Has anyone got a Philips DVDR7300H ?

What's it like re: reliability/faults/playing of dvds etc etc ??

Is it much different to the HDRW720 ?

Any idea who is selling them ? I can't find one anywhere.

I don't think they're actually out yet.

Supposed to be in the shops mid-end November. Empire Direct have it marked up at £349.40 and availability as due soon.

DVD recorder with built-in 250GB hard drive
HDMI out for digital high-definition video and digital audio
Video Upscaling for improved resolution of up to 1080i lines
Record more than 400 hrs of TV on a 250 GB hard disk
FlexTime: watch the beginning while you record the end
Pause Live TV pauses and resumes live TV as it suits you
Instant Replay: relive a live TV moment
GUIDE Plus+ with keyword-based programming
High-speed archiving from HDD to DVD
I.Link enables perfect digital camcorder copies
Infrared control for recording from set top box
Records on DVD+R/+RW and DVD-R/-RW discs
Movies: DVD, DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW, (S)VCD playback
Photos: Picture CD (JPEG) playback
Music: CD, CD-R/RW and MP3-CD playback
Colour: Silver

Sounds pretty good just a pity they are sticking with Guide Plus rather than having a freeview tuner built in.

Just thought i'd add that it also records dual-layer (+R and -R)

EDIT: also add that P/Tyson are listing at same price:

http://www.petertyson.co.uk/philipsdvdr7300h.shtml

say due December:

Comet say the've had some & due for some more in weeks albeit £400

Ah, but that's good for people who want to plug a Sky box in - Guide+ carries satellite programmes too.

New 9000 has both + 5.1 recording - dunno how much yet

I have a question (I have already reported it to Philips as a request for new feature).

Why do they support only CD for mp3 playing? Wouldn't it be possible to read data DVD with mp3 files?
To me it sounds as a trivial firmware update..

it's just more software - i dont think philips are on there own here - i dont know of many machines that support .mp3 on DVDR - but a feature obviously anyone would want

Philips 720 doesn't even support .jpeg and even the new models dont support .wma which is quite popular format now - the moment they do, we will be asking "why dont they support .wma on DVDR"

but as you can see - the list goes oooooooooooooooooon and oooon and they will stop wherever they think they can

I have just received an e-mail from Philips which invites me to run to run to my dearest dealer. so these new PVRs are out at last. I have seen one review which states that they offer infrared control of a separate set box, enabling owners of Freeview or Sky boxes to easily control and record from the respective platforms.

Would someone please enlighten me on this. I only have a Freeview box, and I thought the whole idea of getting a PVR is to replace it. According to the EmpireDirect website the 7300H has a inbuilt tuner, which presumably copes with Freeview. Sorry I am so ignorant. I look forward to some guidance on this matter.

gregory

The 7300H has an analogue tuner built in ... you still need your Freeview box

Does anyone know who has them in stock ?

Empire are still saying "Due Soon" and PeterTyson.co.uk told me they were expecting stock "mid December"

It's an older and deliberate restriction from Philips to limit the number of .mp3 files that get distributed around.

How effective this is, is anyone's guess, but it's unlikely they'll address it as a firmware update.

Comet have some @ £399

Hello

I can't see it on the comet website, how do you know they have some, have you seen them in-store?

Also, does anybody have any idea if it will be possible to get this model modified to play other region DVDs? I know it is hard to say for sure, but is this usually relatively easy these days?

Another question - what are people's thoughts on the included upscaling technology - will this operate on both playing recordings and 'live' TV played through the recorder? ie. will this turn a normal Sky box signal into a HDMI signal?

Upscaling DVDs to play them seems to be the current method of choice for feeding HD TVs with HD content. But with this Philips recorder, this possibly enables HD upscaling on signals like the output from standard Sky boxes. Or am I missing something here...?

I notice they have gone from the web site now - They were listed as sold out with more arriving soon


Like you say - most can be made region free from remote hack but i wouldn't buy one on the strength of that until someone actually posts the hack


Upscaling is similar technology to pixel+ - just increases the resolution to HD - if it's as effective as Pixel+ then it will make quite an improvment on picture clarity

I see absolutely no reason it wouldn't work on Live TV as well as recording since they're both processed the same way


.

Just to clear up a few "facts" concerning the availability of the 7300...

I've now had one on order since 4th November with Empire Direct. Foolishly I then paid for it in full at the beginning of December, hoping they would be able to ship "within a week or two" as they quoted me...

Still no news, I contact Philips direct and they tell me they are NOT releasing the 7300 in the UK until the end of December.

So, any websites/shops claiming to have sold a 7300 are telling porkies.

Me, still agrieved (to put it loosely) that ED took my cash knowing fair well the product wouldn't be available til the end of the year!

I've since gone out and bought a 3300 from Argos yesterday, not that impressed with it, will be returned within their 16 day no quibble money back guarantee because if for nothing else, the 3300 doesn't have component outputs. Hopefully within this time, my 7300 should've arrived!
Last edited by jaspinall : 19-12-2005 at 11:16

Can't remember where, but I think I read on another forum that someone had heard it isn't out until end of January!

i also contacted Philips, and they told me they'd be available at the end of December. They said the delay was caused by some "distribution problems" ?!?

My reply sent to me on the 8th December:

Dear Mr Aspinall

Thank you for your recent e-mail.

With regards to your query we can advise that the DVDR7300H will be
released towards the end of December.

We trust that the information provided will be of assistance.

Should you require any further information please contact our Customer
Care Centre (details below) quoting customer reference number
50-65831537

Kind regards,


Philips Customer Care

----------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------

So:

Early, then late October,
Early, then late November,
Now late December.

I too saw the post that Rach2k referred to, allegedly from Philips Customer Service. It indeed gave the release date as sometime in January.

My money's on 'Jam tomorrow' being the prevailing story.

BTW anyone else noticed the 9000H has gone from the UK page of the Philips website?

And of course there are never any distribution problems towards the end of December are there boys and girls..... Ha ha

So after ending the 720, Philips have no top end, Guideplus recorder over Xmas 2005 . Something went well pear shaped there me thinks.

Well... rather disgrunted I've just got off the phone to Empire Direct. The tellytubby I spoke to claims someone in their sales dept. have spoken to Philips today (as if!!) and Philips have moved the goal posts back again.

Now expecting stocks early new year

Ha! Empire Direct are now advertising it at a Sale price of £334.84, but still 'Due Soon'... With an 'aftersale' price of £449.99 when it will probably be in stock.

I've done a bit of investigation into getting one of these. Empire Direct are still saying '2-3 weeks' but I called 3 stores in London's Tottenham Court Road and they all say there are no UK stocks and that Philips aren't giving a date for availability. They reckon in the next month or so, which hopefully will be the case. I reckon check on Amazon, they'll be as quick off the mark as anyone when they're delivered into the UK.

Amazon says the item is no longer available or has been discontinued please choose from an alternative product.

i spoke to john lewis and they said that the model was on their stock list for deletion!!!!! i told the person that the model hasnt even been released yet, they said that it could be a mistake. i hope so!