Philips DVD-R80 Review

Overall Rating

Guideplus; several recording modes; plays CDs and MP3s.

Freezes occasionally; missed programme endings.

This DVD recorder is one of the best buys I've ever made. Since I purchased it over two years ago, my VCR has been packed away - and it's never coming out.
The enclosed setup diagram made it easy to conect it to my other devices. The manual also guided you through the process of connecting external receivers and tuning channels. This process went smoothly.
The DVDR-80 can record from two external receivers (satellite set-top boxes, to you and me). UK users beware, though: not all makes of satellite receiver appear in the setup process.
There are several recording modes. These range from M8 (the manufacturers describe this as video quality, though I think it's better than any recording on my best VCR), giving you eight hours' recording time on a 4.7GB DVD-R or DVD-RW disc to M1, which gives you an hour of ultra-high quality DVD. The average home user will be very happy with M6, giving you 6 hours of better-than-VCR quality.
Programming a recording is straightforward, using one of four options: Guideplus, Videoplus, manual programming or safe record.
The Guideplus electronic programme guide works well, though you need to have a good TV signal if your programme information is to remain up to date. Although I've had problems with it in the past, since I moved eight months ago to an area with a stronger signal, it has worked perfectly.
When using Guideplus you'll need to pay attention to the end times of your programmes. Unlike the Videoplus, Guideplus doesn't seem to pick up the programme start and end signals, so you could end up missing something important, like finding out whodunit in a murder mystery, for example.
Another annoyance is that the recorder doesn't auto select a blank area when you've programmed a recording; you'll have to do that yourself or you may find you've overwritten something you really want to keep.
The device also has a safe record function, but this is a mixed blessing. It works by pressing and holding the record button on the remote, at which point it defaults to the end of your disc - fine if you've got a three hour slot at the end. If you haven't you may find that you've only managed to capture 10 minutes of that vital programme.
With programmes you've recorded through Videoplus or manual programming, it's easy to go into the disc menu and rename it to something more memorable than 'ext2' (the recording source). Pressing the numbers on the remote when in this mode, provides a shortcut to certain letters.
When the recorder comes on there's usually a slight delay - the on screen menu shows all the programmes on the disc. Just use the up and down arrows on the remote to find the one you want, press OK and it loads. Fast forward and rewind buttons work well, though watch out for anything over 8 speed as you can find you've reached the end of the programme quite quickly. The chapter forward and back buttons tend to do about 6 minutes at a time, the default chapter setting.
Sound quality on playback is excellent at all recording settings, with no distortion at high volumes when played back through my hifi. Picture quality varies depending on the setting used, though even on M8, colours are crisp and clear. Fast motion tends to blur on the lower settings though, so sports fans may want to record the big game on M2 or M1.
The disc manager (accessed through a button on the remote control) is a key feature. You can add discs to the disc manager (I've named mine 'disc' and the number) and then it stores information about all the recordings as they are made. You can then browse this list by title or by disc. Selecting a recording in this mode brings up a message telling you which disc to insert to play your chosen recording.
The disc menu stores an image of your programme as well as the date and length of recording. Typically, this is an image from the first few seconds of recording, so if the image showing is from an ad, you might want to change it for one relating to the programme. You can do this with favourite scene select tool on the remote control. This tool also allows you to divide up recordings (in case, for example, you left it running and have recorded several programmes).
The monitor button on the remote control switches between the disc and the TV tuner. This is especially helpful when recording from an external set top box (such as a satellite receiver), as it allows you to check that you're recording the right programme.
Annoyances...
The DVD recorder tends to freeze from time to time. I still haven't figured out what sets this off, but pressing buttons repeatedly once it's gone does NOT help. The only solution at that point is to pull the power cable out and start again. This works like rebooting a PC - a few seconds and you're ready to roll again.
I was also not happy that it didn't integrate as promised with my Philips Freeview box. However, I've learned to live without that.
My final gripe is that this is supposed to be a multi-region DVD player, but so far I've not managed to get that to work.
I paid around £300 for the DVD recorder, but it was quite a new model then, and I've seen it on sale now for as low as £150 from many online retailers.
In spite of the annoyances I've mentioned, I have no regrets about buying this recorder. The only useful addition would be a hard disk as well, and Philips has another model with this feature.