Philips HDRW720

J

joca

Guest
Anyone knows the difference between the several versions of this dvd recorder, available internationally?

HDRW720/00 - sold in Spain, Portugal, France, Netherlands, etc.
HDRW720/02 - sold in Germany, Denmark, etc.
HDRW720/05 - sold in UK, Ireland, etc.
HDRW720/17 - sold in USA, etc
HDRW720/69 - sold in Australia, New Zeland, etc.

I live in Portugal (where is available the HDRW720/00), and I'm planning to import the recorder a lot cheaper from Germany (where is available the HDRW720/02).

I would like to know for sure if there are any differences with these two versions.

After contacting Philips Customer Support, they gave me a generic justification and told me there were no differences across versions. I don't believe them, because I already know for example that the HDRW720/17 harddisk is 120GB capacity, while others are 80GB only.
 
As far as I know, they are all the same (/17 is an exception). The difference is the area where they are sold. Depending on this, they include one set of user manuals, e.g. Spanish+Portuguese+French+.... for /00 and so on.
Talking about the Philips, maybe you are interested in reading another thread about this. I thought it was a great machine (I bought it without reading this forum), and according to the majority of people here, it is one of the worst options in DVDR/HDD. Just in case it is useful for you.

Kisses.
Rebecca. ;)
 
Rebecca,

You purchased the HDRW720 in good faith, I havn't noticed that you were complaining about it but have now been influenced by others that it is a bad machine. If it does what you want then that is the important thing. I have one and I also have an early Philips DVD recorder. I am happy. It does have some advantages over the opposition although the posters here don't always point them out.
 
Apart from Guideplus what advantages does the Philips HDD have over ANY other HDD model?
 
- Highest "hours / disc" rate, up to 8 hours. Panasonic also does it, but it is not good if you do not like DVD-RAM.
- Convenient "time shift" buffer. You can do "live TV" without actually recording to the HDD.
 
I suppose you can look on 8 hour recording as an advantage if you want to watch lower than vhs quality.I'm not sure many dvd buyers would want to,and theres no need if you can store XXX hours on the HDD for watch and wipe.
Where is the "time shift" buffer recorded?
Of course,"time shift" is available on non HDD recordings via RAM or -RW(VR),so no advantage there.
I know you are trying hard to come up with advantages for your Philips,but you will have to accept that you made a mistake.
I bought a Philips pup myself first aswell,but next time you will know better
 
I want it to store 3,000 VHS tapes. Space is an issue, and that is why I want 8 hours / disc. They are extremely old tapes with a very poor quality, and there is no difference between recording modes here. I tested all of them, and 8 hours / disc is good enough, saving a lot of space. Maybe you wonder why I want to keep that poor material: it is simply because of its sentimental value.
I actually can return the machine and get another one, I have checked it (bought last month), but it is doing its job.
At the end, the convenience of a machine dependes of your needs. Maybe mine are kind of peculiar, but I am happy.
If there is another machine with more than 8 hours / disc and no DVD-RAM, then I would consider it.

Big kisses.
Rebecca. ;)
 
If you do have the option of changing it for another model,change it to a Pioneer.-RW compatibility,6 hour recording surely is enough.But I think you would find it better to use.The Philips may do all you need at the moment,but later on I think you would be glad you changed
 
Phelings, thanks a lot for your advice.
Regarding my needs (massive VHS archive), most people have recommended the Toshiba XS32 to me, as an alternative to the Philips. Why do you think the Pioneer would do better? Does it have any advantage over the Toshiba?

Kisses.
Rebecca. ;)
 
Not really.NTSC recording is about all ,which won't matter to many.
The Tosh is cheaper and has better menu options,aswell as offering -RW and RAM together.
The killer feature for me on the Pioneer is the Disc Backup.This allows clone discs to be produced in under half an hour including menus (not commercial discs of course).I find it much easier than messing about on a PC.
So,yes,it would actually be a better idea for you to get the Tosh.Anything bar Philips
 
Looks like some people won't leave it alone eh?
Sorry to say this but there are many people out there who like their Philips machines. Stop trying to convert people who really don't want converting.
Accept that Rebecca is happy with her machine and that it does exactly what she wants it to do.
By the way phelings, -RW may be more compatible with older DVD players but that now doesn't apply. The reason, -R/RW is older and thus has a good head start. It also depends on media type, as cheap, crappy media is fussy and thats proven.
 
Nobody will deny that Philips users can be happy with their machines,but its safe to say that most of them have never used a-RW or RAM or HDD machine to realise what they are missing.Even a Philips machine is a leao forward from vhs.
Rebecca herself admitted she bought the Philips without advice or knowledge of the differences,and I think she realises she could have spent her money on a superior HDD model,but she sounds as if it will do what she wants it to,but that should not stop anyone from pointing out that the Philips IS the inferior HDD model on the market.
I never mentioned -RW compatibility anywhere in comparison to +RW.I mention it often when comparing it to RAM.
The only time cheap blanks seem to be an issue is with -R on Panasonic machines
 
The amount of Philips bashing that goes on is unbelieveable! Phelings says "Anything bar Philips"! Why so? If its due to faulty machines, I'm sure this can and does happen with all manufacturers. For any prospective purchaser to try and research all machines would be very time consuming and to be honest I would guess until someone uses one and gets used to it they wont understand or realise what it hasn't got that they needed in the first place. Different models have different features and I would much rather see the pluses and minus's of different machines being shown rather that just bashing Philips machines! They have their merits, as do others too! Its horses for courses and honest advice is fine, buts lets hope we can move away from statments like "Anything but Philips"!!!

Bear in mind, someone could pay out £1000 and find that it will not do something that want in a year or two's time!!!!
Phelings, you say "The Philips may do all you need at the moment,but later on I think you would be glad you changed". Would you be of the opinion then that once a person gets any machine bar Philips it will be guaranteed to do everything a person would want? I dont think so! Each machine and technology has its pro's and con's and we should spell them out in all cases, not just with Philips
 
KoKelly - SO many new members have uttered these words, purchased a Philips and had their finger burnt. The Philips models have had TERRIBLE reliability - EVERY model of 880/890 recorder will failure after a certain amount of useage due to a design flaw. And all the evidence suggests that the new/current models will go exactly the same way. Even if you like the Philips models and they do exactly what you want you should avoid them - go for a Thompson or Yamaha which offer much better reliability.
 
KoKelly,I note you are new on this forum.I am not.I have been using dvd recorders,some with HDD for well over 2 years.A Philips,a Panasonic and a Pioneer.And I have been following many forums for that same time,so its from my own and others experience that these opinions are stated by many many people.Philips stuff is poor,there is no doubt,when compared to others.
If you have experience of different makes and all formats I would be pleased to hear you back up your opinion with some hard facts.Your posting seems to assume I have been using dvdr for the length of time you have been on this forum.Wrong!
If you look through all the posts you have missed,you will see the pros and cons of all formats and models is stated many times over
 
My Philips DVDR880 has been repaired 3 times, but I would still buy another Philips recorder.

It was repaired at the expense of Philips and the dealer. As far as I am concerned it is better now than a brand new machine.

I would not go near a Panasonic machine despite the number of people that think they are the best machines since sliced bread.
 
mildred said:
My Philips DVDR880 has been repaired 3 times, but I would still buy another Philips recorder.

It was repaired at the expense of Philips and the dealer. As far as I am concerned it is better now than a brand new machine.

I would not go near a Panasonic machine despite the number of people that think they are the best machines since sliced bread.

Which basically = “I’m a glutton for punishment and I’m not willing to try anything new because it might prove better!” :rolleyes:

Well 3 ½ years ago I had an early Philips (DVDR1000 MK1) and I was disappointed with its editing so I DID try something new – I sold it and got a Panasonic DMR-E20. A much superior machine. Still use it but my main machines are HDD models now.
 
Mildred-why avoid Panasonic when your Philips has shown you how poor they are.Even if you are wary of Panasonic there are many other makes to try.Your logic is sheer stupidity
 
Well 3 ½ years ago I had an early Philips (DVDR1000 MK1) and I was disappointed with its editing so I DID try something new – I sold it and got a Panasonic DMR-E20
Same situation as me. The Philips DVDR1000 arrived first in the UK and thus picked it up. Needless to say it didn't hold up to the E20 at all and so I had to upgrade 2 months later!

I would not go near a Panasonic machine despite the number of people that think they are the best machines since sliced bread
So why not try one of the many other brands? Why not try a Sony - generally many owners have replaced their Philips with a machine from the Sony range and have been very happy with the change. Alternatively why not look at models from Pioneer, Toshiba or Samsung - all are superior to the Philips models and all have proven track records with reliability.
 
So, some people on here have tried one Philips machine and thats it now is it? If you had one bad kebab or curry, would you then avoid all kebabs and curry's for the rest of your life?
I have also been visiting forums like these for some time. Not because I have a morbid fascination with DVDR, I just like to see what new stuff is coming out and try to help people who have questions I may be able to answer.
Funny how people like Mildred are not alone. The stories of Philips machines being repaired a few times are quite common but then again they sold quite a lot of these machines and forums are generally visited by people with problems (except me) It is strange then, that a huge amount of people go back for repairs and still claim to be happy. Are the earlier Philips machines likely to break down? Yes, to be quite honest, they probably are. Have Philips admitted liability? Yes, they have. Are the newer machines more reliable? Yes, the DVDR70, 75 and 80 have proved much more reliable.
I am right that most visiting this forum are anti Philips. Not just because they have had problems but also because Philips support the + format, which has soared in popularity and has also launched DVDR into Dual Layer, which now looks to be the future of DVD recording on PC's and probably soon, Philips standalone DVD Recorders.
As I said before, I never cared about formats when I purchased my DVDR880. I didn't even know there was more than one format. As I also said before, I brought the Philips machine because the price was right and it did what I wanted it to do and still does, repaired or not repaired.
Fair views and comments are needed on this site, not brand bashing as we are seeing here!
 
So, some people on here have tried one Philips machine and thats it now is it?
Nope - I have trialled every single Philips DVD recorder released in the UK. Note though that the DVDR1000 (especially the mkII) was by far the best DVD recorder Philips have ever released in the UK.

Are the newer machines more reliable? Yes, the DVDR70, 75 and 80 have proved much more reliable
Your joking right? The disk error problems are rearing their ugly heads on the DVDR7x series just as before, the DVDR80 is distinguished as the only DVD recorder ever to get a full What Video Helpline to discuss it's problems. And the cheap components used in the series have caused all sorts of other problems: i.e. refusal to play commercial disks, locking menus, lost recordings, etc etc. The tragedy of these machines is well documented in this forum's past posts - but that doesn't stop new members popping by every now and then, posting almost exactly what you are Niburu and then looking a little silly when the passage of time shows them to have misplaced loyalty. It wasn't long ago you know that we were having this same conversation about the 880/890 series you know.

Ultimately I think OARDVD's comments were spot on - anyone who buys a Philips is a glutton for punishment. Machines with the same/better functionality are out there - so why buy Philips? Why subject yourself to cheap and cheerful components and endless problems?
 
Phelings...I notice you didn't answer my point! This is a Philips bashing forum! You say you have used different machines and formats so can you tell me where else on this forum you have posted bashing against any other manufacturer so at least I can believe that its not only Philips are being bashed! If you spent less time "bashing" and more time pointing out what you have learned from all these machines you have used we would all be better off and you might learn to appreciate Philips!
BTW... I would tend to agree that Philips machines aren't as good as some others, but I wouldnt try to change peoples minds on Philips if they want the + format or indeed they want to but Philips for whatever reason.
Philings..you also say I am new to this forum which is true! But are you suggesting that everyone who is new knows nothing?

Mildred likes her Philips machine, and she is entitled to this unless and until she needs somehting else for whatever reason!
 
Phelings...I notice you didn't answer my point! This is a Philips bashing forum!
If that is so how do you think it became such? By releasing poor quality products both in features and build! As I've said there are many other machines with the same/better functionality are out there - so why buy Philips? Why subject yourself to cheap and cheerful components and endless problems?

BTW... I would tend to agree that Philips machines aren't as good as some others, but I wouldnt try to change peoples minds on Philips if they want the + format or indeed they want to but Philips for whatever reason.
If someone really wants the + format then that is still no need to buy a Philips. Better to get a Sony or Thompson. Just because Philips gets a large cut of the royalties of + licensing doesn't mean you have to buy their products.
 

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