Hi! I had those same problems initially. I don't know if it cleared itself up or if I cleared it up through all the experimenting I have done, but it hasn't happened in a long time. The only two major steps I have started taking is using +RW DVDs, and formatting them before trying to make a dvd. I will try to think of other things that may assist you.. Primarily I just kept tinkering with everything and all came in to place. Working fine right now.. Good Luck, Jerry
Hi Ipool I would like to add to your comment about the two errors you have had while I had my DRW 500 i expirenced this as well this is due to poor signal feed from VHS Tape the inconstancy especially 1 if the tape is old 2 if it was recorded from a poor source to begin with 3 if there are gaps between recordding sessions on the tape. from my own expirence DVD recorders are different from vcrs while vcrs show you all the garbage on the tape and also play the bad sound a DVD recorder has built in noise elmination some better then others that will try to eliminate this issue. the DRW 500 according to Sanyo accomidates this by stopping recording as to not waste disc space. even on my more expensive Pioneer recorder vhs tapes have posed problems I don't get multi sessions as the DRW 500 does but i offen lose the video signal till the bad spot has passed what's interesting is i don't lose audio so my dvds will come out with grey spots with just audio playing from the source. From my findings this is noise reduction trying to elinate bad signal. anyway I hope this has helped. Clint P.S. to reduce noise reduction VHS is not the best option unless you have some aditional hardware and software to clean up the signal first. especially if the tapes are old and worn this can produce any number of unpredictable results.
Thanks for the responses. That gives me some idea on what is causing this problem. I guess can live with it.
OK folks, I am back again! Finally finished all my special recording projects (whew).. culttvguy: (know you are going to be one to give first solution) I have two problems that I hope someone can help with: (1) When you play a dvd that is in "widescreen" is there any way to change this other than zoom?? (2) Is there any way to turn the "closed caption" feature off?? I have checked the TV & DVD Manuals and neither address these. Called sony and all they could recommend on the widescreen bit was to use the zoom feature; it makes it a full screen but cuts off the sides, looks wierd.. HELP (Any/All) Thanks Jerry
Hi usaFret I'm not too familar with your issue per say, I do know that on a majority of players, when it comes to widescreen on a 4.3 TV I assume you have a 4:3 TV that zoom will make it full screen it also enlages the picture just enough so you lose some of the picture. However APEX Makes a few players which contain a feature called AFF (active full frame) if i remember correctly. You might considder one of these players for this solution if you don't mind having a generic player around as far as the subtitles go usually hitting the subtittles button on the remote usually lets you solve this issue. If for some reason that doesn't work i'm not sure, since subtitles on a majority of movies aren't supposed to be auto activated unless it's a glitch in your current player/recorder
THANKS DVDGenie! The subtitle was the answer on the closed caption problem.. Just never thought of looking there. I guess I will start paying more attention to what I am buying as far as Widescreen and Fullscreen.. Thanks again. Jerry
Usafret ... nope,I'm the second one ! But DVDGenie already said what i would have said anyway.Another point to add though,some DVD's carry the widescreen version on one side,and the fullscreen version on the other.It's not so common now as they seem to have reduced the amount of discs that are made this way,now they seem to be one or the other mostly..Check If the disc has a picture on one side,then you know it only a one sided disc,but if there's no picture on either side,might be worth checking.
Thanks Culttvguy.. I knew you would be around sometime. As luck would have it, this is a one-sided disk (but I tried it anyway...smile). That is good info for my future buying though and I do appreciate it. Thanks Again Jerry
hello i have been watching this forum for a little while.(trying to learn =T) and i am going to be purchasing a dvd recorder in the near future. what is the best one out? what are the best discs too? i want to be able to copy dvds and record off my satellite. i need something reliable, as i know i will be using it often. any suggestions would be most appreciated. oh and is the macrovision disabler needed for any recorder you buy? dvdmoma
Hi dvdmoma.There are so many recorders to choose from.A lot of us in this thread bought recorders from Walmart.they have a pretty good return policy,so if the recorder turns out to be not to your liking,you can take it back and tell them its rubbish,and that you want to try a different model.I've done that twice ! Also it depends how much you want to spend.If you want o spend more money on good brand name models rather than the ones on offer at places like Walmart(which are mainly lower end brands) then you'd need to check out BestBuy or Frys or even look at some of the stores online,there are loads of them,and check out models from Pioneer,Philips,Panasonic and such.Also you could try www.dvdrhelp.com where you'll find plenty of reviews. As for discs,I mainly use HP DVD+R's.I've never had a problem with them,and they burn in every recorder/PC i've tried them in.I get them from www.asenashop.com for $31.95 for 25 discs,and that includes Priority postage in the US.Usually they are in my mailbox within 2 days,very good service.Also i use Philips discs,and sometimes TDK,whcih i get from Target when i have run out. ! As for the Macrovision,it depends what you want to do with the machine.Some players you can buy with Macrovision already disabled,but i'm not sure about recorders.If you are recording videotapes to DVD,then you'll need to disable the Macrovision if you are backing up copies of store-bought tapes you will need a "video enhancer" which you can buy online. Leave a message in this thread for Usafret,i think he bought one recently and maybe he can let you know where he got it. best of luck
HI culttvguy thxx so much for replying. i knew u would help. well, i don't care about the price really. i want a good recorder. i was planning on going on ebay to get one when i found a brand that was good enough. i tried getting reviews on several brands including the ones you have mentioned. none of them got reviews good enough to make me want to buy them. that's why i wanted to ask u guys (especially you) you seem to be very helpful in this area. give me some names of some good recorders so i can check them out. many more thxx dvdmoma
Hi moma,if mney isnt an issue,then i would check out the mid price or top of the range models from Philips,Panasonic,etc,you know,all the big names.Also it will depend whether you want DVD-R or DVD+R.You can get DVD-R recorders with a bulit in hard drive,which is a nice touch,and you can record and play back at the same time.I would like to get one myself at some point..Panasonic do them,and some of the higher end versions have multimedia/flash card slots on the front so you can transfer your digital camera pics straight to DVD. Check out this link to the Panasonic website http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wc...51&catalogId=11005&langId=-1&catGroupId=11058 Obviously the prices are their idea of what they should cost,but you'll be able to get them way cheaper than that.Also go on Yahoo and do a search for a particular mdeol,you'll eg tprice comparisons so you can find the nest price.Here's a couple of examples i found when i tried it.I searched for the Panasonic DMR-E95HS,which on their site says $799,but on Pricegrabber i saw it for $645.Likewsie for the DMR-E85HS,it's $150 cheaper at $453 instead of $599.(I wish they were this cheap when i bought my recorder!) Even having it UPS'd to your house wont cost you more than $20. Just search around,you'll find something.
Hi DVDMoma cultguy has given you some excelent suggestions also keep in mind the possiblity of compatiblities with typical DVD recorders too once you have burned and finalized your discs. Most typical DVD players will playback DVD+R/-R DVD+RW/-RW as long as they are recorded in VIDEO mode which your recorder's manual should explain to you .another thing to keep in mind is if you will be sharing these discs with a PC or a Mac or Both. In My Case I have both a PC and a Mac the Mac on Versions older then 10.3x does not like to seem to like DVD +R media it will start to play and then give read errors DVD-R media however plays fine. As far as the stand alone player i have not seen any difference between compatiblity especially on name brand players, Generic Players do however like to fus from time to time (even with Pressed) discs.and like cultguy said it's about your budget and what your main use for the unit will be.Also a word about apple if you happen to use a mac Apple's main standard for DVDs is -R or - RW if you will be sharing discs between your hardware recorder and dvd burnning Drive. If you do not have a burner on the pc then some of this info won't apply. One other thing. I would definatly reccomend that you stick with a name brand recorder if your budget can possibly accomidate it the reason being is some of the lower end generic recorders won't give you as good quality. stick with philips sony pioneer panasonic jvc etc. as suggested above and you will more then likely find what you are looking for and be happy with what ya get. Best of Luck
greetings DVDMoma! Saw where culttvguy told you about that video enhancer I purchased a while back...it works great!! In case you are still interested, it is a SIMA CT1/COPYTHIS.. I purchased mine at: http://www.thetwistergroup.com/product/CT-1%20D15985.html Have fun!
By the way,since you guys are all into TV etc,check out my site ... http://www.culttelevision.com for some mindless entertainment
Hey Guys I have a couple questions of my own. 1. Is there anyway to prevent even a slight blure/pixalization in 6 hour mode? I'm assuming even with an inhancer it's not going to look professional or even as good as a higher quality I find my pioneer has good quality for fine sp and lp and even ep doesn't look terrible depnding on the source but there is the most loss noticed in ep. from the satelite if it's a good channel this isn't as noticable depending on the TVused. 2. this video enhance will it do the Job of removing macrovision from vhs tapes? In a way i feel macrovision is a joke 1 because while studios try to prevent piracy and prevent money loss, it also prevents our right to a back up copy for private use. well we still have it but it costs more to do that then just by the movie on DVD from a studio so is copying movies on vhs that are aviable on DVD professionally worth it? I'd be interested in the comments of others here thanks
Hi DVDgenie! Go to that site I referred DVDMoma to. Read the last statement is says about the device. Something to the effect that it is not intended for that use but it does not say you CANNOT use it...... As I said, mine works fine. I agree. I do not think copying is any different than someone giving or loaning you a copy....
