Samsung DVD-SH871M Manual Incomprehensible

A general plea for help from someone unfamiliar with the
technology ...

I have just junked my VTR and bought a new hard disk/DVD recorder. I
selected a Samsung DVD-SH871M, mainly because it was what was
available in my price range and in stock at John Lewis. But when I
tried to learn how to use it, I found the manual to be atrocious.
Badly laid out, full of unexplained jargon, and reading as if it has
been translated from Bulgarian by a committee.

I have managed to set it up, and even to record/playback onto the hard
disk, but only after much trial and error. There is still a lot that
defeats me, even comparatively simple tasks like switching the
subtitles off permanently. I have not even tried yet to record to DVD
- the manual starts off by talking about things like DVD-T mode
without explaining what this means.

I'm not yet in the position to ask specific questions, as I need to be
taken through the process step by step and I expect each step will
generate new questions. So my query is more general; is there
anywhere an alternative set of instructions which would enable an
intelligent newcomer to the subject to use all the facilities of the
recorder? Ideally this would be specific to my recorder, but it may be
that a more generic set of instructions would through enough light on
the subject to allow me to progress further through what is one of the
worst instruction manuals I have ever come across.

Peter

peter wrote:

A general plea for help from someone unfamiliar with the
technology ...

I have just junked my VTR and bought a new hard disk/DVD recorder. I
selected a Samsung DVD-SH871M, mainly because it was what was
available in my price range and in stock at John Lewis. But when I
tried to learn how to use it, I found the manual to be atrocious.
Badly laid out, full of unexplained jargon, and reading as if it has
been translated from Bulgarian by a committee.

I have managed to set it up, and even to record/playback onto the hard
disk, but only after much trial and error. There is still a lot that
defeats me, even comparatively simple tasks like switching the
subtitles off permanently. I have not even tried yet to record to DVD
- the manual starts off by talking about things like DVD-T mode
without explaining what this means.

I'm not yet in the position to ask specific questions, as I need to be
taken through the process step by step and I expect each step will
generate new questions. So my query is more general; is there
anywhere an alternative set of instructions which would enable an
intelligent newcomer to the subject to use all the facilities of the
recorder? Ideally this would be specific to my recorder, but it may be
that a more generic set of instructions would through enough light on
the subject to allow me to progress further through what is one of the
worst instruction manuals I have ever come across.

Peter

You could try any of the manufacturer's websites for manuals and see
if you have any luck but yes, at first these recorders do appear to
have been designed with awkwardness in mind.

Of course feel free to fire away if you need any specific help and
also note there are groups aimed more at these machines, such as
rec.video.dvd.misc
alt.video.dvd.tech
alt.video.dvdr

and i would try AVforums with your original request too, just look for
the forum with dvd recorders in it
http://www.avforums.com/forums/index.php


--
Paul (We won't die of devotion)
-------------------------------------------------------
Stop and Look
http://www.geocities.com/dreamst8me/

In article 1ivhlxb.18s4cba1udfdjsN%
lid, Alan Pemberton wrote:
HDD/DVD recorders are notoriously difficult to learn to use.

True. I have two made by the same manufacturer which are completely
different, which is why I hope they will last for a very long time. By
then either they'll have invented something else that's easier to use
or I'll be dead and won't care.

Rod.
--
Virtual Access V6.3 free usenet/email software from
http://sourceforge.net/projects/virtual-access/

Alan Pemberton wrote:
Usually the recording has to be made in a specific format onto the hard
drive if it is to be subsequently copied to a DVD-R using the 'fast'
mode. This is done by copying the file byte-by-byte as you do on your
computer, and therefore without loss of quality. Files not recorded in
the correct format have to be de-MPEGged, played out at normal speed and
then re-MPEGed by the DVD recorder, which loses you some quality as well
as time.

Why single speed? (I'm used to PCs that can usually do this kind of
thing *much* faster)

Andy