Forum Archive Home -> DVD Recorders -> New Polaroid DRA-01601A - SWEET! Well, maybe. Possibly.
New Polaroid DRA-01601A - SWEET! Well, maybe. Possibly. | ||||
| Brain posted 2007 May 10 00:34 | ||||
| Here's the link to the Polaroid page for it:
http://tinyurl.com/26rhfp Here's the feature set: USB port SD Card port MPEG 4 support 160GB built-in hard disc drive (HDD) records up to 204 hours of media YesDVD enabled indexing, auto chaptering, organization, and sharing of multi-media content Built-in ATSC/NTSC tuner Front USB and card reader ports Real-time recording using DVD+RW and DVD+R recordable discs Record in different quality and length (HQ, SP, LP, EP, SLP) Easy one-touch recording with auto index creation 30-second skip lets you jump over commercials for commercial-free viewing 10-second replay allows you to go back 10 seconds to replay what you missed Easy editing on recorded video content Simultaneous DVD playback and record movie on hard disc Plays DVD, DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW Plays music CDs, CD-R/RW JPEG image compatible Progressive scan video output Front panel VFD display Ok, I just picked this up at Wal-Nuts. 258 bones. They just got them in. Or at least one, 'cuz that's all they had and I got it. 90 day return policy so if this bloody thing doesn't give me a solid DVD Recordergasm I'll just take it back. I'll be toying with it this weekend. A few new features to notice, it seems to do everything the 2001G did and 'dem 'sum: 160 gig hdd instead of the previous 80 - 'aight. 360 minute (6 hour) Live TV Time Buffer - That's cool! You can plug in a USB stick or USB external hard drive and Play or Copy Movie files including MPEG 4 onto it's hdd - Cool! You can plug in an SD card from your digital camera and Play or Copy JPGs or MPEG 4 videos you took with your cam - Way Cool! Use HDMI cable from the unit to your TV - Cool (but no more component input like the 2001G, not a big deal) A lot more controls on the unit itself and a much better looking and feeling remote with more controls on it. Lights on the front of the unit show if you're in TV, DV, USB, or Record mode. It's very quiet. I will be posting my impressions (or throwing-up) by the end of this weekend. This bloody thing better work, work good and work forever. Btw, they now put a sticker on it that says if sticker breaky (as in taking apart and swapping out the hdd) then no Guarantee. So fracking what?! If I have to take it back past the 90 days I'll lose the receipt and get full Wal-Nuts credit. No biggy. First Impression: I havn't recorded to DVD yet but all the features seem to work fine including playing JPEGs & MPEG 2 files from a digital SD card or USB stick. It also recognizes and explores folders on the external drives. Quality of TV picture through the unit (using S-Video) is almost flawless except a bit of extra color saturation. I don't remember if my 2001G did this but on an HD Channel it slightly zooms and cuts the sides off a little. Not so on an SD Channel. I can't seem to stop it from doing that and I don't like that. Two big pains in the ass is the remote is even worse in transmitting than the 2001G! Idiots! And the manual tells you less of how the features work than the 2001G manual! Imbeciles! You have to figure out how most of the features work on your own. Ok, all of a sudden its playing the HD channels correctly and I didn't do a thing or press any buttons. I then pressed the time buffer and the bloody thing froze up so I had to unplug it. Its seems to be working fine now but I don't think I'm going to put up with much BS from this thing without taking it back pretty quick. I swear to God , there just isn't a such thing as QC anymore with anyone! I don't give a frack what company it is there is no such thing as QC! Period! It doesn't exist. Not on this planet anymore. What the frack? They can put a dude on the Moon to take a stroll but they can't make a DVD-HDD Recorder that fracking works right with any reasonable consistancy? You know what that tells me? We never went to the freaking Moon! | ||||
| JonP posted 2007 May 10 21:55 | ||||
| Have you tried to copy a copy protected DVD or show from HBO, Showtime, etc.?
Never mind, I returned the DRA-01601A. Decided it isn't worth the hassle. So back to searching another DVD recorder w/hard drive and firmware upgradeable that can bypass macrovision. | ||||
| usually_quiet posted 2007 May 11 12:41 | ||||
| If I remember correctly, the previous Polaroid HDD model sold at WalMart lacked a stereo tuner. Does this model have one? I can't find anything that says one way or another in the specs. | ||||
| zzyzzx posted 2007 May 14 13:08 | ||||
| I'm waiting for the competing Phillips model to come out. If that's no good then I'll try a unit without a HD, like the Toshiba D-VR650 model or the Panasonic DMR-EZ37K. | ||||
| MJA posted 2007 May 19 10:52 | ||||
| from AVS forum
"I bought one yeaterday. I have a Sony 50" HDTV I have 2 Sony DHG-HDD250 DVR's I also have the older Polaroid 2001g As far as the new DRA-01601A It will NOT: Display wide screen video in wide screen (it letterboxes almost everything) It will NOT: Play video from my Sony HDD Camcorder properly from USB. It squeezes it and playback is very, very jerky. Jerk is gone through S video, but it is letterboxed. It will NOT: Display JPEG images from the SD slot properly. It squeezes these to. It will NOT: Tune the upper frequencey range of QAM channels. Very, very noisy. It appears to fall off around 650000 Khz. I get fine reception at 165000 Khz on cable and on antenna, I can get to 719000 Khz (Channel 55). BUT on cable, I have several QAM channels at 735000 to 741000 Khz and it cannot get these without dropouts. It DOES: Play Anamorphic DVD Videos in wide screen. It IS: Going back........ Some relevant data: I am pretty sure this Polaroid is made by Phillips and I bet the Phillips model won't be any different. Do not waste your time calling the help line - it's been disconnected. On the 2001G, I could output 'squeezed' video from my DHG-HDD250 in the component video in port, then burn it to DVD RW. Then using IFO edit on my PC, change the flag so it played back in wide screen, and then finnaly burn a DVD on the PC. Then I discovered that the Sony DVD Recorders (RGR-GX330 & RDR_GX550) can record wide screen video through the S video port without editing and even though it is S video, the quality is better than the videos produced by the Polo/ifo edit/PC. I am hoping Sony will have a DVD recorder that will record from the digital channels (replacement for GX330 would be nice - replacement for the HDD250 with a DVD recorder drive would be even better!) with full screen (anamorphic) recordings " http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=839036&page=4&pp=30 | ||||
| Bondiablo posted 2007 May 30 07:23 | ||||
| Anymore thoughts on the DRA-01601A or have you returned it? | ||||
| oldandinthe way posted 2007 May 30 07:29 | ||||
| It would be interesting to know who manufactured this unit and what other badges it wears. Polaroid does not manufacture any electronics. | ||||
| lordsmurf posted 2007 May 30 08:50 | ||||
| The last Polaroid was a worthless piece of crap. This one is probably the same way. I would avoid Polaroid DVD products. | ||||
| Brain posted 2007 Jun 03 13:47 | ||||
| Ok, I was so fracking pissed I don't even want to even talk about it...
It went back to the store so I could try the new Philips, although the Philips doesn't have the "Yes Video" feature which is totally cool when you see what is does (automatic menu system with chapters and motion thumbnails). I live in Northern AZ and so far the Philips has not appeared yet. Last week I picked up another Polaroid to give it another fracking try while I'm waiting to try the new Philips and the bloody thing works perfectly! I've been trying most features as much as possible the past 5 days and the thing hasn't froze once! USB and SD card works, timeshift and timeshift recording works, record to hdd perfect, record to DVD great, recognizes every blank I put in, picture quality is as clean as could be, quiet as a mouse. Even the remote, although having to face the unit, works 25 feet away and way better than the previous ones! I don't know. Now I'm really pissed. I'm afraid if I keep this thing it will take a dump 4 months from now or something. I know there is no QC so this thing may be a fluke. As soon as Philips shows up I'm going to pick one up and do a side by side comparison. I'm going to benchflow these frackers. In reality the Polaroid's feature set is sweet, if the bloody thing would just work for a year or two. Hell, at this point I'd take 9 months. From anything. The Polaroid bastages obviously don't give a flying rat about anything they themselves don't make. They just import the crap and throw it all up against the wall and what sticks sticks, what doesn't doesn't and the consumer can just grab their package and squeel. No wonder their warranty is 90 days. They're not stupid. I am. However, from most of the forums I've read it seem that most DVD/HDD Recorders have issues of one kind or another. I guess it depends on what features are important to you. Of course it would be of some relative help if the BLOODY THING WOULD WORK CONSISTENTLY FOR MORE THAN A COUPLE WEEKS!! Anyway, that's my take on it. Btw, It DOES play AND record in 16x9 as posted on the AVS forum. You have to adjust your Picture mode on the TV itself. For example, when viewing an HD channel (without the Polaroid) in my TV's "Normal" picture mode the picture is 16x9 but it doesn't fill up the screen (black bars). As per the instruction manual with my 37" 16x9 LCD TV as well as the manual with the Polaroid unit you have to adjust the picture mode (Normal, Wide, Panoramic, Partial Zoom, whatever) of the TV software to obtain the full screen 16x9. Also, if you have a Satellite receiver it too has to be in the proper Picture mode. When viewing JPGs (there are 2 buttons on the remote to view actual size or reduced or zoom for JPGs) or from an external video scource the principle is the same. Adjust your TVs picture mode (TV brands software varies) and you will view 16x9 full screen, nothing cut off. I've tried every mode including freezing the picture and comparing the different picture modes while frozen and it does play and record in 16x9. On another side note: When the new Philips showed up on the Wal-Nuts website I checked the Philips website and no mention of it. I called Philips Customer Service rep and they said there is no such model, nothing showing in their information on computer, paper updates or otherwise and they checked with a manager and they suggested it must be a Wal-Mart mistake. Oh yeah? You fracking idiots! I emailed Philips AND used their pop-up survey and asked them why should I ever buy or expect support from a Philips product when Philips doesn't even know what the hell they have?!! A week later it showed up on their website on the page for HDD Recorders with 2 other models that do not have HDDs. I couldn't help but LMAO. | ||||
| Brain posted 2007 Jun 09 00:51 | ||||
| Ok, I picked up the new Philips and I just got through playing with both these recorders the past few days doing a side by side and the Philips is out of here, going back to Wal-Nuts. The Polaroid is definitely staying.
I noticed when viewing and recording with the new Philips on an HD 16:9 broadcast in my TVs normal mode the image was 4:3 and there were horizontal black bars! I'm like, what? I didn't see that on the new Polaroid! I used the picture modes and it filled the screen ok but it just didn't look as good as the polaroid. I looked through the Philips manual and on page 42 there is this statement in a large "Note" box at the bottom of the page: "This unit cannot record images as aspect ratio of 16:9. The 16:9 images will be recorded as 4:3." Ok, I'm thinking why would the Philips not record proper 16:9 and the Polaroid will. I must be wrong about the Polaroid. So I hooked the Polaroid back up and I realized that, besides the picture being cleaner, sharper and the colors looking better, the black was blacker. So much so that I didn't see that I was, in fact, looking at a 4:3 image with black bars top and bottom! When using the picture mode it filled the screen perfectly and looked way better than the Philips, natural, sharp and clean. It looks like a natural perfect 16:9 image. I will say this. After going back and forth with them the Polaroid pissed all over the Philips. I hate to say this because I hate Polaroid. The bastages have no QC and in fact have probably never tried one out themselves. Nevertheless, after returning the first one this one seems to work quite well. The Philips picture was not nearly as clean and sharp as the Polar on an HD channel and on a SD channel it was a bit crappy. The Philips recording quality was not as good as the Polar but the recording looked better than just viewing the channel through it, which is odd. The Polar has better features. With the Philips you can't see where you're at when going back and forward using timeshifting like on the Polar. A lot of functions on the Philips work without showing you that its doing it. The Polaroid shows you almost everything that you're doing with it on screen. The Philips remote worked better but not by a lot. The Polar's USB and SD card slot seemed to work fine. A couple remote keys will play JPGs at screen size and zoom or reduce size. The Yes DVD feature is way cool. I know we all have different needs and wants in this regard. I don't use the tuner since I have Satellite so my main concern is picture and recording quality and timeshift features. I've had Lite-On, Pioneer, Panasonic, RCA, Polaroid and Philips the past 4 years. And I have to say, feature for feature, picture and recording quality, this Polaroid is the best performing unit for what it does that I've ever had. And its as quite as a mouse! This Polaroid has got to be a fluke! The only question for me now, is, how long is this bloody thing going to work properly. Who knows. | ||||
| Bondiablo posted 2007 Jun 09 01:33 | ||||
The Polaroid may give a better picture, I don't know, I haven't been able to test both myself, but as far as recording 16x9 videos, neither of them is doing it 100% right. They're both recording in 480i, 720x480 but the Philips is filling that entire resolution with the picture, like an anamorphic DVD. The Polaroid is keeping the aspect ratio within that resolution and leaving black bars top and bottom, like a letterboxed video. For the Philips recording to look right on your TV, the TV would need to be set to full or wide screen (whatever your brand calls it). For the Polaroid to look right the TV would need to be set to zoom so that it cuts off the black bars. Problem is not all widescreen TVs have a zoom so some people would never be able to watch a recording from the Polaroid without black bars and the Philips doesn't set the 16:9 flag so anyone watching on a standard 4:3 TV would get a distorted, full screen, image (stretched vertically).
 | ||||
| Bondiablo posted 2007 Jun 11 05:13 | ||||
| After playing around with the Philips DVDR3575H a bit more here's what I figured out. Changing the Philips setting for TV Aspect also changes how it records a 16:9 broadcast. Setting to 4:3 LB creates a letterboxed recording. When set to 4:3 PS the recording fills the screen but the sides of the picture are cut off. 16:9 Wide creates an anamorphic wide screen recording but doesn't set the flag for it.
One of the Walmarts near me had a DRA-01601A in stock so I decided to grab it and test that for myself as well. 4:3 LB and 4:3 PS seem to work the same as on the Philips but on the Polaroid 4:3 LB and 16:9 Wide appear to give exactly the same results, both create a letterboxed recording. Beyond that I didn't bother testing much because the Polaroid seemed pretty crappy. Just taking it out of the box it looked and felt much cheaper than the Philips. Turning it on it was much louder than the Philips. On the analog tuner some channels looked good, some looked bad and I think it may have had mono sound again like on the 2001G but on the digital tuner absolutely nothing was watchable. I just have basic cable, no box, and my Olevia 537H TV and the Philips recorder both find about 30 digitals which come in very strong, no problems. The Polaroid recorder found 24 digital channels and they were constantly going in and out, mostly out. It's going right back to the store and I don't think I'll be able to test if I just got a bad one because out of 3 Walmarts within 20 miles this was the only one they had and none of them even have a display model out. | ||||
| Sailboat Ron posted 2007 Jun 24 11:19 | ||||
| still assesing the unit, had it about 3 weeks.
found clear plastic protection over the mirror like face, once removed it improved the performance of the remote control greatly. Don't know why they didn't put some kind of marking on it to let you know it was there. found the remote to be far from user friendly, the hard drive noisy, and the finalized YES DVDs do not work in some of the older dvd players. Wish Panasonic had come out with their units with the ATSC tuner! | ||||
| KenK posted 2007 Jun 26 10:44 | ||||
| This is great info. Just this week I was looking at the Polaroid and was wondering if
the digital tuner would also do QAM. What I have found about Digital cable is you need a lot of signal. I have to add an inline amp for it to work on one of my TVs with QAM tuner. So before you give up on the QAM add an amp and see it it makes a difference. Is there anything else out there besides the Polaroid I should consider? thanks KenK | ||||
| Sally Reynolds posted 2007 Jun 27 17:39 | ||||
| I just got mine hooked up, but haven't recorded anything yet. I had no problem watching a widescreen movie in widescreen, but I have considerably worse TV picture on some channels. It's easy enough to set recording, but no fancier than a VCR. I may take it back because of the TV reception, but also because the remote offers no option to toggle between channels easily. How hard can that be?! | ||||
| KenK posted 2007 Jul 02 05:35 | ||||
| Will this unit play avi videos using the SD card slot?
My digital camera has a video mode and I would like to be able to play the SD card avi files on this unit as well as other avi videos I transfer to the card. thanks ken | ||||
| majel posted 2007 Jul 23 08:40 | ||||
| Let me begin by saying that I have been very pleased with the 2001G Polaroid with the 80 GB HD. I wanted to purchase another one but didn't realize that one is gone now and replaced by the 160 HD. Is that right? I read a lot of pros and cons when I bought the first Polaroid but because I'm happy with it I'm willing to try this new one. For the price I think the 2001G is hard to beat. Just one person's opinion. | ||||
| KCAir posted 2007 Jul 31 21:04 | ||||
| I have the DRA-01601A. I got it as a gift. It works fairly well. Never had any problems... so far. Just in case you need all the documentation for it I included my personal file on it.
http://personafile.com/Polaroid-DVD-Recorder-160GB-Hard-Drive-DRA ... 02769BA788 | ||||
| Brain posted 2007 Nov 05 22:52 | ||||
| I thought I'd check in with this unit since I've had it for 5 months now. I've recorded dozens of DVDs, movies to hard drive, editing out commercials, Yes DVDs, etc. and so far the quality of the recordings either to DVD or to hdd is sweet! Once you get familiar with the editing feature cutting out commercials or just cutting anything out is easy and fairly accurate. I've been using the timer feature the past few months to record my favorite CNN News Babe (Kiran) and my favorite FOX News babe (Megyn) in the wee hours of the morning and the timer feature hasn't failed yet. This bloody thing has been working quite well with one exception:
If I try using the "Pause" feature while recording half the time it will freeze and need to be unplugged losing the recording. So, instead of using the "Pause", I don't bother it and use the edit feature after recording. Other than that it has only froze a few times when initiating a recording. Otherwise I've been surprisingly pleased with this Polaroid "piece". I don't know why Polaroid 'dissed the component input as was on the 2001G. uBid.com just auction about 70 of the 2001Gs (refurb from Polaroid) starting at 65 bones and I got one for 86 bones, free shipping and 90 day warranty from Polaroid. 7 bones more and I added a 1 year extended warranty. For 86 bones I figured "what the hell?" | ||||
| davidsama posted 2007 Nov 05 23:51 | ||||
| Brain, USA does not use bones for currency. So how were you able to get it with bones? I really wonder what businesses you are dealing with that will let you use bones for currency. | ||||
| jacobian posted 2007 Nov 06 19:12 | ||||
| Brain,
Sounds like you know a lot about the Polaroid DRA-01601A and ended up choosing it over the Philips 3575H. Does the DRA-01601A Polaroid allow copying from an inserted prerecorded DVD to the HDD? I have a lot of home movies (90 or so DVDs) previously recorded on a Lite-On LVW-5101 DVD recorder (without HDD, from Samsclub) that I want to copy from my DVDs to the Polaroid HDD to edit and then copy back to new DVDs. I know it can record to DVD and to HDD from the video sources listed in the manual, but can you insert a home movie DVD or other prerecorded DVD, copy it the the HDD, edit it, and then copy the edited version back to another blank DVD? I have not yet bought the Polaroid, and looked at the Philips (since there are not many choices existing for DVD recorders with HDDs anymore), but could not find a definitive answer to my question in the manual or anywhere else online. All my home movies were recorded onto DVDs using the Lite-On DVD recoder from Samsclub, and it is not working well anymore and won't recognize DVDs that were recorded on it. Thanks.
| ||||
| Brain posted 2007 Nov 07 23:49 | ||||
Yes. The S-Video or Composite "Out" of a DVD Player or VCR to the S-Video or Composite "In" of the Polaroid will record to the HDD for editing or straight to DVD. However, its not designed to record store bought DVDs/VHS with copy protection (never tried it). The Polaroid has built in "Video Soap" software. I copied a friends 25 year old VHS home movie that looked a bit trashy and the Polaroid cleaned it up so the recorded DVD looked way better than the original 25 year old VHS. Pretty cool. Btw, I received the 2001G a couple days ago and the bloody thing is working flawlessly so far. I set my HD Satellite receiver to HD 480i and connected it to the HD Component input of the Polaroid and I'm getting full Widescreen with incredible picture quality from the HD 480i signal. Recording quality to HDD or DVD is freaking incredible. Too bad the 2001G I bought and returned 8 months ago didn't work this well as I would have never bought the DRA-01601A. If you can make use of it the Component Input is completely wicked! Best 86 bones I've ever spent. Now I don't even need my 258 bone DRA-01601A. | ||||
| lordsmurf posted 2007 Nov 08 01:22 | ||||
| I found the current Polaroid to be as quirky and crappy as the previous model. I'm using a Philips 3575 and will be keeping it. It does not have any of the problems of previous Philips. The menus are easy, and the editing on this unit is the easiest of any that I've seen in 5 years. It's almost frame-accurate too (not quite perfect, but close, 1 GOP max), unlike so many others that seem to be 2-3 GOP off.
The picture is exceptionally clean in SP mode. I've had no trouble making 16:9 DVDs, just change the machine into 16:9 mode in the setup menu. Brain, this is not quite accurate: "The Polaroid has built in 'Video Soap' software." There is no such "software" to be seen in the Polaroid. At best, it still uses a limited LSI chipset (highly likely). While it does clean video of chroma and some degree of grain, the Polaroid has an issue with luma being a tad too light, and the macroblocking is pretty crunchy on fast scenes, even at SP mode, because it's uses CVBR encoding. It's a lot like the latter-generation LiteOn recorders, being a RW Alliance machine. Philips was like that too, as recent as January 2007. But the 3575 is not displaying any such problems, which surprised me. I've not yet tried a VHS tape on the Philips, not have I taken the cover off to examine the mainboard. But there's a good chance it's still using the LSI chipset too. If so, it will also clean up VHS. The Magnavox is similar to the Philips, only it has no MPEG-4 playback and only 80GB HDD. | ||||
| Brain posted 2007 Nov 08 13:41 | ||||
I know, otherwise it would be in the menu to adjust it and turn it off like in other video editing software I have. I always use the phrase "video soap" for any software or hardware encoding that cleans video up a bit. I've learned that the quality of HDD DVD recorders, especially the Chinese made, are consistently inconsistent. I had a Lite-On 3 years ago (non-hdd) that had features that worked well except at fast scenes the rippling and blocking was so bad it was useless. I exchanged it for another Lite-On model and what a difference! 5 months ago I had both the new Philips and the new Polaroid models I got from Wal-Mart. I figured I'd compare them together side by side and return the one I liked less. The Polaroid was just a tad dark and a tad saturated and the Philips was just a tad light. No big deal, but the picture quality and recording quality through S-Video of the Polaroid crapped all over the Philips. So I took the Philips back. But that don't mean dick regarding which brand or model is better. I could have had a bad Philips or just an unusually good Polaroid. I popped them both open and the Polaroid showed the LSI Logic Chip clearly marked. The Philips had no Chip marked as such. A few months before I got them to test I went through 2 Polaroid 2001Gs that were total pieces of crap. This 2001G I just got from uBid is the sweetest recorder I've ever had! I havn't tried the S-Video input but through the Component input there is no fast scene blocking at all and when switching between inputs the picture quality is (for all intents and purposes) identical to Satellite to TV as through the Polaroid to TV (less than a tad bit dark). And absolutely NO horizontal noise lines that sometimes show up on my model 1601. I'm totally blown away with this thing (using the Component input). The recorded DVD quality is the best I've ever seen. I can even point the remote at a 90 degree angle toward the wall and it still works. I noticed the diode looks different than on my other Polaroid remote. I just hope this thing doesn't take a crap on me. | ||||
| lordsmurf posted 2007 Nov 08 17:50 | ||||
| Gotcha. Yeah, that probably does explain it to the masses better than anything else would do. "Video Soap" is an ATI MMC plug-in, but as a general term, it does sound good. Firmware in chips also tends to confuse the crap out of people.
"I just hope this thing doesn't take a crap on me." Sadly, it's very likely on Polaroid products of the present. Good luck! That's why I can't in good faith recommend them to others. | ||||
| Brain posted 2007 Nov 08 21:39 | ||||
| Yeah I've been using ATI MMC (TV tuner cards) for several years. If bloody Polaroid isn't going to give any real support for their crap it would be nice if the company (whoever they are) that actually makes these would, as in firmware updates and the like. | ||||
| jacobian posted 2007 Nov 10 00:17 | ||||
| Brain,
Thanks for the help. What I was asking you was this. Can you record from a prerecorded home-movie DVD (not something copyrighted) inserted into the Polaroid DRA-0160A and copy that to the HDD drive. The earlier Philips would not let you do this. You could only copy to the DVD or HDD from an outside source, as you describe, like an external VCR or external DVD. I realize that you can copy from an outside source like an external DVD player or VCR to either the DVD recorder or the HDD. I realize that you can copy from the HDD to the DVD in the Polaroid, but what I would like to know is if you can copy a home-movie DVD inserted into the Polaroid to the HDD. In other words does it allow you to copy both ways -- from the inserted DVD to the HDD. The earlier Philips would not let you copy a home recorded DVD (not copyrighted stuff, just home movies, pictures, or whatever). What I want to do is be able to insert a home-movie DVD into the Polaroid and record what's on that DVD to the HDD drive, then edit it on the HDD, then take out the home-movie DVD, put a blank DVD into the Polaroid, and copy the edited version from the HDD onto the blank DVD. Thanks. Jacobian | ||||
| Brain posted 2007 Nov 10 12:11 | ||||
Sorry, I even quoted your question and it still didn't register in my "Brain". Yes, you can copy DVD video in the unit direct to the hdd and then do editing. You can also copy from the USB or SD card slot to hdd. Both the old and new units have way cool function features. Its just too bad its a hit and miss whether you find one that actually functions properly. | ||||
| jacobian posted 2007 Nov 10 14:29 | ||||
| Brain,
Thanks for the info. You are correct when you use the phrase "hit or miss". I just ordered the DRA-01601A from Walmart.com and paid for overnight shipping ($24.97) and it took 4 days to get it. And when I opened the box up, which looked like it had been beat up, the unit was damaged. The door to the DVD tray was hanging off crooked by one hinge and the springs were broken or disconnected. The front of the unit had scratches all over it. It looked like someone had taken it back in that condition and Walmart repackaged it to send the trouble onto someone else. After ranting to Walmart.com customer service about the obviously pre-shipment damage and them shipping a knowingly damaged unit, Walmart.com quickly and graciously agreed to refund my overnight shipping charge of $24.97 (after me noting how much I have spent over the years at Walmart and how this could all come to a screeching halt). I am returning the unit to the store and will try once more with free site to store shipping and see if I can get a good fluke like the one you got. This happened when I got my first Lite-On DVD recorder (no HDD) at Samsclub a few years ago. The first one did not work. I exchanged it for another one and it worked fairly well for a couple years (100+ DVDs recorded), but now it's at best just a DVD player. I just cannot figure out why more people don't want DVD recorders with HDDs anymore and why there's no selection anymore. Jacobian | ||||
| Brain posted 2007 Nov 10 16:11 | ||||
| Bastages! I'm a marketing rep for Sam's Club and company policy for both Sam's and Wal-Nuts is whenever an electronics product like that is returned because of customer complaint of defect its supposed to be sent back to Manufacturer/Distributer with note of customer's complaint which requires paperwork and faxing. The problem is some lazy dog in the claims dept. will sometimes skip it and just throw it back on the shelf - so they can go home early or some other lazy ass reason.
Here's a trick: If you purchase with credit, just buy 2 or 3 and you'll have a better chance of getting a good one and use Wal-Nuts liberal return policy and return the other one or two. Hey, what the hell? I do that all the time. Sometimes I'll buy 2 or 3 of different brands or models to do side by side comparisons and keep the one I like the best. Then I just rebox the others like they havn't been hardly touched and return. If any are defects I let them know otherwise I tell them I just didn't like it, but its in perfect order. Its too bad Sam's doesn't carry the same models as Walmart.com because Sam's return policy on electronics (Computers, TVs, DVD Players, etc.) is 6 months. | ||||
| jacobian posted 2007 Nov 10 20:03 | ||||
| Brain,
Thanks again for the info. When I took the DRA-01601A back to a Walmart store today, it took four different people coming back to customer service to figure out how to send something back to Walmart.com. I did hear one of them say the unit would have to go to "claims" because it was damaged. I do buy on credit, but I'm a little concerned about buying multiple units and taking more than one back to the same store, since this is a semi-small town and it might freak them out. But I plan to order another one and see how it goes and see if "Do I feel lucky?". I had considered just going ahead and getting the Philips 3575 from Circuit City, but I had a bad experience with an early Philips unit a few years ago (before I got the Lite-On at Sams) that I got from JR Music online. The thing froze up all the time (having to constantly unplug and ruining DVDs) and I had a hard time getting them to let me send it back. JR made me deal with the customer "nonservice" at Philips endlessly before I could get Philips to tell JR that the system was defective so they would let me return it. And this thing cost me $600+ with no hard drive. This was before DVD recorders with HDDs became common. Philips customer service is asinine. Jacobian | ||||
| lordsmurf posted 2007 Nov 10 21:11 | ||||
| The Philips of yesterday were trash. I hated pretty much anything with Philips. I bought mine from Walmart with the idea it would be returned after a review, but it ended up being great, and is a permanent addition to my new HDTV.
So don't let the past be a hang-up for you. | ||||
| jacobian posted 2007 Nov 10 21:45 | ||||
| Lordsmurf,
Is the unit you got from Walmart a Philips 3575H with 160 GB HDD? Walmart no longer carries it, either online or in the store. Earlier, this was my first choice before the Polaroid, but I wanted a store close by to take it back to if I did not like it. Plus the reviews on easy editing with YesDVD on the Polaroid were attractive. Only place I could find the 3575H was Circuit City or some online places, and the closest Circuit City is an hour from where I live, but if it is that good, distance would not matter. Or I'd just have it shipped to home. After my bad experience trying to return the early Philips to an online distributor, I did not want to go throught that again. How do you like the unit? Will it copy an inserted DVD (non-copyrighted, like home-movie DVDs) to the HDD, let you edit it, and then copy the edited version back to a blank DVD? An earlier Philips version of this one would not allow that, and that is why I did not buy it at the time. I've heard editiing and ease of use is not that great with the 3575H, but maybe those responses came from tech simpletons. I don't have a problem with stuff like that. I can usually figure it out just by turning a unit on and going through the menus. I just ordered another Polaroid from Wamart.com, but may go ahead and order a 3575H and do the side by side comparison that Brain does. Any info you can provide would be appreciated. Thanks. Jacobian | ||||
| Brain posted 2007 Nov 10 21:47 | ||||
| Yeah, I'll tell you what, anything coming from China nowadays is dick. I don't care what brand it is. Its just hit and miss. Polaroid is down there near the bottom when it comes to customer service and support. They're like a lot of companies now, they just import the crap from China, throw it up against the wall and whatever sticks, sticks. I gaurantee you these blokes never even plug one in to see if or how it works. I emailed them with a simple tech question regarding a function of the 2001G and only got a canned response that they received the question and that someone would probably contact me within 24 hours. That was 5 days ago. They're problably waiting for a response from the manufacturer 'cuz they don't know dick.
I just happen to score on both of these Polaroids. Sweet christmas, this $86 2001G I got early this week is working like I can't believe. The 480i HD signal from my Dish Satellite fed into the 2001G component inputs gives mind boggling picture quality on its hdd as well as a DVD. I swear I'm getting 480i HD on a regular DVD. I screwed myself. At 86 bones I should have got 2 of these. One as a backup or to canabalize when need be. Jacobian, btw, if I remember correctly, the Philips doesn't have the copy DVD to HDD feature like the Polaroid. But you can always use one of those $30 Cyberhome or whatever plugged in the back to do that if you go with the Philips, if the Philips allows to copy to the HDD from the back input. | ||||
| jacobian posted 2007 Nov 10 22:07 | ||||
| Brain,
Thanks for the heads up on the non-copying crap from inserted DVD to HDD on the Philips. I will not order it. Yes, I could get a DVD player and hook it up externally, but why should anyone have to do this? The common VCR/DVD recorders on the market today allow recording from an inserted VHS tape to the DVD recorder. Why not from an inserted DVD to the HDD. They are so worried somone might be able to copy a copywrigted DVD. Why in the hell would anyone design a unit like this (the Philips) without that capability? That's half the reason to have a DVD recorder with a HDD for my purposes. Crap! What idiots! If it were not for the audio-video sync problems with the Lite-On with HDD that has All-Write technology (records to CDs as well as DVDs), I would have already bought that unit. Don't these people know that there are people out there that want this stuff and would pay dearly for it? Jacobian | ||||
| paulvu2 posted 2007 Nov 14 01:34 | ||||
| I copied some AVI files to an external USB hard drive then pluged it to USB port of the DRA-01601a. The Polaroid only show the directories and ignore all the video files (I already set the display to video). Did that happen to you or my unit is defected.
Could anybody please help. Thanks. | ||||
| Brain posted 2007 Nov 14 23:47 | ||||
The unit only reads Mpeg4 and JPG files. The AVI files must be Mpeg4 (XviD, DivX) to be able to play them. I can play them on both an SD card and USB stick as well as copy them to the hdd. | ||||
| wabjxo posted 2007 Nov 15 10:53 | ||||
"Operator error" was the cause of many reported "design flaws" from first-time users of the Philips 3575, esp. in the editing functions. It really only has one editing "bug": you can't Divide a title, then make Scene Deletes (cuts) since it MAY cause title to freeze in edit mode. Solution is to make cuts first, then Divide if necessary. I think this bug may be caused by the ability of the 3575 to Auto-Chapter-Mark the HDD (my Pio 640 doesn't allow that), down to 5-min. intervals. When you make cuts, you add more chapter marks and those new marks may "collide" or interfere with the auto-set ones. The DVD and MPEG2 stds require chapter marks to be spaced a certain distance apart and only at I-frames, and it might be that editing violates those stds, specifically where two marks are placed closelyand then moved to the same I-frame???...all conjecture of course??? The Philips 3575 copies in both directions, HDD>DVD and DVD>HDD. Editing on the 3575 is extremely easy...simple menus w/o multiple layers, etc. Here's a post with lots of true info on the Philips 3575. One of the subjects listed is Cutting Front/End Sections and Commercials. | ||||
| lordsmurf posted 2007 Nov 15 21:52 | ||||
Walmart. They have more at the store where I bought mine. I drove a good bit across the state, it was not at any local stores. PM me if you want to know where that store was. | ||||
| jacobian posted 2007 Nov 21 02:29 | ||||
| Brain/Lord Smurf,
I got the new Polaroid in from Walmart today (site-to-store), and as I suspected, you cannot insert a home movie DVD into it and record that DVD onto the the HDD for editing, etc. This was the burning question I was so concerned about in earlier messages and the whole reason I would even consider buying it. (I could go ahead and get a Pioneer 645H or 745H (altered) that can do anything for 700-900 bucks, but thought I could find something made here that would do this.) The earlier Philips would not allow that either, and that's why I did not get it. Panasonic had one that also had a VCR in it, and it would do all this, but only had an 80 gig HD. But they don't make them anymore, and now you can't even get them for anything less than astronomical prices ($1,000+ from what I've seen). I don't know about the Philips 3575 and whether it can record from inserted DVD to the HDD. If any of you know, please let me know. If any of you know if the Polaroid can do this in some way (record from inserted DVD to HDD), please let me know. The menus are easy to understand, but when you want to record to the HDD, you have to select the "source" for recording, and there is no "source" to choose from for the inserted DVD. Yes, I can attach an external DVD and do this, but that is the whole reason I bought the damn thing, was to be able to put my home movie DVDs into it, record them to the hard drive, and then edit. Thanks, jacobian | ||||
| lordsmurf posted 2007 Nov 21 04:15 | ||||
| waxjbo said you can copy from disc to Philips 3575 hard drive. | ||||
| wabjxo posted 2007 Nov 21 06:29 | ||||
| Yes, the 3575 can dub from DVD to HDD...see my "invisible" post of Nov 15, above.
However, from the DRA-01601A manual, it appears it also can copy from DVD to HDD. Page 25, "Editing" Step 2.j (bottom of page): "EDIT FROM DVD: 1. Press DVD. Preview screens will appear. 2. Using the up and down arrows, select the recorded segment you would like to edit and press right arrow key. Use the up and down arrow key to select the edit you would to make: j. Copy: Use the arrow button and press ENTER. This will copy the current video clip to the HDD." | ||||
| LCSHG posted 2007 Nov 21 13:29 | ||||
| jacobian
Why would you want to use a DVD - HDD recorder to (RECORD) a non- CP disk to the HDD, edit it and than record it back to a disk. Why not dub (copy) the disk to the HDD, edit it, than dub (copy) to a disk. I know the Polaroid will do so, Unless the material is CP protected or it thinks it is Having a unit that will PLAY from one to another would seem redundant I believe you did say the material is not protected. I have used a number if different units and none would RECORD from the DVD to HDD or reverse. What would be the reason? They will dub (copy). If the material were protected you would have to use another DVD in real time. And I know of no present units that will do that either. Your posts seem somewhat conflicting as to what is expected. In the reference to a VCR, It is analog and could very well record a CP - DVD disk. but to VCR standards Bottom line Are you trying to record a CP disk? If not what’s the problem? | ||||
| orsetto posted 2007 Nov 21 15:08 | ||||
| Jacobian,
I think maybe your question about two-way dubbing ability (HDD>DVD and DVD>HDD) may be throwing some of us off who are trying to help you, because in a way the answer is so obvious to those with a lot of recorder experience that it goes right over our heads and we talk in circles, confusing you further :lol:. Assuming your 90 or so personal DVDs were finalized when you created them in your old Lite-On, what you want to do is pretty much impossible with any HDD-DVD recorder I've tried. Once you finalize a disc for compatible playback on standard DVD players, you essentially kill any chance of editing it without a computer. If my understanding of the various threads on this site is correct, finalizing a DVD-R changes the recording into a continuous signal that cannot be "reverse-engineered" for editing by the simplified operating system in a DVD recorder. You need a PC with a good software package to digitally strip the basic video/audio recording out of the finalized DVD with no quality loss. You can then re-edit, add new menus, etc and burn to a new DVD as you have requested. A lot of HDD-equipped recorders don't allow copying finalized discs to their HDD at all, and those that do (every Pioneer I've used, anyway) strictly limit that function to "backup" only: all it will let you do is make a clone of the DVD you inserted. It won't even let you *watch* the disc image you just stored on the HDD- its for duplication purposes only. Going forward, you should try to keep 2 copies of all new DVDs you create that you think might need a touchup later on. Finalize one for compatability with other players, but keep the backup DVD unfinalized. Because what you *can* do with a lot of these HDD units is copy UNFINALIZED DVDs back to their HDD for editing and re-burning. As long as the disc is not finalized, your recordings remain discrete chunks of info that the recorder can still understand and work with. Just pick the title thumbnail you want to alter in the recorders DVD navigation screen and copy it back to the HDD. To enable this copy-back-and-re-edit function, some machines require the disc to be recorded in a certain mode (VR) or that you use an RW or RAM disc instead of an R. And the unfinalized disc in all cases has to have been recorded by that brand of recorder. I'm sure wabjxo must have documented whether the Philips can do these tricks in his extensive coverage of the 3575, click the link he posted earlier to go directly to that info. I have also had limited success moving DVD-RAM recordings between my JVC DRMV5 recorder and my Pioneer 640. When it works, its tremendous for me because my JVC does not have a HDD. Moving the recording to the Pioneer allows me to use its easy HDD editing features and then copy the new project to a standard DVD-R. Unfortunately my Pioneer fails to recognize my JVC RAM recordings about half the time, possibly because the JVC is quite a bit older. (I still use the JVC for longer recordings because its encoding algorithm for 200 mins is much superior to any recorder available new today.) | ||||
| wabjxo posted 2007 Nov 21 15:19 | ||||
Besides the "Backup" function, the 53x/63x and 640 series Pioneers allow copying a finalized DVD to the HDD via the "One-Touch Record" (OTR) button/function. Start the finalized DVD playing, press the OTR button, and it makes a copy on the HDD that can be edited, etc. If you use a VR-mode -R disc with the Pioneers, whether finalized or not, the copy back to HDD can be made in the normal manner in high-speed. This is a great way to save a series of shows off the HDD for later high-speed, lossless copy back to the HDD for final editing and compilation. (No high-speed if rec. mode is LP or MN9-15, tho. No widescreen SEP thru LP/MN1-15 too. See Note, bottom of pg 83 of 640 manual.) | ||||
| orsetto posted 2007 Nov 21 16:13 | ||||
wabjxo wrote:
Thanks for reminding us, waxjbo! I forgot about the Pioneer OTC function for finalized discs cuz I almost never use it. That puts another option on the table, but I think what the original poster is driving at is that he wants the editing copy to be untainted by re-encoding, he wants to re-edit the original bits, based on a high-speed copy in reverse? The one-touch function in the Pioneers only does this with unfinalized discs or DVD-RAM, things change alarmingly if you try to one-touch-copy a finalized disc for editing: the machine defaults to real-time speed and it re-encodes the video, more often than not kinda poorly depending on the source DVD. After a lot of trial and error, I find I get far better results by connecting a good DVD player to my Pioneer recorder and copying the disc contents to HDD by wire, the old-fashioned way. The encodes from the Pioneer analog inputs are often quite a bit better than the internal OTC encodes, I've been amazed how well a dvd player-to-Pioneer-recorder copy comes out. Its a night-and-day difference sometimes from the internal one-touch re-encodes. Beats me why that should be the case, you'd think they use the exact same coding, but apparently not? Don't get me wrong, it works OK, and it can be a lifesaver, but it does alter the original recording significantly: when forced into that corner I usually opt to have a computer geek friend strip the finalized dvd for me or I do an analog-by-wire copy. If the OP *doesn't* mind some degradation, I sure agree its the easiest solution! | ||||
| Brain posted 2007 Nov 21 23:09 | ||||
| Jacobian,
I think I fingered out the problem. I've copied several finalized DVDs to the HDD of my 01601A. How? Simple. They were DVDs that I had recorded using the 01601A either straight from TV, the HDD or a VCR plugged into the unit. The Polaroid recognizes a DVD that it itself recorded and allows you the option in the menu to copy to its HDD. I tried a store bought DVD and no option in the menu system to copy to HDD. I have a few DVDs I recorded a few years ago with a Lite-On that I will try tomorrow but I suspect it will not have the option in the menu to copy them. I don't know about non-finalized DVDs from a different recorder but I suspect it will only copy DVDs to its HDD that were recorded by itself. The bloody bastages don't have the brains to explain important details like that in their manual! Sorry. Totally my fault. I should have fingered that out when you first inquired about it. Take your packing slip or print out your email confirmation of your order and get your money back at any Wal-Mart. I would also recommend printing out the Wal-Mart.com return policy that says you can take it back to any Wal-Mart. There are plenty of Wal-Mart associates that are not aware of this convenient policy. I just got another 01601A shipped to me pretty quick. I wanted to see if this would work as well but without any Pause/Record freezing. My first one will freeze after the 2nd or 3rd Pause/Record. This new one seems to work just as well, although it still freezes, it will freeze after 15-25 Pause/Records. Better than my first one, anyway. Plus I broke the Warranty Sticker on my first one so I'll return it as the one I just ordered online and get my money back and keep the new one and have my 1 year Polaroid Warranty back. hehehe. Hey, If Polaroid can't provide a decent quality product then they have to deal. | ||||
| Seeker47 posted 2007 Nov 22 15:07 | ||||
Considering that the DVDRs I've had only offered S-Vid as the best input connection, and how few of the DVDRs ever offered component in, I was wondering just how much of a difference the latter could make in the quality of your recording. The other big variables are the quality of the (often over-) compressed source from sat or cable, and the quality of encoding you got from the earlier Polaroid or the earlier Philips. Has anyone else noted much of an advantage from this setup ? | ||||
| Brain posted 2007 Nov 22 22:19 | ||||
| Dude, the best way to examine quality of a picture signal, or to compare the recording of same signal in different formats is to tune in and record Bikini Destinations on HDNET. Aside from the brilliant High Definition nature scenery its almost second nature for the average bloke to take notice of every square pixel of the Models on said program. Through the S-Video of my new Poloaroid 01601A the picture is pleasantly sharp and clean and the recording to HDD as well as DVD is also quite good, although, obviously, not near as good as the 1080i or 480i HD signal from my Satellite straight to TV. Through the component inputs of my Polaroid 2001G the 480i HD picture blows away the S-Video picture like night and day. Not quite the night and day as 1080i HD over SD but bloody close. On both the HDD and DVD, besides recording full widescreen without letterbox, the recorded 480i HD picture retains most, if not all, of its HD realizism (as opposed to S-Video which has none) which is a real treat. I've compared a DVD I recorded through S-Video of HDNET's Bikini Destinations and a DVD I recorded of same program through the 2001Gs component inputs and the 480i HD DVD makes the other one look like dick. The difference is real and its big enough that I'll never go back to recording through anything but component inputs. That's why I bought another 2001G through uBid.com. Now I got 2 in case one goes blue. | ||||
| jacobian posted 2007 Nov 23 00:37 | ||||
| Brain, wabjxo, lordsmurf, LCSHG, orsetto:
Thanks for all of your support. Please forgive my ignorance and for the length of this post. I’m new at this. Wabjxo, Sorry I missed your post about the 3575’s DVD to HDD recording capability. With regard to the DRA-01601A manual instructions Page 25, "Editing" Step 2.j (bottom of page) that you cite, I had already tried this before reading your post, and it does not work on my DRA-01601A because the “preview screens” it refers to do not come up. Nor do some of the other menu items that are supposed to. So I cannot select option “j” to copy. The unit does not allow selection of the items listed in the manual. They are “grayed” out and cannot be selected for some reason. There are other menu items as well that I cannot access. LCSHG, No, I have no desire to copy any copy-protected DVD. I have all the Dish Premium channels that are offered, and I get 3 or 4 Blockbuster DVDs in the mail every week from Blockbuster online. After I watch a movie, I don’t want to see it again for a year or two, and I’ll just get it again through blockbuster online, which only cost about a buck per DVD. I only want to do my own recordings, like home movies. The copy-protected DVD issue is not an issue. With regard to the issue on recording or copying (dubbing?) and why I would want to do that, I think we are talking about the same thing. Here is what I want to do. I have many home movies that I recorded (copied? dubbed? whatever you call it) from a digital-8 Sony camcorder to DVDs using a Lite-On non-HDD recorder with the firewire (IEEE 1394) connection to preserve the digital quality. Some of these were recorded (copied/dubbed) onto +RW discs and some onto +R discs. Most of the +R discs have been finalized. Most of the +RW discs were “protected” using the Lite-On DVD recorder. I have a lot of these home movie DVDs that have much more footage on them than I want for certain family members. So I was hoping I could put the home movie DVDs into the DRA-01601A and copy/dub/record the entire DVDs onto the Polaroid HDD as digital files as opposed to doing it by wire from an external source. I don’t want to loose quality from the current DVDs. I just wanted to copy the digital files from the DVDs to the Polaroid HDD and then edit on the HDD – like you would do on a computer, except I don’t want to do it on my computer, but maybe I’ll have to. I wanted to copy/dub/record (it means the same thing to me) the DVDs as digital files onto the Polaroid HDD, then edit and cut out parts, and put the parts that I wanted to keep onto different DVDs for different family members, depending on who I would be sending them to. But from what I understand from orsetto, this may not be possible with any HDD-DVD recorder if the DVDs have been finalized/protected, etc. on another DVD recorder (Lite-On) that no longer works for recording purposes. I’ve made duplicates of my DVDs using my computer, but I wanted to be able to put several DVDs onto the Polaroid hard drive, pick out parts that I want for certain family members, and then record/copy/dub, etc. those parts onto separate DVDs for different family members. But from what I have been reading in the recent posts, this may not be possible with finalized or protected DVDs done on a different machine. If so, so be it. I’ll look into doing it on my computer. Orsetto, Thanks for all of the extensive info. I guess most of my issues are covered above. If what I’m trying to do above is impossible even with the 3575, please advise. Brain, You are correct concerning the non-ability to copy DVDs not recorded on the DRA-01601A to the HDD. I suspected this was the problem. On my already recorded DVDs, the options for copying to the HDD just do not show up. I will try copying/dubbing/recording/whatever a Digital-8 home movie by firewire to the DRA-01601A HDD, then copy it to a DVD, and then try copying it back to the HDD to see what happens. If that works, then I can know I can do edit on the HDD and put what I want on to different DVDs. Thanks everyone. Jacobian | ||||
| wabjxo posted 2007 Nov 23 09:04 | ||||
Jacobian, the Philips 3575 has a DIRECT DUBBING button/feature that operates like the One-Touch Recording (OTR) feature on the Pio 640. You insert a FINALIZED NON-CP DVD in the tray, PLAY the DVD, then press the DIRECT DUBBING button. That makes a copy on the HDD in real-time, where you can edit it and make additional copies in High-speed (so no further quality loss), as needed. To my eyes, the DIRECT DUB copy on the HDD looks like the original DVD, so you should have a good HDD copy to work with. My DIRECT DUBS in the 3575 look at least as good as, but maybe a little better than, copying from an external machine thru line inputs. | ||||
| wabjxo posted 2007 Nov 23 09:17 | ||||
No mystery in why Component input makes a huge difference in PQ from a satellite feed (or OTA with receiver/DVR?). The sat signal is Component to start with, so you're preserving the video components all the way thru to the TV via Component connections. DVDs are also produced with Component video, so they look best thru Component or HDMI cables. Cable TV's compressed composite signal is transmitted over a single center wire, so some people (like me with my Philips 3575) can get an equal or better pic on TV using digital Composite cables. My Pio 640 gets an equally good pic thru Composite or Component connections. | ||||
| LCSHG posted 2007 Nov 26 21:13 | ||||
| jacobian
It seems by reading the posts that its being said that a (or some) recorders will not copy a disk that was burned and finalized in another unit . I burned a disk in a liteon 5045, than installed it in a Cyberhome 1600 and finalized it in the 1600 I also burned a disk in the 1600 and finalized it I did this with +R and –R disks.and +RW I did this with a number of units including a Poloriod 80gb, a RCA 80gb a Accurian 80gb,etc NO disk burned and finalized in any unit, failed, to be recognized in any of the units and they all COPIED from the DVD disk to the HDD. Some would not accept a + or –disk as that was the unit itself Not all units are the same in their operation and features. I would not want a unit that would not COPY (Dub) a disk burned and finalized in another unit I mention the below, to show that different units can have their own quirks. I have a Go Video combo unit that I use to play VHS and DVD (it is not for viewing or recording} This unit will play any VHS, any commercial DVD and is excellent ---BUT --- It will NOT play a disk burned from any of the above units, finalized or not. This is not a problem as I only use it for a specific purpose but I don’t blame you about the PC use. I have not used one for 3 years If I were you I would make sure the unit selected would fit my needs, (do as I wanted) I’m sure that there is one out there that will fill those needs even if not all. Take some disks that were burned and finalized in your liteon and try them out on other units There are something’s the liteon’s don’t have or do but I would not part with any | ||||
| madmadworld posted 2007 Nov 29 01:17 | ||||
holy s i have NEVER seen component inputs on any recording device(vcr/dvd). i work too much. i hate to ask but do you remember any other dvdd/dvr units that have them ? thanks alot | ||||
| rakibr posted 2007 Nov 30 03:16 | ||||
| If anyone's interested http://www.woot.com is selling the Polaroid DRA-01601A for $99.99 + $5 shipping New. Woot does one day sales, so this price will expire midnight on 11/30/2007 | ||||
| wootguy posted 2007 Nov 30 06:53 | ||||
| Woot.com has the polaroid TODAY for $99 +$5 shipping (up to three @ $99 each w/$5 shipping TOTAL for up to three units.)
Does this change your mind about the polaroid? WG. | ||||
| altajoe posted 2007 Nov 30 10:53 | ||||
| Its the Woot that has me writing. lol
My question doesn't seem to have been answered above, so here goes. I have DirecTV and subscribe to premium channels like HBO. All I want in a recorder is to be able to record a show/movie from HBO to the Hard Drive and watch it later. I really don't see any time that I'll try to copy it to a DVD. Will the Polaroid DRA-01601A allow me to do this? Thanks in advance. | ||||
| dlkallen posted 2007 Dec 01 13:02 | ||||
| My question is basically the same. I want to know if I can setup recording times for shows on Direct TV. I need it simple and almost fool proof. I bought this for my in-laws and they are not that technically inclined.
I too bought the Woot deal of the day... | ||||
| KevinN206 posted 2007 Dec 08 18:22 | ||||
| My video and audio are getting dropped every few seconds using ATSC (digital) from channels 7.1 (KIRO DTV) to 16.1 (KONG DTV) in the Seattle, WA area with ComCast Basic Cable. It's really not watchable since the video and audio would get block artifacts or cut-in-and-out. The NCAA basketball game on 7.1 currently broadcast is unwatchable.
BUT digital channels above 16.1 play perfectly fine and very clear with little or no audio drop. The initial digital scan also misses 4.1 (KOMO HD) and 5.1 (KING HD) considering that they have EXCELLENT signals from my Philips HDTV. In fact, my Philips plays all these channels flawlessly. Do I need a "digital" coxial cable for the Polaroid? I am using a pretty old cable connected to the Polaroid. The connection is connected as below. The EDA-2400 is a 4-port amp which provides a net 7dB gain on the outputs. House cable jack (digital cable) --> Electroline EDA-2400 amp (digital cable) --> Polaroid (old cable, non-digital) --> Philips HDTV (component input) What can I do to get the lower DTV/HD channels? btw, got the Polaroid from woot for $105 shipped like some people here a few days ago. Unwatchable channels (more, but these are the one that I do care): 4.1 (ABC HD) --> could NOT detect during scan 5.1 (NBC HD) --> could NOT detect during scan 7.1 (CBS HD) --> completely not watchable 11.1 (KSTW HD)--> artifacts, video, and audio drop 13.1 (FOX HD) --> more dropping 16.1 (KONG HD)--> more dropping 22.1 (KMYQ HD) --> could NOT detect during scan | ||||
| pjbrandon posted 2007 Dec 09 16:49 | ||||
| Hey Brain,
I'm new to the hard disk DVD recorders. What I want to use it for is to move some of the things from my Directv TiVo on to DVD. I currently do it through my computer using Pinnacle, but it is a labor intensive process, so I'm hoping this Polaroid can help me out. Is there a way to transfer/record shows from my current TiVo, or does the program have to be originally recorded on the Polaroid? Thanks! | ||||
| paulvu2 posted 2007 Dec 14 13:55 | ||||
The unit did not display the FILE NAMES of the movie files with extension .AVI even if these AVI files are DivX or XviD movies. I tried movies with extension .MPG. All of the .MPG file names were displayed regardless the codec of the MPG files (mpeg1, mpeg2 or mpeg4). My question is: Is there any way to make the unit display the files with extension .AVI. Thanks. | ||||
| kato51 posted 2007 Dec 14 15:32 | ||||
| I don't think the DRA-01601a handles either Divx/Xvid or .mp4 files (can't see it in file manager). It has limited raw mpg video capabilities (mpeg2 maybe?) and does not seem to recognize SVCD or VCD discs except in file manager. I can't get either format to play. I put in a query at Polaroid support about the playback of various file formats but have not received an answer. | ||||
| kjkrum posted 2007 Dec 15 00:17 | ||||
| The DRA-01601a can play files converted to ntsc-vcd format using the Linux utility ffmpeg. | ||||
| kato51 posted 2007 Dec 15 21:20 | ||||
| It will play a VCD compliant mpeg1 file with .mpg extension but will not play a standard VCD disc where video file is in package with .dat extension (won't see it in file manager).
http://www.videohelp.com/vcd#struct | ||||
| acid_burn posted 2007 Dec 18 01:41 | ||||
| I have problems with the timers.
I tried to record suvivor season finale. Well it tuned to the wrong channell and didn't record the right show. I went into the timer menu and checked, it changed channels on the timer itself. I deleted all my timers and recreate 2. The crazy thing is, if I create more than one timer, all timers change to that channel. I called tech support, they had me reset to factory defaults, (which I already tried) and it had no effect. They offer me a return replace but don't want to risk it being worse off than this one. I unplugged the thing overnight hoping it would fix, but no luck. It still has the same timers and memory channels and the clock is even correct! Where is it saving all the channels, clock time and timers with no power? On the hard disk or something? It must have a battery to keep the clock running. Should I do the "reformat hard drive" in setup? Besides format, maybe there is some secret place in the menus to really reset everything to initial factory state? Or perhaps it has internal jumper pins to short out to reset everything? I really want to get it working. | ||||
| ArtChee posted 2007 Dec 25 14:29 | ||||
| [[I set my HD Satellite receiver to HD 480i and connected it to the HD Component input of the Polaroid and I'm getting full Widescreen with incredible picture quality from the HD 480i signal. Recording quality to HDD or DVD is freaking incredible.]]
I appreciate the input offered here by all contributors. VERY helpful in try'n to sort features for a HD recorder. Am confused by "Brain's" comment about recording in 480i and "getting ...incredible quality from the HD 480i signal." As I understand video resolution, 480i is NOT HD. 480i is the old Standard analog resolution, and I definitely do not want that on my $1,900 HDTV. 480p is only ENHANCED Definition digital resolution. You do not get HD until you have 720p. I understand that SOME recent DVRs will "up-convert" a commercial DVD signal to "near HDTV" 1080i image quality, but that is upping from 540 lines to simulated 1080i, I believe. Does this POLAROID up the signal from 480i to near 1080i??? Can somebody clarify? | ||||
| tumbar posted 2007 Dec 25 19:25 | ||||
| ArtChee
I've had the machine for a couple of weeks...its quirky, takes a while to figure out. Not bad for 99 from woot.com which is where I got mine. It does not upcovert to 1080. regards, Jim | ||||
| jvegas101 posted 2007 Dec 25 22:28 | ||||
| I should have listened..Polaroid looks like a bad choice. Every DVD I play is the same...the sound drops out every 2 minutes or so for no reason....VERY irritating. Its like a zap of interference of some kind ..doesn't happen when I hook up my $30 player and watch a movie in the same system. Looks like I've got a lemon!!! Also I read where someone else bought theirs and the door was hanging loose...mine was the same. Maybe I got yours??? | ||||
| Hardhead-SC posted 2008 Jan 24 08:38 | ||||
| Brain:
I recently purchased the last remaining Polaroid DVR Recorder: DRA-01601A from the local WallyWorld. While you seem the expert, I'm a dummy on this one. I have a video camera connected to this recorder for church broadcasts. I want to record to the recorder's HDD then copy to DVD. In playing with this recorder before I start using it in the production room, I've encountered a problem. The problem is I can't read the DVD's in my computer or DVD player. I turned off the YESDVD feature as I don't need that (from what I could read from the manual). All I need is to copy to the HDD, then to a DVD. I then take the DVD into a video editing program and edit it for broadcast. Not sure what I'm missing in where the DVD's won't play. Seems there needs to be a finalization or something but I don't see it happening anywhere. I use DVD+R media. | ||||
| rwmcm posted 2008 Apr 13 19:27 | ||||
| Got mine at Woot at the end of 2007, and it just died. It was working great, but yesterday I went to use it and nothing, only the fan in the back is running, no display, and none of the buttons work. Unplugged it and back in, then the power led come on for a bit and goes out, leaving just the fan running. Anyone have similar issue? | ||||
| Zoomdan posted 2010 Jan 08 05:48 | ||||
| Hello,
I am new to this forum. My remote control is no longer working, does anyone know where I could get one? Regards! Daniel |
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