DVD-R's after you contact Emerson and get the Firmware upgrade. This is a FREE Disk they send you and send you, you must then call them and have them help you upgrade the unit. Works well and I've burned over 600 DVD-R's to date. Love the unit sometimes it does burn some coasters on cheap DVD's I get from the Local PC Club.

 

Oh no. I don't buy something for near 200 dollars that is not ready to use. Thats outrageous that someone would be selling a product for that much and you can't use it out of the box. I understand after you have a product for a while it might need an update but straight out of the box????? I must also say that customer service which is hard to get hold of was of no help. I would call and say I've got a problem and I would no more than get that out of my mouth than they would reply "take it back". Greg a couple of posts up was talking about using the right disks and this was never even asked of me. It was like "take it back" everytime I called. I was equally surprised that Funai was selling the same recorder for different prices. Anyway I glad to see someone getting some use out of one of these Funai recorders although on other sites I see some unhappy customers with similiar complaints as well as people like you last two posters who like them. I have since got a Samsung that seems to be working well.