Home > Consumer Reviews > Magnavox MDV630R DVD Recorder/Player

I bought this unit almost two years ago. I have made hundreds of discs, from other dvd, cable tv and vhs. Has always worked. I use dvd-rw discs. They are universally compatible. I have made many discs for friends. None have been incompatible. I bought with hesitation two years ago. Was going to take back if any problems. Will buy another when or if this one dies.

Upon seeing the advertisment for this player that promised "Eternal Happiness awaits" I rushed out and bought it Because I could use me some of that. So, not only did I not get eternal happiness, but this thing couldn't even make yogurt (which if we all remember what the Dalai Lama said Yogurt=Eternal Happiness). So, I guess the recorder worked fine, but since I didn't have any yogurt what the heck was I supposed record myself eating? Well at least good ol' reliable cottage cheese will be there for me.

I initially bought this machine to back up my VHS tapes onto DVD, but I've found out (the hard way) that this machine does not have timebase correction. Meaning, if you record an old tape that has small, almost unnoticeable, split-second "jumps" in it, the signal will either be lost, or there will be a sound dropout where the "jump" is. Thus, I have had to transfer them from VHS to DV, then from DV to DVD, to get the kind of quality I was hoping for.

Also, on some discs I recorded on, the machine shut off after a few minutes. This only happened when I pushed the record button a certain number of times to make it record a certain length. When I tried to play them again it said "disc contains unknown data - press OK to eject." Sheesh! (At least the discs I used were less than $1 each.)

For the reasons above, once I get the chance, I am selling this machine. Once I have done that, I'll use the money to invest in a Panasonic DMR-E80H ... now THAT's a model that has enough good reviews (esp. on Amazon) to convince me of its brilliance.

Easy to use, works well, good quality recording - what's not to like.

This is basically a Phillips DVR-75, with slight differences. I have both. So far it has worked perfectly, as has my Phillips. I have used only DVD+RW(Memorex) blanks and have not had one bad disk. I bought the disks on sale for less than a dollar a piece. These are the only DVD+RW units I have, so I don't know about compatibility with other brands of players (I suspect the blank disks have more to do with that than the recorder.), but they play each other's disks.
I kept the manual on the coffee table for a week as I learned to program the first unit, but now it's second nature. These units do take some time to finish writing when turned off and to read and begin recording when the timer comes on (about 24 seconds to record, but I think that's just a characteristic of DVD recorders). I record LOTS of TV, so I use the 6-hour recording mode and the video is better than the 6-hour speed of my VCR's. The recorder will slightly enhance the video quality of the source, so when dubbing VHS tape to DVD, it actually improves the original.
I considered the Sony, but I bought both of these for less than the cost of one Sony, and am very satisfied.

EDITED If you bought one of the Magnavox/Philips DVD recorders partially based upon my review, please accept my apology. Reliability is poor. Judging from posts on the internet, the laser is problematic. After about six months, the unit could not read the inserted disc more often than not. If the recorder is shut off, then turned on with the disc still in it, it can't read the disc, even though it had just recorded on this disc! Sometimes the error is so great that it erases the disc.

I have had three of this model line of recorders (all at the same time), and the longest I went without trouble was about 9 months. Others on the web say that warranty repair was a joke. Philips support for their other lame products (Philips LCDs with the dreaded blob on the picture.) is nil.
The Sony RDR-GX300 was $500 at the time I posted this review. I bought one when the price came down to $300. I have purchased three more used GX-300s for about $75-80 each. I have never had a problem with any of them. Not one disc failed to work properly and I have used name brand discs and generic discs. There are 3 inputs and 2 outputs (complete with 2 audio L/R outs). The remote can control 3 different units individually, not sending inadvertent signals to one of the other Sonys.

File this experience under "You get what you pay for." I would have been better off paying the same price for one Sony instead of two Philips.