Pioneer DVD-633H-S DVR/DVD Recorder Page 2

The Short Form
pioneerelectronics.com / 800-421-1404 / $599 / 16.5 x 2.375 x 10.75 IN
Plus
•High-capacity hard-disk. •Very easy-to-use editing system. •High-speed dubbing from hard disk. •Dual-layer DVD-R recording.
Minus
•Slightly compromised recorded resolution. •TV Guide On Screen program guide. 0511_pioneer_skyline
Key Features
•160-GB DVR •Records and plays DVD-R/RW and DVD-R DL (double layer) •Plays DVD-Video, CD, CD-R/RW, JPEG, WMA, and MP3 •front-panel inputs DV (i.Link) and composite/S-video with stereo audio •back-panel I/O antenna input; composite/S-video and analog audio ins and outs; component-video and optical digital audio out; RF and IR blaster out
Test Bench
Onscreen record-playback resolution in the XP and SP modes was approximately 440 lines, a result confirmed by a measured steep falloff of luminance frequency response at 5.5 MHz (interlaced outputs). Horizontal resolution dropped to 250 lines in the LP mode, a typical result, and vertical resolution was halved in the EP and longer-playback modes (SLP and SEP). MPEG-encoding artifacts were surprisingly well controlled in the longer modes, though they are still only suitable for programs containing little motion, like talk shows. DVD-movie playback did not show any rolloff in resolution. Progressive-scan playback from the component-video outputs was typical: good with movies but showing "jaggies" on diagonals on programs originating on video. Full lab results
RECORD/PLAYBACK PERFORMANCE Using the Pioneer's DV (i.Link) input to record test patterns from a DV tape, I was surprised to find that recordings made in the two highest-quality modes (XP and SP, providing maximum recording times of 1 and 2 hours on a blank DVD) did not offer full DVD horizontal resolution. Instead of the onscreen resolution of 540 lines we normally see for a DVD recorder's 1- and 2-hour modes, the Pioneer delivered approximately 440 lines and was distinctly softer in test patterns. But this technical shortcoming was completely undetectable in recordings of typical program material because most sources, especially conventional TV broadcasts, don't carry even that level of detail.

My own high-definition DV footage of the New York City skyline, shot from a ferry going up the East River, looked great in the XP and SP modes (the signal was converted to standard-definition in the camcorder before feeding the Pioneer). This footage features grids of skyscraper windows and diagonally running suspension-bridge cables that practically make it a live-action test pattern. It even looked good, if softer, in the Pioneer's 4-hour LP mode. The ultra-high-capacity EP, SLP, and SEP modes (6-, 8-, and 10- hour capacities on a single-layer DVD) looked freer than usual from such encoding artifacts as "mosquito noise" and "blocking," even if they had the usual very soft picture and jerky motion. On the whole, the Pioneer's recording quality in all modes was at or slightly above par compared with other recorders.

The DVR-633 is the first deck I've tested to record on dual-layer DVD-R discs, which are so new that I had to request samples from Verbatim, the first manufacturer to offer them. As with all dual-layer decks we've tried, there's an inevitable stutter in the finished recording at the point where the player hits the layer-change. The Pioneer sets this point automatically - you can't manually place it to hit at an innocuous moment in the program. Recording Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, starring Marlon Brando as Marc Antony, from Turner Classic Movies, I got Brando saying, "Cry 'Havoc'! . . . [layer-change stutter] . . . "and let slip the dogs of war." The Bard would not be pleased.

I tried my dual-layer test recordings in a half dozen DVD recorders and players, and only half of them could play the second layer, which seems to be typical of dual-layer DVD+R discs too. For now, unless you absolutely require a very long recording time on a single DVD, the additional cost of a dual-layer disc is probably not justified. For long programs, the Pioneer makes it easy to dub from its hard drive to multiple single-layer discs.

BOTTOM LINE Amazingly, the editing system in Pioneer's DVR-633 is so simple and intuitive, I'd bet even a kid could use it. Of the many DVD recorders I've reviewed to date, it is the best at combining recording versatility, editing precision, and ease of operation. With a $500 typical street price (list is $599), it's not the least expensive hard drive-equipped DVD recorder you can buy. But for the recording enthusiast, it's well worth the price.

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