First, the HDMI resolution has to be set from a button on the from panel, and does not stay set when the unit is turned off. Therefore, you have to set up the HDMI interface via the front panel button every time that you want to view something. Not a nice thing to do to a customer, especially if this unit is underneath the TV in an entertainment center.

Second, when you are watching a movie and hit the off button it does not shut of cleanly. For a brief period of time the TV tuner comes on while this machine is shutting down. Since over the air TV is broadcast at way way higher volumes than a typical DVD produces, it blasts your eardrums during shutdown. Again, not a nice thing to do to a customer.

It is kind of a shame really, because neither of these problems is difficult to fix from a design point of view. Nor, I suspect, would having it hold its HDMI setting and shutdown quietly affect the cost. JVC just didn’t think through what it would be like to be a customer.

Rating: 1 / 5

I connected the recorder using HDMI cables. The picture quality is very sharp and very clear. HD channels are downsampled to 720×480, even when just viewing them (ie not recording). They still look great, but they are not HD. It would have been nice if the HD channels were not downsampled when connected via HDMI, but it’s understandable. The analog channels of course do not look as good as the digital channels, but they look as clear as they ever have. It’s just that the digital channels look that much better!

recording
I have so far only tested HQ mode, and the record quality was exceptional. I recorded an episode of “House” from FOX (HD 16×9 720p). I was pleased to discover the unit records widescreen material anamorphic instead of letterboxed. In HQ, the audio was ac3 256kbps 2-channel. I believe the audio was downmixed to 2-channel (from 5. 1), but it sounded great nonetheless.

I had my TV aspect set as “16×9 wide” in the recorder’s settings. I noticed that if I set it as “4×3 pan and scan” it crops the left and right edges of widescreen channels. If I set it as “4×3 letterbox” it letterboxes the widescreen channels. I would assume that any recordings would be the same, but I have not tested that.

I recorded onto Maxell DVD-RW discs. I was very happy to see that RW discs work just fine. After finalizing the disc, it played well in any other player in the house, including the PS3. An un-finalized disc only plays in the recorder.

interface
The menu takes a little getting used to, but it’s actually quite well designed. I only have a few complaints. I’d prefer “Timer record” to be at the top, or even accessible via a single button on the remote (perhaps it is. I haven’t read the manual yet). And I’d like quicker access to finalizing a disc. But overall, it’s well done.

The remote is fairly well layed out. It is way better than the remotes that came with the Philips recorders and players. And the “eye” sees the remote from anywhere in the room. There are still some buttons I don’t know what they do, but again, I haven’t read the manual yet.

Rating: 5 / 5