Motorola DCT 3416 I DVR User Review

Two refurbished Magnavox recorders with hard disk ($130 and $160)

2009-09-26T00:08:00.000-07:00

If you are into hard-disk-based DVD recorders, but don't want to spend top dollars for import models or designer-brand-names on eBay, there is an alternative!Right now, J&R World has refurbished Magnavox-brand HDD-based DVD recorders offered for $130 and $160 respectively. The two models are the 80gb Magnavox H2080MW8, and the 160gb Magnavox H2160MW9. Both models come with free shipping and both

Motorola DCT 3416 DVR Updates

2008-04-21T22:05:00.000-07:00

The updates will be presented in reverse chronological order to make it easier to read, and broken down by month.August 2008 [8/2]: I haven't been using the DVR as heavily as I used to, which may explain why I only had one freeze/crash since the last update! See crash #12 below.April 2008 [4/21]: Like clockwork perhaps, on the eve of Earth Day, the playback-control-freeze happened once again!

Meet the Magnavox H2080MW8, a new hard disk DVD recorder making a stealth viral apperance at Walmart

2007-11-08T18:43:00.000-08:00

A new DVD recorder with an 80gb hard disk has quietly shown up on some Walmart stores around the country and costs $200 and it is the Magnavox H2080MW8. Where to get more details? At this very exciting thread at AVSforum discussing the Magnavox H2080MW8. The discussion is currently seven pages long and growing.While this obviously has a single tuner, the fact that it has NTSC, ATSC and QAM tuners

The first crash!

2007-11-03T16:00:00.000-07:00

It took a while since I got this DVR box to get a crash, I almost forgot that these boxes actually crash. (In stark contrast to the Pace Vegas box that crashed every day when in use). This DCT 3416 I box has been running non-stop crash-free since I got it on September 20, 2007, a total of 43 days.So what was the crash? The progress bar remained stuck on the screen, the video and picture continued

First recording interrupted by EBS!

2007-10-03T20:55:00.000-07:00

And we had our first recording interrupted by an overnight EBS (emergency broadcast system). The Motorola software does not handle EBS signals very efficiently. They basically stop the recording, show the EBS, and start a 2nd program for the remaining piece.Given that these are dual-tuner recorders, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that you can show the Emergency Broadcast Signal

How much space do programs take on the hard disk?

2007-10-01T21:44:00.000-07:00

This post will track how much space on average each program/channel takes. This will be given as a percentage of hard disk space occupied and calculated after deleting the program. These are rounded numbers and are intended as a ballpark estimate. They are not a scientific precision calculation :-)This post will get updated with new and improved measurements over time! The channels are listed

First impressions on the Moto 3416 DCT I

2007-09-25T10:56:00.000-07:00

And by first impressions, let me specify, I mean first impressions using this particular device. I have used the Motorola 3412, 6412 and the Pace Vegas TDC-575D dual tuner DVRs on Comcast cable before. So I am painfully very familiar with the user interface and such.I switched to the Moto 3416 from the Pace Vegas which had a very nasty bug in that it randomly froze/crashed at the end of playback

The DCT 3416 I in pictures

2007-09-23T14:39:00.000-07:00

Front view. This is what is facing you. There is the informational display and functional buttons on either side.On the left side of the front panel display we have the four way arrow keys which behave the same way the four outer arrow keys behave on your remote control. The Up arrow for example is PLAY/PAUSE, the Down arrow is STOP, and the left and right are fast forward and fast backward.This

Installation and Activation of the Motorola DCT 3416

2007-09-20T12:43:00.000-07:00

I am using Comcast Cable and this is not my first DVR! The new season is upon us so I am upgrading from the Pace Vegas standard definition dual tuner DVR to this Motorola DCT 3416 I dual tuner HD DVR. Before the Pace Vegas, I had the Motorola 6412 and 3412 DVRs as well.Since the last time I got a new Comcast box, Comcast seems to have changed their activation procedure. You obviously still have

Welcome to the Motorola DCT 3416 I DVR User Review!

2007-09-20T12:24:00.000-07:00

This is a user review of the Motorola DCT 3416 I DVR! This is not an expert review, but an enthusiastic user review :-) It will be updated blog style with new things posted as I discover them.The first post will be the installation and activation post, with some pictures of the unit as well as an intro and more details! Stay tuned as it will be posted later today!