RCA DRC8052N DVD Recorder
from: RCA
Average Rating: 
Sales Rank: 9613
Sales Rank: 9613
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Electronics : RCA DRC8052N DVD Recorder |
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Rating:  - * IN DEFENSE OF RCA!! ... I have been a dedicated RCA user for over 20 years!! Before this product I had a RCA VCR that lasted over 20 years before it died!! My wife has a VCR that is over 25 years old!!! It still works like new!! As for this DVD player, I have had it for over a year and it works fantastic!! I understand the negative reviews on this product, nothing is perfect!! It would be nice to see somemore positive feedback on this product!!! I imagine there is alot out there!! I personally think it is a great product for the price!! Rating:  - * As DVD Recorders go.... ... This unit may not be the best but from my experience, it also may not be the worst. I only use it for time shifting and archiving, and not as a cable receiver as some may. I use it in conjunction with my Sat receiver. The question may be askewd if Blu-ray is better. Without a doubt....yes. At this time neither format offers an HDMI Input so at best a standard def recording is all we will get. The first 8052 I purchased in 12-2006 has not given me any problems thus far and for the price paid, I think it works fine for the purpose intended. Rating: - * Okay, Not Ready for Prime Time Yet ... And yet another DVD recorder that's woeful. Right off the bat, the HDMI output doesn't work. Why? Because it defaults to 480i of all things (not in the manual) and at least for me NONE of my HD TV's support that, they only go "down" to 480p. So you hook up an alternate video output so you can see what you're doing on the menu, only to find that the HDMI setting isn't even in the menu... it's got it's own button! The menuing system is very unintuitive, horrible really. The DVD is considered an input, so to see what's on the DVD you have to hit the input button, and go select the DVD icon itself (right next to AV1, etc). The menuing system is very difficult to navigate, but on the positive side there's a lot of features there -- like to be able to preview each title and insert chapter stops, and there's some nice editing features (combining titles/chapters, etc). The remote control is very cheap, unlike the unit itself which has a very nice appearence with the piano black finish and chrome accents. I had no compatibility problems with my other players. One other thing, while recording, the responsiveness of the unit when stopping/pausing is sluggish. Overall a decent player for the money. Rating:  - * RCA DRC 8052N ... The unit I received was not working properly so returned it to the supplier who was very quick to get necessary information to me for the prepaid return. Rating:  - * Excellent DVD recorder ... I am not quite sure why so many negative reviews have come up for this recorder. My experience has been fairly well painless. While I do not have a Hi Def television yet, I have found it interesting/nice that this device converts between the inputs. For example, an RCA video input would be output as S-Video as long as I have the S-Video cable connected as the output path. No swapping inputs on the television! In the home theater receivers I have seen, this functionality would simplify things a great deal. I use my RCA drc8052N DVD Recorder to run analog signal devices in, and receive digital signals out. The conversions are clean and the audio and video I get are more than acceptable. DVD recording has gone off without a hitch. Recording old home movies to DVD from VHS has gone very well and has allowed me to subsequently pull that movie data into the PC for editing and compiling home movie DVD's although this step is really a hobby for me and is not necessary. The menu editing in the RCA DCR8052N, while tedious, certainly is adequate. I purchased my unit ahead of the Christmas season last year for less than $100 at a local retailer and have not had a minute's trouble. I also must note on the heat issue that my cabinet is not ideal for this type of equipment. The heat within the cabinet can seem quite high, but this machine and my other devices have performed very well. I do periodically clean my electronic equipment by blowing it out and ensuring dust doesn't have a chance to build up, but this is a habit of mine. Our PS2 will stop working due to dust build-up if I don't keep it cleaned out, for instance. The interface for operating this system is complex but not gratuitously so. A review of the documentation prior to operation should be enough for most folks to be able to take advantage of most of it's features. At a minimum, this device is far superior to it's 2 star average. 4 stars is a conservative representation of it's overall value. |
All three principals sing eloquently and with a fine sense of the opera's structure and context. Anna Tomowa-Sintow is in even better voice than Domingo, and Giorgio Zancanaro heads an expert supporting cast. The Covent Garden Chorus, directed with distinction by Michael Hampe, gives a memorable impression of the revolutionary mob. Julius Rudel's conducting is totally idiomatic. --Joe McLellan
Lotfi Mansouri spared no effort or expense in making this production special. He personally directed the staging, and handpicked an outstanding cast (right down to the very young and then-unknown Ben Heppner in the small role of Hervey). The visual elements--sets, costumes, and camera work--are also handled with great care, and Sutherland's positive response to this dedication can be sensed in her performance as the unfortunate wife of King Henry VIII. James Morris is best-known as a Wagnerian singer--perhaps the leading Wotan of our time--but he is equally at home in many of the villainous roles that are the fate of bass- baritones (Iago, Scarpia, Don Giovanni). In this sinister tale of an innocent woman ruthlessly destroyed, he shows a surprising knack for the bel canto style. Judith Forst is also excellent in the role of Jane Seymour. --Joe McLellan
