Gateway AR230 Progressive-Scan DVD Player / Recorder Review

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(More customer reviews)This is Gateway's entry into the DVD Recorder arena, and is a clone of the LiteOn LVW-5001. The user interface is very intuitive and much easier to figure out than the Philips models, but the instruction manual is a bit vague on the meaning of various functions. Most of the functions can be figured out with a little bit of experimentation, but it would be better if the manual just gave a full explanation.
For example, if you delete a recording that is in between two others, and then you start recording a new program, the unit will not automatically overwrite the deleted area. Instead, it will simply add on after the last program. If you want it to reuse empty space, you must enable the overwrite function for the deleted program, and then record. Be careful, because, if record a program that is longer than the one you deleted, you will overwrite the next program. This all seems sensible once you figure it out, but it would be nice if the manual explained it.
The best thing about this DVD Recorder is that it can be made region free and it will convert PAL encoded DVD's (which are sold in Europe on www.amazon.co.uk) to NTSC, so you can watch DVDs that are not sold here (like the excellent British television show "Cold Feet" and "Black Books") on your TV in the U.S.
Just turn on the DVD player without a disc in it, press the right arrow, push 800, and then push the enter button. From that point on, the unit is region free.

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With the Gateway AR-230 DVD player/recorder, you can play movies and music, record off-air TV broadcasts, and store multimedia content on high-capacity, 4.7 GB DVDs. It's never been easier to share your home videos with friends and family, and the AR-230 even delivers quality home cinema on standard or high-definition televisions. Using the recorder's extensive inputs--including an IEEE 1394 digital video jack--you can transfer and assemble your most treasured camcorder footage, archive all your old videotapes, or burn video from your PC straight to high-capacity DVD--up to six hours per side using either DVD+R or DVD+RW.
DVD+RW discs require no finalizing: you can record, eject, and play them with minimal fuss, thanks to background formatting. This feature, which lowers total burning time, is an advantage over the "dash" formats. Other DVD+RW advantages include on-disc content editing and multisession writing. And, through DVD+RW and DVD+R's compatibility with most existing DVD players, they're a great way for you to share your special memories with family and friends.
The recorder offers timer recording (record once, daily, or weekly), as well as disc editing features such as title editing, title deletion (on DVD+RW discs), title overwriting (on DVD+RW discs), and content protection.
The AR-230 is also a first-rate DVD player, featuring progressive-scan video outputs, Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1-channel surround-sound passthrough, MP3 CD playback (CD-R/-RW), and playback compatibility with most DVD media (including video-mode DVD-R and DVD-RW). You can load a disc full of JPEG images for a digital slideshow in the comfort of your living room.
Whether you already own an HDTV or you're merely thinking of "someday," the AR-230 stands ready to deliver the full potential of your DVDs. Progressive scanning, referred to as 480p for the number of horizontal lines that compose the video image, creates a playback picture using twice the scan lines of a conventional DVD picture, giving you higher resolution and sharper images while eliminating nearly all motion artifacts.
Top-of-the-line component-video outputs help minimize digital and line-scan artifacts on compatible advanced televisions, while composite- and S-video outputs bring compatibility with nearly any television monitor. Video inputs include the above-mentioned front-panel IEEE 1394 jack, front and rear composite-video jacks, and a rear-panel S-video input. Audio inputs consist of two-channel analog jacks with up to 24-bit analog-to-digital conversion.
A single set of left/right analog-audio outputs channel audio to Dolby Pro Logic receivers and stereo televisions. Both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1-channel surround-sound signals can be routed through the player's digital-audio outputs (one each of RCA coaxial and Toslink optical) for direct connection to a full-featured audio/video receiver.
What's in the Box DVD recorder, remote control, remote batteries, an AC power cord, a 6-foot audio/video interconnect (stereo analog audio/composite-video), a 6-foot RF coaxial AV cable, a blank DVD+RW disc, a setup poster, and a user\'s manual.

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