Foreign DVD recorders on sale to meet 'hidden' demand?

The Panasonic DMR-EH75V still costs $1,000 on Amazon.com.

Last fall, we noticed that old DVD recorders with hard drives were selling for $1,900 on the Internet, because manufacturers basically stopped making them (with some exceptions) and people still want them. The continued demand for DVD recorders with hard drives isn't surprising--many people want a simple DVR they can own, without a monthly free, that can easy burn their favorite shows to DVDs. It's a killer product, but unless you're willing to set up a home theater PC, you can't have it.

We have noticed, however, that some electronics retailers have been offering foreign DVD recorders with hard drives in the U.S., potentially to meet this hidden demand. One of the interesting things about the disappearance of DVD recorders with hard drives in the United States is that they continue to be freely available elsewhere, such as Canada and Europe. For example, both J&R and B&H Photo are currently selling the Pioneer DVR-650HS, which has a 250GB hard drive, records to virtually all DVD media types, and can upconvert DVDs to 1080i over its HDMI output.

It also has a European-style Scart video connector, a region code of 2-6 (so it won't play any standard DVDs bought in the U.S.), and will probably default to PAL playback and recording, although the spec sheet says it's capable of handling NTSC. It's clearly intended for overseas use. And both retailers have other foreign models available as well (links: J&R and B&H).

The Pioneer DVR-650HS costs $600 and isn't designed to be used in the U.S., but it might fit the bill for some DVD recorder fans.

We have no problem with retailers trying to fill this gap, but customers need to have a sharp eye to catch that these aren't actually designed to be used in the U.S.

On B&H, there are two hints; one, it has a notice that it doesn't include an ATSC tuner, which is required for U.S. products because of the upcoming DTV transition; and two, a warning that says: "Note! Unit is configured with European AC Plug". Luckily it has a universal power supply, so you should be OK using it in the U.S. with a simple plug adapter. J&R is a little better, with a message at the stop stating: "Not designed for United States Market / This product does not come with Pioneer USA Warranty or Service Support / Intended for Europe Asia".

So are these foreign recorders a good option for those who still want a DVD- ecorder with a hard drive? Probably not. They won't play standard commercial DVDs because of the region coding issues, which means you'll really only be able to watch home-burned DVDs.

Also, as J&R warns, you won't get the standard Pioneer warranty, so if something goes wrong, you're out of luck. And if you intend to use it for over-the-air broadcasts, note that the internal NTSC tuner will pretty much useless after the DTV transition in February 2009. If you're willing to live with those limitations--and the $600 price tag--it might be a workable option, but we'd recommend against it unless you're a gear junkie comfortable using a product intended for another market.

We get a lot of e-mails about DVD-recorders with hard drives, so I'm always interested: how many people out there actually still want one? Is this a compelling option for hard drive DVD-recorder evangelists? Let us know in the comments.

[logos]

While a lot of your points are valid, there are plenty of foreign DVD recorders for sale that don't have the playback region limitations or have been tweaked by the merchants themselves to be region free.

http://www.world-import.com/dmr-eh67.htm

The downside is as you said the lack of a tuner that works with NTSC or a tuner that won't be obsolete when the new digital requirements kick in. Also, the requiring of a multi-system TV to allow both formats at the same time to be played adds to the cost.

Too many sacrifices?......probably but as far as I'm concerned there's always new technology that will come to fill the void of previous technology that has been phased out. Hybrid flash memory drives / DVD blueray all in one recorders anyone?

[Striker77s]

I built a HTPC and I absolutely love it. I use a Hauppuage Media MVP for my TV so I can watch my shows either on my PC or any TV around the house. I can also put as many tuners in my HTPC as I want (record multiple shows at once). Setting a HTPC wasn't that hard but it does require some basic computer skills. I can't imagine why someone would be willing to pay $1,900 for some crippled hard drive DVD player. If you have a farely fast computer it wouldn't be hard to get setup for under the 600 dollar price tag offered by these foreign players. I can burn the shows to DVDs or transfer them to a laptop or many other things.

Mark

[Mergatroid Mania]

Speaking as a Canadian, it seems to me perhaps the big manufacturers are worried about what could happen if they dare to sell a product in the US that actually records.
Pretty soon you won't be able to purchase anything that has recording features built into it.

You are correct, I just checked a few Canadian retailer web sites and they still have hard drive DVD recorders for sale. for under $499 CDN, and they're completely NTSC compatible (although they may not have digital tuners).

So, if anyone in the US wants to pay over $1000 for a 250GB Hard Drive DVD recorder, I think I can arrange one for you....
This is what happens when you let Big Business run your country. I can see the same thing happening here in a few more years.

[gerrygadget]

Striker -- I agree, but the issue is that nobody (that I know of) is selling inexpensive pre-built HTPCs that could be added to the entertainment center easily. I know there's MS MCE desktops being sold, but they're too big (and many too loud) or too expensive (or both). Having an HTPC that can be treated more as an appliance like a DVD player is what we need. Xbox and PS3 are close, but are NOT very PC-like and are closed systems. I do think that HTPCs are likely on the horizon with likes of the Eee-box, Wind, and other small boxen. The technology and prices have finally matured enough where it can happen, but it will be another year or so before that segment really takes off. BTW, I discovered recently that my son's Wii can stream video that appears to be almost as good a quality as what Netflix does on my PC. I can only hope that they will partner with Netflix or Amazon for streaming video.

[wayne90210]

I own a Panasonic DMR-EH75V Hard Disk recorder with free TV Guide on-line, and after firing it up I stopped watching live TV ALTOGETHER! I now ONLY watch recordings off the hard disk, and can't imagine living any other way. This $400 recorder now sells for upwards of $2,000 when you can still find it for sale in the US. This recorder covers my standard-definition analog cable TV.

As that recorder doesn't do HDTV, I added an off-the-air HDTV card to my PC. Love it too, although it sure takes a LOT more disk space! I have a 750 GB disk to feed its hungry needs.

I heard sales of hard disk recorders have stopped in the US due to a lawsuit by TiVo -- that they are the only ones allowed to make a hard disk recorder for sale in the US. True?

[Striker77s]

Gerrygadget --- When I initially planned on setting up a HTPC I planned on building a dedicated box just for it. Then I discovered the Hauppauge Media MVP, and other devices like it. It is a small box that sits right on top of my DVD player that has no fans. So you don't need some loud large box to get a HTPC working for you. Just add a large hard drive, a digital/analog combo tuner and SageTV to your existing PC and you are good to go. You can watch 3 different shows on different TVs around the house at the same time and they all run off of one HTPC. I also went above the norm and transferred all my DVDs to my HTPC. Now it acts like a digital DVD library. My kids were constantly scratching the DVDs and we kept loosing them. Now anyone can watch any DVD we have anywhere in the house instantly without having to look for a physical DVD. When we buy a new DVD it goes straight to the HTPC and then it stays nice and pristine in its case.

Mark