DVD PVR?

[Valiant]

So I'm after a DVD Player with a PVR, doesn't have to have a huuuuuge HD or be anything too fancy. Not too worried about a budget but obviously the cheaper the better, I won't be using it much, it's just a case of having one for the sake of anything really.

[border-rider]

Stick a PVR card in an old PC ?

[Valiant]

I want a standalone pvr unit

[microphonie]

Loads on Amazon

I've only got a pvr (Topfield) so can't comment on the pvr/dvd combos. I would've thought any of the big brand ones are ok though.

[Valiant]

I know but surely someone must have one they can recommend?

[Biggsy]

Panasonic DMR-EX75

[Wombat]

I've sworn off Panasonic after 2 examples of dreadful customer service and ripoff repairs, so I've got a Sony one, which is as near perfect as any device I've ever bought.  Record on hard disc, decide you want to keep it, edit out the crap, and stick it on DVD.  You can use it as a giant photo album, it will play stuff off a USB input, all round clever device.  Upscales output to 1080p as well. HDMI and various other connections...

William

[Biggsy]

My Panasonic hasn't needed any service.  It has some useful features and excellent picture quality.

I don't expect things like this to be repairable these days anyway.

[Valiant]

Wombat - What's your model?

[TimO]

The downside I've seen with the Sony DVD recorders, is that they are buggers to make them behave as multi-region DVD players.  My parents have got one, and the only way that seems to work to make it multi-region is to order a single shot remote that sends a magic IR stream to the player, which makes it accept any region of DVD henceforth.  It wasn't that expensive, but I resent paying for it, when many players can be made multi-region with some combination of keys on their own remotes (or in the case of my £18 one from Sainsburys, worked multi-region out of the box!)

Of course, if you don't have DVDs from multiple regions (like I have!) then this may not be important to you.

[Wombat]

Sony RDR-HXD870

I'm very happy with it.


Biggsy,  Lucky you!  After a couple of very expensive excursions I reckoned enough was enough.

[andygates]

How cheap can you go and still get a decent machine?  I need one for timeshifting the Olympics.

[Valiant]

I just ended up buying some Thomson unit that looked ok and had a 250GB HD, HD support, multi region and dual freeview recievers. Picture quality is excellent. Both in freeview and dvd mode, though it has to be said it doesn't really get used in DVD mode as my DVD driver far surpasses it in quality on that front. The HD recordings are simply to do and look and sound great with the ability to burn to DVD.