Opinions on this LG please

[technofan]

Guys,
I'm looking for a HDMI upscaling DVD recorder with HDD. This looks promising does anyone have any experience/opinions?

http://www.empiredirect.co.uk/conten...GE-RH199HS.htm

Cheers,
Pete

[zappo]

Suddenly everyone wants an LG, well prepare to be disappointed.

I had the top end 200MH and had to take it back, see this post to find out why:

http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...5&postcount=19

I would recommend the Panasonic EX-85 these have a few quirks but they are the best.

[Broadz]

Originally Posted by zappo

Suddenly everyone wants an LG, well prepare to be disappointed.

I had the top end 200MH and had to take it back, see this post to find out why:

http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...5&postcount=19

I would recommend the Panasonic EX-85 these have a few quirks but they are the best.

In complete contrast to zappo, I had a Panasonic DVD recorder, the little niggles and quirks got on my nerves, eventually it stopped managing to read any commercial DVD that I tried to load on it, replaced it with an LG and haven't had any problem with it at all ---- so far! Definitely the best DVD recorder (out of four) that I have owned.

[zappo]

That is interesting, I was so pleased to be rid of the LG, the panasonic has a few quirks but the LG had so many caveats in the manual that I was beginning to wonder what it could do.

The Pany manual is very poorly written and the user interface takes time to get used to, but this is the price you pay when you want a lot of functionality.

The LG was simple to use and I liked the undo facility but it could not frame edit or get even close, it kept recording and getting stuck in places where there had been an edit.

In fact editing from Sky and Camcorder was my key requirement hence my rejecting the model, see this link for why:

http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...5&postcount=19

Ultimately we obviously have different requirements the OP will need to work out his to decide which is for him (he will probably go for the Sony!)

[Broadz]

The main problems I had with the Panasonic (before it totally stopped recognising any disk that I put into it) were its inability to write to DVD+RWs (of which I had dozens, but no DVD-RWs at the time) and the fact that it had an optical audio out but no coaxial out, when my amp will only receive one optical input, which I was already using from my Sky+ box. The LG I now have, and every other DVD player and DVD recorder I have ever owned, has both optical and coaxial out. At highest quality recording it only seemed to manage just over one hour on a blank DVD, whereas the LG I now own can manage to fit over ninety minutes of video on a single DVD at highest quality - enough to hold some movies in full. Also, the LG records to DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD+RW, DVD-RW no problem. True, it doesn't support DVD-RAM, but then, I've never owned any DVD-RAM discs anyway. I also like the picture zoom facility available on the LG, and the ability to playback AVIs from CD, the Panasonic didn't have that. And the LG looks fantastic, the Panasonic was really ugly!

The only downsides I've come across with the LG so far is that the TV controls on the LG remote (for changing volume, channel number and AV input) doesn't work with my Toshiba TV - the Panasonic remote did; and you can't amend thumbnails or create manual chapter points on the fly with the LG using DVD+Rs and DVD-Rs, whereas I could with the Panasonic (and I could create manual chapter points on my two LiteOns during recording before the Panasonic). But I can live with these niggles.

As you say, each user's preference is based on what functionality they do and don't find useful about their kit, and my opinion might change if the LG stops recognising any disk I put in it, but so far I'm very impressed.

[Gavtech]

Originally Posted by Broadz

At highest quality recording it only seemed to manage just over one hour on a blank DVD, whereas the LG I now own can manage to fit over ninety minutes of video on a single DVD at highest quality - enough to hold some movies in full.

It does not seem quite fair to criticise the Panasonic on that particular score... because it means that the LG is recording in a poorer quality.... Apart from which you could have used the FR mode to optimally get a film onto a disk at the best possible quality.

However - it matters not since you've changed now.

[Broadz]

Originally Posted by Gavtech

It does not seem quite fair to criticise the Panasonic on that particular score... because it means that the LG is recording in a poorer quality.... Apart from which you could have used the FR mode to optimally get a film onto a disk at the best possible quality.

However - it matters not since you've changed now.

Gav, true. But for the most part I only record movies to DVD, perhaps the odd series, but generally films. No film only lasts 64 minutes, which was the maximum record time made available by the Panasonic in highest quality mode. A lot of films only last 92 minutes - the maximum record time offered by the LG at highest quality. If the quality of the LG recording is slightly worse than the quality of the Panasonic at highest quality, but both DVD recorders are at a higher quality than the next lowest level (2 hours on both machines) then the LG wins hands down. One thing I do miss on both, that the LiteOns were capable of, is a recording time/quality of 3 hours. That was ideal for fitting all six episodes of 30 minute comedies such as Extras, The Office, Fawlty Towers, Alan Partridge etc. With both the Panny and the LG I have to go for 4 hours recording quality, which means that the quality isn't quite as good as the LiteOns were capable of, and there is a wasted hour on the disc at the end after finalization.