Sadly, had to return the Lite-On DD-A100GX recorder - Bad Input Signal Quality

So I had been testing and working with the Lite-On DD-A100GX home DVD recorder, and I was having a lot of fun and success with it. It recorded TV shows like a champ and the quality was fine, being that it is adjustable and all. I dug the menu interfaces, the remote, the form factor especially, and the flexibility. However, when I started doing my next round of feature tests, I discovered a problem.

I had connected my VCR to the Lite-On using high-quality AV cables but noticed that there were quality issues with VHS captures. There seemed to be some sort of "ghosting" or "shifting" in the signal, and the quality of any text on the screen was disappointing to say the least.

It didn't just show up on the DVD media, but during the capture, when I would view the input stream on the TV, I noticed it too.

After extensive testing, I found that all of the RCA inputs on the unit had quality issues when capturing video. The only input jack on the unit that did not have any issues was the RF plug that accepted the feed from the cable tv cord.

I was pondering getting and RF modulator so I could use that jack when capturing from the VCR (so I could keep the SIMA CT-200 connected via a standard yellow AV plug) but instead decided that I was going to test another product first.

Long story short, I bought a pretty basic Panasonic DVD Recorder and found during testing that its AV input quality was outstanding by comparison. It was like night and day. So, even though the Panasonic is not as user friendly in terms of the interface or even the remote, I opted to pick it over the Lite-On due to its noticeable quality advantage.

I've run the Panasonic unit through its paces and it is doing VERY well in just about everything, so I'm happy enough. I just have to figure out how to get around some of the quirks with how it handles DVD+RWs and finalizes DVD-RWs, but I'll continue plugging along.

I really, really liked the Lite-On, but the fact that any of the RCA inputs produced very bad signal quality when used was simply a deal breaker.

Just wanted to kind of do a follow-up.

Thanks for all the help and advice. Hopefully this info may help someone else who is doing a search, sad as it is.

Sorry to hear about the issues you had with the Lite-On. I wonder if it was just faulty AV inputs on the drive you ended up with or if this is a common issue with the DD-A100GX. I have the LVW-1105HC+ (very similar to the DD-A100GX) and haven't experienced any ghosting issues, but then again I have a European PAL model.

On the other hand, I'm glad to see that the Panasonic turned out to be a success, even if a little tricker to get use to. Good luck with it.

Thanks. So far, the Panasonic DMR-ES15 is turning out to be very good in terms of quality, even if it is a bit less user friendly interface wise. I can hardly believe how good VHS copies are looking.