Ab Work Outs: Samsung DVD-R120 Progressive Scan DVD Recorder Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is a great deck for the price I bought it at (Amazon $169 minus $30 for signing up and using Amazon Visa).

I like:
1. Slim form factor - fits well in my setup.
2. Front panel DV connection for camcorder - A "must" if you care copying your miniDV to DVD. In fact, I use this instead of my Mac (Computer) to get video because you can just start the recording to DVD and leave it until it is done. Then, you can much more rapidly find and edit portions on the computer later than if you tried to copy the large files directly. My way takes more time in total, but it takes LESS of my time in front of a machine since I can just start the DVD recording and leave. This is also the way we send this stuff to Grandma now.
3. The menu system when setting up and doing other tasks is very clear.
4. The video quality (out put to TV) is good.
5. The component video output appears to be cleaned up so that recordings at SP speed are better than my S-VHS recorder. This only works when playing back on this unit.

What I don't like:
1. Control response (open, close, etc.) is much slower than what I am used to. I would say it takes three times as long for the Disc drawer to open and close and load vs. my Denon.
2. No DVI or other digital video output. It does have optical and coax digital for audio. Once again, the component out is great, and my primary video watching (as opposed to recording) unit is a Denon 5900, so this is for those of you who would use this as your machine for watching pre-recorded DVD.
3. This could be an issue with all DVD recorders, but I found that although I am a pretty techie sort of guy (for a 50 year old) that I HAD to read the manual to record DVDs. For example, if you don't go to the "DISC" menu after recording and execute a "finalize" operation, the disc won't run on another machine (this is with DVD-R). There are a few other things you should know, and I suggest you read the manual and get to know them before you proceed.
4. "No Signal Detected" message when using DV input. When recording from a camcorder per the instructions in the manual, the system will stop without recording if your camcorder doesn't start playing back an image soon enough. The recorder has some input detection scheme that will stop recording if there is insufficient video signal for a few seconds. Of course, if you are controlling your camcorder from the DVD, there won't be any signal until the camcorder spins its head up and starts cranking. I beat this by starting the camcorder in "Play" and then hitting the record control on the DVD as soon as an image appeared.
5. Variable Bit Rate feature. Don't use this if you plan on using the disks on other DVD players. What this does is to allow you to fit exactly the amount of programming you want on to a disk. For instance, use the entire surface to record 2.5 hours (the standard times are 1,2,4 and 6 hours). This caused all of my other players to skip badly. Of course, it works fine on the recording unit itself. To be safe, just pick the right length/format and call it a good.

So, despite spending more words on the low points, I would still highly recommend it. I would NOT buy anybody's combo VCR and DVD/R, but would say the next step up is to get one of the combo DVD/R with hard disk/TIVO machines. The hard disk allows for better editing capabilty w/o PC.

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Product Description:
Samsung's two-tone silver/black DVD-R120 puts the power, quality, and convenience of digital video recording and playback at your fingertips. The stylish, slender component stands less than 3 inches tall but delivers everything from triple-format DVD recording (write-once DVD-R, rewritable DVD-RW, and random-access DVD-RAM) to progressive-scan video and playback of MP3 music and JPEG digital-photo files.
Front-panel audio/video inputs offer easy access for connecting external devices such as camcorders, DVRs, and VCRs, and the unit offers both analog and digital DV (FireWire IEEE 1394) inputs for high quality and great flexibility. Now you can edit and share your home-video archives with your family and friends.
Samsung uses its own multi-format technology that allows the DVD-R120 to support three digital recording formats: DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, and DVD-R. DVD-RAM is the most versatile format available to DVDs and can adapt to DVD-RW status for playback on older machines. The recorder's non-contact optical pick-up ensures that each disc will be scratch-free for repeated use. The DVD-RAM format also allows for mixed storage of video, audio, and other types of data from both the PC and AV worlds. The format's non-linear characteristics enable unique features like time-shifting and time-warping. This means you can start watching a program from the beginning while the middle or end is still being recorded. Write-once DVD-R media is widely compatible with other DVD players and PCs.
One-touch and timer recording offers extra convenience (initiating playback at 30 minutes and adding 30 minutes with each additional press of the button, up to the available disc time or 240 minutes, whichever is sooner), while digital noise reduction actually improves upon the quality of incoming interlaced video signals.
During playback, you'll also enjoy live picture pause and replay. And whether your living room is currently home to an HDTV or you're merely thinking of "someday," the DVD-R120 stands ready to deliver the full potential of your DVDs. 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. Composite- and S-video outputs bring compatibility with nearly any television.
Connections include 2 each composite- and S-video inputs (1 front and 1 rear) with accompanying stereo analog audio inputs (left/right RCA), 1 each composite-, S-video, and component-video outputs, and the component outs are selectable for either 480i or progressive 480p, depending on your TV. A choice of coaxial or optical digital-audio output facilitates hookup with an audio/video surround receiver for exciting multichannel surround sound from Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 soundtracks.
What's in the Box
DVD player/recorder, a remote control, remote batteries, an audio/video cable, an RF video cable, a user's manual, and warranty/registration information.