HP DVD Movie Writer dc3000

Rating:
Summary: Work first time I ran it
Review: I hooked up my dc3000 without any problems to my PC. Probably because it is a HP a430n desktop. I burned tens of DVD's with the dc3000 alreday. Yesterday I attempted to convert a 1 hr 45 min VHS tape. The conversion went without a hitch. I used the bundled ArcSoft Biz 2.1 to edit, add text, transitions and background music to the converted movie. When it came to burning the finished edited movie, it took a relatively long time to decode the material. The other steps like multiplexing, etc. went fast. The finished product seemed to lose some video quality (definition).

Rating:
Summary: Don't buy this if time is important to you
Review: Yesterday, I started a VHS tape conversion to DVD+RW. This project started at 2:00pm, and while the movie itself was 2:00 hours...the final DVD burn was complete at 10:00pm. The single, most time consuming part is the cumbersome Arcsoft Showbiz software that comes with it. The process for "transcoding" and "authoring" take forever, even at the lowest resolution. Admittedly, the final product is beautiful with exquisite sound. I've been converting old VHS tapes to DVD format so they'll be preserved without degradation. When compared to other similar items, it's a very user-friendly if you use the HP software for direct-to-DVD burning. But, as stated earlier...the ArcSoft software is a huge pain in the ___!

Rating:
Summary: Well Worth It!
Review: My main point here is HP has great technical support for this product. I've had my DC3000 since Dec 03, and I love it! It was just what I needed to transfer my old VHS tapes to DVD. I didn't have any of the problems other people discussed in previous reviews (I have a 1.3 GHz processor, 256 MB memory, 60GB hard drive, and Windows XP Professional). I did have trouble writing to the +R discs with my first movie. Consequently, I was on the phone with HP tech support a few times. They were always very helpful and willing to spend all the time needed to get the problem solved. It turned out my first movie just hadn't "created" right, and after I "created" it again, it worked great. Just wanted to let people know the HP tech support is great!