#1  
10-12-2009, 07:17 PM
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Quote:
Magnavox H2160MW9
Is it any good?
It has a digital tuner and all I want to do is to record TV programs.
Thank you.
One of the best DVD recorders ever made -- in terms of "best for recording off of television" ... NOT "best for converting video tapes" -- was the Philips DVDR3575H/37, better known as the "Philips 3575" to owners. The 2007-made 3575 was succeeded by the 2008-made 3576, a near-clone.

Philips Magnavox owns -- this is so obvious, right? -- both Philips and Magnavox. It's not uncommon for machines to mirror one another.

The 2008-made Magnavox H2160MW is essentially a clone of the 3575/3576 Philips machines.

So yes, this is an excellent machine!!

The Philips 3575 has an excellent ATSC tuner, good 16:9 recording in both 720x480 and 352x480, and quality recording of video at up to 3 hours for most content (4 hours for cartoons). The resolution at 3 hours is a proper 352x480, giving a clean and clear signal, unlike so many other machines that improperly force 720x480 with low bitrates.

I use my Philips 3575 almost daily. In fact, I'm using mine right this minute! (House is on!) It's been going strong for 2 years now. I use it for both recording and playing XVID.

Online user "wajo" (or "wajxbo") often discusses these in various forums. Here's a post of his about this machine: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...18&postcount=1

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  #2  
10-12-2009, 07:36 PM
ieee488 ieee488 is offline
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Unfortunately the H2160MW9 will be brand new from Walmart.
Does that change your opinion?

Also, there are some negative comments at http://www.videohelp.com/forum/archi...9-t370127.html. Are they valid?
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  #3  
10-12-2009, 08:01 PM
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I don't understand the "unfortunately" problem. Walmart has an excellent return policy, and buying something new is rarely a negative.

The negative reviews at VH don't necessarily strike me as "negatives" against the machine, simply user preferences that disagree with how the machine functions. Personally, I would not have a problem with anything being discussed there. Don't let those discourage you.

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  #4  
10-12-2009, 08:18 PM
ieee488 ieee488 is offline
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I say "unfortunately" because it appears the 2009 units have some issues when compared to the 2008 units.

Before I pull the trigger so to speak on this unit from Walmart, is there another unit with ATSC tuner that you would recommend?
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  #5  
10-12-2009, 08:28 PM
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It's a real shame the Sony DVD recorder currently sold for about $125 in Walmart is tunerless. It has pretty nice quality! Even at 6-hour mode, it was doing acceptable recordings (temp recording only, of course!), which I found almost unbelievable.

The only other with-tuner unit readily available is the Panasonic sold at Best Buy. I've not had the ability to test it, but I can't fathom it being better than the previous 7 years worth of mediocre Panasonic DVD recorders.

Consider buying both, using both for a week or so, and taking the "loser" back to the store. I do this -- it's why return policies exist.

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  #6  
10-13-2009, 07:30 AM
ieee488 ieee488 is offline
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I don't mind buying a tunerless DVD recorder, but I am having a hard time find a TV tuner set top box. I guess the manufacturers think that everybody has a cable box with HDMI output. Well I don't.

Maybe I should start thinking about building my own PC-based DVR.

Thanks for all your help.
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  #7  
10-16-2009, 09:17 PM
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There's not much to be found in stores, for TV tuners. Look online. Check out the boxes available at Meritline, for example.

See http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=78...aspx&afftrack=

Be aware that pretty much everything is an "off brand". Even the branded devices are still re-branded devices from those same off-brand manufacturers. All DTV boxes appear to be made in places like China or Korea, from companies we've never heard of.

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  #8  
10-17-2009, 12:19 PM
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Yeah, the TV tuners aren't really being marketed as TV tuners per se but as digital converter boxes.

My father bought one of the no-name digital converter boxes, and I am not impressed with its performance. Slow.

I still haven't pulled the trigger on the Magnavox. Can't decide whether there will be better deals closer to Black Friday.
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  #9  
10-17-2009, 02:12 PM
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If you wait, you also stand a chance that this model -- which may be the best one available -- will be gone. It is old stock, from about a year ago.

In my experience, most of the stuff sold for mega discounts on Black Friday is mostly crap that is being clearanced for January/February re-stocking. Many of those same items were available at the same prices during the real sales of the year -- from May to August (grads, dad's day, mom's day, July 4, Memorial Day, Labor day, etc), selling merchandise released in the early spring.

By the time you get to November, you have picked-over end-of-year leftovers, being overly advertised. Consumers have slowly been trained over the past 10-15 years to think that "Black Friday" is something special. However, it's not. Black Friday is a perfect example of mass consumer behavior modification, through use of clever marketing.

From my experience and observation during the past 2-3 years, video and photo related items have been better priced/available in October more than November. Again, end of year is coming, the best items are already scarce, and they won't make it to November. By November, you'll end up with second or third choices for products.

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  #10  
10-19-2009, 08:05 PM
ieee488 ieee488 is offline
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I pulled the trigger and ordered it.

Ouch on the tax.

My Christmas gift to myself.
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  #11  
03-31-2010, 01:11 PM
Plarocks Plarocks is offline
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I can do this on my very old Pioneer DVR-7000 unit. I am looking for a new replacement that has an HDMI output that can do the same.

I am not sure if the 16:9 flag will be carried through my D-VHS deck, which I am using to record in Anamorphic 480I from my Fios Box.

Thanks and please let me know.

Peter
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  #12  
03-31-2010, 04:22 PM
ieee488 ieee488 is offline
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You'll have to ask the Admin.

I bought the Magnavox because it is one of the few choices out there especially one with a HD tuner.
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  #13  
04-02-2010, 01:23 AM
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I'm not readily aware of any DVD recorder that properly sets the 16:9 flag on discs. There are several ways to go about editing the discs to enforce the 16:9 both in the MPEG and in the DVD authoring.

I use my HDD DVD recorder as a PVR that has the added convenience of saving programs to disc. I mostly record and delete on this recorder, but I do save some things.

I treat DVD recorders as capture devices. The MPEG is taken off a DVD-RW/DVD+RW, and then ripped on a computer, edited as needed, and then re-authored with a nice menu. Sometimes I make menu-less discs, too, with chapter marks spread out in 4-5 minute increments -- these play like a tape, what I'd call "VHS 2.0" since it has chapter stops for skipping back/ahead, and is better quality.

Fixing the flag is an "editing" step, and I do this by demuxing the MPEG recording, fixing the M2V file in Restream, and then re-authoring. I generally do that after editing out commercials and clipping the lead-ins and tails.

This only becomes important when I try to watch the discs on older TV sets, where it displays the 16:9 stretched vertically to 4:3, and where the DVD player cannot override to 16:9. All HDTV sets should have the ability to override and stretch 4:3 to 16:9 with a "fill screen" type picture mode.

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