Aims of this review

This assessment will focus on the general practical use of the DVDR3480; mainly highlighting its strengths, revealing some hidden capabilities, pointing out its occasional weaknesses, and stating where it departs from the official specifications. In all of this assessment, we will relate the features and capabilities back to the price of the recorder and make some judgement on value-for-money. Please note that we can’t check out everything, but we will try and report the most significant factors. There will be a thread in the CD Freaks ‘Philips DVD Recorder and Player’ forum for comments, questions, and potential amendments to this review.

Secondly, this review is for a UK specification machine (with an ‘05’ suffix). Philips does make considerable changes to recorders destined for other continents or countries, and readers might find the DVDR3480 version for their locality to have features different to the one described here. For full and current specifications, readers should look at the Philips website page for the DVDR3480 (here). In addition, Philips makes all the user manuals for consumer electronics available as downloadable PDF documents: so if you want to check out for yourself how to use the DVDR3480 in imaginary terms; please click here.

For the screen-shots of the DVDR3480 we used the S-Video output of the recorder, digitised by a Eskape Labs ‘MyTV2Go’ hardware USB 1.1 device attached to a Macintosh Powerbook G4 running OS X 10.3.9. Display capture software was the proprietary ‘MyTV/x’ version 3.6.9 for OS X.

What’s in the box..?

The recorder comes in a well-illustrated and sturdy box, fitted with a comfortable plastic carry handle. Inside is the DVD recorder unit, wrapped in a layer of shock-absorbing polythene material and suspended in a masterpiece of cardboard origami. Lying protected within the niches of the packing are the remote control, 2 x AAA batteries, a printed manual, a ‘Quick Setup’ guide, and an RF coaxial lead.

Basically the recorder is effectively centred in the box and looks very well-protected from the knocks that can be acquired during transportation. The use of recyclable cardboard to suspend the unit, rather than the usual expanded polystyrene (Styrofoam) or polythene blocks, is worth a side-note with the prevailing global outlook towards sustainable resources.

Note that there is neither an RGB SCART cable provided, nor a blank disc to get you started.

The manual is very well organised, and the descriptions of connection and operation are clear and concise; all the information we needed from time to time was to be found there. It is printed on quite cheap paper, but considering the high standard of the content and the price of the DVDR3480, we found this quite forgivable.

Note that the recorder comes with Philips’s ‘Home Premium Guarantee’, which basically means that they will provide you with a replacement machine within seven days if it is necessary to have the machine returned for repair.

First impressions

Main recorder unit

On unwrapping and examining the recorder, it feels well-built and is of expected weight for its size. The main casing is metal with a good silver paint finish, with a small area of air-vent slots cut into the top, and there are four rubber feet for it to sit on. The body is rigid, resistant to twisting, and nothing feels loose when you shake it.

Note that the front panel and display are sloping backwards. This makes it easier to read when you’re standing up, bending down to press the buttons, or to get access to the front inputs without getting down on your knees; which is especially helpful if the recorder is at the bottom of a pile of AV devices.

The front panel is mainly high-quality glossy black plastic, with a minimum number of round or bar-shaped buttons with a brushed-metal finish. A fold-down flap on the right-hand side reveals some input connectors: yellow/white/red phono sockets for composite video, left and right stereo audio, a horizontal USB port (1.1 standard), and a vertical i.Link port (IEEE1394; ‘FireWire’) for recording DV:

The DVD tray opens smoothly and steadily and seems of good build quality (unlike some of the cheap ‘other brand’ DVD players where you feel the disc tray would snap off with the slightest pressure). The short display panel shows an array of basic status messages and is a restful green colour:

The rear panel connector arrangement is well documented in the manual, and is mainly for output: progressive scan phono; CVBS video phono; RGB SCART; S-Video DIN; analogue audio left & right phono; digital SP/DIF phono. For external input there is one SCART RGB. For analogue TV reception there is a pair of RF aerial in/out coaxial sockets.

Overall we feel it is a slim and very attractive-looking unit; of a design  and quality exceeding what you’d expect for such a low-cost DVD recorder.

Remote control

This looks like a vastly-improved design from previous Philips remotes. It is made from high-quality rigid black plastic with a wedge-shaped front – which in a way mirrors the sloping front panel of the main recorder unit – and with the infra-red LED sender recessed under a hollowed-out front. The buttons are translucent white silicone rubber and arranged into easily identifiable groups; but there is no backlight. The remote runs on 2 x AAA batteries (supplied).

Remote control, looking from above:

Remote control, showing the recessed IR sender:

As well as looking good, this remote is a whole lot better in operation than those previously supplied by Philips. The majority of the buttons work satisfactorily: but the four wedge-shaped ‘arrow’ ones can be a bit problematic at first. Because of the sloping angle of the top surface, pressing any one of these forces the button slightly sideways against the remote body and makes it harder to press straight down, so you get a feeling of ‘smearing’ of the button rather than getting a satisfying rubbery click. The end result is that the button-press action may not work; or it does work and you don’t feel it. After some practice of remembering to press slightly inwards, against the natural slope of the button, it’s possible to get used to it and becomes not so much of a problem. However it’s a slightly irritating quirk that perhaps could have been sorted out pre-manufacturing.

Another problem that you have to overcome is remembering not to put your finger over the IR sender. Some of the buttons at the top end of the remote are quite small, and a bit more force is needed to press them. A natural response is to fit your index finger beneath the top end and into the recess to help apply the extra pressure: which of course covers up the LED and prevents the signal from being emitted. Again, this is another mildly irritating design quirk which takes a bit of practice to avoid.

Despite these two minor inconveniences, in overall terms the remote has been considerably improved from past efforts, and is of very good quality considering the retail pricing of the DVDR3480.