Post by dkennedy on Mar 31, 2005 11:48:25 GMT -5
Posted on Mon, Mar. 28, 2005
Lite-On 5045 DVD/DVR recorder works in all formats
BY JONATHAN TAKIFF
Knight Ridder Newspapers
(KRT) - THE GIZMO: Lite-On "All-Write" DVD/Hard Disk Recorder.
TURN YOUR LITE-ON: Interested in buying an audio/video disc recorder but confused by the myriad choices and the compatibility issues raised by rival formats?
To your rescue comes Taiwanese manufacturer Lite-On with the LVW-5045. It's the first combination hard-disk drive (HDD) and removable video-disc recorder that can work with all "dash" and "plus" varieties of DVD discs - write once DVD-R and DVD+R, and rewritable DVD-RW and DVD+RW - plus CD-R/RW discs, too. And the whole thing is yours, if you shop around, for a discounted price of about $375 ($450 list).
This rare compatibility sure takes the confusion out of shopping for blank discs and eliminates the stress of "will these home recordings play in my other DVD player?" (Readers recently took me to task for relaying a study finding that DVD+ formatted discs were more compatible with older "legacy" DVD players. Some models from Toshiba and Panasonic - two major supporters of the DVD-R format - balk at playing "plus" discs.)
EASY AS PIE: Despite its uncommon versatility, the Lite-On is easy to use. For starters, it automatically recognizes the type of blank disc you've placed in its drawer and, in a few seconds, automatically configures the disc for recording.
And yes, you can even record video onto a CD-R/RW blank, though it will be encoded in the lower-resolution MPEG-1 (aka CD-V) format. With jewel-cased write-once DVDs now selling for about a buck and re-writables priced at $2, why cut corners?
Tapping a button called "Easy Guider" brings up a menu system that walks you through the process of recording - onto a disc, onto the 160 GB hard drive, or to dub from one drive to the other.
The Easy Guider menu system also offers a visual display of all the shows recorded on a disc, defined with a still image from each program and, if you've entered text, a title. Highlight the picture, press play and the program starts.
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS: When connected to an analog cable line, the Lite-On's built-in tuner produced a noisy (but viewable) picture from about half the unscrambled basic channels on my system, and a decent picture from the other channels.
Much better results were achieved recording from my DirecTV/TiVo combi box, connected to the Lite-On through the best available (S-Video/analog stereo audio) input jacks.
At the SP recording mode, which captures two hours of programming on a single DVD or about 66 hours on the hard drive, the quality of my "dubs" looked virtually the same as the original satellite source material.
"Time Shifting" is possible with hard-drive recordings. That's the personal video recorder trick of "pausing" and "rewinding" live TV while the deck continues to record, great when you need to run to the kitchen or answer the phone mid-show.
MINOR COMPLAINTS: Oddly, the branching Easy Guider system does not lead inevitably to erasing or the "finalizing" process needed for all but HDD and DVD+RW recordings. Both stunts are accomplished by pressing the "tools" button on the remote.
More annoying, this complicated machine is a mite skittish. I locked up the system by inserting a copy-protected CD, then again by using a first-generation DVD-R disc that might have been intended just for computer use.
To melt these freeze-ups, I had to briefly unplug the unit. Luckily, a battery backup maintains settings.
GETTING JACKED: I wish the machine had a few more inputs/outputs, especially a digital audio "in" for dubbing CDs in the pure digital domain.
There are component video outputs for a high-res (480 line progressive) hook-up to a modern TV monitor, plus digital (coaxial and fiber optical) jacks for audio carriage - strictly stereo from Lite-On recordings, multichannel Dolby Digital and DTS from pre-recorded discs.
COMING ATTRACTIONS: New and more costly HDD/DVD+/-combi recorders on the way from Panasonic and Sony will add some new bells and whistles, but still won't perform CD recording like the Lite-On "All Write" model does.
The Sony RDR-HX715 (due out in September at $700) boasts TV Guide On Screen for easy program access and timed recording, a high-res HDMI output, an advanced picture noise reduction system and a very cool, Fast Playback with Sound feature.
High-definition HDD/DVD combi recorders also are looming on the horizon and sure to be very expensive at first. The FCC's digital TV tuner mandate requires that a DTV tuner must be built into each DVD recorder shipped in the United States after July 1, 2007.
Lite-On 5045 DVD/DVR recorder works in all formats
BY JONATHAN TAKIFF
Knight Ridder Newspapers
(KRT) - THE GIZMO: Lite-On "All-Write" DVD/Hard Disk Recorder.
TURN YOUR LITE-ON: Interested in buying an audio/video disc recorder but confused by the myriad choices and the compatibility issues raised by rival formats?
To your rescue comes Taiwanese manufacturer Lite-On with the LVW-5045. It's the first combination hard-disk drive (HDD) and removable video-disc recorder that can work with all "dash" and "plus" varieties of DVD discs - write once DVD-R and DVD+R, and rewritable DVD-RW and DVD+RW - plus CD-R/RW discs, too. And the whole thing is yours, if you shop around, for a discounted price of about $375 ($450 list).
This rare compatibility sure takes the confusion out of shopping for blank discs and eliminates the stress of "will these home recordings play in my other DVD player?" (Readers recently took me to task for relaying a study finding that DVD+ formatted discs were more compatible with older "legacy" DVD players. Some models from Toshiba and Panasonic - two major supporters of the DVD-R format - balk at playing "plus" discs.)
EASY AS PIE: Despite its uncommon versatility, the Lite-On is easy to use. For starters, it automatically recognizes the type of blank disc you've placed in its drawer and, in a few seconds, automatically configures the disc for recording.
And yes, you can even record video onto a CD-R/RW blank, though it will be encoded in the lower-resolution MPEG-1 (aka CD-V) format. With jewel-cased write-once DVDs now selling for about a buck and re-writables priced at $2, why cut corners?
Tapping a button called "Easy Guider" brings up a menu system that walks you through the process of recording - onto a disc, onto the 160 GB hard drive, or to dub from one drive to the other.
The Easy Guider menu system also offers a visual display of all the shows recorded on a disc, defined with a still image from each program and, if you've entered text, a title. Highlight the picture, press play and the program starts.
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS: When connected to an analog cable line, the Lite-On's built-in tuner produced a noisy (but viewable) picture from about half the unscrambled basic channels on my system, and a decent picture from the other channels.
Much better results were achieved recording from my DirecTV/TiVo combi box, connected to the Lite-On through the best available (S-Video/analog stereo audio) input jacks.
At the SP recording mode, which captures two hours of programming on a single DVD or about 66 hours on the hard drive, the quality of my "dubs" looked virtually the same as the original satellite source material.
"Time Shifting" is possible with hard-drive recordings. That's the personal video recorder trick of "pausing" and "rewinding" live TV while the deck continues to record, great when you need to run to the kitchen or answer the phone mid-show.
MINOR COMPLAINTS: Oddly, the branching Easy Guider system does not lead inevitably to erasing or the "finalizing" process needed for all but HDD and DVD+RW recordings. Both stunts are accomplished by pressing the "tools" button on the remote.
More annoying, this complicated machine is a mite skittish. I locked up the system by inserting a copy-protected CD, then again by using a first-generation DVD-R disc that might have been intended just for computer use.
To melt these freeze-ups, I had to briefly unplug the unit. Luckily, a battery backup maintains settings.
GETTING JACKED: I wish the machine had a few more inputs/outputs, especially a digital audio "in" for dubbing CDs in the pure digital domain.
There are component video outputs for a high-res (480 line progressive) hook-up to a modern TV monitor, plus digital (coaxial and fiber optical) jacks for audio carriage - strictly stereo from Lite-On recordings, multichannel Dolby Digital and DTS from pre-recorded discs.
COMING ATTRACTIONS: New and more costly HDD/DVD+/-combi recorders on the way from Panasonic and Sony will add some new bells and whistles, but still won't perform CD recording like the Lite-On "All Write" model does.
The Sony RDR-HX715 (due out in September at $700) boasts TV Guide On Screen for easy program access and timed recording, a high-res HDMI output, an advanced picture noise reduction system and a very cool, Fast Playback with Sound feature.
High-definition HDD/DVD combi recorders also are looming on the horizon and sure to be very expensive at first. The FCC's digital TV tuner mandate requires that a DTV tuner must be built into each DVD recorder shipped in the United States after July 1, 2007.