CyberHome CH-DVR 1500 Progressive-Scan DVD+R/+RW Recorder and Player , Silver
Better than the BIG name DVD recorders
Before I buy, I research everything completely and look through all the product reviews (Amazon and elsewhere).<BR>I read some good things and some \\"horror stories\\" about some Panasonic and Philips DVD recorders that I was really interested in. The Sony GX7 looked pretty good, but way over-priced. The Philips R-75 had pretty much what I was looking for, and was $450, but had many reports of very pood customer service and very difficult controls and instructions. At this point, I decided to just buy a cheap player and wait a while for these companies to improve their products and get their prices down. While looking for players at W.M. I found the CyberHome CH-DVR-1500. It looked like an \\"el-cheapo\\" model, but after reading the reviews on it, I thought I would take a chance and buy it. At least it would be easy to return if there were any problems. After getting it home and set-up, I was REALLY surprised (for a recoder priced under $300).  I haven't had it real long<BR>yet, but I have done EVERYTHING with it that it was capable of doing. And I have found NO negative points. Here are a few of the many positives........<BR>---complete, consise, and easy to follow instructions. They tell you, in \\"normal\\" language, how to do everything. Best of all, when you do what the manual says, IT WORKS!!!<BR>---easy to understand remote - with most of its features ALSO available on the front panel of the unit itself. You don't have to rely only on the remote.<BR>---every A / V input and output that you need to hook-up your other equipment. Rear and front inputs also.<BR>---great picture quality from boughten DVDs and \\"home-made\\" ones from TV and VHS tape copying. It gives you 5 different choices of recording quality and hours per disc. HQ-1hr (highest), SP-2hrs, LP-3hrs, EP-4hrs, and SLP-6hrs. The first two are very good. The next two are acceptable. The last one (SLP) is not that great, but viewable, ok for some things.<BR>---some reviewers said that their units developed a lot ofheat and gave off an electrical smell. My unit got no warmer than the average VCR does. I had a slight electrical smell, but only from being new. It was less each day I used it. No problem really.<BR>---it has a lot of other features that you wouldn't expect to find on a $300 unit, like -- Zoom, auto chapters, segment repeat, commercial skip, and others.<BR>    I guess what I liked the best about this recorder is that it did EVERYTHING that it said it could and in an EASY to follow and well explained way. The best way for you to really find these things out is to get one and try it. Most stores will<BR>easily let you return them. Read the rest of the reviews that you find here. All of the positive comments are true. The few negative ones I found to be wrong. Good luck. For only $300, you'll like it !!!!!!