Goodmans GDVD305DVBT Freeview DVD recorder
algenon_iii
Posts: 385 Forum Member
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Anyone know anything about this Freeview compatible DVD recorder now available at Agros?
http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=3801&productId=148928&Trail=C%24cip%3D28956.Sound%2Band%2Bvision%3EC%24cip%3D29025.Digital%2BTV%2Band%2BFreeview%3EC%24Brand%3DGoodmans.Goodmans&categoryId=29025&clickfrom=name
Basically is it a Vestel box, is it dual tuner (as unlike the pvr it mentions nothing about tuners) and how good is it in weakish signal areas?
http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=3801&productId=148928&Trail=C%24cip%3D28956.Sound%2Band%2Bvision%3EC%24cip%3D29025.Digital%2BTV%2Band%2BFreeview%3EC%24Brand%3DGoodmans.Goodmans&categoryId=29025&clickfrom=name
Basically is it a Vestel box, is it dual tuner (as unlike the pvr it mentions nothing about tuners) and how good is it in weakish signal areas?
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Comments
Given a choice today this has to be the number 1 DVD recorder buy.
I wonder who makes the recorder part. Vestel make a superb Goodmans freeview part.
LOL!!! have u seen the Sony and Panasonic offerings!?! the Goodmans is probably OK if you don't care about quality!!!
Given the utterly superb reliability of my Alba badged Vestel box (also available as a Goodmans badged product) in comparison to offerings from "major" brands, i think you might want to reserve judgment on this item until you've seen it or used it. The Sony DVD recorder with Freeview is awash with bugs and annoyances. Just because an item's cheap and cheerful doesn't always guarantee it'll be poor.
Patrick
LOL! Odd I haven't seen them after owning one for 12 months! A comforting little tale to reassure yourself that you haven't just brought a pile of sh**!
It just happens that many Sony owners are also the most supportive/sensitive.
I don't own any kind of Freeview DVD recorder - I was just saying don't judge without experience. If these forums are to be believed the Sony issues are well documented.
Oh and it's "bought". :-)
P.
Bet your dad or grandad was talking like that 30 years ago about give me BSR, garrard, PYE over Sony and all that other "cheap jap cr*p".
The reputation Alba, Goodmans, <insert cheap brand here> have now is probably similar to the reputation Sony et al had back in the 70's.
I've got a GDB3 and 4 and find them to be very good boxes for the money I paid - very good in weak signal areas. A friends opinion of Goodmans/Alba has changed dramitcally since he got a GDB3 - has gone from hating them to having respect for them!
Finally, if everyone had to pay £80+ for Sonys and the like Freeview uptake wouldn't be anywhere near as high as it is now where you can get freeview boxes for £30. Think about it a box for the main TV and the 2 TVs the kids have for about the same as one sony box.
I know I won't change your opinion, but you have to accept that for a lot of people these cheapo boxes do a perfectly good job, as they say - "does exactly what it says on the tin".
I think Sony stuff is overpriced ,companys like Goodmans make it possibile for people to get electronic equipment that outher wise thay could not aford.
It reminds me of AMSTRAD every one used to slag it off cheep make etc, I had AMSTRAD computers and a Video 8 camcorder which was excelent also my first satilite receiver SRD450 ?
Perhaps Alan Sugar should bring out an AMSTRAD box
For someone with a wife who is keen to reduce the number of boxes under the TV this does seem like an OK bit of kit, as long as it doesn't totally suck or has a pants control system.
CHawke
Certainly not in my area.
Alba rebrand goods under many different names - but none of the goods themselves are even made by Alba, just a selection of assorted no-name manufacturers around the world. One such manufacturer being the Turkish Vestel, purveyors of a range of DTT receivers in assorted shapes and colours.
While much has been written about how good the basic Vestel DTT box (aka Goodmans GDB3, Digilogic, Bush, etc) now is, it was not always so. When it was first released, the GDB2 as it was then known was an absolute disaster - veterans of the DTT forum will remember the long running update campaign thread, which literally went on for years, and eventually - after many months of promises, gradual progress, injections of brand new bugs, and dedicated beta testing by posters here, resulted in a box that actually did what it was supposed to.
Now, of course this DVD recorder may be perfect. But, it may be a big enough leap forward from that original box to warrant a whole new software and - dare I say it - a whole new world of pain for its early purchasers. Only time will tell...
I have seen the product in the Argos catalogue and it is tempting at the price, but even £149.99 is a lot of money if it is no good at all.
BTW, I'm looking to transfer my VHS and VHS-C collection to DVD and also be able to record from Freeview.
I have seen the product in the Argos catalogue and it is tempting at the price, but even £149.99 is a lot of money if it is no good at all.
BTW, I'm looking to transfer my VHS and VHS-C collection to DVD and also be able to record from Freeview. Long term I may consider the Topfield as the solution to off-air recording.
Update...........now available to order, for store pickup, from Weds 24 August
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000ATD8CS
Those that are interested might want to check locally.
# Simple one touch digital set-up
# Full digital Text
# Full 7-day EPG & now/ next
# Dolby digital 2 channel audio output
# DVD+R, +RW recording format
# Up to 6 hours recording per disc
# 8 event timer
# 1 touch recording using 7 day EPG
# Plays DVD (inc. +/ -R, +/ -RW), CD (inc. CDR), JPEG & Kodak picture CD
# Chapter skip/ search & repeat (1/ all/ a-b)
# Multi-chapter/ track programmable
# Zoom and slow motion/ step function
# High tolerance to damaged/ scratched discs
# Subtitle support
# 2 x SCART sockets
# Audio outputs: RCA, optical, SCART, coaxial
# Video outputs: S-video, SCART, composite
# Inputs: SCART, RCA (front), S-video (front)
# NTSC/ PAL auto detection
Specifications here
http://www.goodmans.co.uk/DVD/GDVD305DVBT.htm#
Goodmans seem to have pulled the link from the home page though.
Click on the specifications button to get some details
Set up for dvb almost instantly .
EPG is different to what Im accustomed to but i got it figured out quite quickly.A downside for some - it has no TUTV capability.
Navigated to BBC3 and pressed record (using a cheap PC-line DVD+RW ) recorded nicely in both 'high' and 'best' quality - I couldnt tell the difference on these using a telly to view. The recordings are displayed as thumbnails and the disk and the titles can be renamed if not yet finalized. It has the standard quality modes giving 1,2,4,6 hrs /DVD recording. Timer Recordings can be set to Manual Timer or can be set via EPG (didnt test this - but its in the manual)
It has a scart input on theback to record from any scart source and has RCA connectors in front with s-video as well
As a DVD player its not bad either with the six outputs for AC3 (proper sound)on the back and coax and optical outputs for those with DTS recievers.
Its not a PVR that can pause LiveTV and you need a seperate STB to watch another digital channel while recording (you can also watch analogue on your telly of course)
Think I might be buying one of these - does everything I want it to
RGB input and throughput in standby??
Some of the info in Argos catalogue infers it has an analogue tuner too-this is not the case?
Also on AV forums it's been speculated that this cheap +RW recorder merely has a D/A converter from tuner to a A/V converter for DVD recording. The more expensive recorders(eg Sony/Panasonic convert the digital DVB signal to DVD Video)
Recording large items such from external pvr via scart.
Record freeview direct from aerial.
Record from camcorder via front RCA connections.
Record from existing VHS via scart.
The only things that so far I am not so sure about is....
DVD-RW recording.
Does the unit have an aerial loopthrough socket (like VHS).
Is it reliable?
Noise levels during standby - this unit would be going in a bedroom.
Dave
1. Didnt have enough time to test EPG recording
2.Single Digital tuner only - analogue sources recorded Via Scart or RCA sockets
3 It is a dvd recorder to which a freeview reciever has been added - think of it as two seperate boxes. It certainly has Analogue to digital video (MPEG)convertor
Dave