Centrios EDW8020 DVD Recorder

UPDATE: After one year, I am having more problems getting dvdrw's to work. When I insert them, the unit says "loading" and then after awhile, the tray opens and that's it. That's even for memorex and staples discs that I boughts recently, which the old discs from the same companies had worked before. It still burns dvdr's.

Rather than go into details on all the options this unit has, which had enough for me, at this time it seems important to state the quality and limitations of dvd recorders since they are all first generation. My friend bought this Centrios DVD Recorder (EDW8020) from Circuit City for $179-$50 rebate back in the discount holiday period. He sold it to me because he wanted to buy another model that would play dvd /- discs rather than just the discs that this model plays. This model uses dvd r and dvd rw. These discs are more than available to buy anywhere. The problem is what discs are acceptable to this machine. What I mean is, on this as well as other first generation dvd recorders, some machines like this one have their own temperament and will only play discs manufactured by certain companies. While I will give this machine a favorable rating, I will list the brands that I had satisfaction with and those that did not work. I tend to think that if this recorder does not accept a company's disc, it is probably the dvd recorder's fault rather than a quality problem with the disc. First of all the discs that worked: Office Depot dvd r, Staples dvd rw, Memorex dvd rw. These discs (having tried several of the same package did not work: Office Depot dvd rw. I did not feel like experimenting with different brands once I found those that worked. We have found that dvd rw discs play in various older regular dvd players with no problem. Dvd r disc will only play in other dvd players if the disc is finalized (under disc utilities: this means "indexing" the disc so it can be read by other machines. For some reason, you have to push the "stop" button twice on the controller to enter the disc utility area.)

My friend, when he owned it, connected the machine to a "tivo" box, a memory box that retains programs from direct tv. He had no problem extracting the program and recording programs on the Centrios unit. I have cable and had no problem connecting the incoming cable and tv into the unit. I am able to record programs at programmed times and can virtually do everything and more than compared to a vcr. You can set "chapters" so you can skip to intervals (10, 20, 30 minute chapters) in the program. I have successfully recorded dozens of programs and only one time did I have a problem where the program had not recorded and the machine was on when I woke up in the morning- still unknown what the problem was. I would purchase this recorder again and it has indeed taken the place of our vcr.