LG – DRT389H Digital TV DVD Recorder with USB 2.0 Interface
Posted by Notcot on Jul 27, 2010 in Home Cinema & Video |
- Audio Input: Yes (3.5mm).
- Blu-ray Compatible: No.
- Brand: LG.
- Built-in Freesat: No.
- Built-in Freesat HD: No.
I bought the DRT389H to replace my faulty Hitachi DVD/HDD recorder. The specification for the LG was good without being spectacular. I bought it primarily for making DVD’s from a Freesat PVR (WHEN they decide to launch one!), so all I needed was a good, basic unit that was comfortable with a wide range of discs.
The LG comes with Freeview as standard, which is a great feature on such a low-cost unit. It’s quite easy to programme, & the remote is fairly user-friendly. The upscaling output gives good definition & is a useful feature. It comes programmed at the lowest setting, so you need to set it up for 1080i. As it’s a simple one-button operation, it shouldn’t catch you out.
Single-layer discs can be set to give 14 hours playback, & dual layer discs can give 22 hours. Why, oh why doesn’t someone make a dual-layer re-recordable disc? This would be a great step forward in data storage. Using the discs on the 14 hour setting gives a very low picture quality & should only be used as a last option. The high resolution settings are excellent.
The LG plays DivX & AVI files too, & plays them extremely well. The menu is a big help & points the user to the correct options every time. I haven’t found the limit for USB sticks, but I have tried an 8Gb stick without any problems. Recognition times are good, too.
In these days of PVR’s with dual tuners, we are becoming blase about recording one (or two) programmes, whilst simultaneously watching another. The LG has only one tuner, & if you set it to record a programme, you lose the option of watching another. Be aware of this!!
In the greater scheme of things, the LG has performance equal to many more expensive units. In fact, the Amazon price was some £38.00 cheaper than Curry’s, & has just been reduced even further. I hope this review helps you to make an informed choice.
Rating: 4 / 5
Went from a Samsung to this model and this is a giant leap in comparison.
Clear pictures, easy recording, freeview no problems, lets me plug in a usb stick (!!!!!!!!!!!!!). Great stuff for the price. I found the negative reviews here slightly fair – it’s not for advanced users. Cheap but very cheerful. It’s simple to set up and has a quick boot up time. Really, really like this machine.
Rating: 5 / 5
I purchased this DVD recorder purely to download programmes I want to keep from my Sky+ box and it’s doing a fantastic job. It accepts any disc format I throw at it and with the DVD+RW discs I’ve been using so far, I am able to fit 6.5 hours of programmes on a single disc with no sacrifice in picture quality. On standard speed the discs will play on other DVD players (although I haven’t yet tried the long play programmes on another unit). The only problem so far is copyright protection signals which are preventing me from recording programmes from Sky 1. I plan to also use it to transfer old VHS films on to DVD and the up-scaling feature promises a good result. In short, a good quailty machine with a lot of useful features.
Rating: 5 / 5
I’m fussy when it comes to DVD players. I want quality on a budget; I want upscaling to 1080p; I want multi-format compatibility (DVD +/- RW and R etc) and I want to be able to hack it to multi-region.
When my Sumvision Phoenix gave up the ghost on Saturday I started the search. I’m not sold on Bluray yet and will only succumb when I have no option so I was looking for a reliable machine that met all the above criteria. I decided that I would go for a recorder as I use a Freeview+ box and want to save some things to disc for future viewing.
The LG won it hands down. I love LG, my first DVD player was an LG and I’ve owned many other LG products since. They are stylish and intuitive to use and, as I only look at instructions when truly stuck, this is essential!
The basics:
1. Out of the box it looks nice. Sleek, black and slim.
2. Set up was really easy. I attached it to my Sony Bravia using a bog standard HDMI cable and selected 1080p using the RES button on the front. The picture is slick and crisp.
3. It is practically silent.
4. The set up interface is easy. I used “TV Out” from my TVonics Freeview+ box to give it a Freeview feed and all channels were found and stored in about 90 seconds (I don’t intend to use this as a TV viewing device but I can now record three channels at once(two on TVonics, one on DVD recorder and still watch Freeview through my Bravia!).
5. Playing: all formats supported.
6. Recording: via an EPG system from Freeview or, by scarting TVonics box into AV1, I can record from the TVonics HD through a simple play and record set up (reminds me of recording from the Top 40 as a kid!). Recordings are faultless.
7. Hacking. Easy:
- Switch the player on.
- When it’s booted up hold down CLEAR on remote and EJECT on the front panel of your dvd player simultaneously for about 6 seconds.
- You will see a list of codes
- WRITE THEM ALL DOWN exactly as you see them (in case you mess up as it is really easy to do !!!)
- Left/right arrows on remote take you through the onscreen codes, Up/down changes through 0-9/ a-z
- Change OP6 from ae (or whatever yours is set at) to 8e.
- Press Enter and then menu/list on your remote.
- Your player will reboot.
- Now your player is Multi region.
I’m not the most technically proficient man in the world and this worked like a charm.
In short, an excellent machine. Grab it whilst you can
Rating: 5 / 5
well this is a great machine. works a treat, easy to use and setup. i cant wait to use the freeview on it. nice slim design. lots of connections. great idea you can use a usb memory stick. i thought this is real bargain for the price.
its classed as a budget machine in all the magazines. i dont see how. its built like a £250 machine got all the features of the top notch version. except the hard drive this is a clever idea and is on the next version up for more money.
picture and sound quality is very good. i have mine hooked to the hifi to listen to concerts. simple to record tv, generally no problems to mention.
a great bargain. i will get a 1080P TV one day so i can upscale i have seen it working. the upscale really does look awesome. so all in all a great perfomer and well worth all your money.
Rating: 5 / 5