The Magnavox MDR513H/F7 Hard Drive and DVD Recorder with Digital Tuner is a great device that can help you maintain your VCR collection. It will convert your VCRs to DVD format and at the same time record TV shows to the hard drive.
However, it is better to use this unit on digital TVs instead of old analog TV monitors. If you need to replace your old VCR anyway, you might as well get this one.
advantage
It has a huge 320 gig hard drive that can store around 400 hours of footage. Even if you record all your favorite TV shows, you’ll still have plenty of room for more. Another advantage is that you can record TV shows and remove commercials from the recording.
You can plug it into your drive and be able to figure out how it works in no time. The manual can be a bit difficult to understand, so it’s best to just dive in and explore the Magnavox MDR513H/F7 DVD and HDD Recorder with Digital Tuner as soon as you take it out of the box.
The unit has a one touch button to record and a one button dubbing function. It pretty much works like an old-fashioned VCR, so it won’t be complicated to use. The difference is that it can record TV shows and produce good quality digital images. It definitely has better picture quality than a VCR.
Owning one of these is like owning a Tivo without paying monthly fees. It’s a great replacement for an older VCR as it has more features and records with better picture quality.
cons
There are a few quirks to the Magnavox, like the remote control that isn’t exactly easy to use.
You also can’t burn a dual-layer DVD.
Another drawback is the lack of USB outlets on the back of the unit. Therefore, you can only connect a limited number of devices to it.
Another peculiarity is the difficulty of editing titles and burning them on the DVD. It can be done but the procedure is not easy.
The interface isn’t all that appealing either, and the drive takes a long time to write or copy the disc. These may be reason enough for some people not to buy them if they knew.
One more thing dragging the Magnavox drive down is the way it records movies or shows in widescreen format. The recorded image looks distorted after converting from widescreen formats to a 3 x 4 image. You can resolve this problem by manually adjusting the image on your TV by switching it to widescreen mode.
If you need to replace your old VCR, you can also get this unit. Its ability to convert your old VCRs to digital and other features and huge memory make it well worth the price. If you think about it, your VCR collection won’t have to go to waste, thanks to the Magnavox MDR513H/F7 hard drive.
