By Sweepthecat
on 9th Sep 2005
Sweepthecat's Ratings| Time DVD Recorder Owned | 1 - 6 Months |
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| Image Quality | 9/10  |
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| Sound Quality | 9/10 |
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| Features | 9/10 |
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| Ease of Use | 7/10 |
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| Value for money | 8/10 |
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| Overall value | 9/10 |
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 Sweepthecat's recommendation |
Good Points
Good quality, mostly easy to use.
Bad Points
A few minor usability issues.
General Comments
Possibly you're a bit suspicious of the LG name? This isn't a cheap player, and at this price level LG are competing with brand name Japanese devices. However, if you're in the market for a good quality combined DVD recorder and hard disk machine, then be assured that this works very well indeed.
I bought this on the strength of experience of a basic LG DVD player that I have regular access to, that oozes quality, despite its budget price tag, and because of disenchantment with the three different Toshiba DVD players I've owned over the past three years, all of which have gone wrong (the only extended warranty I'd ever bought, and it certainly got some use!).
So what of the RH7500? First impressions out of the box are good. It is heavy, looks smart, and has all the requisite specifications and connections, including front panel Firewire. The manual is thorough, well written, and well laid out, the setup procedure is largely automated, and works quickly and efficiently. The drawer action is smooth and reasonably quick (unlike the arthritic action of my last Toshiba), the remote is smart and well laid out. On screen programming for timer recording is very simple and works well. The machine has Videoplus, that works as described, but because British broadcasting companies are incompetent and can't keep to published broadcast times, too often this results in lost beginnings or endings of programmes in the UK.
If you examine the machine in a shop you'll notice a small fan on the back. I did have misgivings before buying the machine about possible noise levels, but in practice it operates only when required, and even then is barely audible over the very faint whispering of the disk drives, and when you've got TV or cinema sound on, then you'll never hear it. If you're into DVD RAM or SACD, then you'll look elsewhere because the RH7500 doesn't do these, but since I don't have any SACD, that was no loss. On the DVD front, the machine does both DVD -RW and +RW, so there's no real problem with writing DVD's. Also, it has extensive hard disk editing capabilities, and the ability to write between optical and hard disks, so even the keen video editor should be happy without DVD RAM.
Sound quality is excellent. I use this for audio Cd's, ranging from popular music to classical and choral music, and there are no complaints about sound quality. Similarly, DVD playback is of a very high quality, and is as good as, or better than the well reviewed Toshiba machines I've had. Hard disk quality is excellent. As you'd expect you can choose your quality settings, but the standard setting gives 40 hours of hard disk recording at what looks close to broadcast standard. The machine accepts DVD disks recorded on my PC, and displays photos as slide shows, and has happily played video DVD's recorded on other machines without complaint, so compatibility appears good.
Are there any downsides? Nothing serious, but the following come to mind: The machine is generally easy to use and has a good manual, but LG could make future machines a touch more intuitive. With an integral tuner, hard disk, timeshift, and optical disk, there is always inherent complexity of options. However, if I have the machine in standby, and want to timeshift what I'm currently watching on the TV, I need to press the "on" button, wait the ten seconds for the machine to fire up, check that the LG tuner is on the correct channel, press "timeshift", wait a few seconds for the machine to buffer up, then press "pause". Not a big deal, but why can't the machine do all that when it is in standby and I press "timeshift" - one button instead of three or four? A similar usability issue, is that timer recordings aren't made unless the machine is in standby mode, so if you don't remember to switch it "off" after setting up a timer recording, then you don't get your programme recorded. I can't see any reason why this should be the case. If I enter the details of a timer recording then I want it recording!!!
Interoperability of the remote control is very limited. The remote will control basic functions of five makes of TV, but that includes never-heard-of's like Zenith, yet doesn't include my Panasonic.
The video quality of the machine I've noted as very good, but when switching directly between the LG and the tuner of my TV, it is noticeable that the LG's output has more saturated colours. Whether this is simply because the aerial cable is passed through the LG before reaching the TV, I couldn't say. Even though I'm fussy about picture quality, this isn't a big deal.
And one final minor point. The display is too dim, and doesn't appear to be adjustable. The symbols for DVD or HDD mode are too small, and the information shown is not extensive.
So in summary, an excellent and accomplished machine that I'm happy to recommend. It looks good, works as described, and is easy to use. I'm pleased to be rid of my Toshiba's, and I'm happy that I chose this over an older model Panasonic DVD recorder for a similar price.
Mr Hackenbush on 8th Oct 2005