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Executive summary:
If you want to convert tapes to DVD buy this unit, unless your tapes have macrovison.
If you want to record TV shows and you have a DVD player compatible with DVD+RW by this unit.
Otherwise forget about it.
The quality of the real-time mpeg2 encoding is great, no complaiants there. It appears to record AC3 audio based on DVD+R recording played back on our Zenith 2381 with external SDIF attached 5.1 sound system (obviously this is stereo converted to some 5.1 format variation, but it does sound good). Unfortunately I'm done saying good things about it.
DVD+RW compatibility appears as bad as with the HP DVD100i I tried back in October. DVD+R so far plays glitch free in the three players tested so far, two of which glitch on DVD-R.
The menu/chapter creation is a real PITA, the results look terrible, force you to disclose you used a DVCR to make the disks, and there appears to be no way to get rid of the default "Empty Title" selection unless you completely fill up a disk.
My hopes of authoring a DVD+RW, tediously splitting it into "titles" that show as menu selections, and running off copies, were quickly dashed by two major problems. Splitting a DVD+RW recording results in a 1-2 sec "freeze frame" and audio mute at the split point. You could record your DV as one recording per title as a workaround or if you have only static titles with no audio as the only menu selections this would be OK.
For ~$1000 I want to ease my workflow, not spend more time babysitting a recorder while converting DV to mpeg. Bad as this is, the real showstopper for me is after tediously authoring a DVD+RW and verifying it played correctly in my Sony NS315 (the only one I have at present that does DVD+RW glitch free) I tried to copy the result to DVD+R with Nero 5.5.9.0 using an Ikebana external 1394 DVD+RW/R burner. Copying the VIDEO_TS folder to my hard drive was as expected, but when I added the files to Nero'd "DVD Video" template and tried to burn it aborted with: "relocation of video files failed".
I've exceeed my threshold of pain that I'm willing to put up with to try and make an ~$1000 device be somehow worth it to me. I'll be returning it tomorrow.
--wally.
If you want to convert tapes to DVD buy this unit, unless your tapes have macrovison.
If you want to record TV shows and you have a DVD player compatible with DVD+RW by this unit.
Otherwise forget about it.
The quality of the real-time mpeg2 encoding is great, no complaiants there. It appears to record AC3 audio based on DVD+R recording played back on our Zenith 2381 with external SDIF attached 5.1 sound system (obviously this is stereo converted to some 5.1 format variation, but it does sound good). Unfortunately I'm done saying good things about it.
DVD+RW compatibility appears as bad as with the HP DVD100i I tried back in October. DVD+R so far plays glitch free in the three players tested so far, two of which glitch on DVD-R.
The menu/chapter creation is a real PITA, the results look terrible, force you to disclose you used a DVCR to make the disks, and there appears to be no way to get rid of the default "Empty Title" selection unless you completely fill up a disk.
My hopes of authoring a DVD+RW, tediously splitting it into "titles" that show as menu selections, and running off copies, were quickly dashed by two major problems. Splitting a DVD+RW recording results in a 1-2 sec "freeze frame" and audio mute at the split point. You could record your DV as one recording per title as a workaround or if you have only static titles with no audio as the only menu selections this would be OK.
For ~$1000 I want to ease my workflow, not spend more time babysitting a recorder while converting DV to mpeg. Bad as this is, the real showstopper for me is after tediously authoring a DVD+RW and verifying it played correctly in my Sony NS315 (the only one I have at present that does DVD+RW glitch free) I tried to copy the result to DVD+R with Nero 5.5.9.0 using an Ikebana external 1394 DVD+RW/R burner. Copying the VIDEO_TS folder to my hard drive was as expected, but when I added the files to Nero'd "DVD Video" template and tried to burn it aborted with: "relocation of video files failed".
I've exceeed my threshold of pain that I'm willing to put up with to try and make an ~$1000 device be somehow worth it to me. I'll be returning it tomorrow.
--wally.
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