1. Posted: Aug 22 2008

   I purchased this unit (the DR787T) just prior to the 2008 Academy Awards in order to use the TV tuner with my tuner-less TV. The quality was about what I was expecting, not bad but it also wasn't something that would blow me away. I don't watch a lot of TV and usually watch movies on my X360 or computer, so the unit didn't receive a ridiculous amount of use. Despite that, it has now completely failed to read any DVD I throw at it, both burnt and commercial, less than 6 months after purchase. It is as though it simply decided to only be a tuner from now on. From what I have read, this is an issue that affects many owners of the DR787T. Keep this in mind when thinking about purchasing this. I am very tech savvy and took good care of the unit, all the while using it very mildly. It now is borderline useless to me. To spend $100+ and have something fail within 6 months is ridiculous to me. The warranty isn't that long so after it ends you are simply going to be out more money if you get it fixed for a fee. Aside from the now useless DVD tray, the rest of the features were very mediocre, as stated earlier. The tuner worked, but don't expect much more. The recording portion worked sometimes. I could never get the timed function to work despite reading the manual and trying every different combination of things possible. I don't believe the function on my particular unit ever worked. If you are looking for a TV tuner, I highly recommend getting a TV Tuner card for a computer. They are cheaper, easy to install, and work much better (instant 'digital cable'-like features on regular ol' cable). That is the route I have since taken and it is a world of difference. And if you have Windows Media Center then you can stream live television to your TV through a media center extender. If you are looking for a DVD player, I would recommend a PS2 over this garbage. It seems as though many people have had a lot of luck with their DR787T and really enjoy it. However, if you are spending $100+, do you really want to take a chance on a unit that may or may not die on your within months of purchasing it?

2. Posted: Aug 12 2008

   I have this DVD recorder for over 6 months now and I am overall satisfied with it. Prior to this I also tried Samsung HDTV tuner, which is a good product, but returned it as I also wanted a DVD recorder besides a Digital Tuner. This unit is good combination, specially if your needs are only 480P. I have eit connected to my 480P infocus projector. Good: - Digital tuner is great. I have connected it to my Analog tuner and built in QAM tuner receives all (around 10) broadcast channels. Reception quality of HD broadcast channels is great, almost DVD quality. - DVD recording is excellent, specially in 2 hrs mode. Couple of days back I recorded Olympic opening ceremony and it came out great. - Has both optical and coax digial audio outputs. - Does up-conversion through HDMI interface. Not so good: - Touch sensitive buttons on front panel are great technology but not very convenient to use. Bad: - USB interface can only play mp3s and jpeg file connected through a USB memory stick. It can NOT play video files. I tried connecting a USB external hard drive, but it did not even recognize it. My old Philips DVD player could play videos from external hard disk. - Remote control does not have lighted keys. It's kind of difficult to find your way through the maze of buttons in a dark room while watching a movie on projector. Overall I am satisfied with this product. Prices of these DVD recorders with ATSC tuners have not come down much since I bought it 6 months back.

3. ( 0 of 1 found this review helpful ) Posted: Jun 22 2008

   Okay, I got this recorder mostly for the tuner to use on my projector, and to a lesser degree for playing back DVD's. Well the first one I got stopped playing DVD's after about an hour. But understanding these kinds of things happen, I happily exchanged it. Then I found myself having buyers remorse over the second one. For starters, the tuner upscales digital broadcasts. Now this is fine for those low resolution 480 channels, but if you have a 1080 channel, the tuner still outputs in 480 and upscales to 1080 and the results are not nearly as good as if the broadcast was pushed through in native resolution. Also, I'm still having issues with the DVD player. After about a couple hours of watching DVD's, the picture will freeze or get choppy and form large digital anomolies. Now to be fair, I think it might be because it was getting warm. When I took it out of the cabinet (nothing on top or under it) and put it on the top of the cabinet, it seemed to work just fine. But I don't want it on top... So, I have picked up the standalone Samsung tuner (full native resolution transmission) and a Sony Blu Ray player. WOW!, now there is true HD!! And I get to put them in the cabinet with the player on top of the tuner and no problems whatsoever. And the tuner is full featured and quick between channels. All in all, I just had reservations that the LG was a durable unit and very disappointed in the tuner.

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