Philips DVDR3400 DVD Recorder

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Philips DVDR3400

Write
~~CDR~~
~~CDRW~~
DVD-R
DVD-RW
~~DVD-R DL~~
DVD+R
DVD+RW
DVD+RDL
~~DVD-RAM~~

Read*

CDR
CDRW
DVD-R
DVD-RW
~~DVD-R DL~~
DVD+R
DVD+RW
DVD+R DL
DVD-RAM?

*based on user reports.

Desktop, Firewire, USB, HDMI

$250

5.2/10
10 votes
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comments
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DVD Player features:
Video formats:
DivX JPG DVD-JPG
Audio formats:
MP3 WMA
Other features:
HDMI output
Progressive Scanning

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Region code free hack

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Comments

10 comments, Showing 1 to 10 comments

T-Bone Road423 from United States reported December 28, 2009:
Read features:						Time used:	Rating:
CDR? CDRW?	DVD-R DVD-RW DVD-R DL?	DVD+R DVD+RW DVD+R DL?	VCD? XVCD? XSVCD?	SVCD? SVCDSubs? SVCDTracks?	MP3? CVD?	over 1 year	6 of 10
DVD-RAM?
Comments:
Purchased a Philips DVD-RW, Model DVDR3400/37, for Christmas 2006. Liked the ease of use and ability to set the unit up as the "main" unit, much the way that VHS units have been used. Also liked having mulitple input sources and formats, even though I predominantly use NTSC and VHS inputs, and having multiple recoding modes (lengths), which come in handy for converting home videos. The remote near-immediately began requiring double-entry, which was replaced under warranty, and the menus are somewhat clunky. Around Dec 2008 the DVD drive unit began failing. It would not recoginze discs, blank or recorded, commercial or home. By this time blu-ray's were taking over and I didn't really want to buy another DVD as I still liked the features. However, Philips did not supply the DVD drive as a replacement part, and neither does the OEM, ASATech. I noticed that the connections on the DVD drive appeared to be identical to PC-style DVD drives. I then purchased a new MSI 22x DVD±RW drive model DH-22AP and connected it to the recorder, which "recognized" the drive and appeared to read commercial DVD's. However, during playback the new drive would pixelate the video signal. My hunch was that the new drive is "too fast" for the older recorder. I then removed the LG model GSA-H54N (Super Multi DVD Rewriter) DVD±RW unit from my PC and "grafted" it externally to the top of the recorder case. I also cut a slot in the case top and ran the power and signal cables out to the external DVD drive. DVDR Unit is now recording again. Initially, however, it was only limited to SP (2 hr) mode. In order to correct this, I reinstall the firmware, for which versions V09_04 & V09_10 both appear to restore multi-mode recording. The only other issues are that it now also always spins the drive at top speed, making it a bit noisier, and it takes longer to update discs when editing.

JefUK from United Kingdom reported August 19, 2007:
Read features:						Time used:	Rating:
CDR? CDRW?	DVD-R? DVD-RW? DVD-R DL?	DVD+R? DVD+RW? DVD+R DL	VCD? XVCD? XSVCD?	SVCD? SVCDSubs? SVCDTracks?	MP3? CVD?	180 days	5 of 10
DVD-RAM?
Comments:
Very poor remote control, recorder works much better with a universal remote.

Ruud van der Pluijm from United States reported May 26, 2007:
Read features:						Time used:	Rating:
CDR? CDRW?	DVD-R DVD-RW DVD-R DL?	DVD+R DVD+RW DVD+R DL?	VCD? XVCD? XSVCD?	SVCD? SVCDSubs? SVCDTracks?	MP3 CVD?	30 days	8 of 10
DVD-RAM?
Comments:
I bought this recorder for $139 at Best Buy. Recorder works fine but it is true that you have to press the buttons on the remote more then once to control the unit. MY DVDR3400/37 is region protected and does not play any dvd from region 2. Does anybody have a solution for this problem ? Thanks,

mkegaffer from United States reported May 20, 2007:
Read features:						Time used:	Rating:
CDR? CDRW?	DVD-R DVD-RW DVD-R DL?	DVD+R DVD+RW DVD+R DL?	VCD XVCD? XSVCD?	SVCD SVCDSubs? SVCDTracks?	MP3 WMA CVD?	120 days	7 of 10
DVD-RAM?
Comments:
No doubt about it, these boys have quirks; you'll notice I said "boys" because I loved the picture quality so much, I bought a second unit just for copying home videos to disk. As a replacement for our VHS deck, these units have a single but nasty drawback. You'll note that on an average DVD recorder, you can fit about 1 hour three minutes (1:03:00) at HQ speed, 2 hours six minutes (2:03:00) at SP and so on. So you'd assume that if you are setting up the recording of a show that's an hour long at HQ, you could set up the recorder for two minutes before the posted airtime (to adjust for the slop built into airtime starts) at HQ speed, and you could still make the whole program fit into the 1h 3m capacity. Not with these puppies. At HQ, you can set the timer for exactly one hour (which will turn out to be 59m 44sec); for SP it's two hours (or 1h 59m 44sec). And one of the two decks will only let me record with these parameters in any mode (manual, timer). The workaround has been to go to the next slower speed; for two hour programs, you can go to SSP speed which is 2h 29m, and is arguably better than VHS quality. Still, if I’m going to record off air, I’d like to do it at the best possible quality, and it irks me to have to slide one level for a lousy extra minute of content. Also annoying is that I can only record "Lost" in MONO; any attempt to record in stereo results in getting the Spanish translation track. I can’t tell if this is a problem with the way that either ABC or the local cable company is putting out the signal, but the 3400 can't figure it out. On the other hand, there's no problems with the SciFi Channel ("Battlestar" sounds perfect). There is another poster that mentions having to hit every button twice to make their unit perform a function. This is partially true with one of my units (when I used the remote), and mostly true with the other regardless of how I make input commands. So why do I like them so much? I have a Canopus ADVC-300 and I use Procoder to convert to VOB; at HQ speed, the image quality for the 3400 rivals the Canopus process. These units also playback Divx, WMV, WMA and MP3 perfectly. At the end of the day, if the disk plays back perfectly and looks great on all of our DVD players (we have one in every bedroom, and in both entertainment areas), paying a zillion extra bucks for a system that's easy to use is not all that important Did I mention no coasters ever, once I left adequate cooling space around the units?

d cesnak from United States reported March 29, 2007:
Read features:						Time used:	Rating:
CDR? CDRW?	DVD-R? DVD-RW? DVD-R DL?	DVD+R DVD+RW DVD+R DL?	VCD? XVCD? XSVCD?	SVCD? SVCDSubs? SVCDTracks?	MP3? CVD?	3 days	4 of 10
DVD-RAM?
Comments:
Had problems with the tuner. Has a brightness I could not get rid of. Followed to recorded DVD's. I returned the unit for another and had the same problem. Tried several tv's and different connections with no luck. The best picture I could get was from the coaxial connection. Had no problems recording to DVD+R's did not try anything else. There was no use continuing to use this recorder with such a bad picture so I am returning it.

Don Gray from United States reported February 12, 2007:
Read features:						Time used:	Rating:
CDR? CDRW?	DVD-R DVD-RW? DVD-R DL?	DVD+R DVD+RW? DVD+R DL?	VCD? XVCD? XSVCD?	SVCD? SVCDSubs? SVCDTracks?	MP3? CVD?	3 days	1 of 10
DVD-RAM?
Comments:
This is the absolutely worst piece of Electronics I have ever purchased. It should be recalled as it is not even functional in many respects. I would have expected better from Philips. First you have to press most of the remote keys twice to get it to respond. For instance: If the manual says "press play then display" you have to press "play play display display". The number buttons do work on the 1st press. I contacted Philips by phone who insisted I had bad remote batteries then insisted it needed a firmware update, which I did. Then they said it was a defective unit. I returned it to Best Buy and got another one. The 2nd one had all the same problems as the first. Even when you do get used to the double button pressing, the menus are so cluncky as to be unusable. It sometimes takes up to 8 seconds for a menu selection to be processed. The buttons on the remote don't do at all what you would expect them to and only work in certain play or record situations. The display button shows very little info and that quickly disappears 2 seconds after pressing. It doesn't matter whether you finalize the DVD or not as several PC DVD readers I tested this with wouldn't recognize the DVD made with this recorder. Almost all the onscreen tools are hidden away in menus that have to be accessed from only certain modes. There is nothing intuitive about this unit. The inouts often are shared. While all the inputs can be selected to record from, using one input precludes you from using others. For instance EXT1 and EXT2 share audio plugs so you have to choose one or the other. The complete lack of support by Philips is also a big concern. The three different people I spoke with by phone (they no longer offer email or chat or local service shops) cleaarly didn't have a clue what to do to fix the problems and were acting as if they never dealt with it before. They could not tell me if a firmware fix was in the works or not. They obviously didn't care if I returned the unit or not. An absolutely horrible unit that I will be returning within the next three days.

annafromathens from Greece reported January 10, 2007:
Read features:						Time used:	Rating:
CDR CDRW?	DVD-R? DVD-RW? DVD-R DL?	DVD+R? DVD+RW? DVD+R DL?	VCD? XVCD? XSVCD?	SVCD? SVCDSubs? SVCDTracks?	MP3? CVD?	1 days	1 of 10
DVD-RAM?
Comments:
I tried an xvid cd and it wouldn't play the movie. I returned it.

Wray Smallwood from United States reported September 09, 2006:
Read features:						Time used:	Rating:
CDR? CDRW?	DVD-R DVD-RW? DVD-R DL?	DVD+R? DVD+RW? DVD+R DL?	VCD? XVCD? XSVCD?	SVCD? SVCDSubs? SVCDTracks?	MP3? CVD?	3 days	2 of 10
DVD-RAM?
Comments:
Good: Has lots of features for the price. Bad: 1. Turning on the DVD and inserting a disc takes better than 15 seconds. First the player needs to do a startup, which I assume is a self test before the door can be opened. So you stand like a dummy until the startup is finished. Give me a break. I don't care how slow a processor is. Opening door firmware should be instantantaneously available after power on. And in fact on other machines, hitting the door button will turn on the machine and open the door instaneously. Diagnostics should be made background, not foreground checks. I can't fathom why someone would design something and ignore how users use the devices. That's why companies have human factors departments. 2. But that not the only thing that is clunky and slow. Everything on the remote control takes an eternity and buttons often have to be pressed twice because you didn't get it the first time. And if it does take the operation usually it has no tactile, audible or visual feedback to indicate that anything was done. Mr Designer. You have heard of the tried and tested hourglass and a beep tone or click have you not? 3. The ergonimic design of the remote is horrible as well. It is way too easy to pick up the remote and point it backwards. That's why clever remotes are designed so that they are assymetrical and have a feel to them that tells you which way they are pointed immediately and are comforable to hold with curved edges. 4. The editing flat does out not work properly. I made a disk with 3 titles. I made multiple edits by creating markers and hiding chapters. The end result was a finalized video that played perfectly. That is until you took it to another machine. I tried it on a KLH machine. Instead of 3 titles, there were 6 titles only 3 of which were accessible from the menu. All the titles are missing chapters, which are certainly there when the CD-R is played on the recorder. Thinking my older machine (which isn't too old since it has component video and progressive scan) was incompatible I went out and bought a brand new Philips DVDP 5960. Lo and behold, exactly the same as the KLH machine. A playback machine from the same manufacturer can't play edited disks properly. I worked in Hewlett Packard for 23 years and if we had put out products this poor in TQC, I would never have made it to retirement. This machine would never have passed TQC!!!! I returned my machine. I don't care if there is firmware update to fix it. I don't support companies that have so little disregard for the consumer....

Scott Smith from United States reported August 28, 2006:
Read features:						Time used:	Rating:
CDR? CDRW?	DVD-R? DVD-RW? ~~DVD-R DL~~	DVD+R DVD+RW? DVD+R DL?	VCD? XVCD? XSVCD?	SVCD? SVCDSubs? SVCDTracks?	MP3? CVD?	4 days	10 of 10
DVD-RAM?
Comments:
I bought this at Circuit City a few days ago for $169 + tax. So far this deck works superbly as a handy replacement for a VCR. Everything works just like a VCR (with the one exception being that you have to "finalize" a disk before the disk can be viewed using other players.) Record/pause/unpause works great - just like a VCR. Not a lot (any?) lag time from when you unpause to when it starts recording. The slowest speed (6 hrs per DVD+-R) has image quality that is COMPLETELY acceptable. The average Joe wouldn't tell the difference between a live broadcast and one recorded at this speed. Perfect image? No, but great, cheap recording of your favorite TV shows? You bet. I transferred one 20 min VHS tape to DVD with decent results. I have no idea how this deck will handle macrovision or other copy protection schemes. Big plus: When playing an ISO disk of a bunch of MPGs/AVIs, the WHOLE file name is displayed at the bottom of the screen while you're choosing which file to play. Most players with this capability just show the first 8 characters or so. :-( I can easily recommend this deck to someone looking for a DVD-based replacement to a VCR.

borg from United States reported August 05, 2006:
Read features:						Time used:	Rating:
CDR CDRW	DVD-R DVD-RW DVD-R DL?	DVD+R DVD+RW DVD+R DL?	VCD XVCD? XSVCD?	SVCD SVCDSubs? SVCDTracks?	MP3 WMA CVD?	14 days	8 of 10
DVD-RAM?
Comments:
Good: - recording to DVD+-R/W discs. Dual layer DVD+-Rs are also supported. - RF/Composite/Svideo/component inputs for recording. Tested both composite and Svideo inputs and no problems were observed during recording. Capture quality was good. Did not tested component input. - Support for PAL and NTSC DVD/SVCD/VCD. - Although the DVD recorder is labeled as region 1, it is region free. Region 2 PAL discs can be played fine. - Subtitles of the recorded shows coming from Rogers' Scientific Atlanta 8300 box were captured and played back fine. - Splitting/renaming/deleting recorded shows work fine on DVD+RW. I did not tested other medias. - Tested multiple xvid files from internet. No problems were observed. Fast forwarding worked fine although sometimes slow responsive remote issue listed in the "Bad" section was observed. - Tested few divx trailers from www.divx.com site. No problems were observed. - Tested many mp3s encoded with variable and constant bit rates. No problems were observed. - JPG slide shows are fine. - All the media files (JPG/mp3/divx/mpg1/xvid) can be played from a USB flash disc. - It has an HDMI port although there is no upconversion. This is fine for me since my future Sony XBR2/3 or Sharp 37D90U LCD screen will have a good upscalar inside so that I do not need to upconvert from a DVD player anyways.. - NTSC/PAL picture quality is good. Bad: - if the DVD output is set to 480p, the DVD recorder creates audio skipping and audio sync problems after 10-15 minutes of the video recording session. The workaround is to change the output to 480i whenever a recording needs to be done and change it back to 480p for playback. Hopefully this can be fixed via a firmware update! - One audio lip sync problem was observed in a PAL DVD that was encoded with a low bit rate. Five other PAL DVDs did not have this problem. - Sometimes the remote controller is not responsive. You need to press few times to select an item. - Zoom does not work in divx/xvid play mode. - Fast forwarding in some divx files do not work. - Zoom response in JPG slide show mode is so slow that it is nearly unusable. Annoyances: - GUI area is small. Only 10 files/directories fit on half of the screen. The other half is reserved for playlist. - No recording to USB flash disk - USB hard drives are not recognized - no TIFF/PNG image support - Display button shows limited information (current time code). It does not show more useful information such as encoded bit rates, file names, etc.

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DVD-R = Works
~~DVD-R~~ = Is not supported
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