Polaroid DVR-0800 Review

The Polaroid DVR-0800 DVD Recorder Review
I needed to be able to write DVD discs without having to pay $500+ for all the required equipment on a DVD. My PC would also need to be upgraded so that's another reason I decided to go with a DVD recorded instead. I wanted to be able to transfer all my VHS tapes to DVD+R format quickly and easily.

Stopped by at a local BestBuy to see what the prices were like on DVD Recorders. I expected to find them for at least $450 and didn't quite have the money to invest in one at that price.

I was very surprised to find the Polaroid DVR-0800 for sale at $349 marked down from $399! Not only that but sitting down below on the shelf was an opened box version for $319. Did an inspection and it looks like it had not even been used once!

I've been playing with the unit for a few days and have had a few minor problems with it. Overall I think it is worth the $319 I paid. It seems that no DVD recorder on the market is without a few problems. Correct me if i'm wrong on this!

Negatives:

  • Accidently pressing CLEAR causes disc in drive to automatically record!
  • When recording a movie from a VCR it takes about 10 seconds to actually START recording
  • Pressing "AV/TV" does not always bring up the input display you want
  • The button called "PLAY" does not play, but only will play when in PAUSE mode
  • Leaves all titles labeled as 'Untitled'. No way to change them
  • Puts more chapters on disc than it really has
  • Display timer counts down even when no disc is in the drive
  • Will randomly display goofy messages like 'closing' or 'copy prohibited' but keeps recording!
  • Manual does not specifiy recording lengths of modes. Take a guess.
  • Lack of many editing features, but what do you expect for $319?


    • Positives:

  • Nice design with a good looking menu system
  • Picture quality of copied movies is excellent
  • Remote is well designed somewhat, but PAUSE isn't labeled on the remote. It's just an icon


    • Rating: 7 (out of 10)

    This is a decent DVD recorder with many small bugs but it still does the job. It will be a steal at $349 once the bugs are fixed. The good news is that a firmware update might be released soon. I myself like the unit so much that I decided to keep it. Why bother trying another when they have just as many bugs? This one isn't any more buggy than the rest!

    Have an additional bug to report? Comment or question? Email me


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