Gateway AR230 Progressive-Scan DVD Player / Recorder
Easy and Affordable
The AR-230 uses DVD+R/+RW discs to record. A coaxial pass-through and integrated TV tuner lets the AR-230 record directly from an analog broadcast. Use any one of five timed recording presets that cover all the AR-230's inputs. Speaking of inputs, the AR-230 sports a bunch. Component video/stereo audio (front)<BR>4-pin FireWire (front)Component video/stereo audio (back)<BR>S-Video (back) Four recording modes lets you fit one to six hours of content on each recordable DVD. The AR-230 auto-inserts chapter markers -- a nice touch. Adjustable between two minutes and 15 minutes, the chapter marks make navigating long stretches of recorded content a breeze. With progressive-scan output, the AR-230 did a fine job of playing our disc collection. High-bitrate DVDs and our own SVCD creations played equally nicely. You can forget playing high-quality audio formats such as SACD and DVD Audio, but you have to expect that with a product as cheap as this. Summary: Gateway made the AR-230 simple to set up and use. Although you can't create custom menus with the AR-230, and it only supports writing to DVD+R/+RW formats, it represents a great value in set-top DVD burners. Pros: Ease of use; price