Review on 📀 Humax DRT800 DVD-R/RW Recorder and TiVo Series2 DVR Combo by Adam Jackson

I have owned an 80 hour Tivo Series2 for many years and bought a DRT800 shortly after it was released last fall. I had never heard of Humax before buying this device but so far I've been quite happy with it. In general, I think when looking at this device it depends on what you're looking for in the first place: Tivo or DVD. -Recorder. If you are primarily looking for a Tivo and want the "added bonus" and convenience of a built in DVD burner then the DRT800 is fantastic! It's everything everyone loves about Tivo and also makes it easy and convenient to burn programs to DVD. DVD recorder. Or at least weigh your decision more carefully. The DRT800 (and probably the same goes for any Tivo with a built-in DVD burner) lacks some of the basic editing features for your programs, which may make the standalone option a better fit for you. Differences to the Tivo Series2: External display The DRT800 is equipped with an external display. When playing a DVD, typical title and time information is displayed. When burning a DVD, the progress is shown as a percentage. Otherwise the clock is displayed. You can make the display darker, brighter, or just turn it off. DVD Control Buttons Below the display are the chapter skip, stop, play, etc. buttons found on traditional standalone DVD players. They only control the DVD functions and not the Tivo software. Which brings me to the next cool addition, the front joystick. This is perhaps one of the most elegant additions! While I don't use it very often of course, I've always been annoyed that regular Tivos don't have buttons on the device itself. Essentially, this means your ability to control the Tivo is entirely dependent on the remote. But heartache will be the day you lose, lose or break it (although you can always order a new one). The joystick corresponds to the directional controls on the Tivo remote and pressing the joystick inwards acts as a select button, giving you full control of your Tivo from the front of the device. Composite video outputs and SPDIF digital audio output My previous Tivo 2 series didn't have them, and I don't know if regular Tivos come with them now, but they're clearly essential for any DVD player. If your TV and/or receiver does not support these, you will still have standard audio/video outputs. A/V, S-Video and Firewire inputs A row of front connections is hidden behind a flap panel. A/V, S-Video and Firewire inputs are installed with a second set of A/V and S-Video inputs on the rear panel. They allow you to record onto your Tivo from external devices (such as a camcorder or VCR) which can then be burned to DVD. This makes it ideal for digitizing old cassettes and home videos, as well as any other unprotected media. Tivo allows you to assign a title to an incoming entry. However, you cannot add a description of the program, which would be nice. - DVD Features This is probably the section you have the most questions about. DVD Interface: A new menu item "DVD" now appears under the "Watch Live TV" option in the main menu. The on-screen display of this menu item depends on what media (if any) is loaded in the disc tray. When you insert a disc into the tray, Tivo will immediately scan it and change the display to DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW, VCD, Audio CD, or any other suitable format. You will find the corresponding playback/recording options in the DVD selection menu. Disc Media Playback: DRT800 supports DVD, VCD, CD, Photo CD and MP3 CD. So far I've played DVDs, VCDs, and standard Redbook audio CDs with no problems. I haven't had a chance to try other formats yet. DVD and VCD playback looks and feels the same as any program recorded with Tivo, with the same playback capabilities. My only major issue with playing audio CDs is that even when your Tivo is connected to a broadband connection, no attempt is made to perform a CDDB lookup to get the track and artist information for the CD being played. Therefore, when playing an audio CD, each track is displayed as "Track 1", "Track 2", etc., and there is no artist or album name information. That's a pretty big disappointment. Burn to DVD: The DRT800 only supports one type of recordable media, DVD-R and DVD-RW. The Save to DVD or VCR option conveniently appears in the information window of any recorded program on your computer. Tivo, but you can also access the recording features from the DVD option in the main menu. Before burning a DVD you can select and order your programs and add a title for your DVD. When you finally burn your DVD, the software adds a menu interface that looks almost identical to the regular Tivo interface. The write speed is quite slow at 1x, but the upside is that while you're burning a DVD you can still use the Tivo to watch other pre-recorded programs. However, you cannot watch the program that is being recorded. DVD capacity depends on the recording quality of the original Tivo recording used: 1 hour - best quality 2 hours - high quality 4 hours - medium quality 6 hours - basic quality might not be too happy if you are looking for a good DVD looking for burners. Disadvantages: - No program editing! You can only record Tivo programs as is. That means you can't edit commercials or unwanted footage. No resampling or re-encoding of program quality. I record almost everything in high quality. However, this means that if I burn a 2.5 hour program on my Tivo I can't burn it to DVD because at this quality the maximum capacity is 2 hours. It would be nice if there was an option to downsample the program to fit on DVD, albeit at a lower quality. This, combined with the inability to edit unnecessary footage such as commercials (which would fit a 2.5 hour program into 2 hours), severely limits the DVD burning capability. With the TivoHome Media option (available at extra cost) you can transfer programs from one Tivo to another. However, the DRT800 cannot record programs made on another Tivo. This appears to be a coding issue. Other than that, the Tivo offers almost the same great features as any other Tivo Series 2. The location of the peanut-shaped remote control is identical, but some buttons have been remapped for DVD-related functions. When you connect your Tivo to your home network, you can view pictures on your computer or transfer MP3 files from your computer. In terms of issues, I had a crash the first week. When burning a DVD the device froze and I had to unplug it to get it working again. But in the following months I had no further problems. If you have this (or any other Tivo) and have a broadband internet connection at home, I highly recommend getting a USB network adapter for your Tivo. I am using Linksys USB200M. Tivos is pretty picky about the adapters they work with, so be sure to check out the Tivo website if you decide to buy another brand. By default, Tivo uses a dial-up modem connection, but if you have a broadband connection, you can use that as well. As a basic review: PROS: 1) It's Tivo! Everyone says it, and everyone is right: you need a Tivo. Once you get it, you can never live without it. :)2) Convenient DVD recording/playback3) Easy recording from external sources Easy home video recording to Tivo or DVD4) Front panel controls CONS:1) HDD is LOUD! This is definitely my biggest shock. I don't know, maybe it's just my device, but this thing spins like no other. My other Series2 has never been so loud. 2) Limited DVD burning capabilities I suspect this is by design, but the DRT800's greatest feature (DVD burning) is also its greatest weakness. The fact that you can't edit ads (or at least can't customize your programs to fit the hard drive) will probably put off many potential buyers. 3) Only available in 80 hour version. with larger drive option. It basically boils down to my previous comment about your top priority. The DRT800's DVD burning capabilities are far from the best, but it's a great addition to the Tivo's already amazing features. For me personally, the DRT800 is perfect for my needs. I don't burn a lot of DVDs, but when I do I appreciate the convenience. If the unit had a multi-disc changer, I would have it immediately replace my current DVD player. In general, I am completely satisfied and do not regret the purchase for a second.