Magnavox MDR515H/F7 DVR (Lock-Up/Freezing Issue) RESOLVED!

[pumpkinitis]

I have a magnavox zv450mw8 dual vcr/dvd player. It is practically fried so I am taking it apart to salvage anything in it if even possible. What part of this component is the actual tuner that was built in to it? Thanks for any help.

[jerrymc777]

@pumpkinitis I am not familiar with that unit, but you can get tons of info on those on AVSForum.com

The MDR515H/F7 are supposedly out of production now. You can get a good refurb unit from Amazon or J&R.

[hailherrosner]

@jerrymc777 Dude, does this record in HD on the hard drive? and can it record from hard drive to dvd in hd 1080p? and is it reliable or still clicking in and out?

[jerrymc777]

@hailherrosner No, this unit will Not record in HighDef (HD). It does receive HD digital stations, but only records in SD format on the HDD and DVD. On the HQ or SP setting the picture quality is still very impressive. With the new firmware it no longer cuts out and freezes/locks up. I've been running the new firmware since Jan 2012 with NO issues.

[hailherrosner]

@jerrymc777 Since this unit does not record in HD, and has some reliability problems, I would recommend you get a Pioneer DVR-650H HDD/dvd recorder with 250 GB or Sony RDR-HX780 HDD/DVD recorder with 160 GB, I own both and from my HD box I go S-Video out along with right/left audio to S-Video into the recorder, and I leave the recorder channel input to Line 1 in, image quality is amazing in HQ or SP,you can find one second hand on Craigslist or Kijjiji, I highly recommend you get Pioneer or Sony

[jerrymc777]

@hailherrosner Rumors are flying that Magnavox/Funai is creating a DVR that will record in HD and have a BluRay recorder for archiving. I do like this MDR515 model because I can edit parts of shows out (commercials) and save back to the HDD or DVD. Magnavox already sells them in Japan, but the problem is with cable tv cos. The built-in tuner of this unit will only get clear/unencrypted digital and analog stations. (C-QAM) And I don't want to pay a monthly fee to use my own equipment! TIVO, Moxi

[SuperSynoptic]

You should not unplug the rf cable while unit is plugged in to AC. You possibly could damage the i.c.'s. From the start, when the unit frooze, you should have disconnected the AC. Thanks for the info.

[Reyesh]

Trying boosting the rf signal with a amp

[jerrymc777]

@Reyesh I used a Motorola commercial cable signal booster which just made the analog stations PQ crappy.

[Ronin10867]

Thanks for posting the video. I was thinking about buying this unit to replace a Panasonic DMR-EA18 with similar issues. Aside from a few problems that I associated with bad disks, my Panasonic worked great - great picture, great sound, and then the warranty expired. I've gotten a few freeze-ups, but mostly it's read errors. DVDs that play fine on my old player can't read, and worse it can't read DVDs created using it. I was hoping a recorder with a hard drive would better, but I guess not.

[jerrymc777]

@Ronin10867 It's actually a pretty good unit. I've burned programs from the HDD to DVD, minus commercials, with no problems. It has tons of features. Although it will pick up high-def stations, it records in standard def, which is still good quality.

[cuzitsnecessary]

thanks for sharing this. i read under one of the reviews through amazon, comcast & time warner boxes doesn't work with any other hdd/dvr sets unless it's with tivo.  which is quite pathetic since most of ppl are trying to save our money now a days. i guess i have to stick with the vhs tapes til technology steps it's game up.

[jerrymc777]

@cuzitsnecessary These work fairly well without an STB, as long as the channel is unencrypted AND you power up the 515 in DTV mode. I hear there's new firmware that addresses this issue, but they're still testing it, so it's not officially released yet. :)

[alaskanwilderness]

we had a lot of problems with our LiteOn DVD recorder. I insist that nobody ever buy one. I just ordered the Magnavox and hope to have better luck. I'm wondering when you transfer from HDD to DVD, does it transfer "as a file" or does it have to transfer in real time like a VCR would? .i.e., a movie literally takes 90 minutes to transfer. Is there a defragmentation option on the hard drive? Are there any firmware updates available?

[jerrymc777]

From what I understand though I haven't tried it yet, the DVR records at a fast speed from HDD to DVD. There is no defragmentation option and no firmware updates on these 515H models yet.

You can get a large amount of info on these Magnavox(Funai) and other DVR units at this website:

avsforum.com