DVD recorders on EBay...

[PepeLePew]

Any advice appreciated from those who know...

Looking at a HDD DVD recorder and just checking out EBay...seems to be some decent stuff from Panasonic, Pioneer and Sony up there.

Im not interested in having the biggest HDD blah blah, and my TV lacks HDMI.

But it is a big *** plasma and my priorities say a few thing:
1) I want a nice big progressive pic
2) upscaling aint avail on component, correct?
3) I hate having a CD player as well,,,,any brand play redbook CD's better than others?

Thats about all I care about. Dont care about the $$$ much, will pay what I need to pay.

[flappist]

Get one with a digital tuner. There are no HD dvd recorders all are SD.
Make sure it records on either dvd-rw or dvd+rw, preferably both and not just dvd-ram.
Make sure it has a fast processor, the older (cheaper) ones can't process data quick enough for you big screen and you will get strange things happing.
I have a DG-TEC (among others), it cost about $700, works well except DivX 6:9 does not fill the screen proberly and you have to zoom.
Sony have a new one for $1k. It is nifty. (If you give me $500, you can have my DGTEC and I will get a Sony)

Upscaling work on the hdmi/dvi interfaces. I have a Toshiba that does that. It presents a VERY good picture and actually scales to the native resolution of my TV 1024x768, but because of the intense processing required to do its tricks, FF, REW and layer change are all crap. i.e. it freezes for about 10 seconds when jumping layers.

I have lots of these gizmos and have tried almost everything I can borrow. Unfortunately most of the dtvforum.info (AFF for tv) members and almost all of the sales people tend to lie or just not understand.

[S3SR]

hdd recorders are cheap now.
only prob with ebay is try and get warranty from the seller...good luck.
most of the time the good guys are happy to match ebay prices even if it means losing a few dollars plus theres warranty and choice of brands......
most top brands will do progressive scan and yes no upscaling on component.

other options are PVR's are just set top boxes with HDD's in them, only in SD though.
benefit = one box does all + better quality pic check on progressive scanning though
downside most dont have a DVD burner/player only the 700-800-1000 $$ ones do.

HDD recorders well its a dvd player that records thats about it + some with progressive scan and what not but no SD or HD quality.

if your gonna play music most players will play redbook cd's (pretty sure) thats why its better to buy from a shop and test it before you buy. otherwise you already paid big bucks for the tv why not get an amp and speakers?

PS if you dont like the prices....get the model numbers from the ones you like and i give you a quote that you can get price matched..okies or buy from me...lol

[stera]

In all honesty, there are some 'bargains' on ebay... Some are good, some arent...

I would advise to simply look on ebay as a guide (as I have been burnt) and as somebody suggested above, approach reputable stores, such as Goodguys, Harvey N's, etc and play them off against each other for the best CASH price...

I saved some $400 on a $1500 Panasonic Video Recorder from the old bartering method, not to mention $200 off a Dyson Vacuum. Thats $600 from $2 worth of phonecalls!!!

Some people are too shy, scared or embarrassed to barter... But I have an extra $600 to burn!!

Just research them, know what u want and go for it!!

Goodluck!