Philips DVDR890 DVD Recorder

Using the recorder
To make a recording is simple using the 'OTR' button, which will record from the TV channel or device selected. A monitor button shows you exactly what is being recorded, so there can be no mistake. The facility exists to record via a timer and the very handy VideoPlus system if you have the codes printed in your listings. All together, there are six recording modes (or qualities) ranging from HQ (1 hour per disk) to EP+ (6 hours per disk) to choose from - there seems very little difference in the quality of the top four modes that I have used.
Details of the inserted disk and any recordings you have made appear on the on-screen display along with a small screen shot of each recording. There is also a bar down the right-hand side, which acts as a proportional representation of recordings on the disk, with the selected one highlighted. To playback a recording, the cursor keys are used to highlight the desired recording, then the 'OK' or 'play' button to view.

Chapters
An auto mode inserts chapters every few minutes, or you can add your own during or after recording (useful in saving your place should you need to stop watching before the program ends). Chapters can be made viewable or hidden - handy for marking where adverts appear and end, so the machine skips them on the NEXT playback. I should mention here, that there is no magic feature that automatically detects and skips adverts during recording, whatever you have read elsewhere!

DVD880 or DVD890?
There are so many features to mention on this device than there is space or time here. The main difference between this model and the 880 is a firewire link (1394) for connecting cameras digitally, therefore getting the best quality home movies and stills, and 6 hour recording mode.

Summing up
On the whole, this is an easy to use device, with the advantage over VHS recorders of being able to go straight to your recordings without the need for constant searching. A good on screen display gives you all the information about what's on your disks, which can be recorded on again and again if you use the DVD+RW type. The unit also plays all my audio and video CD's, including those produced on my computer. It even plays disks full of MP3's that I have backed-up on CD-R's, with the screen showing the title, artist, album and other info of each track. Recordings made with this device play on the DVD drive on my computer. Easy front access is provided for cameras via composite, S-video or digital inputs.
On the down side, the device is huge - despite being very light, and ugly. The control buttons on the unit are also very small and narrow - most people store their recorders under the TV or in the video cabinet underneath, which means that seeing which button does what is practically impossible. There is also no eject button on the remote control, so again, you've got to search for that button on the device itself to open the tray. The fast-forward and chapter search on the remote double up on 2 keys, which can be fiddly to master. Also, when using the OTR button, you have to make sure that new recording picture is highlighted in the on-screen display, otherwise it records over the recording last selected. I later found out that you have to hold this button down until the words 'safe record' appear in the display to avoid this!
Despite these little niggles, I think the DVD890 is an exceptional piece of kit, and am so pleased that I decided to take the plunge and go digital.