Hi, I've heard about this VCR and just wanted to know if it's got the standard VCR specs as well as a FREEVIEW decoder, such as

1) Aerial In and Aerial Out - so the same aerial connection can be shared between the VCR and TV by connecting the aerial through the VCR and to the TV

2) How many SCART sockets it's got (one In and one Out)

3) Has it got the Red & White Phono's at the back, so I can connect it to my Surround Sound Decoder to get Dolby Pro Logic 2?

4) Some sort of tape library system with programme names?

Does anyone know?

Thanks, any help appreciated.
Last edited by Seven : 31-08-2004 at 00:58

If you carry out a search using your title.......Daewoo FREEVIEW VCR
you will find numerous posts about this item, it has been covered many times in the DTT part of the Forum.

I sense hostility... I had looked in the PVR section, as it is a Personal Video Recorder (not a Digital one I know, but technically digital ones are DVRs).

Anyways, I tried it, found it, but it's not useful enough.
Last edited by Seven : 31-08-2004 at 01:50

The machine you refer to is the Daewoo SV-900 Freeview VCR. I've been using one for some months now and I'm very pleased with it.

There's an RF in and an RF out socket so you can pass analogue transmissions to the TV.

There are 2 SCARTS in the back, the in\out SCART can handle RGB for output of the Freeview channels and as a pass through for the 2nd SCART. There's also composite inputs on the front. and there's a phono (ie red & white) stereo out at the back.

The Freeview tuner is a sSetPal and is very good but the VCR side is quite basic. There's no tape library or any similar features but the recorded Freeview channels do look good on play back even though they are composite only.

It's a good machine and I still use it even though I've a Humax PVR-8000 as I can record on to tape and use the tape in the 2nd room.

Dunedin

So Dunedin, what's the sound quality like compared to Nicam Stereo (normal stereo) recording on a 'normal/standard' VCR? I've heard the Daewoo SV900 records in 'Hi-Fi Stereo'.

Do you know if it records in this 'Hi-Fi Stereo' sound format or is this the also the OUTPUT from the built-in tuner when using the Daewoo to just VIEW Freeview channels? Or do the Phono's on the back out put better quality (Nicam Stereo) sound?

I've read that Nicam stereo sound using a normal VCR is much better than Hi-Fi Stereo so I'm a little apprehensive about buying it.

Has it got RGB pass-through? I want to connect my DVD player (it let's me make back-ups) through it.

You are confusing NICAM and Hi-Fi Stereo.

NICAM is the digital audio broadcast with analogue transmissions.
MPEG 2 is the digital audio broadcast with digital transmissions.
Hi-Fi Stereo is the recording format for (most) NICAM VCR's they also along with all other mono VCR's also record linear mono (non Hi-Fi sound).

Also some early non NICAM stereo VCR's recorded Hi-Fi sound and a few early stereo machines also recorded linear stereo (again non Hi-Fi sound).

The Daewoo Freeview VCR will record MPEG sound in Hi-Fi so it will be good quality sound on playback from itself or on another Hi-Fi Stereo VCR when connected to a suitable TV or Hi-Fi system.

More here on the VCR:

http://www.talbot.org/homecinema/setpal/idvcr/

I am not confusing Nicam with Hi-Fi Stereo Fred. If you read my post properly, instead of glancing at it you would have realised that.
To quote myself:


I'm asking for a comparison of the Hi-Fi Stereo sound of the Daewoo Freeview VCR, with Nicam Stereo on a normal/standard VCR. It doesn't take a genius to work out that by 'normal/standard' VCR I mean an Analogue VCR. So I DO know that Analogue TV is broadcast in Nicam.

I am trying to find the diiferences between Nicam Stereo and Hi-Fi Stereo in terms of which one sounds better and whether there's a difference big enough to warrant me to reconsider buying the Daewoo and opt for a standard VCR.

My JVC VCR (in living room) gives me options to play back in Nicam Stereo, Hi-Fi Stereo and Hi-Fi quality, and I've noticed that Nicam Stereo sounds best.

So, the question is whether the Hi-Fi Stereo on the Daewoo Freeview Digital VCR is on par with Nicam Stereo on 'normal/standard/Nicam/Analogue' VCR's.

Couple of other questions aswell actually.

1) To repeat one of my previous questions, has the Daewoo got RGB pass-through via it's two SCART's?

Thanks for the link Fred, it answered a question I was about to ask about whether it has an Index Search function or not. It does.

As I said you are confusing NICAM with Hi-Fi Stereo!

NICAM is a broadcast format.
Hi-Fi Stereo is a recording and playback format.

All I can say about the recorded audio is that it's very good. I believe the rear SCART in is RGB but I haven't used it myself. Remember that you'll only get a composite video signal when recording anyway.

Dunedin

Get your head out of your ar*e. At no point did I indicate that I thought Hi-Fi stereo is a braodcast format.

Again, read my posts instead of glancing at it. I quote myself again:

That's PLAY BACK, NOT Broadcast. My JVC VCR gives the option to PLAY BACK in either NICAM Stereo, Hi-Fi Stereo, or Hi-Fi.
What did you get for GCSE English? Or are you still in Primary School? That'd explain it. Sorry if I'm being harsh but you're annoying me.

And Dunedin, I want pass my DVD Player through the Daewoo cos I have only 1 SCART on my TV, that's why I need RGB Pass-through. I know that VCR's record in composite.

I know video cassettes aren't designed for it, but Is there a technical reason why analog systems wouldn't be able to handle RGB? Or is it that there's too much 'info' for an analog system to handle?

3 more q's Dundin:

1) How is the Daewoo managing with the 7-day EPG? Can you set recordings from it?

2) Can you re-assign channel numbers, for e.g. change FTN from channel 20 to channel 17 like on a Pace DTVA?

3) I hear that the tape counter can only be accessed via the TV screen and not on the display of the unit. Can you confirm this?

Cheers mate, you're a star!

Reported to mods!

I don't think I was out of line, so I'm not sure how the mods will react. You repeatedly accused me of being confused, which gets annoying and is not very helpful in answering my q's. In fact it gets in the way. I'll report you too then.

PLEASE READ THE WHOLE THREAD BEFORE YOU MAKE A DECISION MODS. Thanks, I trust your judgement Mods.

1) How is the Daewoo managing with the 7-day EPG? Can you set recordings from it?

2) Can you re-assign channel numbers, for e.g. change FTN from channel 20 to channel 17 like on a Pace DTVA?

3) I hear that the tape counter can only be accessed via the TV screen and not on the display of the unit. Can you confirm this?QUOTE]

1
I don't use it , I manually program the timer.

2
I don't know as I've never tried.

3
I think that's correct. When the tape is stopped then there's a nice graphical display but when the tape is playing the timer information is quite basic.

Dunedin

Does anyone know whether the SCART Pass-Through still works if the Daewoo is not plugged in? Or does it disappear like the Aerial signal when unplugged?

Cheers.

(Sorry if I'm annoying you guys, but I just wanna be sure before I buy it, as it will be more difficult to return it if I don't like it, cos I'd have to buy via the net.)

Well i don't know for sure of course as i don't own one but i imagine it will go like the aerial signal as i imagine it will need some amount of electricity to send it through the VCR which there won't be if its unplugged. Anyway this shouldn't be a problem as VCRs are generally meant to be left plugged in at all times anyway or you lose the clock and then wouldn't be able to do timed recordings.

Anyway to me it looks like quite a decent set if it comes out at £150 or less i would say it would make a decent buy

I just wanted to know how the pass-through system works really, I don't intend to leave the VCR unplugged!
Every now and again I may unplug stuff to plug in something else, like a laptop. I needed to know if this may or may not cause probs to avoid possible confusion in the future as to why my DVD Player's signal is not reaching my TV or something for example.

Plus, I'm curious cos I myself don't own any equipment as of yet that allows SCART pass-through.

One important question:
I know there's 1 SCART Output and 1 SCART Input.
Is the SCART Output also INPUT?
That's how it is on my 1-SCART VCR and the JVC 2-SCART VCR in the living room.

Cheers guys!
Last edited by Seven : 10-09-2004 at 02:21