After considerable research I'm considering getting a Pioneer DVR-531H
recorder. The main complain that I've read is that the TV Guide or Digital
Program Guide or whatever it's called won't work with satellite TV. I have
Dish Network. They recently put a TV Guide logo on the screen so maybe they
have updated their system.

So, my question is will I be able to set the recorder manually for a timer
recording if the TV Guide feature does not work? From what I've read it is
a real pain and a couple of people even said it could not be done. Others
said it could be done after downloading the guide info even if it didn't
work. This leaves me a bit confused.

The Pioneer DVR-531H got excellent reviews but those were mainly from last
summer so dependability was not tested at that point. Anyone have one
they've used for a while?

Another feature that is missing is a DV input. I've had two DVD recorders
with this feature and never used it so I guess I can get by without it. The
VCD discs I've made on my computer worked fine in my Panasonic
recorder/player but I suspect the quality would be higher if recorded
directly.

"Ulysses" <therealulysses@yahoo.com> wrote:

FWIW, I've never heard of the TV Guide EPG working with satellite TV.

It's very easy to set manual timer recordings, and it can be done even
when the EPG is disabled (which you will probably want it to be).

I've had a 633 since last summer. It's the same as the 531 except
that it has a larger hard drive and a DV input.

You can't write VCDs on the Pioneer, but it will play them. DV video
would almost certainly look much better at 720x480 than it would after
re-encoding to 352x240 for VCD.

On Fri, 20 Jan 2006 23:46:05 GMT, DeepOne@ix.netcom.com wrote:

I have a Philips DVDR-80 with , I beleive, the same kind of TV-Guide
functionality, but ofcourse no such data. (I'm on satellite).
I recognise the description that I had to let it try to do the initial
download /install to get access to the "buttons" that calls up the
manual timer. The user interface is not the best.
Since this is licenced technology I expect that the functionallity and
screen presentation is the same on my unit.

I might add that I'm not impressed by EPG presentation that uses the
kind of horizontal time-line whith graphical presentation where the
titles of short programmes and longer titles of longer programmes
either is not shown at all or makes no sense. The user then have to
step the cursor over these spots in the time-line matrix to get a
display of the title.

The kind of EPG display, channel after channel title by title in a
vertical list, that I have in the satellite box, works much better.
/Jan

"Jan B" <nospam@nospam.se> wrote in message
news:43d20980.408768007@wingate...
Thanks for the responses. I had a hard time imagining that it would not be
possible to set the timer manually but you never know what they will come up
with these days. I'm still annoyed by the advent of "on-screen display" on
VCRs and the fact that you have to turn on the TV to set the timer etc.
OTOH since I do not currently have a DVD recorder (that works) I dug out an
old VCR and hooked it up. The best part is now I don't have to set any
timers because my satellite receiver controls the recording functions which
it did not do with any of my DVD recorders simply because it did not have
the right remote control codes. So, my life has become simpler because I'm
using old technology. Go figure.

So far I've not read anything bad about the Pioneer. Now I'm just waiting
for Walmart to restock.

On Sat, 21 Jan 2006 17:54:15 -0800, "Ulysses"
<therealulysses@yahoo.com> wrote:
....
Sounds familiar. I'm holding on to an older digital STB that can
control the recording on my DVD-Recorder (by learned IR-commands).
None of the current models can replace it.
I don't understand why manufacturers don't recognise the market for
these features.

The other way to go is to have a harddisk in the digital receiver.
With a good type of EPG (display and functions), the programming and
recording control is solved in a good way. Plus it stores the digital
video in original quality and you don't have to choose quality level
(until the precious parts are recorded to an external DVDR).
/Jan

"Ulysses" <therealulysses@yahoo.com> wrote:

It's not a problem on the Pioneer. There is a TIMER REC button on the
remote, and that takes you directly to the screen/window where you
enter the timer settings (independent of any EPG data although the EPG
menus will still be visible).

That has often annoyed me as well.

The previous generation of Pioneer DVRs (e.g. the DVR-520H) had a
feature which was good for satellite users, but that feature has been
removed from newer models. They could automatically start/stop
recording based on the presence of a signal on the L1 input. But both
the old and new models are supposed to accept REC and STOP commands
from IR controllers on set-top boxes.

"Jan B" <nospam@nospam.se> wrote in message news:43d35b69.3183397@wingate...
I was looking into getting on of those but for the moment I'm leaning
towards getting the hard drive in the recorder instead. I was unaware,
however, that the quality level was consistant in the receiver. Does that
mean you have to dub onto disc or tape in real time? One of the nice
features of the Pioneer is that it does high-speed dubbing but only if you
transfer at the same recording speed.

<DeepOne@ix.netcom.com> wrote in message
news:7lLAf.4435$vU2.830@newsread3.news.atl.earthli nk.net...
Great. Now I can stop worrying about that and simply wait until somone gets
them in stock so I can actually buy one. ;-)

More good news. Thanks.

On Sun, 22 Jan 2006 17:13:10 -0800, "Ulysses"
<therealulysses@yahoo.com> wrote:

It stores the received digital data, so there is no recoding loss and
at the same time it will give you more full quality recording time
with the same size HDD.

Yes, but most of my recordings are of the "time shift" type. Watch and
delete ...

Either wasting space (with XP) and recoding twice which gives some
quality loss, or decide beforehand which quality to record to HDD.
I beleive there are also limitations in adding chapter marks at
special points on a produced DVD in DVD-Video mode, or maybe that is
model specific ...

/Jan

I just bought a DVR-531H at a pawn shop. It looked like new, had all
the accessories too. Lady said the guy got it new, and got another
one, and pawned this one off. There were no files on the HD, so it may
be new. Hey, for $135 I jumped on it. I have a Panasonic DMR-E55, but
this Pioneer sure is nice so far... Only complaint, I have a full rack
of black compnents, and now a silver DVR.

I went through the menus and basically answered that I had no cable,
no antenna, etc, and the Guide doesn't seem to be working, which is
what I want. I don't even have the coax from my cable company going
into the DVR. The coax goes into the cable box, out to the VCR. From
the VCR I have the L/R going to the DVR, the video goes through a GoDVD
box first (for copying VHS tapes...). The video comes out of the DVR
to my reciever. Works like a champ.

How do you expect it to get the guide data with nothing but compoiste video
cables connected to it? It has to use its tuner to get the guide data, at
least thats the way I understand they work...


"Silicon Sam" <SiliconSam@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1139639612.873932.170620@f14g2000cwb.googlegr oups.com...

Yes, it needs the coax. But I have a guide on my TW cable box, and I
just set my timer based on the cable box guide. Just set my cable box
to the channel the program is going to be on, set the timer on the DVR,
and turn it off, and away you go.

I may use the EPS if they ever get the bugs out, but this way works
for me. Only bad thing is I can't change channels on the cable box
automatically.

Basically I don't need the guide data, nor do I want my HDD chirping
away 16 hours a day. Sounds a bit ridiculous.

Sorry, I misread your post...

"and the Guide doesn't seem to be working, which is
what I want."

I took this to mean, you wanted the guide working and it wasnt, instead of
you didnt want the guide working....


"Silicon Sam" <SiliconSam@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1139681677.856154.205170@f14g2000cwb.googlegr oups.com...

"Silicon Sam" <SiliconSam@gmail.com> wrote:

If you go through the TV Guide setup again, you can tell it that you
have cable and a cable box. Then, if you have the G-LINK cable hooked
up, it will be able to change channels on your cable box (as long as
your box is supported).

If this causes the EPG to bother you (I'm not sure whether it would
with no RF connection), tell the TV Guide setup that you're in Canada
with a zip/postal code of A0A0A0 (those are zeroes), and set a timer
recording for the year 2010 (that's because disabling the EPG this way
requires that you keep at least one setting in the recording list at
all times).