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Humax DVD Recorder with TiVo® Series™ 80 Hour (Progressive Scan, 80GB Hard Drive - MPN: DRT800)
Description: This full-feature, 3- in-1 product is a powerful TiVo Series2 DVR, an advanced DVD player, and an easy-to-use DVD Recorder. Because Humax DVD Recorders integrate TiVo service, you?ll never have to struggle with videotape again. Now you can .... Read More Description: This full-feature, 3- in-1 product is a powerful TiVo Series2 DVR, an advanced DVD player, and an easy-to-use DVD Recorder. Because Humax DVD Recorders integrate TiVo service, you?ll never have to struggle with videotape again. Now you can search for your favorite shows and store them directly onto your hard drive. And when you?re ready to get mobile or create an archive, burning a DVD is as easy as using the TiVo service. Minimize |
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| Date Reviewed: 01/03/2005 |
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Strengths: Plenty of space to record shows
Power/Convenience of the Tivo service
Ability to easily and quickly burn shows to DVD
Built-in DVD Player
Easy to use
Weaknesses: DVD Recorder is very loud when burning DVDs
Selection "rocker" button on remote inaccurate at times
No support for recording Digital Optical audio
Summary: The Humax DRT800 is a wonderful device for the existing Tivo fan or a newbie to Tivo and it's power to change your TV viewing life.
The DRT800 is my second Tivo unit. My first Tivo unit made me instantly became a huge fan of the DVR. When the Humax unit became available, I knew that it was the next step in being in total control of my TV viewing. I had been struggling with my obsessive collection of programs on my Tivo and how to get them to a DVD for watching later. Recording to VHS just didn't cut it, both in quality and by the fact that you had to do so in real-time. If the program is 2 hours, it would take you 2 hours to record it to your VHS. And, you could not change channels or interrupt the process.
Enter the Humax DRT800. At around 82 hours of Basic Quality (more with higher compression settings), it has all of the power of a standalone Tivo unit, including fun Series 2 features like the Home Media Option, and grouped sorting in the Now Playing list. (HMO has recently become free to Series 2 owners, a bonus.) It can record programming from most any source, including Over The Air (Antenna), Satellite recievers, or Cable TV (both directly or through a Cable Box) And, the best part is its ability to record DVD-R and DVD-RW discs for offsetting your favorite shows. This is where the real power of the unit, and the thing that makes it worth every penny, comes into play.
Instead of shuffling programs, choosing lower recording quality, offsetting to a VHS tape, or just deleting items that you really would like to keep around... just burn them!
DVD burning is quite simple, and you are guided through each step with the typical Tivo style. After you have inserted a blank DVD-R or DVD-RW, you choose to burn programs to a DVD. Then your entire Now Playing list comes up. From here, select any programs you wish to burn to the DVD, and in the order you wish to record them. When you have reached the limit of the DVD, it no longer lets you select anything else. It also shows you how full the DVD is as you are selecting items, as well as each item itself telling you what percentage of the DVD it will take. When done you tell it to record and that's it. It goes about its business and you are now free to watch Live TV.
I have seen burn times from 15 minutes up to 30 minutes, even though it tells you it will be around 57 minutes. This time varies based on the number of items you have chosen and their recording quality. Also, the recording quality of the original affects how much will fit onto a DVD. At Best Quality, you will get 1 hour on a single DVD, High Quality gives you 2 hours, Medium Quality around 4 hours and Basic is 6 hours. I find that for most programming, Medium is more than acceptable for playback both on the Tivo itself and on a burned DVD. Once the DVD is recorded, any DVD player should play it back, complete with Tivo-like menus and show descriptions.
My only complaint with recording to a DVD is a small one. The DVD recorder drive itself is rather noisy when burning a DVD. But this is hardly heard if you are watching TV while it's doing its thing. And it doesn't make this sound when playing back DVDs, recorded or commerical.
The unit also has the ability to record outside sources from either the front input panel, or from the rear inputs. The front includes a FireWire/iLink port, Super Video and RCA video inputs and RCA L/R audio inputs. Perfect for recording old home videos or moving content from an older Tivo. This process is relatively easy as well. You choose to record content from one of the inputs, enter a recording time, enter a name for the item, select a starting point and then tell it to record. When it's done, the item then appears in your Now Playing list. These items can also be recorded to a DVD. Please note that the recorder does have copy protection, so it will not let you copy commercial movies, movies from VHS that are commercial and some other content.
Then of course there is the built-in DVD player, which supports Dolby Digital, DTS, widescreen 16:9 and progessive scan playback. Very easy to use, and since it's built in, that's one less remote to fuss with and one less device to own.
Overall, I have found the Humax DRT800 to be a great value, especially if you watch a lot of TV and wish to revisit shows frequently. No need to fill up your unit's harddrive, or feel guilty for erasing that show you recorded a month ago. Just record it to a DVD and watch it anytime you want.
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| Date Reviewed: 04/29/2005 |
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Strengths: DVD player, DVD recording w/ respectable DVD write times, responsive DVD/CD tray, Tivo features and user interface generally, component video-out, front-side video/audio inputs.
Weaknesses: MPEG-2 video compression (not TyStream), cosmetically not the most appealing, interface a little slow at times, DVD single layer only recording.
Summary: I own two (2) DRT-800 units and having been using them for about 4 months. They work well, and being able to record a show to DVD on occasion is a nice feature. However, in all honesty, I'm recording fewer shows to DVD than I had originally anticipated. This may be due, in part, to the fact I’ve updated the installed 80GB hard drive w/ a Seagate 200GB hard drive, works GREAT! I'm storing more programs than I actually have time to watch. I don't believe the video quality of the Humax DRT-800 is quite as good as a standard Series2 Tivo, esp. at lower quality/compression levels. This is most likely due to Humax using MPEG-2 for compression, while your standard Tivo uses TyStreams (which preserves more video quality). It's not a huge difference, but enough to annoy the most finicky viewer. MPEG-2 facilitates the *potential* writing of content to DVD, but not without a nasty side-effect -- you can't write transferred content (w/ HMO) to DVD from any other Tivo except another Humax that also uses MPEG-2 compression (ugh). Humax provides no means to convert TyStreams to MPEG-2 to make that possible. While the technical necessity for using MPEG-2 is understandable, I think it would have been a MUCH better design decision to record in TyStream format for maximum interoperability, but then convert from TyStream to MPEG-2 for DVD writing, as-needed (which frankly, is a rather rare occurrence anyway). So as it stands, the video quality and writing of video captured from a non-Humax Tivo is sacrificed for the off chance you may want to record that video to DVD. Personally, I find this incredibly stupid and short sighted. At the highest quality level, MPEG-2 quality is probably 95% of TyStream, so all is not lost. But as you ratchet up the recording time capacity, the video quality deteriorates more noticeably than on a standard Tivo w/ TyStream compression. Something else I've noticed that I've not seen nearly as much on a standard Tivo is the loss of video/audio synchronization. Occasionally, audio/video synchronization breaks down, which is very annoying. I assume this is due to Tivo concurrently performing other housekeeping chores (indexing, program guide updates, etc). You would think Tivo would NOT do these things during active recording, but given this problem, one has to assume this isn't always the case. Front side video/audio inputs are nice for those w/ a camcorder, VHS, or any other content you'd like transferred to Tivo, and perhaps even record to DVD. DVD recording works well, although it's a little slow (1 hr of show-time takes 15-20 mins). And despite the impressive capacity of DVD (4.7GB), it sure fills up quickly. One DVD will only hold one hour of programming at the highest quality. Ok for your typical situation comedy, talk show, or news program, but not practical for movies or sporting events. Lowering the recording quality does increase DVD capacity, but as I explained before, this Humax DRT-800’s video quality degrades rapidly as you do. In general, I do not recommend anything less than "high quality”. I use it high-quality by default to stretch the HD as much as possible, then override w/ “best quality” as needed. Again, it never attains the quality levels of a standard Series2 Tivo, but I find it acceptable given all the other features and benefits this Humax DRT-800 offers. From a purely Tivo features perspective, it's great, Tivo is Tivo, regardless of vendor. I love the Season Pass, Wishlist (my wife wanted to catch a specific movie, I simply provided a title and waited, 2-3 weeks later, Tivo found it on some obscure cable channel, nice!), Suggestions (I now find things worth watching), etc. And if you have a home network, being able to share content across Tivo units, remote scheduling, Tivo Desktop and JavaHMO to play your MP3 files, export weather reports, stock reports, etc., are all cool and surprisingly useful features. The handheld remote is very close in design to the original Tivo remote, works quite nicely, although I would prefer the number pad was in the middle or upper-middle of the remote, would make it a little easier to change channels and use the most commonly accessed buttons (play, pause, ffw, etc.). Cosmetically, I don’t find the Humax DRT-800 very appealing, a little too “utilitarian” for my tastes, I find the Toshiba line more elegant and aesthetically pleasing. Despite some negatives that are primarily Humax DRT-800 specific, overall I'm pleased w/ the purchase. My wife and I thoroughly enjoy the Tivo service and these Humax DRT-800 units in particular. My only cautions is, if you are VERY particular when it comes to video quality, if you won’t accept anything less than near perfection, then I would recommend a standalone Series Tivo instead.
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| Date Reviewed: 04/30/2005 |
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 The TiVo PVR itself is great, and having a built-i ... Strengths: One of the few TiVo's with a built-in DVD burner.
Weaknesses: Quote from TiVo web site... "The TiVoToGo feature is not available on DVD Recorder with TiVo boxes from Humax, Toshiba, and Pioneer." This means you can't copy shows to your PC from your TiVo box.
Summary: The TiVo PVR itself is great, and having a built-in DVD recorder/player is a nice replacement for a stand-alone DVD set top unit.
I do question the video quality at times, especially the black levels (they do seem crushed).
Not having the TiVoToGo feature is a big minus. I believe TiVo is planning to make this available later this year.
You cannot trim or edit recorded programs before burning them onto a DVD, which I find very inconvenient. I'd at least like to trim the beginning and end of the programs to eliminate the early start and late stop commercials that got recorded.
100% of People (5/5) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 02/14/2005 |
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 I travel a great deal on airplanes and wanted to b ... Strengths: DVD burining process is seemless. Works well and easy to do. Recording programs and pausing live TV is great
Weaknesses: Composite video output is terrible. Black levels are terribly crushed. Encoded video is noisy even at "best" quality.
Summary: I travel a great deal on airplanes and wanted to be able to take my missed TV shows with me and watch them on my laptop. This unit seemed to fit the bill well. For this purpose, it is a fabulous unit. However, if you actually want to watch live television through it, and do not have s-video or component inputs on your TV, you will be very disappointed. The black levels are crushed so badly that everything in shadows within the video picture appears to be black. Very distracting when watching any dramatic TV show or movie that has any kind of "mood" lighting type effects. COuld not tolerate it. At urging of Humax customer support, I returned the unit and tried another. Same problem. I do understand that the S-video output looks better, but I do not have the capability to use this feature. If you are paying several hundred dollars for this unit and then another $13/month or $300 lifetime for Tivo service, the thing should look good on EVERY output. Mine went back and Tivo was cancelled.
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| Date Reviewed: 08/24/2005 |
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Strengths: Ability to record DVD-R and DVD-RW with ease; Can use with cable (analog or digital) or satellite; Easy to use; 4 different recording quality levels
Weaknesses: Only USB 1.1; Only 802.11b (11Mbps) wireless network adapters work with it currently; 90-day labor warranty (why so short?)
Summary: I like pretty much everything about this unit. Along with the TiVo service, this unit has everything you need and almost everything you want in a DVR/DVD Recorder.
It's easy to do the Guided Setup; just follow the instructions. It's very easy to use due to it being so menu-driven. (I still haven't figured out what each key's function is on every different menu.) It's very simple to record programs. It allows you to search for movies or shows by title, director, actor, keyword. Once you find one that looks interesting, just press a few buttons --there are some quick-key methods that I haven't got all figured out yet; I've got to read that manual sometime -- and presto, it's records it for you.
It's very easy to record shows onto DVD-R and DVD-RW, and the recorded DVDs played in my computer and my DVD player (about 1 year old).
I purchased my unit new on eBay for about $230, including shipping charges. I would suggest also buying a USB 1.1 wireless network adapter, so you don't have to tie up your phone line except initially, for the Guided Setup phase. Check the TiVo website and buy one of their recommended adapters from whatever source you desire. Make sure you buy one for a Humax. (I even bought one that TiVo had listed as "reported to work" with the Humax, and it works without a problem.)
50% of People (1/2) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 05/28/2005 |
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Strengths: easy to set up , combination dvd player recorder, can directly import video from digital video camera
Weaknesses: uses dvd-r, dvd-rw only
Summary: Overall the best choice for a Tivo if you only have one. You can get four 1 hr episodes on one dvd. It uses the same Tivo interface. It has totally changes the way I watch TV.
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| Date Reviewed: 05/04/2006 |
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Strengths: Pretty decent amount of recording capacity, Ability to save programs to DVD, Buttons on front of unit, Now compatible with TiVo2Go for transfers to PC.
Weaknesses: Remote seems a little slugish, doesn't like DVD +R discs
Summary: I've had the Humax for quite some time now, it hasn't given us any significant problems. The convenience of burning to DVD is nice, but we really don't use it all that much. I planned to use it to feed my home video stuff into it and then record to DVD. (but I haven't got around to it yet......) If only someone could create more time to play with our toys!
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| Date Reviewed: 02/24/2006 |
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Strengths: Ease of use and easy set up
Weaknesses: a slight hiccup when the channels are changed
Summary: this is a good buy and very easy to use the wireless option is great and the burner works well with very little instruction. for some reason the tivo desktop is working off and on with occasional dificulties with the transfers. overall very satisfied with the buy
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| Date Reviewed: 02/06/2006 |
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Strengths: easy set up, works as advertised except for infrequent burn malfunctions
Weaknesses: dvd burner malfunctioned twice in 50 tries. one of the malfunctions required a reboot which was fine. the watch tv while you record feature is a little quirky and the remote is a bit limited
Summary: the remote limitation is that is does not handle the cable box very efficiently - channel changing is extremely slow. all other functions are fine. good product it works as it is designed
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