The DVDR80 is the first DVD recorder to feature Sat Mouse technology, which will automatically change the channels on your satellite receiver, further simplifying the recording process. The DVDR80 also features a disc manager that allows instant viewing of all recorded discs.

You can also use the DVDR80 like a VCR, burning televised programs directly to disc using the handy Guide Plus+ onscreen TV program guide. Recording functions include safe record, one-touch record (OTR), track append, track divide, track erase, automatic/manual chapter marker insertion, disc write protection, favorite scene selection, index picture screen for instant content overview, and Selectable Index Pictures.

DVD+RW discs require no finalizing--you can record, eject, and play them with minimal fuss, thanks to "background formatting." This feature, which lowers total burning time, is an advantage over the "dash" formats. Other DVD+RW advantages include on-disc content editing and multisession writing.

And, through DVD+RW and DVD+R's compatibility with most existing DVD players, they're a great way for you to share your special memories with family and friends. The unit's Virtual Time Base Corrector ensures better-than-original copies from old video tapes.

The DVDR80 is also a first-rate DVD player, featuring progressive-scan video outputs, Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1-channel surround-sound passthrough, MP3 CD playback (CD-R/CD-RW), and compatibility with most DVD media (including video-mode DVD-R and DVD-RW).

Whether your living room is currently home to an HDTV or you're merely thinking of "someday," the DVDR80 stands ready to deliver the full potential of your DVDs using a sophisticated Motion Adaptive System (DCDi by Faroudja) that corrects visual artifacts and optimizes the video image. Progressive scanning, referred to as 480p for the number of horizontal lines that compose the video image, creates a picture using twice the scan lines of a conventional DVD picture, giving you higher resolution and sharper images while eliminating nearly all motion artifacts.

Top-of-the-line component-video inputs and outputs help minimize digital and line-scan artifacts on compatible advanced televisions, while composite- and S-video inputs and outputs bring compatibility with nearly any video component and television monitor. Audio inputs consist of two-channel analog jacks with 16-bit analog-to-digital conversion and Dolby Digital 2.0 audio compression (compression is nondefeatable).

Two sets of left/right analog-audio outputs channel audio to Dolby Pro Logic receivers and stereo televisions. Both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1-channel surround-sound signals can be routed through the player's digital-audio outputs (one each of RCA coaxial and Toslink optical) for direct connection to a full-featured audio/video receiver. If you don't have a surround receiver or six-channel speaker setup, you can still make every movie night the ultimate experience: 3D Sound simulates surround sound through two speakers (even the stereo speakers on your TV).

What's in the Box
DVD recorder, remote control, remote batteries, a G-Link/IR Blaster, a user's manual (English), a blank DVD+RW disc, an AC power cord, a stereo analog audio interconnect, a composite-video cable, an S-video cable, a coaxial digital-audio cable, and a coaxial RF antenna (audio/video) cable.

I'll start with the cons (it's tradition, right?):

CONS:
I'm a consumer that likes to keep things simple, flexible, and solid. I dislike "features" that get in your way. The Guide+ is one of those features. Some people might like the ease of entering a "code" and then sitting back and let the recorder do the work. But, this "guide" seems to get in the way. The comment from the other poster is right. The timer guide disables the the external connections (1 and 2). The timer is only used for recording timed TV or cable. Just to be fair, I don't normally time my DVD recorder to record a VHS tape. So, I really don't need to "time" a VHS (external 1) or Laser Disk recording because I have to BE THERE to press play, don't I? The timer works fine for recording a TV/Cable show (which is the ANTENNA/CABLE connection; Coaxial). The external 1 and 2 connections are used for VHS or Laser disk (RCA cables).

Next, the software is a little on the slow side (the software that actually runs the DVD player). The commands (record, stop, play, pause, guide, etc) take second to respond. The DVD recorder seems to be "thinking." So, make sure you aren't in a rush when pressing buttons. You must be very deliberate on the "button pressing." Don't press a button, and then start pressing the buttons again because it didn't respond fast enough. Patience, we're only talking a second. It would be nice if the commands were faster, though.

The DVD recorder seems to designed as a "cable tuner (just like VCRs)" That's where you plug your cable line directly from the wall to your DVD recorder. But this is not the case for most homes. Most people I know have a CABLE BOX. And they use that box to control the channels. Not a VCR or DVD recorder's tuner. So, a lot of features on this DVD recorder will not be used (Guide+ is one of them). Also, the channel scan is useless because the only channel you need is 3 or 4. From then on you just use your own cable box to change channels (while keeping the DVD recorder on 3 or 4). The auto date/clock sync feature is not used too if you use a cable box.

Also, I you plan on using a cable box, don't use the G-Link. The G-link is a cable that runs from the back of the DVD recorder to the front of the cable box. It' used to change the channel of your box (timer recordings). But if you use a cable box, the Guide+ forces you to chose a channel. If you need to record channel 44 on the cable box, but at the same time you need the DVD recorder set to 3 or 4. You can't use the G-link, because it changes the 3 or 4 channel to 44. HELLO! Channel 44 on the DVD recorder has NO PICTURE. Channel 44 on the cable box does have a picture. But you need the DVD recorder to STAY on 3 or 4. The G-link seems to have a mind of its own too. When you turn the DVD recorder off, it scan the channels. It must be trying to find more channels because it's "hungry?" Not sure.

PROS:
The quality of the picture from recording has been very good...
The recoding mode (speed) is a very useful feature. You can choose from:
M1 = One hour recording, DVD quality
M2 = Two hour recording, Near DVD quality
M2x = Two 1/2 hour recording, S-VHS quality)
M3 = Three hours recording, S-VHS quality)
M4 = Four hours recording, VHS quality)
M6 = Six hour recording, VHS quality)
M8 = Eight hour recording, LP VHS quality)

For me, I found M3 the best for my needs. Very good quality picture, and 3 hours of recording. I've recorded my old Laser disks and cable. Both times I've used 2x or 3. And I like the picture quality. M1 is DVD quality, but it's too short (one hour).

Next, I like the fact that I can use DVD+R and DVD+RW for recording. The DVD+R will play in most DVD players. They play in my dad's player (Sony) and my own Playstation 2. So, DVD+R is compatible with most brand DVD players. The DVD+RW discs have been very useful for recording something and then erasing it for my next recording. This saves money for +RW discs. For permanent copies, use the DVD+R.

Although this DVD recorder records on DVD+R and +RW only, it PLAYS almost every type of disk:
DVD Video
DVD-R
DVD-RW
Audio CD
Video CD
Super Audio CD
Super Video CD
CD-R (Audio/MP3)
CD-RW (Audio/MP3)
...and of course, it plays DVD+R and DVD+RW.

Overall, I'd give this player a B- on some features and a C+ on other features. It's a good recorder/player, but not great.

Since DVD recorders are relatively new, I didn't expect much. My next purchase I'll probably look at the Panasonic or Sonys.


Betatesting for Philips' R&D dept....   August 13, 2003
 12 out of 16 found this review helpful

What a great player this could have been, with +r / +RW functions like on the fly editing, great video output quality, neat desin. Alas, in true Philips fashion, there are more bugs in this thing than your average Computer Game (there have been 2 new firmware released in July alone!). You cannot timer record from external inputs. External inputs (all of them!) become unselectable when the guide+ system takes over. It doesn't work with Satelite. Recorded material has an artifact bug in the overscan area that will display a thin blue moving line on PC DVD Players and most non-Philips Players (JVC, Panasonic) (looks like bad tracking on the good old VCR). Like the Q50 before it, this unit is just one compromise after the other to make it work. Stay away from it, stay away from Philips. Their support was useless. Too bad, it could have been a great system.


Worst electronics purchase I've ever made   September 4, 2004
 10 out of 10 found this review helpful

If you value your sanity, avoid this piece of junk like the plague. In less than a year of ownership, we have had multiple problems. At times the recorder has stopped timer recording with no rhyme or reason--ex: one day I was watching the tv while it recorded a football game....with a half hour to go it just shut off, and when I got it turned back on and checked the timer settings, I hadn't goofed, it really was supposed to record for another half hour. I guess the recorder got bored with the game and didn't want to record any more!

Then there have been the times when I've recorded a program, and then when I've tried to watch it, I get the message "disc error" for no apparent reason. Or, how about recording two hours of home movies only to have it decide that it doesn't want to finalize the disc? Talk about frustration.

What other problems have we encountered? Even when the unit is functioning normally, if you set it to time sequential programs on different channels, you'll lose about the first minute of the second program. That's because the recorder finishes recording the first program, has to do something to finish (I'm not sure what), and then it will start the next recording. By that time you've lost the beginning of your next show.

Other things: I've recorded a +R disc and then (disc never removed) tried to create the titles and finalize the disc. The unit won't do it, instead it gives the message "data not detected." Again, a waste of time and money.

Or....you can put in a finalized disc that has played in the recorder before, but you'll get the message "no disc." Later it will play the same disc. We're talking about discs without smudges, dirt, scratches, warping etc.

Then there are the times when you're trying to watch a commercial (movie) disc....it will freeze throughout a scene, then after a few seconds play for a second or two, freeze again etc. etc. until you give up in frustration. At that point we take the disc, put it in a different player in another room, and watch there. It's the same disc, nothing altered about it, it's just that other brands can play it but the Philips gets glitchy.

Last week I almost had 3 months of wasted work on my hands. I had finished tranferring all our home movies to dvd, and was making copies for all the family members. I hadn't finalized the discs, though, because I wanted to first make sure that all the titles and dates were correct. I had 45 unfinalized discs and suddenly the Philips no longer wanted to finalize anything! I would reset the unit, it would finalize two or three, then do nothing....I must have spent 6 hours resetting the unit over and over until I could get the discs completed. I had to throw out three discs because the finalizing went wrong and the discs were unreadable in any player, i.e. ruined.

If the glitchiness of this unit wasn't enough to make you avoid it, let me tell you about my failed attempts to get help from Philips customer service. It started about three months ago when I was having problems recording; the unit would no longer record on blank discs it could previously use. I called customer service and was told that I needed a firmware upgrade, and that it would be sent in two weeks because it was backordered. After a month with nothing received, I called back and was told that my case would be referred to a specialist, who would call me. Another two weeks went by with nothing. So, I called back and was again told the same thing. By this point I was tired of the runaround, so I asked if I could download the upgrade off the internet. I was told how to do this, and after downloading, burning my own cd and putting it into the unit, it upgraded and seemed to work. The "specialist" never did call, but since it seemed to be functioning, I didn't care.

Well, since then all these other problems have cropped up. I have called Philips repeatedly, to no avail. In their favor, at least they have moved their customer service center and the new people seem to know much more about the product. But, the company doesn't support even their own service reps. In numerous calls, I have been unable to find out the location of a repair place. I have tried using the Philips automated system that says it will let you enter your zip code and then you'll get a repair location; after three transfers you get--can you guess--kicked back into the customer service menu! So, I tried looking it up on the web, but that doesn't work either. Even when I enter the zip code for one of the repair stores listed on the back of my manual, it gives no results. Maybe those stores exist, but who knows? The last thing I want to do is mail off this very expensive piece of junk to a place that may or may not exist!

So....I tried e-mailing Philips customer service. What happens? You get a return e-mail telling you to call them! But if you call them, even the reps don't have any way to access repair location information! Who ever heard of a company where the company itself doesn't know where they fix their own product??

Honestly, at this point I'm wondering if my only recourse is to contact the Better Business Bureau, and hope that they can help.

After all these headaches, two days ago we bought a Pioneer DVR-520H-S recorder. This one has an 80G hard drive, and I'm finding out that having a recorder with a hard drive is a huge advantage. It simplifies recording and editing; I can record to the hard drive and then only copy what I really want to keep. I know, with the Philips you can do the same thing onto a +RW disc, but good luck getting the Philips to work! Plus, editing isn't nearly as easy as on the Pioneer. The Pioneer is much more user-friendly, and guides you through each step of whatever process you're trying to do (copying, recording, etc.) I am VERY happy with the Pioneer DVR-520H-S, and would strongly recommend it over the Philips DVDR80. If you don't want to go with Pioneer, I would still check out recorders with a hard drive, so far we're finding it to be much more useful. Regardless, please spare yourself hours of frustration and many wasted dollars on ruined discs; buy something besides the Philips DVDR80.


Horrible Product, Horrible Service   August 9, 2004
 8 out of 8 found this review helpful

I am going to make this short and sweet. I am on my fourth Philips DVD unit in less than two years. There is very little help from Philips, if it were not for the in-store warranty I would not have any working machine at this time. The biggest problem with the Philips recorders are continued failures in their lasers and software. Philips will avoid supporting these products at all costs. What a horrible waste of my time, money, and sanity. Please boycott all Philips products, as thousand of Philips DVD recorder owners are in the same boat I am.

Good day