Philips DVDR520H
|
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, 80GB HDD |
$600 |
5.6/10
10
votes
Read
13
comments
(24619 views)
Post comments |
DVD Player features:
Video formats:
DivX JPG DVD-JPG
Audio formats:
MP3 DVD-MP3
WMA
Other features:
Visit manufacturer's site
Region code free hack
|
DVD Media
comments for this DVD Recorder (click on the link to
read the comments):
1 Samsung (Pleomax) 4xDVD+R (OPTODISCOR4) comments, 1 good, 0 mixed, 0 poor.
1 Verbatim 16xDVD+R (MCC.....004) comments, 0 good, 0 mixed, 1 poor.
Post
your DVD Media comments here |
| 13 comments, Showing
1 to
13 comments |
-
|
|
 Jo Bleijlevens from Netherlands reported December 21, 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? |
over 1 year |
3 of 10
|
| DVD-RAM? |
|
|
| Comments: |
I really don't understand how this recorder did get on the market. I have been working in a Quality Assurance department for a medical devices company and I would be deeply ashamed of myself if we were to put such a device on the market and supply it to our customers.
Here are some of the most serious failures in the design of the hardware and software:
TV does not recognize the recorder when recorder is switched on. Pin 8 of the SCART plug should go to 12 Volt to signal the TV set the recorder is on. Level at pin 8 stays at 2 Volts.
I hooked-up a VCR to copy all my old tapes to the hard disk. I had a good picture on TV and after pressing the "Record" button, nothing happened.
Apparently only recordings can be made when source is set to TV.
Setting up a daily recording of favorite programs does not work. No recordings are made at all. Every day you have to program the damn thing again.
Lots of spelling errors on the display. When copying data from the hard disk to a DVD, the display shows already "donE" as soon as you press the "Copy" button. Another annoying thing is that when you are recording, you havn't the faintest idea what you are recording. In the menu set-up, when scanning the TV channels, you can assign a meaningful name to the TV channels, why not displaying this name.
After all I decided to install the latest revision software and I really had hoped that this update would solve a great deal of the problems. After I had installed software version 196 Patch 3 and after powering up the device, I was even more dissapointed when I noticed that nothing had changed at all.
How dares Philips say: Let's make things better.
Obviously this did not pertain to this recorder. |
|
| john from Netherlands reported October 15, 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
448kbit/s
WMA
CVD? |
over 1 year |
7 of 10
|
DVD-RAM |
|
|
| Comments: |
| after firmware upgrade it works fine,but now does not read 16x written dvd's from philips itself or any other brand,reads only dvd's at 4x written,in the past it played everything but now its a pain in the ass |
|
| huub from Netherlands reported July 23, 2006: |
| Read features: |
Time used: |
Rating: |
CDR?
CDRW? |
DVD-R?
DVD-RW?
DVD-R DL? |
Few DVD+R
Few DVD+RW
DVD+R DL? |
VCD?
XVCD?
XSVCD? |
SVCD?
SVCDSubs?
SVCDTracks?
|
MP3
CVD? |
over 1 year |
6 of 10
|
| DVD-RAM? |
|
|
| Comments: |
Philips dropped there slogan "Let's make things better", but that is what they need to do with this player. That does not mean it's a terrible machine, oh no. Certenly not comparing to what i have heared from other brands!
I had/have 2 serious problems with my recorder.
First it stops responding some times. The only thing to do then is to unplug the powercord and plug it in again.
I don't have a "work arround" for the other problem. After copying form HDD tot DVD+R and finalising the DVD+R stops for 1 or 2 seconds now and then. At first a thought this was on paragraph switching, but i noticed it on other moments. I'm using Samsung 8x en Philips 1-2,4x DVD+R, so that are not the DVD+R they recommend. But I would say DVD+R at the right speed should all be compatible! |
|
| Mariob from Italy reported June 11, 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? |
240 days |
4 of 10
|
| DVD-RAM? |
|
|
| Comments: |
The worst firmware I have seen. Tons of bugs, and non-existent support from philips online. There is only ONE firmare update since the products is out, but it's still heavvy BUGGED. The device very often hangs, and you can't turn it off. You can only uplug it. When you put it online after a "forced" power off the firmware says "hey dude ! bad shutdwown ! checking disk". Most time this will corrupt your recorded video.
Another BAD example...after deleting the oldest videos on hd you should defragment the hd...well VERY often the device hangs during defragmentation, and there is NO way to "wake up" this bad dvd-recorder on. So, another time, unplug it and plug it during a defragmentation. It's unbelivable.
And I can write againg and again...
Never again a philips device of this kind! |
|
| Filo66 from United States reported May 30, 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? |
30 days |
7 of 10
|
| DVD-RAM? |
|
|
| Comments: |
Check Philips website on this unit before buying media. They have a listing of brands and speeds of DVD+R that are compatible. The paper manual does not have this information. It's very basic and doesnt explain a lot of the features.
Capturing VHS to burn to DVD works great. I have no need to use the timer features to record TV programs, so I havent tried this feature. |
|
| Michel Schatens from Netherlands reported May 05, 2006: |
| Read features: |
Time used: |
Rating: |
CDR
CDRW |
Few DVD-R
Few DVD-RW
DVD-R DL |
DVD+R
DVD+RW
DVD+R DL |
VCD
XVCD?
XSVCD? |
SVCD
SVCDSubs?
SVCDTracks?
|
MP3?
CVD? |
240 days |
7 of 10
|
| DVD-RAM? |
|
|
| Comments: |
I use lableless DVD+R, these will work on this DVD recorder, but when I try to use a Arita DVD+R it will say no disk. After trying for a long time I gave up.
But all in all a nice DVD recorder. |
|
| Silvio from Italy reported February 17, 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? |
over 1 year |
3 of 10
|
| DVD-RAM? |
|
|
| Comments: |
Paid 640 US$ in december 2004.
The worst user manual I've ever seen. In fact it is shipped with a four-page insert for the errata (itself with some error).
The software has problems: it hangs up every time one inadvertently strikes a button before a previous operation is finished. The only way to get out is to hard-reset it, disconnetting the power cable. Asked Philips for assistance, they said there is no need to upgrade it, but, strangely, I found new software release on their website.
After only 13 months of use, the DVD unit ceased to work (non recording - no reading). The HD was still working. The servicing stated that the problem was not due to misuse, but it was 1 month past warranty, and I had to pay 160 US$. By the way, in the mean time they upgraded the sw !!
Total cost in the first year: 800 US$!
|
|
| Bam from Denmark reported September 30, 2005: |
| 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?
512kbit/s
CVD? |
over 1 year |
No rating
|
| DVD-RAM? |
|
|
| Comments: |
| No comments |
|
| BloodOnMyHands from Portugal reported June 18, 2005: |
| 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
320kbit/s
CVD? |
14 days |
6 of 10
|
DVD-RAM |
|
|
| Comments: |
| No comments |
|
| Bram from Netherlands reported May 29, 2005: |
| Read features: |
Time used: |
Rating: |
CDR
CDRW |
DVD-R
DVD-RW
Few DVD-R DL |
DVD+R
DVD+RW
DVD+R DL |
VCD
XVCD?
XSVCD? |
SVCD
SVCDSubs?
SVCDTracks?
|
MP3 VBR
320kbit/s
CVD? |
5 days |
9 of 10
|
| DVD-RAM? |
|
|
| Comments: |
| Its a superb machine after free upgrading the firmware to version 192, before that it was ....... |
|
| Steve Jordan from Ireland reported February 14, 2005: |
| 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? |
14 days |
4 of 10
|
| DVD-RAM? |
|
|
| Comments: |
With a Philips 9616 32" TV the playback from both DVD and HDD is very good. No problems with quality of picture.
It's played commercial VCDs and DVDs and DVD+RWs recorded on my old Philips 890 recorder. All without any problems.
The "guide" feature (whereby record / playback functions are available via one menu) is good and proved great when setting up a learning universal remote to replace the supplied remote.
It "ease of use" features don't matter to you then skip
the following paragraphs.
IMHO lack of the "easy link" or "TV link" feature makes it a pain as regards ease of use as:
1) channel set up is a tedious time consuming chore
to get them in the same order as the TV
2) no "record what's showing on TV now" ability.
you must manually set the recorder channel to that
of the TV programme
The recorder gets in the way of even this
labourious process by displaying only "CH1", "CH2"
etc on its display even though its menu system
allows you to name the channels
3) turning on the recorder doesn't automatically turn
on the TV
My 8 year old Philips VCR and 2 year old 890 DVD
recorder do all this.
If the TV is on, turning on the recorder does switch it to show the recorder output. Something.
It would be nice, if with the TV on, you put in a DVD and press play that it would always start to play the DVD. But no. You must first switch to DVD if you last played back from the hard disc.
The blue LEDs indicating wheather it's set for HDD or DVD are to far recessed so you can only see them when viewed from about the same level as the recorder and directly in front of them.
The remote is also a cheap nasty pain. The manual actually advises pointing it at the recorder at an angle of 30 degrees or less and within a distance of 3 meters !! You often have to try 2 or 3 times to get it to work.
8 out of 10 for picture, 6 for sound and 0 for ease of use. Goes up to about 2 for ease of use if you have a decent programmable remote.
|
|
| Richard from United Kingdom reported January 12, 2005: |
| 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 VBR
320kbit/s
CVD? |
60 days |
No rating
|
| DVD-RAM? |
|
|
| Comments: |
Menu system selecting record, copy and other functions VERY easy to use. Picture quality in M2(default) ok. DVD+RW discs recorded play correctly on Philips DVD625/05, DVP630/05 and Toshiba A6 laptop.
Has played every disk tried so far, from Memorex (12x) CD-RW, Philips CD+RW and Imation CD-R (48x) to cheap Asda 'DataBrand' (24x)CD-R. Discs prepared on a Sony CRX220 writer together with Nero 6 software. Various combinations of VBR and CBR MP3 up to 320kbits/sec work correctly. Have yet to test 'Albumwrap' files fully, but initial trials seem positive.
Some caveats though:
Turn on sequence very slow, takes about 10 seconds from pressing standby button to have access to any functions
Very slow in deciding disc format presented. DVD loader mechanism noisy.
Remote control has to be pointed directly at recorder, often have to press buttons 2 or 3 times to get command recognised.
Sound dropout when using Firewire interface with Panasonic NVDS5B camera set to 12 bit sound mode. Picture transfer was perfect. Simple camera control menu (stop, play, ff and rew) does not work with this camera.
No Easylink, Easy Record or Record Link supported. If it does, it doesent work with other Philips products eg DTR1500 or Philips DVB TV.
Occasional sound droput when recording from DTR1500 via scart input.
Sporadic interference i.e wide slanted horizontal ripple pattern running through picture on playback of all DVD's tried. Appears and dissapears slowly on a cyclic basis. Evident to a much lesser extent from hard disk playback. This was not apparent with the previous TYT clone player in same setup i.e. cable or tv fault.
Analogue video input on front panel appears to be bandwidth limited, picture smearing and loss of detail etc.
Clock does not auto-update and must be manually reset after power cuts etc.
Non existent support from Philips help desk. Not one request for assistance has ever been acknowledged apart from computer auto-generated receipt.
|
|
| Paul Matthews from United Kingdom reported December 28, 2004: |
| 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? |
90 days |
No rating
|
DVD-RAM |
|
|
| Comments: |
| The 80Gb Hard drive works great. Copy from HD to DVD and DVD to HD is very quick. Also supports copying of JPEG and MP3 files from CD/DVD to HD. Saddly no Guide Plus or Sat/Cable control (as found on the DVDR80). |
|
| 13 comments, Showing
1 to
13 comments |
-
|
|
| 1 DVD Recorder hits, Showing
1 to
1 DVD Recorders |
-
|
|
Column Explanation:
 Click on this for
more technical information.
New comments= New comments since your last visit.
New Recorder = New DVD Recorder since your last vist.
OEM
Original Equipment Manufacturer.
Chipset
The manufacturer of the main chipset the DVD writer/recorder is
based on.
Write
support / Read support
DVD-R = Works
DVD-R = Is not
supported
DVD-R? = Not tested
Connection
FireWire = Computer desktop DVD Writer with IEEE 1394/FireWire/i.Link connection (some standalone desktop dvd recorder supports this also but then it is usually to connect your DV camera to the recorder)
Rating
The first rating is based on a weighted rank (the
true
Bayesian), it requires at least 5 votes to get
a weighted rating.
The second rating between the ( ) is a normal average
rating.
We can Not gurantee that this list is 100%
correct and don't forget to read the User Comments
for more Info about each recorder. |
