Philips DVDR985 Progressive-Scan DVD Recorder and Player
NON-BIAS DVDR985 REVIEW
People KEEP YOUR WARRANTY CURRENT!!!     I can't stress that enough,     PAY FOR EXTENTED WARRANTY WHEN YOUR FACTORY WARRANTY IS ABOUT TO EXPIRE!!!     The DVDR985 is a Fantastic Recorder.... it just wasn't built to last!     AT SOME TIME, YOU WILL EXPERIENCE ERROR CODE PROBLEMS WITH YOUR UNIT!!!     But On The Plus Side Of Things:     The DVDR985 does just about every editing feature that I can think of.     You can Divide Titles, Create your own Chapters, Erase titles, Hide certain chapters during playback and many more.     This player records with Excellent Quality, at 1Hr/2Hr but can record up to 8Hrs with the right update     There are lots of bugs fixed, with firmware 1.01   (This Is The Most Current Update as of 2 April 2005)     [...]      To Upgrade:   1. Unzip the folder & SAVE ALL of the Files Not The Whole folder (Just The Files from Inside The Folder) onto a Disc (CLOSE THE DSC, NO CD-RW, JUST CDRs).     2. Put that disc into your DVDR985 Recorder, and let it update. It takes about 10 Minutes     Using this particular update, I have yet to encounter any other problems with my unit. Just wish I had a chance to try this particular update on a NEW DVDR985     OH WELL!!!     With that said, I'm going to let you all in on a little secret that most people don't know about this recorder.     The DVDR985 has a \\"Special Ability\\" NoT Listed in the Manual.     I've noticed that many people complain that there other Household DVD players won't play the disc recorded by there recorders.     Well the DVDR985 has a way of getting around that little problem (Force Play)     This is how it's done:     1. Press the Open/Eject button on your DVDR985   Your player should turn on & the tray should open     2. Put your Un-finalized disk in the tray, but leave the tray open     3. Pick Up your REMOTE, HOLD the #1 button down until the door closes. Your player will process for about 45 seconds     4. Once your DVDR985 is finished with its process, take your disc out and see if it will play in your other DVD Players     If not, repeat steps 1-3 but hold the #2 button instead of #1     If you want to take it back to its original format, repeat steps 1-3 but hold the #3 button instead of 1 or 2       Cool Huh,     Another thing I like is its ability to play XSVCDs; on most Players this just isn't possible     I have over 100 XSVCDs that I've created, all ranging between 80-90Min long, onto a single CD-R.     Some players, such as my Apex AD-1600 and my Philips DVP-642, will play these kinds of XSVCDS   But only with PBC (Play Back Control) Turned OFF     Lots of players won't play my LONG XSVCDs AT ALL!     Well my DVDR985 plays all of my LONG 352*480 XSVCDs With No Problem       In Conclusion:     It's a Fantastic, Buggy, Recorder!     It's capable of having a 4Yr life period with your Factory 1Yr & your Extended 3Yr Warranty together.     Good when it's working, a DOORSTOP when it's not!!!