Rating: 
Summary: Works well, great deal
Review: Before I purchased this unit, I read all of the reviews and almost bought the Gateway instead. What convinced me to go with the Philips unit was the ability to edit titles and chapter markers. I have used it quite a bit since I received it one week ago and am very pleased with the purchase. Before I made any recordings on +R media (I used Memorex 4x), I followed the instructions to update the firmware. This went smoothly but the process is not for the technically meek! I have subsequently transfered all of my Hi8 analog family videos to DVDs. As a previous reviewer indicated, you have to be patient with the system. It does take TIME to process each command, a lot more than one might think. Watch the screen or the LED display on the front panel to see if the command has been processed. If you don't wait, you can crash the system. I have crashed it 3 times in one week. The manual is relatively clear and I recommend reading the manual before buying and before using (see Philips website for the manual). Overall, I am happy with the purchase. It is a great deal at a great price. Since I have only had the unit one week, I can't comment on long term reliability yet, an issue that came up in some online reviews.
Rating:
Summary: Very pleased!
Review: We have had this unit for about 1 year and have had absolutely no problems. The DVD+RW format is definately the way to go as far as compatibility is concerned. This recorder makes sterling copies of our VHS library tapes as well as TV shows. It also features many special functions and dazzling little tricks that my husband has used with great success in making special recordings.
Rating: 
Summary: Quality problems
Review: As noted in another review, I've also had problems -- the unit worked fine for about a month, then started displaying
"Disc Warning" no matter what type of disc was used. Philips customer service was no help.
Rating:
Summary: Consider yourself warned
Review: A previous reviewer doesn't know what all the negative hoopla is about because he hasn't had any problems. Just give it a month or two. Then this DVD recorder will start displaying disc warnings and disk errors no matter what type of blank DVD media you use, including Philips blanks DVDs. This DVD recorder will also fail to perform the Post Format properly after you stop the recording, and you end up with an empty disk. This DVD recorder will shut off for no reason in the middle of a recording. If you call Philips tech support in Jamaica, they seem to think that downloading an updated firmware from the Philips Web site will instantly fix problems that are associated with defective parts (which is absolutely ridiculous). And that's if you can understand what they are saying. If you send this unit in for repairs, you will discover that many other people have the same problems, so Philips has run out of parts and you have to wait. Even after it gets repaired, the same problems emerge again. This is not the only Philips DVD recorder that has numerous problems. Take a look at the reviews for the DVDR-985. Philips does NOT make good DVD recorders. Consider yourself warned.
Rating: 
Summary: Great product just need patience to get started
Review: I recently purchased this machine from Best Buy. I tried to purchase it from Circuit City but had to return it twice because the box had been altered and made to appear as if no one had opened it. However, I didn't take any chances and took it back to insure that I received a brand new. Besides that a couple things were missing from each box. I never hooked those up so I can't say whether or not they worked but that's another story. Anyway, like I said before. I bought this from Best Buy for $359.99 and it works great. I read all the Amazon reviews and almost decided not to buy it. I'm glad so far that I didn't change my mind. The reviews were right to say that the manual was a little difficult but after carefully and patiently reading through it I was able to hook it up. It also moves slow (when reading the disk and choosing playing options like a Sony playstation or a PC but I have to be patient and allow the system to process the info. The menu navigation is fast asnd it does take some getting used to the "different icons". I can get used to all this especially considering the benefits it has over a "old" VCR. I have it connected not only to my Zenith vcr/dvd player combo but also my Sony home theater system (with receiver). It looks and sounds great! I have copied tv programs, a home video on VHS to DVD, and from my Sony digital camera using Ilink (this was so easy)! This was a great buy for what I paid and the only thing I wish it had was a hard drive only because I am lazy about putting dvds/tapes in when I want to record a quick episode of Friends or Will & Grace. Overall, I would recommend this to anyone looking for a dvd recorder with ILINK, progressive scan, a coaxial for theater sound system, and the ability to title your DVDs. I haven't used the option to remove and edit but I read that it too is a good option to have. Again. Great purchase.
Rating:
Summary: Buy something else
Review: I got this thing for a Christmas present. A short time later, it would eject a new unburnt fresh dvd as soon as inserted in the machine. Customer service in India (hard to understand Queen's English) had me reset the unit and upgrade the firmware.
Didn't fix. They had me send unit into Philips Replacement Program. I did. Called to check when no returned unit. Got customer service in Jamaica (hard to understand King's English). Was told I should have sent in for repair to a different address instead of sending in for exchange, and he ASSUMED I would get my defective unit back someday. He refused to check on the unit to find it despite confirmable UPS tracking. Still waiting and no unit back. I think I am out $500 paid for the unit. Buyer beware and I suggest you shop for a different brand.
Rating:
Summary: Good DVDr with 1 annoying problem...
Review: I purchased this machine a week ago and have only used it for 1 night. After deleting most of the disc by deleting my last title, I finally got the hang of it and did pretty much what I wanted to. The only Major problem I have is that it leaves an empty title hanging on at the end of the titles.
The main menu lets you insert titles after you have recorded the entire disc (great feature)! As you insert titles and chapter markers within the titles, you still get an annoying "Empty title" box as the last title on the main menu. I called Customer service and they informed me that this was a feature. Well, I do not get this feature of knowing how much space is on a disc on a disc that I have purchased. I have not tried a DVD+R disc. Maybe this goes away since after you finalize a disc, you cannot use this empty space anyways. As far as the video quality goes, it looks pretty good using the M2 setting. The remote was a little difficult getting used to but after only using the machine for one night, I was able to insert all my titles and chapters on a 2 hour recording in just 20 minutes. BTW, there is a fast forward button on the remote that either functions as a fast forward or a next chapter locator (depending on whether you leave the button pressed (ff) or just press it on or off once (next chapter locator)).
All in all, the machine does what it claims... I makes a duplicate of the input with a pretty good quality image.
Rating:
Summary: Piece of Cake!
Review: I bought one a week ago and have used it every night. Once I got past the intitial set up hassles (my vcr didn't have component or S video), it was very easy to use. Right now I am mainly using it to transfer old home movies to dvd and it can't get any easier. Put the tape in the vcr and a blank dvd in the player and press record on the dvd and play on the vcr. You can rename your chapters by using the channel up and down button to scroll through the alphabet and symbols. It is easy to change your index picture also. A couple of odd little quirks - to change the tv station you have to press MONITOR and they are too politically correct - just say VCR instead of "additional recording device". I was not expecting my DVD-RW disks to play in my other dvd player as it doesn't accept many disks but they play fine! The only problem I had in setting it up (besides having an older vcr) was that cable kept coming in fuzzy on the tv when I turned on the dvd player but with a few disconnects and reconnects of the coaxial it cleared right up. I would recommend this recorder.
Rating:
Summary: Poor quality, poor customer service: Buy something else.
Review: It seems that Philips is having significant quality problems with its DVD products (see Amazon customer reviews of the DVD727 for more details), and the DVDR75 is no exception. While it certainly does what it claims, the unit suffers from some irritating flaws. First, every once in a while, the unit will record everything in black and white. Second, when playing a DVD, the unit will occasionally freeze-up, leaving the DVD running, but the unit will not respond to any commands other than the power-off button. Given my past experiences with Philips customer service (i.e., bad customer service), I didn't even bother calling to ask about getting the problems fixed. The user manual is very thick, but that's only because Philips uses big margins and lots of pictures. The manual is not very detailed and often leaves more questions than answers. The user interface is very cryptic, using lots of unintuitive symbols and little text. While the unit is certainly good looking and can record DVDs as advertised, given the other low-cost choices, I would pass on the Philips unit. Consider the Gateway DVD Recorder, which is cheaper and has a much, much better user interface.
Rating:
Summary: This DVD Recorder is Garbage - Don't Buy It!!!
Review: The DVD recorder has a defect in its firmware that causes the recorder to turn itself off while recording (transfer from TiVo) for no reason. Further, when it occurs, it destroys the DVD onto which you were recording, and you lose whatever was recorded (in addition to the DVD). Further, Philips "solution" of a firmware update can only be discovered upon calling them. (No mention in the box of checking for an update...) Finally, the update makes things better, but does NOT solve the problem. My recorder locked up on me like a Win95 PC and I had to unplug and plug it back in just to get a DVD out 2 days after the update, after it had been working well for a while. (You can only get the update if you have a CD Writer and internet access. Otherwise, you will need to wait 2 weeks for them to send you a DVD with the update on it.) Other problems: Bright picture during transfers from TiVo or VHS diminsh the quality of the DVD recording and service appears to be handled in India, by people who speak little English and have no ability to solve problems. They only thing worse than the product itself is Philip's "service". Other reviewers have noted both these issues, even some of those who rated it 5 stars (which appears very odd to me). I have a very hard time understanding some of the reviews here, as they note problems but still give it the highest rating. I can only assume those reviewers are connected to Philips because it makes no sense. I am boxing it up and returning it. I don't have the time to mess around with firmware updates, etc. for what should be simple consumer electronic devices. All I wanted to do was replace my VCR with newer technology and it has been a nightmare. (The issues are not due to user inexperience with consumer electronics. They are absolutely due to poor product quality.)
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