Sylvania DVR91DG DVD Recorder

UPDATE May 2023: still use machine weekly. Still love it.UPDATE Dec 2019: I still use & LOVE this machine. Have had it 10 years.PROS: Easy To Use Editing Tools – S-Video I/O Jacks – User Friendly – 1 to 8 hr Record Time – DVD-R & DVD-RW Record CapableCONS: Only Records To DVD-R and DVD-RW discs (not R & RW also) – Manual Written In Broken English In Some Places – Front Controls Hard To SeeI ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS MACHINE – BIG TIME!! I wish Sylvania would put out a similar model that included a HDD (hard disk drive) and VCR. That would be the ultimate for this TV fanatic and I would buy it in a heartbeat.I purchased this DVR as a refurbished unit at Big Lots at Thanksgiving. I was a little skeptical since it was refurbished but it came with a warranty and for the price (about $50) it was worth a try. I have been using it every single day since then and can’t live without it.My review is pretty detailed but I like it when someone can give me the big lowdown on a product. I am a novice with DVRs. This is my second one and I like it MUCH better than the MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE RCA one I bought only a month or so earlier. (Which I am having much more trouble with both using and understanding.)————————————–MANUAL————————————–The manual is written in broken English in a few places so a few instructions confused me at first but I figured things out. The manual could be organized a little better and have a better glossary but it certainly isn’t the worst owners manual I have ever read. Truthfully, I figured most things out by hit-and-miss and just using the machine (without reading the manual first, just using the manual for reference second.) I loved the fact that one gets the feel and handle of this machine rather quickly and on his or her own. (I hate reading manuals since they are usually so poor.)————————————–DVD-R vs DVD-RW recording————————————–I have recorded onto both DVD-R and DVD-RW discs with no problem. (Office Depot, Memorex, Maxell brands.) Recording onto DVD-R has less editing capabilities than when recording onto DVD-RW. You can record at a variety of speeds which is great. (1-2-4-6-8 hour.)The box said you could record onto R and RW disks too but if you read the manual you find out that is wrong. The only disks the machine will record onto are -R and -RW DVDs. This is a drawback as one reason I purchased was because of the dual and – recording capabilities I thought I was getting — but I can live with only one format since the machine is near perfect otherwise.————————————–Editing Is A Breeze!————————————–On DVD-R discs you can edit the title name and chapter markers or delete the title. Pretty basic. I wish you could edit a little more (like do scene deletes even though that would not gain you back disc space on an R disc) but one can’t have everything.On DVD-RW discs you can edit or delete title (deleting would free up more space on the disc since it is a re-recordable RW), insert or delete chapter markers (you set them for 5 or 10 minute intervals in setup), do scene deletes (use the REV, FWD, SKIP>, & <SKIP keys to go frame by frame if you want to be real precise), set a thumbnail picture for your disc menu, and protect your recordings (a feature you can turn on and off BTW.) DVD-RW recordings also have an original list and a playlist. You can edit EITHER of these the same way. If you edit the playlist and NOT the original, however, you still have the original to go back to if you mess up. You can also add and delete from the playlist.So really your editing capabilities on DVD-RW discs are endless. THIS FEATURE MADE ME LOVE THIS MACHINE! Perfect for transferring home movies from VHS and then editing out all the boring stuff. (Just hook your VCR up using the RCA or S-Video cables.)If all this sounds confusing it's not. I figured editing out mostly without the manual. The editing tools are REALLY easy to use and I wish my other DVR was even half as easy to figure out!Only drawback to editing is if you use the same DVD-RW disc to record onto, erase, and do scene deletes over and over and over. After a while (like 30 hours of doing this on 1 disc) you can get a disc error message. This is because the repeat editing has caused the control information memory to reach its capacity - even if the disc says it has several hours of recording space left. (It really doesn't.)At this point you can't record anything new or do some of the more involved editing (like scene deletes)of existing recording but you can do the more basic edits (chapters, title name, etc). To work around this you can 1) finalize the disc and move on 2) try deleting some playlist entries to free up space or 3) delete some titles to free up space if all else fails. I found all this out by accident when I used a disc repeatedly and did tons and tons of scene deletes. ** I'm sure most people would NOT run into this problem because they probably don't try to squeeze the life out of a disc like me. **---------------------------------------SETUP - TIMER - FORMAT - ETC---------------------------------------Setup, formatting disc, clock, and using the timer is easy. Onscreen instructions are pretty self-explanatory. Timer can record daily, one time, M-F. When you do use the timer it is saved by date, start time, and channel number - NOT program name. Of course, you can edit this then with the edit tools. I think you can set up to 8 timers.The remote is not too complicated like some of them can be. Some keys are dual purpose (depending on what you are doing) which I find nice. I like the position of the keys for editing. They are in just the right place for me to basically use one finger to manuever and select controls. (By now I have it memorized and can even do it without looking.) The cover for the battery compartment on mine has slid off a few times but MacGyver tape can fix that if it becomes a problem.Controls on front of machine can be a little hard to read with small print but I use the remote for most everything. Time to finalize disc and time elapse with editing to write to memory is not too bad. I have nothing to really compare it to since this is basically my first DVR. It can take 15-30 seconds for editing and maybe a minute or so for finalization.There is a one touch record button and a parental lock (I've not used it). I like those features. Unit is compact, not a huge shelf hogger. I wish the LCD would display clock when powered on in addition to the "pwr on" words being displayed but I guess you can only fit so much on the screen.I have my unit plugged into a power strip. Our electric can sometimes flicker off and right back on. The machine seems to remember your timer settings if the electric just flickers. This is a plus!I have my DVR91DG hooked up to a 40 Inch HD-LCD TV. I have regular cable (not HDTV) and the picture and sound are great. (FYI - I use 4 hr/LP record mode or better.)I get better reception thru this machine than when it is turned off (probably because my cable provider is el-crappo.) Sometimes I just like to use the unit as a better receiver!!Wish it had a digital tuner, however, as I guess one will need that come Feb. 2009 if you get over-the-air (rabbit ear) programs. Not a problem for me since I have cable.All in all this is a FABULOUS machine. I would by another in a heartbeat. If Sylvania would make the same thing but with a HDD (and even a VCR) I'd buy them in a heartbeat too. If I don't wear it out first, I'll have this machine forever. , &