Lecsound DVDR80

[Anton Redman]

Not strictly satellite equipment but relevant to my set up. The machine is a DVD recorder without a hard disk. Lecsound are the own brand for TV etc of LeClerc who are a French supermarket chain.

Purchased as a replacement for the Techwood ADDRSV78 which decided to die 2 years and 23 days after it was bought. I am beginning to think there is a chip in modern electronic equipment that sets itself to self destruct immediately the guarantee ends.

The recorder is used with our second Sky box, either to record UK programmes which finish after midnight in France or on the rare occasions when there is something on two channels which we want to watch to time shift the second recording. Also occasional recordings for friends to record the odd episode from series when they are away. Probably used a couple of times a month. A Hard Disk not really any advantage as we would need a cable from the lounge to the office where the main TV and digibox sit.

First impressions attractive black case. Set up easy to follow and language choice is either English or French. Manual in every major Southern European language plus a fair number of former Eastern Bloc but not English. Amazingly for a product on sale less than 18 months before digital switch off in France, and when the parts of France are digital only, it is only PAL and SECAM.

Self set up ran OK. The remote has 52 buttons labelled in English. However to exit a from any branch of the menu means you have to press the select button for that action. For instance if you havepressed ‘Timer’ set up a recording you have to press ‘Timer’ again to exit. Setting up the times of recordings is easy; it checks the disk in use to ensure there is enough space at the recording quality you have selected. Quality or replay for a recording made from Standard definition digibox seemed to be as good as the original.

It does exactly what I wanted but if I bought it to record French TV or possibly ever take it back to the UK I would be feeling a little unhappy. However the price was € 70 which is just over half the price of the LG DVD recorder which seems to be the only other DVD only recorder available in the UK or France these days.