RCA DRC8000N Progressive-Scan DVD Recorder/Player

Record from TV camcorder or other video device Progressive scan DVD playback Up to 8 hours recording per 4.7 GB disc 6 record modes GUIDE Plus+ Interactive Program with 1-touch recording Smart Record feature Disc library holds more than 400 titles

Combining the recording ability of a VCR and the audio-visual quality of a DVD player, RCA's DRC8000N DVD player/recorder lets you record your favorite television shows and home videos straight to a DVD. It stores digital video in high-quality MPEG2 and encodes audio in space-saving MP3. This is the first DVD recorder to offer the easy-to-use--and free--GUIDE Plus+ interactive TV guide, which makes scheduling recordings a snap. And with the unit's convenient one-touch record feature, recording off-air programs is simpler than ever.

The DRC8000N records in six modes: 1, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, and 6 hours. And, when using timed recording, the DRC8000N offers an option to automatically set the quality level to the best quality that fits its available hard-drive space--ultimately gleaning up to eight hours from a single 4.7 GB recordable DVD. The unit uses DVD+R/+RW.

The "RW" format offers numerous advantages. These discs can be played in most computer DVD-ROM drives and DVD players, and they let you append, edit, and overwrite video right on the discs themselves. This means you can record video using the DRC8000N and record data with a PC drive, all on the same disc. There's only one recording mode for both video and data, and the finalization time for a DVD+R is the fastest of all DVD formats.

Special features include title and chapter creation for easy access to recorded materials; chapter hide/unhide, which lets you skip playback of selected sections of a recording; text title labeling; user-selectable disc write and title-write protection, and quick disc erase. Recorded discs will playback on most DVD players, and the unit itself plays all DVD and audio CDs.

More than just a recording device, however, the DRC8000N is also a first-rate media player, offering MP3 music file decoding and Digital PhotoView, which displays JPEG files (from recordable CDs only) in a rotating slide show format--with MP3 playback during the slide show! A USB input connects to a flash card reader for transferring the digital photos and MP3 files and can decode from flash card without copying to disc for playback and preview.

The recorder also offers progressive-scanning when playing back prerecorded DVDs. Whether your living room is currently home to an HDTV or you're merely thinking of "someday," the DRC8000N is ready to deliver the full potential of prerecorded DVDs. Progressive scanning, called 480p for the number of horizontal lines that compose the video image, creates a picture using twice the scan lines of a conventional DVD picture, giving you higher resolution and sharper images while eliminating nearly all motion artifacts.

The DRC8000N features Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1-channel surround sound passthrough, SRS TruSurround simulated surround sound, and IR (infrared) control for both satellite systems and cable boxes to make sure they're tuned to the right stations when it's time to automatically record your programs.

Connections include one set of component-video outputs, an S-video input and output (one each), composite-video input and output (two in and one out), analog audio in and out (two in and one out), and a pair of digital-audio outputs (one each optical and coaxial).

What's in the Box
DVD player/recorder, remote control, remote batteries, user's manual, stereo analog audio interconnect/composite-video cable, RF cable, RF cable/splitter, S-video cable, and IR blaster with cable.

1 Wish I could get my money back on this one
This model doesn't like to record on +R discs; I stopped using them all together because the machine ruined so many discs by freezing which made the discs useless. When I switched to +RW I had no problem for several months. Now it stops recording for no apparent reason (not the timer or clock). I recently joined Blockbuster on-line and have been playing their new good condition discs on this RCA and it plays fine until you reach the middle of the movie and then it skips scenes and chapters; if you aren't watching closely you might not realize important excerpts of the movie were skipped over - then it freezes (won't move forward or backward either slowly or by chapter) These Blockbuster movies play perfectly on other dvd players. The troubleshooting section of the manual doesn't even address these problems even though I think these are common problems on this model. The library setup is pretty unsophisticated and can only label and list approximately 80 discs - and now that the machine is ready for the trash after one year I am left with 80 discs and no movie log. I wish I would have spent the extra money and bought a better brand recorder.

2 DVD+R No longer works
I have mixed reviews on the RCA DRC8000N. After about two weeks, it completely stopped recording DVD+R discs, though it would play back ones I previously recorded. I used Memorex and Sony. I tried a DVD lens cleaner with no effect. Because I bought the unit refurbished, RCA won't support it. The on-screen also doesn't work with a Dish DVR receiver, but that's minor. Fortunately it does still record on DVD+RW media and I can still get a 25 DVD spindle of them for under $10.00, so it's not a killer. On the bright side, I've recorded a ton of movies from the satellite and even in Normal Mode(4hr) it blows away VHS. Mostly I record in either 2hr or 3hr depending on the length of the movie. I can live with the fan noise. Also I only paid $128 for it and have gotten my money's worth out of it already. If anyone knows how to get this player to record in DVD+R mode again, I'd love to hear from you. It's because of this problem that I have to knock this rating down to a 2 stars.

3 Cant Beat it for the money
I bought this as a refurb for $130 and cant believe I didnt buy one sooner. I have had it about a month with no problem and make a recording probably everyday. The guideplus did not work with digital cable but it has its own guide so not a big deal and the small buttons on the remote could bother some. It records off the premium channels just great. It has a input door on the front which i can hook my computer into. Great for making dvd slideshows of family pictures. I have not had any clock trouble like another reviewer. I have 3 other dvd's players in the house, all play the recordings and quality is great.

4 A Great & Easy DVD Player/Burner
This is a great machine for those of the "plug and play" mindset. I recently purchased a used one here on AMAZON and have been experimenting with it. Here are my impressions:

1. Read the manual first, do not assume you know how it works. Reading first will make the recording process easy, rather than frustrating.

2. DVD recordings off the TV are truly great. Remember to set the quality of the recorded image at "1" which is the best/highest setting.

3. The remote is not laid out the best, but with practice it become easier with use.

4. Buy only QUALITY "name brand" blank DVD+R discs. The generic no name will cause a problem during the recording stage and you'll get an error message. Apparently, you DO get what you pay for. A list a recommended brands is included with the manual.

5. Playing "store bought" DVD's are easy, and with a superb picture.

6. READ the manual...it may look overwhelming at first.
7. Recorded discs play well on other DVD player and your PC. Remember to "FINALIZE" your discs when you finish recording, or else they will not play on other machines. This is normal in the DVD burning process.

8. A steal, especially if can pick one up new/used/refurbished. I paid 129.00. These retailed last year at 435.00.
9. Stock up on brand DVD+R discs as it becomes very addictive to record off the TV.

5 Poor Product, worse customer service
I purchased this item 8 months ago. At first it worked great, and it died two weeks ago. I called RCA for assistance and their customer service was poor. They can not look up product registration and they told me that I would have to use the receipt as the only means of proving when I purchased the item. I have one of the first model year DVD players that still works by Sony, and it still works like a charm. I purchased this item for it's price, just to find out it has an 8 month life expectancy, and RCA won't stand behind their product. I will never purchase RCA again, and encourage many others not to purchase RCA either based on experiance.

6 Great Machine
I purchased this unit a year ago. It has performed great. I have dubbed VHS tapes to DVD and they come out better than the original. My only complaint is that when I erase a DVD-RW disc the system erases then says please wait,but nothing happens. It never finishes what it is doing, and it locks up everything. The only way to get it to unlock is to unplug the unit and plug it back in ! I don't know if it's something with my machine or a defect in the model.

7 Excellent DVD recorder..best value for the price
I've used several different makes and models of DVD recorders, and this is one of the best!

First off, the person who said you can't play DVDs made with these on other players is VERY mistaken. The DVD+R and erasable DVD+RW formats will play on the vast majority of DVD players with no problems. Players older than 3 years may not be compatible, but this is minor. 99% of players on the market today will play DVD+R and DVD+RW so compatibility is not an issue.

The machine records in DVD+R and DVD+RW formats but can also play back DVD-R and DVD-RW, as well as VCD and SVCD and of course CDs.

Recordings look quite good, especially at the 1 or 2 hour speeds. The 8 hour picture isn't much good for anything except maybe timeshifting daytime soaps, but since discs are dropping in price so quickly most people will use the better quality modes for keepsake material anyway.

The menu system could use some improvement/streamlining but it isn't hard to use once you figure it out.

For the price, this is the best DVD recorder I've encountered.

8 A Great DVD Recorder
I bought my RCA DCR8000N DVD Recorder about 5 months ago and I love it. The unit records on DVD+R and DVD+RW. It plays DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, VCD, S-VCD, Audio CD containing MP3 and JPEG. There are few DVD recorders that can recognize and play back that many formats.

The no fee Guide Plus comes in handy. You simply highlight a program you want to record, press a button and the recorder does the rest. No more setting the date and time to record.

I recommend copying your home movies onto DVD+RW. Then if you make a mistake, you can delete that section and record over it. The DVD+RW•À?s do not have to be formatted to be played in most other DVD players.

The recorded disks from this unit play back on my other RCA DVD player, but not on my 3 year old DVD player.

There are 6 different recording speeds which are: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 hour. I have a 52 inch widescreen TV and have found the recorded picture quality very good even at 6 hour speed. The 8 hour speed is about equal to a VHS tape recording. Obviously, the quality is better at a shorter recording time of 1 or 2 hours. I have recorded on Sony and Verbatim blank disks without any problems.

I would like to respond to several complaints I have read about the unit locking up. It can take a few seconds, to a few minutes to complete a task. For example when you rename a disk or title, or delete a title, or erase a DVD+RW, it will take several seconds to complete those actions. When you finalize a DVD+R, this is what will take place: The TV screen will tell you to Please Wait. After about 1 or 2 minutes it will go into the Screen Saver. When it is finished, the menu will come back up on the TV screen. The whole process may take 3 to 5 minutes. In the mean time, the unit will not respond to any input buttons you press. The unit can not multitask and must be given time to complete a task.

I have also read complaints about the fan that stays on 24/7, even with the unit off. I have not had a problem with this. The fan noise is equal to, or less than, a desktop computer fan. If your air conditioner is not running and there are no other fans on and it is totally quiet in your home, then you might hear the fan on the recorder, however, this should not be a problem under normal circumstances for most people.

This is a great recorder and I highly recommend it.

9 Does Everything Well
I have been using the DRC8000N to convert my VCR tapes to DVD. It works well, the quality is a good as can be expected from old tapes. I have recorded some things off TV as well. The guide + system makes scheduling a snap.

To the reviewer who can only play their DVD's on this recorder. Did you read the section in the manual on finalizing the DVD. If you don't finalize the DVD then you can't play it on another player. I have finalized my DVD+R's and have had no problems playing them on any of the DVD players I have access to.

Overall this unit is great. It does everything it is suppose to do well. There are no quality problems that I have encountered.

10 This is not a good buy, I suggest buying 49 dvd movies inste
I got one for Christmas, it recorded great and all. But, we have come to find out that you CAN OMLY PLAY YOUR RECORDINGS on THIS DVD player.

Well, that's just stupid and a waste of money. I could buy 49 dvd movies for what was paid for this machine and I could watch them on any dvd player.

I'm switching back over to recording on the VCR, because it's much more versatile. My freind works evenings, so I record survivor, then we got together on the weekends and watch it. NOT ON THE DVD anymore, I will take a tape next time!!!!!

I'm completely disgusted with this and I am trying to make RCA give my freind a refund. In my opinion, THEY RIPPED HER OFF!!!!!!!!!!

11 So far..............so good.
I have owned the DRC800N now for 4 days. I have used the timer record successfully 3 times. Any familiarity you have with
VCRs and/or DVD players will be helpful in the operation of this unit, but having said that.........it's not rocket science.
The improvement of video quality alone when recording broadcast TV is nice, but like most people my main reason for this purchase was to put treasured family videos onto DVD. I'll
be starting that project soon.
In the course of researching this unit, you may come across a
dissenting opinion about the unit being noisy due to a small cooling fan on the back. Yes it is on constantly, and yes you can hear it. My furnace makes noise too.

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