Pioneer DVR-633H-S DVD Recorder With 160 GB Hard Drive
Great Except for the TV Guide
This would be a great machine if it didn't have that TV guide system on it.  I've used a simpler TV Guide system on our RCA TV without problems.  However with Pioneer, the TV Guide causes the hard drive to run virtually all the time.  Even while watching a movie on DVD the hard drive is running and is noticeable.   When the room is silent, the hard drive noise is irritating.    I think that there must be something wrong where it is just not able to properly download the data that is causing this problem.  We've had it plugged in for over two weeks now and it still does not give a full week (there is always one day missing and it constantly changes) of programs.   The result is that it does not shut down.   I've found that if I turn the machine off, and on again and then off, and wait about two minutes it will sometimes power down.  There must be a trick to it.   This is otherwise a wonderful machine that is easy to use and operate but that TV Guide system is going to cause a lot of customers to be unhappy.  When I phoned Pioneer about it they had no solutions except to say that I was one of the lucky ones as many people can't even get the TV Guide system to work at all.  They are clearly aware that these things have a problem.     Once you've used a machine with a hard drive you will never go back to just a DVD Recorder.  The difference in convenience, simplicity and possibilities is incredible.   Whether it be this Pioneer product or another recorder, a hard drive is the only way to go.