Cyberhome CH-DVR1600 DVD Recorder
By: Cyberhome Average Rating: 2.0 Total Reviews: 65
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 On: 2008-06-20
This company was busted for copyright infringement. It is now out of business. You can not get these things repaired!
Mine worked fine for about a year. Then it refused to recognize disks. Still plays DVDs but impossible to record. Will not format disks.
No way to have it repaired. Was a total waste of money!
On: 2007-10-28
I was looking forward to using this recorder after I received it for Christmas and indeed started transfering some VHS tapes to DVD. From the beginning this machine gave me trouble. It would stop and freeze up when it was trying to format a new disc for recording at 98% complete and would not respond to anything, so I had to pull the power cord to reset it. A few times I had recorded a program and when I go to finalize the DVD, it had some error and did not record. Also after about 7 months (I hadnt used it that much), It started making a loud humming noise while it was pluged in but not being used. I had to start unplugging it! Now, a couple days ago, I went to record a program and it would not even format a new disc. I tried 3 different discs (of good quality) and the stupid thing could not get past 98% complete. Im glad I didnt spend my money on it, but unfortunately a family member did. My advice: Buy a name brand thats been around awhile, like sony etc. Sorry:(
On: 2007-03-13
I dont normally write such negative reviews of electronics, because I understand sometimes you can just get a lemon. Sometimes, someone at the plant has a bad day and puts together a bad machine. Stuff happens. Nobodys perfect. BUT this machine is nothing but a SCAM, a PURPOSEFUL RIP-OFF sure to sour anyone interested in creating their own DVD library.
Save your money up for something better--Amazons got LOTS of better machines for $[...] to $[...] more. You know the old saying "dont buy the cheapest tool and dont buy the most expensive one either"? (Okay, so maybe it was just MY Dad that said that). Well, this piece of junk is a perfect example. Sorry to say so! Im ready to put mine in the trash.
On: 2007-02-14
This thing was a hundred dollars worth of a headache. DVD-R formatting was always an issue, with the crash at 98% completion that others experienced. Recording wasnt reliable. I ended up using it just as a DVD player, but even that degraded over time. Now itll play maybe about half the discs I try.
Junk, utter junk. And zero recourse: Cyberhome went out of business last year.
On: 2006-12-29
The unit stopped reading DVDs and started making a loud humming sound after only a few months. It is absolutely useless and there is no customer support whatsoever, even after repeatidly trying to contact them.
On: 2006-12-11
Worked for a short while, then stopped recognizing any DVDs. may have something to do with illegal production methods and seizure ny california authoities in June of 2006. No customer support available.
On: 2006-11-28
unit broke after 6 months. NO apparent support from overseas manufacturer. Research shows that almost all other purchasers of this unit have said it broke anywhere from a few days to several months. Spend a few extra $$ and buy a better unit.
On: 2006-11-26
its very glitchy and i have yet to make an entire recording without having a problem.also the picture is poor,i guess you get what you pay for.
 On: 2006-09-05
I have given it two stars only because of the Cyberhome customer service. Actually, there is no customer service. Here is their message on 888 customer service number:
"Thank you for calling the Cyberhome Entertainment service center. If you have any questions regarding the operation of your product, we have an extensinve knowlegde base to support you at www dot cyberhome dot com slash service. Our phone and e-mail support is currently not available."
No comments!
I did not find the answer to my question at this WEB site.
There is no way you can post your questions on this WEB site.
There is no way you can get an RMA at this WEB site.
Otherwise almost all functions worked properly for me, except for playing back the recorded DVDs on the computer. There was no sound. I can perfectly watch any other DVDs on the same PC, but not the ones recorded with Cyberhome DVR 1600 MU1. I am going to return this DVR back to the store.
Good luck!
On: 2006-08-21
Had the same as many others:
- very picky about DVD-RW-brands and unreliable (one time everything works, next time no recording at all)
- freezes often during recording
- after a few month did not even recognized CDs
- no service from CyberHome at all.
Dont buy it!
I would give it negative stars!
 On: 2006-07-27
This CyberHome DVD Recorder(DVR1600), has become a piece of equipment that has really given me my moneys worth(actually my sons money, as this was a gift).Back before there was DVD, I was the mad taper. I was taping movies from Turner Classics, HBO, Cinemax, etc. I also bought many new ones, especially when I could find a VHS in the original theatrical specs(widescreen). Later, when I saw the wonderfulness of the DVD, I started buying them and upgrading VHS that I really loved.
So I kept having to add shelfspace. My cinema library was becoming competition for Blockbuster(only I think mine is better). I had to start cataloging the films. Now along comes DVD recorders. Of course it took a couple of years, but the price finally became reasonable. My son decided it was time for me to have a new toy and step into the 21st century. So let me first say..Thanks Matt..Im having a great time with my recorder.
For my purposes,to make my personal video library more compact, the CyberHome DVR 1600 is a pretty good item. It took me a few attempts to get it hooked up properly. But eventually the light bulb when on, and I got it. The instruction booklet came with a quick setup guide, and also has a detailed instruction book for all functions, in both English and Spanish. All connections have pretty clear diagrams of what to plug in where, depending on what device or source you will be using to make copies.Connect to your TV, using S-video(You may need to purchase a special connection wire for this) or Prog.Scan, or to your DVD player. My DVD player is a combo unit with a VHS player as well, and I connected to that for video, and my receiver for sound. The first thing I tried was just playing a regular DVD on the recorder. it looked and sounded crystal clear. I already liked that part.
Copying my VHS to DVD-R took a little getting used to the menu and the remote, and at first was a little frustrating. But after I copied about 1/2 dozen I got the hang of it and quit talking to myself. There are several steps before you press record. First depending on your hook-up, make sure you are on the channel or input on your TV that the video of the DVD recorder is coming through. In my case I usually use CH 4, but with this I have to switch to the "input" button on my TV remote. After formatting the disc(very easy, load a new disc and it will ask you if you want to format, just press okay, it does the rest), you will go to set-up on the remote and decide what quality you want. You can set up for anywhere for an hour in HQ (High Quality) to SLP(Super Long Play), which is not as good as VHS. There are also SP(2hr) LP(3hr) and EP(4hr). So if you wanted to tape Gone With The Wind, and have it all on one disc, you would have to go with the 4 hour mode, which is not exactly DVD quality. I played back a few of the DVDs I recorded, in the various modes. The video quality is pretty much as stated in the book ranging from Highest to Lowest. Also, dont forget the sound. I found that was also effected by the mode I used. The longer I set up for, the music started to drag, like I had a record on the wrong speed. I first noticed it on the 3 hour mode. So that is something to consider. You can always go with 2 discs, especially if you are recording a musical. Lastly before you hit that record button, make sure you have entered the correct "source" set-up. This will depend on what connection you have used. The recorder will always default to one source, so you have to do this with each recording. For my hookup the source is Video-1.Check the book under the "making a recording" section, if youare not sure which source you are using. Once you have gone through the sources on the screen with you arrow buttons on the remote, press "enter" to lock in the one you are using. The menu screnn should disappear at that point, and you are ready make the transfer. Start the VHS with its remote, then hit record on the recorder remote. VOILA! It will let you know(usually at the beginning) if your source(tape) is copy protected.
Other nice features include the ability to make chapter markers and add titles. If you go to Edit before you start recording, it will show you how much time you have left on the disc in each mode.You can also finalize the disc in the Edit Menu.
Not all studio tapes can be recorded. I had several that let me know right away that the tape was protected, and some didnt let me know till 30 minutes in. This was frustrating. On some of the very old tapes, I noticed that sometimes that the picture would jump or shake. This would only happen when I had the DVD recorder on. So I guess it depends on how annoyed you will be with that, as to whether you want to keep the original VHS.
There are many other uses and features including,pre-set taping from TV, Camcorders, and MP3 playback. I am only using this for making more room on my shelves, and for that purpose its great. I cannot report on the other features, but there are many other reviews here, where the different uses are rated.
Amazon is out of stock at this time, but if interested, put it on your wish list or in your cart, and watch for a reasonable price. At just under 100 from the outside sellers right now, I think may be a little higher then Amazon had it listed. You might also want to shop around and compare prices and reviews.
Ive got close to 20 recorded so far. The more I use it, the more I learn the different features. Im donating my Vhs to the library, and already I can see a difference in my shelf space, with just those(some films were long and used 2 tapes).
Okay, time for my next film, itll be just me and Clint!
Thanx....Laurie
On: 2006-07-15
You get what you pay for. When I first got the unit...it had minor digtal blips where the picture would freeze for a second then continue...I thought it was the DVR but it also did this when the video games were being played throught the front av imputs. I decided to keep it any way. I had the same problem as everyone else as far as recording dics goes...it would only play the most expensive disc. 3 months later I got up one morning and turned it on...DOA. Took it back to Target...good ridance.
Dont bother with the sister product True-Tech either.
On: 2006-07-15
I bought this for my dad just before Fathers Day from Best Buy because he wants to preserve his years of Hi-8 footage to DVD. I bought it because I happened to see it then in the store, Best Buy is a reputable place, it was on sale, and my retired electrical engineer dad always said that if electronics will go bad it will go bad in the first 24 hours of heavy use.
Unfortunately, he didnt try it until he got back from a 3 week vacation. When he tried it, the remote control did not work. Changing batteries didnt help and he checked the battery with a volt meter. Unfortunately I discovered this 2 days after the 30-day return/exchange store policy was in effect. All the major functions can only be accessed through the remote control so the unit had to be repaired.
I thought Id invoke Cyberhomes 90-day warranty. To take advantage of their warranty you need pre-approval and a shipping number from them. Their website link to tech support does not work, their support email address they advertised bounced my email back saying it was an invalid address, and their toll free number said that their email support and phone support is "not available". I tried back numerous times but was unable to reach a person.
Looking on the internet, other people have this same problem AND the Feds just recently raided one of their warehouses for 2 million dollars of counterfeit merchandise! Google news for "cyberhome raid" and youll find the news stories. This company is NOT reputable and does NOT care about you or their product! Im surprised reputable stores like Best Buy, Amazon, and Walmart still carry this!
Luckily the manager at Best Buy took pity on my predicament and let me buy something else (a name brand with a service warranty!). I was glad to do so even though I paid twice as much.
I never got the Cyberhome unit to fully function so I cant say if the unit breaks after a few months like other reviewers claim. Ive no reason to doubt their claims and I sure wouldnt want to gamble that Ill get the peach among the lemons.
My dad was able to play a DVD successfully, but the unit shakes a great deal (almost as much as a kitchen mixer) while playing a DVD. It also makes a lot of noise as if its going to take off (and crash and burn).
Ive learned my lesson: dont buy unknown, unresearched electronic brands even if its sold by a reputable company! Dont make the same mistake I did unless youre buying it for youself, like gambling, and dont mind losing.
On: 2006-07-10
It worked for the first two months, viewing DVDs. It NEVER recordered pre-timed sessions. At this point I am currently in the market for a REAL DVD Recorder, needless to say I will stick to name brands and have done a few weeks of research. My advice dont but this box of plastic send me the $100 you will feel better.
It is not worth a one star. DONT BUY IT!!!
On: 2006-06-29
I am a bit puzzled by all the "one star" reviews regarding this product-or it is possible I got lucky and purchased that elusive 1 in 50 units that works OK? The Cyberhome DVD recorder is my first, although I am certainly no "newbie" to home recording (2,500 home-taped VHS titles since the mid-80s). I have had my unit for about 6 months now, and so far have archived over 400 (you read it right,FOUR HUNDRED) titles off standard digital cable and more recently, off a DVR.Here is where I can agree with the naysayers: Yes, the unit is a bit picky with some brand name media, particularly Memorex (discs inexplicably stopping in mid-recording, not formatting, etc.). All I can say about that is, "once bitten, twice shy". Dont BUY that brand again if it doesnt work! I have found the Sony and TDK discs work best. I also concur that the remote is ridiculously undersized, with buttons tiny enough to put a carpal-tunnel specialists kid through college. The overall attrition rate (i.e., wasted discs) is about 10% in my experience (remember I have done over 400 recordings!). Lets keep things in perspective-for the average cost of a studio-mastered DVD ($20 for one title), you can record 50 movies; if 5 of those homemade discs tank (for whatever technical reason), who cares- you are still ahead. If you are transferring from archived DVR files, you have the option of putting in a fresh disc and giving it another shot anyway. It is possible that I have had better "luck" because I use the unit exclusively for recording (Many complaints seem to center on playback issues.) For my needs, and especially for the price, the Cyberhome has made me happy!
On: 2006-06-28
Unlike most of the complaints here, my recorder actually worked for a while. The quality is garbage and you will find that most people wont be able to view your disks. The menu system is clunky and difficult to navigate, even after 6 months of learning the paths.
The worst part of this recorder is the complete lack of support. Face it, if you buy this you are on your own if anything should happen. Their Support line tells you that they are down (how can they be "down" for a month?) and the web link for support doubles back on its self.
The fact is that they were first with an inexpensive recorder - so they sold a bunch of them. Now there are better brands at a better price, all available right here. Skip this one and buy a brand recorder from a company that actually support their products. At a few 4.9 pounds, this doesnt even make a good boat anchor.
On: 2006-06-25
Do you want a piece of advice? Dont buy it. It will work for 3 or 4 months, thats it.
On: 2006-06-15
I received this as a gift. I was very excited to have a unit with such capabilities. I immediately bought some CD-Rs and set up the unit to record my favorite Broadcast shows. It worked well for about 4 months. I came home one day to find disk read errors. I always used new disks, so I was frustrated.
I purchased CD-RW(+) disks, but it got worse. I would have formatting errors about 2 out of 3 times. Went back to CD-Rs and had trouble formatting as well. It was like the drive was out of alignment. This sits in a flat place, and only handled to place disks IN and OUT (only used remote, to avoid moving too much).
I sent an email to tech support (on the website), and received two CD-R disks, to upgrade the FRONT END AND BIOS. I did that, and I now cannot even read pre-recorded movies, previously recorded movies, or new disks.
The Tuner works well, and the unit has a lot of capabilities (S-VIDEO, Firewire, Composite, Tuner, Timer, etc). They must have put a cheap drive in the unit. All the other features seem to work.
If you buy this, get it with an extended warranty. The company has pulled their tech support site down, so you have to go to an alternate site, or send to support@cyberhome.com.
I am disappointed, and hope the company will make good on repairing the unit. With a 90 day warranty, and $24.95 for repairs 90 - 1 year, better get the $24.95 ready...or buy another product.
On: 2006-05-16
This was my first DVD recorder purchase (from Best Buy) to copy recordings from my DVR. I purchased this as a low cost transition to the DVD recorder universe hoping to eventually copy old video recordings to DVD. I returned it in 28 days. Heres the skinny:
THE UNIT:
Thin, simple. Appears to get warm/hot after 1 disc burn (1 hr, HQ mode).
THE MENUS:
Very cumbersome. Takes up 3/4 of your screen (I have a 32" too) and not very user friendly. Im a 9-yr techie and I was gritting my teeth on every push of the remote buttons.
DIRECT RECORDING:
[Media: Sony DVD+RW]
First try, not very promising. I had some Sony DVD+RWs handy. Disc error on 5 discs when formatting.
[Media: TDK DVD+RW]
Disc 1 - Recorded an hr of programming (HQ) and it worked. Disc 2 - Recorded another hr (HQ) and worked.
Disc 3 - Disc formatted, and began recording. Failed before the end of the hour.
Discs 4-5 - See Disc 3. Gave up for the day thinking it was just overheated.
Next day, I checked the manual for info.. Nothing. Went to Cyberhome website. Downloaded 3 firmware updates and updated the player as instructed. Tried recording again switched between failing before the end of recording or just would not format the discs.
On website, found out that this player doesnt accept all brands of DVD+RWs (like TDK). Good to know AFTER blowing through 2 different sets of discs.
Media: Sony DVD+RW (purchased new set of discs).
Recordings worked fine after that.. until timer recording.
TIMER RECORDING:
Tried it 3 times, and failed all 3. This was with the working Sony DVD+RWs!
REMOTE CONTROL:
Horrible design. Small remote.. hurt my palm just to grasp it. Buttons were small and layed out in a grid with no obvious grouping by function so it was easy to press wrong buttons. Buttons were spongy and felt like you had to push the button really hard in order for the player to respond.
PLAYBACK:
The very first successful recording... Plays back in the DVD player fine and even played on my computer (using Nero ShowTime) the first time. But not anymore. I did nothing to the disc except store it in a CD wallet in the interim.
OTHER NOTES:
I lost nearly 15 blank DVDs, but the cost is not just in the unusable discs it leaves but also the purchase of the entire spool.
I was ready for a replacement after week 1! I only held onto it for so long to clear up space on my DVR as needed until I replaced it.
Sony was releasing the RDR-GX330 (for $229) a week after I returned the Cyberhome. Its been only a day with the Sony and it not only performed way better, but it showed me what other functionality that the 1600 was lacking.
The Cyberhome box states that on the inside flap of their box, "(paraphrase) before you return the product, to contact their support because there may be a simple fix." Um.. that alone throws up red flags.
I used only DVD+RWs because I was trying to save money by reusing the discs for my desired recordings after testing.
OVERALL:
Do not buy. If youre on a limited budget, try another brand or save up an extra $20 for the next brand up. Youll spend that much anyway on the DVDs youll probabaly have to replace.
On: 2006-05-06
My wife got me one of these for Christmas. I thought it would be decent for fast and easy rough backup of my old VHS tapes and TV shows. The first month it was OK. Made a few bad disks. Takes forever to startup and open tray. Operation could be simplified. OK, its cheap. Picture quality not that great, but no worse than VHS. Constant humming sound when recording using its built-in TV tuner. OK, but its cheap. I put up with all of these because I didnt expect much. Three months in, warranty gone, it started having difficulty reading its own disks. The longer you wait after recording, the worse its odds of reading it back. 4 months in, it started having difficulty even with store-bought DVDs, freezes even on its own menus, automatically skips ahead. Locks up when left alone. Tried installing firmware update and problems got worse. 5 months in and it lights up, but is as useful as a paperweight. Junk. Dirt cheap is pointless if it doesnt even poorly work.
On: 2006-05-03
Picture Quality: No complaints. The 2-hour mode is what you should consider "normal". 2 hours is the maximum you should expect to fit on any single-layer DVD and get good picture quality. The improvement offered by the 1-hour mode is practically invisible; and the higher bit rate used in the 1-hour mode MAY make the finished DVD difficult to play in some other older DVD players. The longer-than-2-hours recording times are offered as a convenience; you will definitely notice a loss of picture quality if you record more than 2 hours on a disc. Thats the way the DVD medium is.
Ease of Use: Disappointing. Choosing an input source requires more keystrokes than it should. Programming a timer recording is fairly easy, but not perfectly intuitive. Naming disc contents was more trouble than I was willing to put up with; if you often text message on your phone you will probably find the interface here similar. Overall, there are too many menus with too many levels, making using this recorder a slow chore.
Disc compatibility: I never had any problem with playing a DVD made in this recorder on any other machine. However, this recorder would not work with every brand of blank discs. It refused to work with Maxell and Fuji discs. It liked TDK, Verbatim, and Tevion.
VCR compatibility: This was the biggest disappointment. I realize that VCRs do not output a very stable signal, but most consumer gear can deal with it and make a decent copy. This recorder could not sync up properly with any of the three VCRs I tried to use with it, resulting in a color shift across the top of the picture on any DVD recording made from a VHS tape. (Note: This has nothing to do with copy protection; this problem occurred on non-copy-protected tapes.)
Features: I really liked the double-speed playback with intelligible sound. Commercial Skip also worked exactly as it should. The players preview feature on the menu page for unfinalized discs was very handy. The auto-chapter-insertion feature was also very nice.
I never had the finalization problem others report. If the recorder was going to reject the disc, it did so at the very beginning during the formatting stage--as I said, it always rejected Maxell and Fuji discs. If it formatted the disc, it would record and finalize perfectly.
Because of the poor usability, lack of compatibility with every brand of blank discs, and mostly because of the poor quality when recording from a VHS source, I have replaced this machine with a Panasonic recorder that so far addresses these areas very well. I would not recommend the Cyberhome recorder to anyone unless price is the single most important consideration.
On: 2006-04-27
Why did I pick up this cyberhome? Well, I didnt want to pay a fortune and I was looking for a firewire hookup. The cyberhome met both requirements. Unfortunately, I mis-judged the reliability (or the lack there of) of the unit. I was able to record a grand total of 4 dvds. After that the unit has ruined every dvd I have attempted to record. What about those 4 dvds? They dont play well in all of my dvd players. It seems there are some extra files output to the dvd which some players can ignore and others cannot. So what is my conclusion? Dont buy the unit.
On: 2006-04-24
If you buy this after reading these reviews you will kick yourself.
Forget one-touch record (only after you select the "yes" in the format dialog box and then press enter and then select source).
Be prepared to throw away the ruined disks. First it recognizes a disk then it doesnt. Cumbersome, confusing, and flawed in its basic design.
Why was this released to the public at any price?
I took mine back to the store. You will, too. Try the mini Lite-On. I got it for the same price and it is working well so far.
On: 2006-04-21
Im giving this item 1 star because Amazon didnt have zero stars. Like everyone else I had the finalize problem after two months of light use. I bought the DVR1600 as a toy for only $89 but was still disappointed due to all its problems. The design is flawed. Many things such as the recording speed should be a separate button on the remote but you have to scroll down three or four windows on the screen to find it. Before the finalize problems it would often record with the audio and video out of sync. Recording at speeds other than HQ or SP are grainier than comparable speeds on a VCR. Before the finalize problems it did a suitable job making timeshift recordings not to be kept permanently. Overall it is much less useful than a VCR. It also ruined my DVD+RW discs so the DVD burner on the PC cant read them either. At least it lasted longer than the HP 530i on my PC.
On: 2006-04-03
I would just like to say that I have had the same problems with finalizing/Unknown disk problem stated by everyone else.
Now, my DVR doesnt recognize ANY disk I put in ("Unknown Disk" or sometimes "No Disk"). So basically I have a DVR that neither plays nor records. Right now I use it to hold the papers down on my desk so I guess it has a use, but $100 is a lot to pay for a paperweight.
CyberHomes first DVR does not have the quality of their DVDs.
I know SOME of you have not had these problems (yet, hehe) but the fact that so many of us are reporting the same problems is NOT coincidental and clearly indicative of a design/manufacturing flaw.
On: 2006-03-27
I bought this unit at Wal-Mart on sale for just $78, and I was sure I had gotten the deal of the century. That opinion was soon to change. Setup was fairly straightforward, and I was able to begin recording after an hour or so of trying to decipher the somewhat confusing manual. The first and second discs I recorded went flawlessly, and played back with beautiful quality. Disc number three was different. After spending about 4 hours transferring and editing an old Sony 2-hour 8mm video tape to a formatted DVD+R disc, I hit the "finalize" key. The unit churned for about 5 minutes, then announced that the disc was "unknown". No amount of effort on my part was successful in resurrecting the disc, so I had lost over 4 hours of effort.
This pattern began to repeat. The unit would record nicely for a disc or two, then suddenly it would destroy the next disc during the finalize operation. After losing about 3 more discs in this manner, I decided at that point to use this unit only as a playback unit, and to buy another DVD recorder for my recording needs.
The very next day, I had some friends over, and decided to show them one of the discs that I had made with this recorder. The disc had been successfully recorded and finalized, and played well. I popped it in the Cyberhome unit, hit "play", and waited. Nothing happened. After a couple of minutes, the unit announced that the disc was "unknown". Say what? I had already played this disc back before, and it was fine. Now, the Cyberhome unit has destroyed yet another disc, even though I pressed the "play" button only.
Since I have misplaced my receipt for this unit, it is now sitting on the workbench in my garage, awaiting my 16 year old son. He enjoys taking apart electronic gadgets and examining them to see how they work. I hope he gets at least $78 worth of enjoyment out of this project.
On: 2006-03-23
Ive had this "DVD Recorder" for about a year. I bought it when my VCR started eating tape. I was able to hook this baby up & use all in about 15 minutes and Ive never used a DVD Recorder before. This worked fine, at first. Then it started malfunctioning. I would record directly from my TV tuner or from a VHS transfer and Id get a variety of error messages. The problem was not user error its this machine. Last night Ive had it. When a person takes their time and energy to record something they hope they can watch in the future only to find that their DVD has turned to garbage its not worth it!!!
Trust me on this. Is it really worth being able to record about 80% of the time?
This machine will stop recording, it will make noise like its recording but thats your first clue its not because when it records it doesnt make that sort of noise.
I called Cyberhome numerous times. During my last call some guy told me hed send me a fix DVD but he didnt. I own a Cyberhome DVD player which works fine. Ill never buy this model DVD Recorder again!
On: 2006-03-23
I own the dvr 1600 and had to send it back to cyberhome 2 times for replacement wiithin half a yr. When my remote quit on me I no longer could use my Dvr 1600 because all of the controls are on the remote not on the player.So without the remote this item is junk. Thank you. by the way I contact Cyberhome to replace the remote and the remote cost 12.95 no problem but shipping and handling was from $9. to $14. that outrageous. what do you think.
 On: 2006-03-20
I must admit I was skeptical when I first saw this DVD recorder offered for less than $90, but I figured it was worth the gamble. I purchased the CH-DVR 1600MU1 in December.
Now after using it almost daily for the past three months, I think it was well worth the money. However, I did find some problems which I will explain later.
First the positives -
The recording quality is great. I usually use the SP mode and can record two one hour TV shows (I am a big Law & Order and CSI fan, and on those nights when I cant watch the broadcast, this unit has worked great!). The LP mode is a bit blockly, but I have used it when I need to record more than two hours. The high quality mode is also nice, but I like to record more than one hour of programming per DVD. The below VHS-like quality of the LP mode has discouraged me from trying the other longer recording modes.
Timer works well - The menu does take some getting used to, but it becomes easy to use once you have spent some time figuring it out. (If you do buy one, be sure to keep the manual next to the remote for the first few weeks.) As other reviewers have pointed out, if you can use TiVo, you should be able to use this product without any problems.
Does a good job with DVD+RW media. After I purchased this unit from Best Buy, my next stop was a Staples store where I bought a 10-pack of Staples branded DVD+RW discs on sale. I have recorded, deleted, reformatted and then recorded some many shows on those discs and they show no signs of failing soon. But I have had mixed results with the DVD+R discs. See below.
And what I do not like -
Do not buy this product for your parents! My dad just turned 72 and I know he would have a lot of problems with this unit. The documentation is skimpy, and as I noted above, the menus are confusing at first. I would only recommend this product to people who are somewhat tech savvy, unless you want to get a lot of support calls.
DVD+R burning results have been mixed. I picked up a stack of 100 DVD+R CompUSA-branded dics and was able to make about a dozen DVDs before it started giving me messages about using poor quality media. I tried using Memorex DVD+R discs and those havent worked either. I just read where another reviewer had a similar problem and was able to fix it by burning a DVD-RW disc and then he was able to burn DVD+R discs again. I will try that myself, and hopefully I can resume burning DVD+R discs.
Remote is too small. Hopefully, your fingers are smaller than mine. This remote is among the tiniest I have encountered and navigating through the menus with these buttons requires some practice and patience. You can probably purchase a larger remote from another manufacturer that might resolve the problem, but Cyberhome should have made this thing larger in the first place!
Conclusion -
So after using the Cyberhome for a few months, I do like it, feel that I have gotten my moneys worth, and give it five stars because if you can figure it out, this product does a lot of great things and yet doesnt cost a lot of money.
Still, I dont like the tiny remote and want to find a DVD recorder with a more user-friendly menu system. I have been watching the prices decline for brand name DVD recorders and plan to buy a more expensive unit in the next few months and I will then use the Cyberhome as a second DVD recorder with my Panasonic video camera.
On: 2006-03-19
I thought this product was awesome when I first bought it too. Little by little I have had problems finalizing disks. Now, six months after I have had the recorder, it wont finalize anything, even though it goes through the steps and gets to 100%. Then suddenly the dvd becomes an "unknown disc" and you just have to throw it into the trash. I thought this might have been a firmware problem, so I updated that (and I had problems getting the dvd player to recognized those dvds which they finally did after about 12 times, each, but it still wont finalize and makes every recording unreadable. I am at my wits ends - I bought this too for moving my vhs tapes to dvds, and I will soon be moving to an "isolated" area and was trying to build up my stock of dvds. Was it worth the $100 I paid? Maybe overall, since I probably got at least $100 worth of dvds, but I was expecting the unit to last longer than 6 months, and I have only probably made about 20 dvds total, so it isnt like I am mass-producing. Think long and hard before buying this.
On: 2006-03-18
I thought that for $70 it was worth a gamble. When I tried to play a finalized dvd-r I had made in my computer, it wouldnt even recognize the disk. However, it recorded 60 hours of vhs tapes PERFECTLY to dvd+r media. When I had previously tried to do the transfer on my computer with "flawed" ATI drivers, I got dropped frames and completely missing minutes of content. Then I noticed that the Cyberhome website had new firmware posted. When I installed both parts, it now recognizes dvd-r disks made on the computer PLUS it even records to dvd-r media - this is really true. I am very happy with this little jewel. Mine is revision MU1 now with 610/049s firmware. I gave it 5 stars for the fantastic value it is -- probably should be 4 stars for ease of use and remote issues. Oh, and put some spacers under its feet to keep it a bit cooler.
On: 2006-02-21
I have had the nearly identical Cyberhome CH-DVR1500 for 2 years and it works better than ever. This is because I installed a second set of BIOS-Firmware and Servo software updates from the Cyberhome web site. The updates over the years have improved compatibility with various blank disks, increased formatting speed, and eliminated ocassional bugs in the editing functions.
If anyone cant play a recording, they probably did not Finalize the disk, or their player doesnt support the disk type used. DVD recording can be more complicated than VCRs, and the technology has its own inherent differences.
The manual is above average in quality.
One complaint with the Cyberhome- the cpu could be better shielded as it generates broadcast signal interference on channels 7 - 11. Another compaint is that the audio quality is good, but not as hi-fi as I expect. However, I think this is because of an audio I/O impedance mismatch - The recorder is a low 47/470 ohms rather than the 470/10,000 ohms expected by my equipment.
In summary, a good durable product, a great value.
On: 2006-01-23
At this point in time, DVD recorders are rarely priced below $100. I received this one for Chistmas - my husband bought it and when I saw the unfamiliar brand name I had a skeptical gut feeling. We tested it by recording about five minutes of a TV show and it worked fine, then we set it to do a timed recording later that night and though the digital readout indicated it was "recording", the disc was unplayable, even in our Sony DVD player. Tonight I attempted to do an on-the-spot recording of a two-hour program and once again the digital readout indicated the machine was "recording." Once again the disc was unreadable.
Whats worse - and very frustrating - is the onscreen commands were very confusing and the basic operation wasnt very user friendly. And the remote - whats the deal with that? Id have to point it at exactly the right spot for it to work. Id have better luck with it right next to the recorder.
Tomorrow is the last day for me to return it according to my receipt - Im just narrowly making the deadline! In my opinion its better to pay a little more for a trusted brand - at least do a bit of research on consumer/expert product reviews. Avoid this product!
On: 2006-01-23
My goal was simply to transfer my old 8mm videos to DVD.
I have tried on the PC using digitizing products with mixed and frustrating results. I chose this DVD recorder based on the positive reviews I read vs. the negatives on big-name brand, and more expensive, recorders.
The machine works great. I read the instructions, hooked up my camcorder and had a DVD going within 1/2 hour of opening the box. The on-screen guide is great and makes it super easy.
I would recommend this to anyone wanting to copy videos to DVD.
Notes: I have only copied camcorder videos to DVD+R so far. I didnt get it for TV (or DVD-RW) recording. Also, I had a few bad discs when I switched to a no-name DVD+R. I went back to a name brand (TDK in my case) and havent had any problems since then. Some of the negative reviews I have read here may be fixed simply by buying better blank media.
On: 2006-01-13
...I wouldnt bother buying a different burner. This is a great unit at a great price, assuming it lasts at least a year. I like this thing so much that its prompted me to write this as my first hardware review anywhere. After blowing countless hours futzing with computers, video files, pass-through devices, and balky burners, Ive found this to be a _tremendous_ time saver.
Key points (in no particular order):
-Solid construction, while being compact and lightweight.
-FOUR inputs !! (firewire, composite in the front, composite with S-Video option in the back, and RF).
-Easy to use menus.
-Many quality settings (1hrs and up per disc).
-Easy titling and ability to leave discs for later finalization.
-Compact remote control.
-Clock display when on standby.
-Chinese-made players like these play nearly ANYTHING. Not picky like the Sonys, Pioneers, etc.
So far, I have no cons to note, just caveats:
-The box indicates the latest BIOS, currently at 540/105N, as well as the model number. At my Best Buy, there was 1600MU and 1600MU1.
-I got the MU and was able to make it region-free.
-A full burn does not necessarily mean a full disc.
-2hr "SQ" recording is "better than VHS" in the manual, but is somewhat disputable and subjective.
-NOT ALL DISCS WORK WELL. NOT EVEN NAME-BRANDS: I wasted several Memorex +Rs trying to figure out a problem, only to use generic CompUSA media without a hitch.
-Use Nero CDSpeed to find out the true mfr of the media (that Memorex was Ritek, while the CompUSA was Ricoh, Your mileage will vary).
-When buying media, buy Taiwan or anywhere else, just NOT Chinese made, if at all possible.
(**If you like to do video editing, go out and get Ulead Video Studio 9 and up. It allows you to import the video files from your DVDs!!! No more hard drive thrashing and eating up computer time waiting for transfers to finish!!! Just drag and drop your .VOB files over and you can edit and save at will!!)
**Lastly, a note regarding burners in general:
I have found on 3 totally different burners (computers and the Cyberhome) that occasionally a series of bad burns will happen. What seems to have fixed this for me is to burn ONE TIME onto a +RW. It is almost as though the +RW mode forces the internals to recalibrate. I cant verify the validity of that, but its a trick that has worked for me on several occasions.
On: 2006-01-09
Just bought this unit over the weekend. I cant fathom why there are so many negative reviews. I was just trying to replace a ten year old vcr, and decided to go with a dvd recorder if I could find one that was affordable. I was pleasantly surprised to find this little gem. With the reviews all being either great or awful, I was a little afraid to buy the Cyberhome, but decided that most of the negative reviews might have been a fluke. Im very pleased to report that Ive had no problems at all! I mainly didnt want to go all out and get a TiVo and have to subscribe to a service, I just dont record that often. As pointed out in a previous review. Dedicate some time to set up the unit properly and to read the manual. Remote is not the most user friendly, but there are just so many functions, its hard to envision how to set it up any more efficiently. I recommend the Cyberhome DVR1600 if you just want to do some periodic recording. Id like to use the unit in the future to transfer my vhs tapes to dvd, but am not sure it will be worth the effort. If you are going to do some heavy duty recording, invest the money in a more heavy duty unit, (...), if this thing lasts a couple of years, Ill be happy. By the way, I got the VCR ten years ago as a gift and it worked great up until last week! Good luck, thanks for reading.
On: 2006-01-07
This product worked great the first day and the second. The third day (i tape my soaps daily) it started making a loud sound and then pausing during my timed taping. I went to watch that recording and it had a noise in the background of the recording.
I took it back and for $20 more bought a magnavox recorder. I hope it works better.
On: 2006-01-05
I thought this was great, for the first week or two. Then it stopped working -- basically, it would appear as if the unit had recorded a program, but it would be impossible to play, either on this or on my other DVD player. Since its within the 30-day window, Im returning this one and shopping for another.
On: 2005-12-29
As a TiVo user, I had several programs on the hard drive that I wanted to transfer to DVD. After a trip to Best Buy, I bought the CyberHome DVR 1600. It played DVDs fine and my one attempt at recording was a success. However about four months after I bought it, just this week in fact [12/19/2005], it started to have difficulty loading commercial pre-recorded DVDs. Those that would load would momentarily freeze during playback. As attempts to play disks progressed, it finally stopped loading any DVDs. The troubleshooting guide is less than informative. It states that all of the problems with non-playback are from wrong region DVDs, dirty DVDs, or upside-down disks. Upside-down disks? The disks all played fine on both Sony and Pioneer players. I should have known that a sub-$100 recorder would be junk. Since the units more than three months old, it isnt worth spending anymore money on sending it back to CyberHome for repair.
On: 2005-12-21
CyberHome = Worst quality products.
Email CyberHome three times. No response.
They dont support their products.
On: 2005-12-20
I was looking for a DVD Recorder that I could use to transfer a load of old home movies I have on VHS tape to DVD and this unit looked just right price-wise, i.e. very inexpensive, since I did not envision much further use once I got all the tapes transferred to DVD. But this baby has proven to be a real versatile unit. I have it hooked up to my VCR on one line input and my TIVO on the other line input and I can easily transfer materials from either unit to DVD. I also hooked up the built-in tuner and recorded a couple of programs right off the air to DVD. Again, no problems ... and in all cases the quality of recording was awesome (I used the default 2 hour mode). The built-in MP3 player is a real bonus. I transferred a lot of my MP3s to a DVD Disc with 4.7 Gig capacity (yes, thats a lot of MP3s) and I could easily play them all on this unit. I have not tried the JPEG viewer but if that works as well as the other functions that I have tested then what is there to complain about? For a hundred bucks ... how much better can you expect? I am wondering about all those one star ratings ... this unit is a bit complicated to set up and I can understand someones frustration if they have a less than satisfactory out-of-box experience. But if you are not technically challenged or if you are willing to spend some time reading the manual and understanding the setup you will not be disappointed. I took away one star from my rating because the remote is not very well organized and has very small keys. But all in all, great product at an unbelievable price!
PS. Someone reported that they were able to burn a DVD-R on this unit even though it is advertised as a DVD+R only. If that is true then this is truly one outstanding device!
UPDATE 12/21/05 -- Out of curiousity, I went out and got hold of a couple of DVD-R discs to try out with this unit. They worked just fine. Upon insertion of the DVD-R I was prompted to format the DVD-R which I did. Then I proceeded to record a couple of programs off the air, all recorded just fine, each recording in a separate "Chapter." Then I finalized the disc and was able to play the DVD-R on a regular DVD player. So this unit DOES indeed work with DVD-R even though it is advertised as DVD+R only. I have not tried DVD-RW so I cannot say for that type of disc. DVD+RW works just fine. Lastly, what is truly a wild card is the overall long term reliability of the unit. In todays age of rapid obsolescence and cheap, cheap prices for consumer electronics the very definition of "long term" needs to be rethought. To me long term means 12 months. So if the unit dies after 12 months I will have gotten my moneys worth since I would be looking to upgrade to the next, new thing anyway right about in the 18-24 month time frame. It is unfortunate that we have come to view consumer electronics items as essentially "disposible" ... but that is how things are. So all in all, I am a happy customer with this unit.
The "Version" information from my unit (obtained from the Setup screen) is as follows:
UI: C00065MCU
Serve: DX043D D 037S
Adap: V08.00.01.46.R0.2
Control: DVR1600CHN1M02540
On: 2005-12-12
Im surprised to see so many negative ratings regarding this product. I figured they are from people who are not very savvy regarding DVD recorder so I went ahead and bought one.
I wasnt at all disappointed. It is a very good, fully functional unit and for the price, nothing can beat it.
The only thing that prevents this from getting 5 stars from me was their choice of DVD default. The audio default is RAW which is Dolby Digital 5.1 (audio via digital coax) while the recorded audio is simply stereo. Make a long story short, after I test recorded, playback was without any sound. This resulted in my removing and reconnecting my connections several times before I figured it out. What you want to do first thing is to do a setup on the DVD Recorder and set everything properly (in this audio case, set it to Auto, not RAW).
Recording is possible on DVD+R and DVD+RW. I use Sony DVD+R and Memorex DVD+RW. Both work flawlessly. Both recording and playback quality is very good.
On: 2005-12-04
We bought this unit to be our main recorder replacing a LiteOn that we still use. In less than a day, the unit had destroyed 2 DVD+RWs to the extent that my computer would not even see the dvds either. We were scared to put a commercial DVD in it. The unit has no fan, so it needs an open area in order to keep cool. The LiteOn at least had a fan. The remote is way too small for the average hand. I emailed the company but got no response until a week later but I had already returned it in less than 24 hours and bought the LiteOn LVW-5005 instead (see that review). One star is still too high a rating for this unit.
On: 2005-12-01
I bought this because it was either spend $300 or so dollars on what Consumer Reports rates as top brands (Panasonic and Pioneer)or spend $80 at Wal Mart on this thing, i tried the cheaper route only after I made sure I could return it. After my first recording I played back I noticed my recording was missing sound speratically and had digital distortion (squares and rectangles of distorted color throughout the screen). I used RCA cables to connect my camcorder directly to the Cyber@##@ so I cant imagine it was a matter of a bad connection since it would have to be all three plugs having a poor connection, and my VHS recordings from this camcorder are fine. I took it back and told the woman at Wal Mart it isnt worth the box its packaged in.
On: 2005-11-30
The Cyberhome DVD 300 player was a bargain and a good region free DVD player. The Cyberhome DVR 1600 is a disappointment. Even though I have used different brand DVD blanks I have only managed to record one DVD without a lock up or an error. And that DVD did not play well in my other DVD players. The unit locks up frequently when burning DVDs and needed to be unplugged to reset. The remote that was clunky on the DVD 300 is extremely awkward on the DVR 1600 and perhaps the most non-intuitive remote ever made. While others have evidently had good experiences with the DVR 1600 I have not. And while a hundred dollars is cheap for a DVD recorder it still is one hundred dollars I wished I spent elsewhere.
On: 2005-11-24
Just bought this a couple of weeks ago and have been quite happy with it. It is quite easy to set up and the user manual instructions are easy to follow. I have it hooked up to my hd tuner and the recordings have exceeded my expectation (obviously not hd quality, but still better than vhs). Ony one minor hiccup: it doesnt seem to work with DVD+R media even though the manual specifically mentioned DVD+R and DVD+RW; it failed repeatedly during disc format. I tried some Fuji DVD+RW discs instead and they worked just fine. The discs can be played back on both of my other DVD players, one of which is an old Pioneer bought 4~5 years ago. The DV input is also quite useful, as I plan to back up some of my digital8 videos. I cant say anything about reliability of this product as I have only owned it for a short time. But at <$100, I dont really care.
On: 2005-11-19
UPDATE - I was able to duplicate the problem others have reported with a warbling audio on this unit. I applied the firmware 9/2005 and the problem is fixed. I had to apply the Back-End firmware twice for some reason.
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This seems to be a fantastic product. Check out the features at Cyberhomes website.
Almost too good to be true. It records BOTH +/- R and RW DVDs, even though the box says + only. It has the ability to become region-free. It has 2 video source inputs AND has a built in tuner. It has DV input for camcorders. It records in 6 speeds which is great. The unit is very easy to use... press the SOURCE button on the remote until you see the source you want to record, press ENTER and then press the RECORD button. How hard is that? Takes 2-3 seconds.
Some people have reported problems on various forums with a warbling sound and some hum from the tuner. I have the device sitting on TOP of a TIVO and have none of these problems. Mine is a model 1600MU. I am running the original firmware (100) but there is a firmware upgrade available. The MUs have some additional features over the ZUs, I have heard.
Keep in mind, you have to FINALIZE a disk in order to play it on another DVD player, according to the online HELP.
There have been some criticisms of the remote control. I find it very nice and replacements are only $12.00.
Please ignore M. Smiths timings on how long it takes to do things on this recorder. You can format and/or finalize a disk in seconds... not minutes. Programming a schedule is as easy as manual scheduling on a TIVO. Unless I am missing something, this is a great machine. Ill report back if long term usage proves otherwise.
On: 2005-11-18
update - unit started oscillationg and BestBuy replaced it under servica agreement with a Liteon 1 Star
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UPDATE - I was able to duplicate the problem others have reported with a warbling audio on this unit. I applied the firmware 9/2005 and the problem is fixed. I had to apply the Back-End firmware twice for some reason.
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This seems to be a fantastic product. Check out the features at Cyberhomes website.
Almost too good to be true. It records BOTH +/- R and RW DVDs, even though the box says + only. It has the ability to become region-free. It has 2 video source inputs AND has a built in tuner. It has DV input for camcorders. It records in 6 speeds which is great. The unit is very easy to use... press the SOURCE button on the remote until you see the source you want to record, press ENTER and then press the RECORD button. How hard is that? Takes 2-3 seconds.
Some people have reported problems on various forums with a warbling sound and some hum from the tuner. I have the device sitting on TOP of a TIVO and have none of these problems. Mine is a model 1600MU. I am running the original firmware (100) but there is a firmware upgrade available. The MUs have some additional features over the ZUs, I have heard.
Keep in mind, you have to FINALIZE a disk in order to play it on another DVD player, according to the online HELP.
There have been some criticisms of the remote control. I find it very nice and replacements are only $12.00.
Please ignore M. Smiths timings on how long it takes to do things on this recorder. You can format and/or finalize a disk in seconds... not minutes. Programming a schedule is as easy as manual scheduling on a TIVO. Unless I am missing something, this is a great machine. Ill report back if long term usage proves otherwise.
On: 2005-10-25
Lets be honest: this is the cheapest DVD recorder for sale in most places. Clearly, you are not a serious technology buff, but you want a DVD recorder because you feel like the times are leaving you behind. Im the same way, so I bought this thing.
The good news: it will, in fact, record DVDs, even directly off your TV when you arent at home. However, the on-screen font is nearly unreadable and you have to hit enter and then a navigation button between every element that needs to be programmed. It takes a good 20 minutes to format the disc and program the timer.
Then after its done recording, plan for at least 30 minutes to edit, check and finalize the disc. This is worse than Pong.
And all the while it groans, squeaks, barks and sizzles as it spins the disc inside. It sounds like the disc is jammed, or possibly on fire, but in fact the noises are how you know its working.
The only reason Im still sane is because I cleverly kept my DVD player hooked up to my TV as well; I can record on the CyberHome and then play back on my GOOD machine. Enterprising home users might think of other advantages to this setup, but the truth is this recorder simply cannot replace whatever youre using now. This loads and reads discs too slowly to ever use as a playback machine.
In conclusion: It works, but its awful to operate. Wait for a good one to go on sale; or better yet, just keep your VCR for another year and wait for prices to drop again. This is just too painful to spend money on.
On: 2005-10-25
This exact unit, with slight differences to the face buttons, has been released under the names CyberHome and Ilo, and I tried both of them. I also tried three other DVD recorders from big name companies, was disappointed with every single one, but was the least disappointed by the CyberHome / Ilo model. For $100, its easily the best bang for the buck. I attached the CyberHome 1600 where my VCR used to be, had it "learn" my cable channels, set the time, and was good to go. The menu system and LED display on this unit is the best I saw on all the DVD recorders I tested. Use +RW media (I used Memorex with no problems) and the disc will play in other DVD players without having to finalize the disc. If companies like Panasonic and Sony cant get a DVD recorder to work for $300, Ill use this $100 model until someone gets it right.
On: 2005-10-20
The rating of "one star" is being generous, as this dererved NEGATIVE stars.
When I first purchased this unit I was rather pleased with it. After all, I was FINALLY able to transfer my videos containing every single Watership Down episode into a more permanent format. And it was easy to use. Unfortunately, my happiness faded a couple of months later when suddenly discs started being eaten. The machine started eating discs on a regular basis. Currently I am attempting to record every episode of The Collector onto DVD as it airs each week, and am in constant fear of that "bad disc" messege popping up after recording an episode, as has happened with many other things I have recorded. This unit does more bad than good. I shouldnt have to record The Collector to VHS simultaniously every week to serve as backup should the DVD recorder fail.
Avoid this recorder AT ALL COSTS.
On: 2005-10-19
I bought this machine primarily to transfer my old VHS tapes to DVD.The first thing I noticed was the tiny remote control.The thing is so small that it takes a flat watch type battery...like I`ve got a drawerfull of those laying around as spares...whatever..The remote has alot of buttons but they are too small and close together..very unhandy.Once you figure out how to operate the recorder it actually works..however,there are quite a few problems.First of all it will simply stop recording for no apparant reason. When you are done recording and try to finalize the disc,you often get an error message..All the time spent recording is wasted because now the disc is ruined...I made several coasters and mini frisbees.I seemed to be having better luck with a different brand of blank disc..only to find that recording from a satellite produced no sound..picture looked ok but what good is that without sound?...Ah..the things they forget to tell you..Even just playing a disc this machine has problems.Sometimes the disc will freeze...sound cuts out sometimes too. Plus the machine runs very hot....In conclusion I`d say you should take heed these reviews...most of them are crumby...Spend more $$ on a good name brand unit...I`m still searching .
On: 2005-09-22
After reading all the bad reviews this product had, I got concerned about getting one but I decided to give it a shot and also was prepared to buy it in a store that could give me the money back in case the reviews were true. Mine is a MU model and I am extremely happy with it. PROs and CONs are the following:
PROs:
1) Great price.
2) Small size and thin.
3) The image quality even on "EP" mode (4 hours on a regular DVD) is very good. The mode for 6 hours is not bad but it looks more like a Video-CD image which is ok.
4) It has a TV tuner incorporated.
5) You can program the timer and turn off the unit. it will turn on itself, record your TV show and turn off when its done.
6) You can set it up to record a show just once, daily, weekly or Monday-Friday.
6) It has multiple inputs and outputs.
CONs:
1) The remote is too small and it takes a while to get used to the location of the buttons you usually press or use.
2) The interface could be a little bit more easy-to-use.
3) Not all discs brands will work well for it. I havent tried that many brands but so far the Memorex didnt work but the Sonys do.
I guess that for some people getting a TIVO could be a better choice if you want to accumulate more than 6 hours of recorded shows per day, but then you will have to pay not only for the unit but for the TIVO service as well. With this DVD recorder you can forget about paying for anything else and with the use of DVD+RW you can use once and again the same disc. At the end and as always, it is your choice! Good luck.
by: Anonymous On: 2005-09-06
Please do not bay this unit. After 2 weeks testing it, I have lost 75% of DVD+R.
In 2 hrs mode the quality is good and from 2 to 8 hrs you wont see a big difference with your old tapes.
After recording 2-3 hrs, it will freeze up some how, and all your programs will be erased and your DVD+R and you will have to unplug the unit
to get it out. If you are ok with the 25% of chances to record a DVD, you will have to deal with the smaller remote you ever seen.
Keep this unit? Dont even think about it! If your local store has a return politic, have some fun for a couple of weeks and then returned.
On: 2005-08-31
I received the Cyberhome DVR1600 for my birthday (...). My experience started out as OK and went downhill from there. First of all, the Cyberhome model is not compatible with a satelite dish, so if you have a dish you wont be able to record over the air programming. Second, I hated the record feature. You must push the record button once for every 30 min of recording time, but there is no indicator to show how much time you have. I was recording a 2 HR movie and pushed the button about 6 times and it still stopped recording short of 2 hours...THAT WAS FRUSTRATING ! I also counldnt figure out how to set the thumbnail image for the menu screen. I sent a email to Cyberhome and never received a response. Other problems that I experienced: a few freeze ups that required unplugging the unit, when recording from a VCR I was receiving a "feedback" tone - once I started playing the movie the feedback went away. The remote is also very small and the buttons close together, the pause button is right next to the stop button, I was nervous (while recording) that my finger would accidently hit the stop button instead of pause. The last straw was my final recording...when I tried to finalize the DVD I received a disc error....and made another coaster. Luckliy I was right at the end of Best Buys 30 day return policy - so I returned the DVR1600 and upgraded to a Magnavox MRV660 (....). So far so good with the Magnavox....no problems and its compatible with satelllite TV.
On: 2005-08-29
I would not recommend this product. After 2 1/2 months, this player started rejecting about 40% of my DVDs. I received an error message: "bad disk." I can play these same DVDs on other players, so I know the problem is with this CyberHome player (CyberHome DVR1600). The CyberHome warranty policy is 1 year for parts, 3 months for labor. I still have the expense of paying postage to send it back to the company. The customer service is not good. I spent 25 minutes on hold and nobody picked up. One must go on line to get a case number in order to send the product back, and the normal wait time is 24 to 72 hours for customer service to generate this number. I regret this purchase and if I had it to do over again I would have purchased a different brand.
On: 2005-08-15
I purchased this DVR because it is lowest price DVR available. When I first got it, it was recording with picture that has 20% distortion on top. In less than a month, it was recording with intermittent pause. When I tried to play the DVD that it produced, the unit would not recorgnize it and call it an unknown disc. I tried to return it to Cyberhome. I think it did not even verify the problem and return the unit back to me. I was fortunate that I did returned it to where I bought the unit. I will not buy Cyberhome product again
On: 2005-08-15
My mother desired to copy her old VHS tapes to DVDs, so we got this recorder because it was so cheap. Well, you get what you pay for, as they say.
After spending two hours recording from VHS, we "finalized" the disc, but the recorder shortly thereafter said "disc error." Despite this error, the recording seemingly worked out. I was able to play the movie on my computer, but the disc was indeed messed up, as I was unable to copy it due to a cyclic redundancy check error late in the recording.
So, we tried again. We recorded basically the same thing again, and attempted to finalize again... disc error! But this time, it didnt seem to work at all, and I was still able to edit the contents, so I resolved to try a higher quality piece of media than Id been using. That didnt happen, though, as all my work was lost when I attempted to switch out the blank DVD+R for another. This disc is officially only playable with the DVD recorder; my computer thinks its blank.
Frustrated by all this wasted time, I attempted a much smaller project. This time I made a disc that was just a few minutes long (what a waste of a DVD!). It seemed to be a success, as I was able to play it in my computer and even rip it so I could edit it with DVD-creating software on my computer.
With that success, I thought maybe the disc error could be avoided by not filling such a large amount of the disc as wed been doing, so I lowered the quality level (but still above VHS) and embarked on yet another large project of copying VHS tapes to the DVD. I spent all afternoon doing it, and finalized the disc... success!
...Or not. I wished to be able to take this disc to my computer (using the Nero suite), rip it, and splice the video data to get rid of static and other stuff that inevitably got recorded onto the disc. That is seemingly impossible, because the "chapters" of the DVD, save for the last one we recorded, are nowhere to be found. I can play the DVD on my computer and access everything on it, but only the latest chapter seems to have been put on the disc in a standard manner. I have no idea why this is, but it is.
There are plenty of other things wrong with this recorder. As others have mentioned, the remote is irresponsive, with evenly spaced buttons all the same size; I always find myself hitting the wrong button. The interface is counterintutive, too; I regularly had to study the remote for several minutes to try to figure out what button would take me to the menu I wanted to go to since they obviously couldnt put a button legend on the screen. And in addition to all that and the created DVDs being barely recognizable to the Nero recoding software, there appears to be no way to seek on a standard DVD player; you can rewind and fast forward, and thats it!
This product is an abomination. You really get what you pay for. If you want a standalone DVD recorder, get something a little more expensive; at least it might work.
On: 2005-08-08
I purchased one from BestBuy. It stopped working a week later, after only recording one 30-minute TV show. BestBuy exchanged it. This one lasted two weeks before it hung, trying to format a disc. I took that model back to BestBuy and spent extra $$$ for a SONY. Ahh . . . finally something that WORKS!
On: 2005-08-08
First, for the price you cant beat this recorder. I read all about the downsides of buying a recorder with no HD and still took a shot with it. Using it to record live TV is a snap. Quality is outstanding. If you use a DVD+RW , its just like having a VHS but 100X better.Transfer of VHS Tapes just as easy.Playing of pre-recorded DVDs were no problem also. The user interface is a little complex at times, but if you read the manual + a little pratice, this can be overcomed. I had no problem with the playback of DVDs on other machines (I have two others different manufac)<br />
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***Read manual BEFORE you buy blank DVD+R/RW There are some that dont work to well with this machine.***
On: 2005-07-11
I picked up one of these for $90 at Best Buy with a free 10 pack of DVD+R. I have recorded off my DirecTivo using compositie in, Sony MiniDV camera using Firewire and off a VCR using the tuner and all have been acceptable in quality for me at the 2 hour speed. It will playback MP3 files on a data DVD with no issues whatsoever. Worked great with good sound quality for that purpose. Had minor playback issues on another DVD player, but a quick copy of the disc on my computer remedied that issue. I use DVD+RWs on this unit exclusively as it is more like using video tapes :) then copy them to final DVD+Rs using a computer.
The only negatives are the playback video on the unit itself, inability to select different scenes for menus and the remote. I find that commercial DVD and the ones recorded by the unit itself do look better on my standalone DVD player which also happens to be a Cyberhome. While you can put long titles for each show on the menu, you cannot change the thumbnail picture. The remote is not very well laid out and you will have to look at it constatnly to figure out what button to push. I can live with both of those since this units only purpose is to record DVDs.
For the price, I couldnt be more pleased. Please be aware that there are 2 versions of this unit. Each can be identified on the outside of the box in the serial number as ZU and MU. I have used both and they both have their pluses and quirks. I prefer the MU for playback and more user friendly menus, but the ZU is a fine unit as well. Cyberhome has placed firmware upgrades for both models on their website.
On: 2005-06-14
This is my first DVD recorder purchase. I bought it to back up shows I have recorded on my DVR and also my video tape collection. I have purchased Cyberhome DVD players in the past and have been satisfied with their performance.
The player itself is compact and fits well with other components. The remote control is pathetic - the buttons are small, all the same size, equally spaced and grouped haphazardly. I found the on-screen menu to be difficult to navigate and unintuitive. The video and audio for playing a DVD appeared to work well, but I did not pay too much attention to this as the true test was in how it recorded.
The first recording I made had a wavy vertical line moving through it for the entire length of the program. I figured it was some type of interference with the RF cable so I switched to an S-Video input and recorded a second time. The second recording filled up the DVD which apparently causes the DVD to become unreadable and therefore useless. I did not attempt to make any further recordings.
I decided to return the Cyberhome DVR-1600. I dont mind putting up with some inconveniences as long as I have something to show for it. I wasted about 4 hours with this recorder and ended up with a coaster.
On: 2005-06-05
I found that my 1600 could play almost anything. For example, I took a badly-stamped, grey-market disk from China which my old DVD player failed on, then *badly* smudged it with moist fingerprints. The 1600 played it like it was a pristine production disk.
I found the user interface/remote to be clumsy, but I expected that, especially given the price.
The deal-breaker was that the servo on this unit emitted a high-pitched resonance (~10 kHz) when playing audio CDs, especially from MD to OD (mid-diameter to outer-diameter). At ID, the servo sound wasnt a huge problem, but it was noticeable. At outer diameters, you could hear it from 10 yards. If you plan to put this thing into a glass-enclosed cabinet or if you will not use it for audio disks, you might be fine. Also, I may have simply had a bad set of mechanics. Fortunately, the store took it back without fuss, and I bumped up to a Panasonic, whose mechanical noise is absent outside of 10 inches. Naturally, the new unit cost substantially more, which is why I originally thought it was worth a shot with the 1600.
On: 2005-06-04
Just picked up this new recorder from Best Buy at a sale price of only $90. It does not have the best progressive-scan playback quality, but it does get the job done well for me. It supports DVD audio and MP3 playback. Its small, light, sturdy, very slim, and very cute looking. CyberHome is not really a bad name after all.
On: 2005-06-02
This is my first dvd recorder. I was able to copy vhs, dvd, and tv programs to dvd+r, dvd+r/w. I also played the recorded disk on another dvd player. It played fine. The manual could be better. Theres a section on how to edit the dvd. It did not state you must press the "edit" button on the remote. It took me 3-4 hours before a figured it out. Hook up between vcr, tv and recorder is simple.
For the price its a bargain. Cyberhome recommends that you use Fuji, Sony, memeorex .. dvd+r, dvd+r/w. Make sure you finalize the recorded disk. To play the disk the player must be able to read dvd+r media.
On: 2005-06-02
has not gone well. I purchased a stand-alone in the first place to make it easier to archive recordings from my Direct TV Tivo (my fourth unit in in as many years, but thats another story). I did not buy it thru Amazon, but Ive often used the reviews to get a feel for an item.
The only reason this unit gets 2 stars instead of 1 is that it does occasionally work. That said, my successful DVD to coaster ratio is right around 1:3.
The remote is far to small and has identical rows of same-sized buttons. Id have programmed the essential buttons into my learning remote, but I think the unit is going back to the store.
You get what U pay for ($99!!).
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