ie8 fix

CNET Archive

Find more recent Video Players and Recorder products

RCA Scenium DRS7000N (08/22/2002)

RCA Scenium DRS7000N

Entered CNET Catalog: 08/22/2002

SKU: 0034909220320

Manufacturer: RCA

Content [Hide]
  1. Manufacturer's description
  2. Product summary
  3. Editors' review
  4. Users' opinions
  5. Blogs
  6. Keywords

Manufacturer description

The RCA Scenium Digital Media Recorder (DMR) is the industry's first combination progressive scan DVD player and hard-disc recorder, offering up to 30+ hours of recording time and a convenient, no-fee GUIDE Plus+ Gold interactive TV guide. By combining the best features of a progressive scan DVD player with a personal video recorder, a powerful new entertainment product has been created.

Product summary

The goodThe good: DVR and progressive-scan DVD player in one unit; many connectivity options; no monthly fee; JPEG and MP3 storage on hard drive.

The badThe bad: Free programming guide doesn't always work; spotty digital-photo support.

The bottom lineThe bottom line: Despite its worthwhile DVR features and lack of a monthly fee, this attempt at a digital-media server falls short.

Average user rating: from 28 users
2.5 stars

Editors' review

  • Editors' Choice: No
  • Reviewed on: 11/26/2002
What if you had one device in your living room that could screen DVDs, display digital photos, play digital music, and even record hours of TV programming? Enter the Scenium DRS7000N Digital Media Recorder, RCA's first attempt at the brave, new world of digital A/V servers. Pairing a hard disk media recorder with a DVD player is a great idea, but this execution of the concept could use some fine-tuning.

Editor's note: We have changed the rating in this review to reflect recent changes in our rating scale. Click On the outside, the DRS7000N looks like an oversized DVD player. The extra bulk accommodates a 40GB hard drive, which warehouses all the digital media--TV shows, music, and photos--that you can cram onto it. This RCA's attractive, silver-and-chrome face incorporates a large display, while the disc tray is dominated by a neon-blue light that shines brightly during recording. Unfortunately for light-sensitive home-theater buffs, the massive, blue recording beacon cannot be dimmed.

A handful of buttons grace the front panel, but you'll be running the show from the unit's remote. In addition to controlling the Scenium's myriad of features, the mammoth universal wand can be programmed to operate five other devices.

An extensive menu system controls the DRS7000N's DVD player, digital video recorder (DVR), and TV tuner, as well as its music-/photo-storage and playback capabilities. The menus and controls are straightforward and usable, but the interface won't win any competitions in terms of design or intuitiveness. In addition to being a fully capable, progressive-scan DVD player, the DRS7000N is a digital media recorder. Pop in a CD-R full of MP3s, and you can listen to the tunes from the disc or copy them to the hard drive to build a customized digital jukebox. If visual stimuli is more your style, you can queue up a slide show of your digital photos, either via the CD drive or by attaching a compatible media-card reader to the unit's front-panel USB port.

The DRS7000N's biggest selling point, however, is its ability to pause, rewind, and record live television. And unlike DVR standard-bearers ReplayTV, the Scenium does not carry a monthly fee or a hefty lifetime surcharge. The catch: This unit relies on Gemstar's Guide Plus+ Gold service instead of a proprietary, real-time programming guide.

This RCA sports outputs for composite video, S-Video, component video, stereo audio, optical audio, and coaxial digital audio. You'll also find an RF input, as well as composite-video, S-Video, and stereo audio inputs. Two minijacks connect to the included IR blaster, allowing the DRS7000N to control your cable or satellite box. A manual switch located on the back of the unit toggles the component-video outputs between interlaced and progressive-scan (480p) modes. The front panel includes a USB port, composite-video inputs, and stereo RCA inputs, as well as an old-school, 1/4-inch headphone jack.

In terms of competition, the unique DRS7000N is probably closest to Panasonic's DMR-HS2, a hard drive-based recorder that offers the highly desirable ability to offload your stored programs to recordable DVD. Among DVRs, satellite users can check out integrated solutions such as On the DVD side, the Scenuim provides progressive-scan playback and good disc compatibility; DVD+Rs and DVD+RWs played fine, as did VCDs, MP3 CDs, CD-Rs, and CD-RWs. Most--but not all--DVD-Rs worked, although DVD-RWs came up blank.

As a digital slide projector, the unit fared poorly. JPEG photos from a variety of sources--different digital cameras, scanners, and the Web--were often unviewable or severely distorted. Musically, the Scenium did better; it instantly recognized MP3s on a CD-R and was able to play them individually, as a group, or at random. For both photos and music files, only the first eight characters of the filename are visible.

The built-in DVR was a mixed bag. It worked fine when pausing live TV, fast-forwarding through commercials, and playing one show while recording another. When it loaded, Guide Plus+ listed three days' worth of programming information, so we could scroll through channels and times, clicking the shows to record as well as choosing the frequency of recordings. There's also a feed of news headlines and Web-style advertisements tiled around the screen--"free" always comes with a price, after all.

Unfortunately, the all-important programming guide didn't always load. On our Time Warner digital-cable feed, the guide downloaded only when the cable was plugged directly into the DRS7000N, bypassing the cable box and hundreds of channels. Adding the box to the loop cut off the Guide Plus+ data stream, leaving us without a programming guide. We could still program the Scenium manually--for example, we recorded a certain channel from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m--but the same thing can be done with a VCR.

Another major problem soon surfaced. Despite the fact that our service has hundreds of channels, ranging from 001 to 999, the Scenium could not switch easily to any stations above 125. We were out of luck if we wanted to record, say, one of the HBO feeds, which occupy 201 through 207. In short the Scenium's Guide Plus+ system works best if you don't use a cable or satellite box and have 125 or fewer channels.

User opinions

Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
User Rating:
3.5 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Great up grade from a VCR.by - January 21, 2005

Pros: Great picture quality, easy to follow instructions. Guide+ system has worked okay with ComCast basic service in both Florida and Mo.

Cons: Doesn't support digital cable

Review:
User Rating:
4.0 stars

out of 28 user reviews

I works for me !by - December 25, 2004

Pros: Simple recording interface, with good quality recordings and easy to program with "Guide+Plus" feature.

Cons: A loud "humming" sound even with not active. Might drive you crazy.

Review:
User Rating:
2.5 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Perfect VCR Replacementby - March 21, 2004

Pros: 6/20/30 hour recording looks great (even at the lowest quality). No tape "noise". I/O choices. Guide Plus recording and info. Pausing Live TV. No fees. $233 purchase price, I could go on...

Cons: Noisy (in my entertainment center, that problem is offset). Can't get one of my shows titles erased (doesn't seem to be using any space, tho'). Getting used to the buffer (I had to hook my VCR in parallel). Reboots when Gemstar locks up the system (rar

Review:
User Rating:
3.0 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Would Never Go Back to a VCRby - February 10, 2004

Pros: Video quality is very good. I did not find the menu system instantly intuitive. However, after using it for a while I now find the menu quite easy to use. I have all of our favorite shows set to record weekly/daily etc. I like having a list of recorded s

Cons: In Canada the current model RCA DRC7005 is $799 (Canadian dollars)- about $625 US. I think it's overpriced. At $799 (Can)I would have waited for the price to come down or if money was no object, I would have paid a couple of hundred more and gone for one

Review:
User Rating:
4.0 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Can no longer live without it.by - December 30, 2003

Pros: Guide screen up to 10 days (I use analog cable) Great sorting features, Block recording, Plays MP3's, DVD, CD, Watch while recording, Unbelievable Picture quality, No fees, The Blue light. I'm sure Tevo is good but this has more AV functions and require

Cons: Guide can lock up my system ...requires unit to be unplugged to reboot the system. Fan Noise. I disconnected it with no issues yet but it does get hot. No commercial skip. (3 minute jump would be nice) Delay eliminates console game input viability.

Review:
User Rating:
3.5 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Basic and Goodby - October 13, 2003

Pros: can't beat the price ($210 @ Circuit City) for what is essentially a hard drive and progressive scan dvd player

Cons: Lack of digital cable support

Review:
User Rating:
5.0 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Loved it so I bought 2by - October 7, 2003

Pros: Plugged it in and started to record, it's great, best price, Circut City was blowing them out for $200 ea, can't beat that, heck the progressive DVD would cost you at least $100

Cons: Non that we have found, but in the chance, we bought the 3 year extended warranty to be sure.. .

Review:
User Rating:
3.5 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Excellent value, I love it!by - October 7, 2003

Pros: Excellent VCR replacement, has manual timers and you can easily select a program to record via 3-day guide. Also can pause and rewind live TV. It was only $183 after rebate from Circuit City on clearance sale. I liked it so much, I went back and bought th

Cons: Lacks commercial skip, no firmware upgrades, basically no support from RCA/Thomson, won't play SVCD, slow to respond to channel changes, remote needs to be aimed directly at recorder, fan runs even when off. Not worth anywhere near its original MSRP or sa

Review:
User Rating:
3.5 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Its good...Enoughby - September 19, 2003

Pros: Obviously the pros are its a full functioning progressive scan DVD. In addition, the addition of a hard drive that actually functions as a DVR (hey xbox, maybe that can be a selling point?) that can also store mp3's and pictures (that would be nice out o

Cons: The TV Guide Plus works on basic cable (no digital cable or sattelite suppot). It is nice, but not the best. But hey, for the price, its good enough.

Review:
User Rating:
3.5 stars

out of 28 user reviews

DVR has very good pictureby - July 4, 2003

Pros: The DVR video has very good picture quality in standard mode. You get 18.5 hours of recording in standard quality mode. The GemStar works fine. You have to wait overnight before GemStar schedule gets updated into the RCA Scenium.

Cons: The DVD player video output is a little darker than my Toshiba and Sony units. I had to increase the brightness on my TV.

Review:
User Rating:
1.0 stars

out of 28 user reviews

On Second Thoughtby - April 8, 2003

Pros:

Cons:

Review: OK, after having it for a bit I must say I am not impressed. Considering how much I paid the player is not giving me the value I wanted. The way it interfaces with my cable box leaves MUCH to be desired. It sends a signal to your box to change the channel when I records something. The problem? They is a HUGE delay and the box moves faster than the player so instead of recording channel 48, I record channel 8 or just channel 4 becuase the signale did not go thru qucik enoguh to read 48. VERY VERY annoying. i would say only 20% of my shows get recorded because of that. If i am there and hithe record button manually and can thus verify what channel everythign is on, then things go ok. but I can't trust the machine to record for me when I am away. It's a GREAT idea, but not good execuation at all. The DVD player parts works great, and when I do manage to record something, the play back is great too. But in the end, the poor recording feature makes me say save your money, and hope someone else puts out a device that works better.
User Rating:
3.5 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Work very well in Northern California!by - April 4, 2003

Pros:

Cons:

Review: Bought one at a local Circuit City for $400 ( after $100 mail-in rebate ). The video quality is good, and the Guide+ system works quite well. I'm on analog cable.
User Rating:
2.5 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Not many alternativesby - April 3, 2003

Pros:

Cons:

Review: I've owned a ReplayTV for years. Now that They are rapidly circling the financial drain and guide service may stop entirely, I decided to move on. This is the only currently available DVR with a guide that doesn't require a service fee (TiVo isn't exactly raking in money right now either). My comprehensive review can be found at: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=244297
User Rating:
1.5 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Won't leave your cable box alone!by - March 16, 2003

Pros:

Cons:

Review: This DVR does a great job at replacing my VCR! Great picture quality. What I didn't know is that when you turn it off at night it changes channels on your cable box (presumably gathering channel information). I like to listen to music channels in the evening before bed and can't with this messing with the channels. Can't change to higher digital channels either! This one is going back to the store! I'll find something to work with my Motorola DCT2000 cable box.
User Rating:
0.5 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Doesn't work with satellite TV!by - February 27, 2003

Pros:

Cons:

Review: The RCA DRS7000N doesn't come close to having the capabilities of Tivo. It won't even work with an RCA satellite receiver. Tech support is practically nonexistent.
User Rating:
2.5 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Cable required for Guide Plus?by - January 27, 2003

Pros:

Cons:

Review: RCA has supplied lots of information on their website about this unit, but I still can't figure out definitively if Guide Plus requires a cable subscription, or if I can get it on an antenna. Is digital cable required for Guide Plus to work?
User Rating:
4.0 stars

out of 28 user reviews

so far, so greatby - January 5, 2003

Pros:

Cons:

Review: ok. so i have only had it for a about 3 days, but really i am quite pleased with it. the set up does take some getting used to, but as i continue to read to instrucitons and use it, i could not be happier. why would i want to pay a tvio or replay fee? this is a great solution. good bye vcr. record quality is great, it has about 20 hrs of record time at standard quality. and the playback is amazing. so much better than vhs. i think it's a great soution. worth the money.
User Rating:
2.5 stars

out of 28 user reviews

In Canada, it's our only hope for a TiVo clone.by - January 5, 2003

Pros:

Cons:

Review: I had been waiting YEARS for the Replay to come to Canada... then the TiVo, so when RCA mentioned their system used the Guide+, which DOES work in Canada, I rushed aout and bought it day 1. I am happy and sad. Happy to have it, but sad it's obviously version 1.0 quality... with no hope to upgrade. Maybe V2 will solve the glitches and quirks.
User Rating:
2.0 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Cool idea. Doesn't seem to work with digital cableby - December 22, 2002

Pros:

Cons:

Review: The picture quality of things I record is excellent, but the user interface isn't good. I have Adelphia Digital Cable that has all movie channels in the 200's, but this unit doesn't let me switch to any of those channels! It also drops out TV listings in it's free program guide (i.e.-- I have 5 HBO's, but it only recognizes 3 of them). I've tried manually programming the missing HBO's but I'm still getting "NO PROGRAM LISTINGS" for those channels! Also, there are no customer support numbers listed anywhere in the manuals so I can't find help! The DVD player works excellent, but unless I solve the digital cable dilemma, this unit is going back to Circuit City!
User Rating:
3.0 stars

out of 28 user reviews

takes getting used toby - December 16, 2002

Pros:

Cons:

Review: i have the motorola dct 2000 also and you have to go into setup and activate some channels that didnt initally load up.although my cable has a gemstar guide built in and i dont know if this hurts or helps. some premium channels still arent showing up. the fan noise is very loud but only noticeable if the tv isnt playing the postives completely outweigh the negatives.you are getting a progressive scan dvd player worth $200 that a tivo doesnt have.free lifetime guide which tivo charges $250. thats $450 value. the picture quality is tremendous in normal mode and i cant tell the difference between live tv and a recording using an s-video and componet cable connection. fast forward at 60x speed and skipping commercials is a breeze. no video tapes to play with. quick and easy programming for recording in advance or current show.pause live tv. had it a week and loving it more each day. support and manual could be better
User Rating:
2.0 stars

out of 28 user reviews

conditional recommendationby - December 14, 2002

Pros:

Cons:

Review: If you refuse to pay for a subscription, this is the only option right now. However, the manual is terrible and the product is too new for an FAQ to be found on the internet. If you record from GuidePlus, these events are listed in a different menu from timer-set recordings. If 2 recordings are back-to-back, they are combined under the name of the last one. This means you have to watch both before you can reclaim the space and you have to fast-forward (60x) to the 2nd show if you stopped in between. There is no direct access to a timestamp. You can watch DVDs while recording though so they did get something right (but you can't turn it off when you are done if it is recording and it has to be off overnight to download GuidePlus updates). As a stand-alone DVR, about 1/2 the time hitting the record button results in an error. Hit ok and try again usually works. No failures so far from timed recordings. Picture quality in normal mode is very good but capacity is only 19 hours (not the 30 advertised). The price for the DRS7000N is the same as Tivo or ReplayTV with 1.5 to 2 years of subscriptions. And did I mention the very loud fan noise?
User Rating:
1.0 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Not enough featuresby - December 6, 2002

Pros:

Cons:

Review: Sorry, it's inability to see more than three days out and inability to show summaries...could go on. The subscription fee is worth it.
User Rating:
3.0 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Superb unit as DVD + Recorderby - December 4, 2002

Pros:

Cons:

Review: It's a superb unit , excellent picture quality even with the lowest recording quality. Menu interface is easy and neat. Nice to have 1 45 minutes buffer for Live pausing of TV channel.
User Rating:
4.0 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Great ease of use and simple connection - one box for both DVD and PVRby - December 4, 2002

Pros:

Cons:

Review: Love the easy on screen menus and simple connection - no need for two or three separate boxes. Recording from guide is simple. Pause of live TV is everything I hoped for.
User Rating:
1.0 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Just doesn't do itby - December 1, 2002

Pros:

Cons:

Review: I guess my 1st post had too much rambling . . . but basically this is a good idea that doens't work right. I had two RCA TV's with Guide Plus and they worked fine, letting me customize the channels I wanted to see. This thing ignores the cable box and tries to pull the signal from the RF. As far as recordings go, this thing doesn't save a description of the show with the recording, instead showing you a preview which is usually commercials. Also, to watch a recording from the beginning, you have to tune tothe channel and rewind to the beginning, plus after the recording stops, it kicks you out, forcing you to go back into the recorded menu and now fast forward to where it kicked you out. I beared with the device for two weeks and replaced it with a replaytv 5040. Turns out the $10 a month is worth it.
User Rating:
1.0 stars

out of 28 user reviews

just not a TiVoby - November 5, 2002

Pros:

Cons:

Review: This product just doesn't have the capabilities that TiVo does. Sure you can watch DVD's...whoohoo. You can't watch and record 2 channels at the same time, like you can with a TiVo/DirecTV box. You can't record a show while you're pausing Live TV, like you can do with TiVo, you can't save a show once you've paused it, like you can do with TiVo. In my opinion, the small sub fee (12.95/month) is more than worth what TiVo offers me. The RCA product is just their attempt to capture a small part of the market dominated by a true DVR, and that would be TiVo.
User Rating:
3.0 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Nice toy!by - October 21, 2002

Pros:

Cons:

Review: Finally someone has released a product that allows us to record TV in high quality and brings nice features like live TV pausing without a subscription cost (unlike TiVo!). The potentially worst feature of this unit is the risk of switching channels while you have live TV buffered and not realizing that when you switch channels the buffer is reset. The RCA Scenium makes watching football extremely enjoyable, just set up the machine, start watching 1/2 hour late and then using the wonderful features to skip commercials and create your own instant replays! An *excellent* replacement for the old VCR! (no more low quality time shifting)
User Rating:
4.0 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Finally they got a clue!!by - September 27, 2002

Pros:

Cons:

Review: I've been waiting for this form years. I had to use old PCs. Finally, someone figures it out!!

Related blog posts

About CNET Archive

Welcome to the CNET Archive, a library of product reviews, user opinions, videos, specifications, and manufacturer descriptions for products no longer offered by the manufacturer or most retailers. Here you will find information on replacement parts and replacement ink cartridges. Read what others had to say about that used laptop you are considering buying. Take a trip down memory lane as you browse and reminisce about your favorite old video game or that first digital camera.

RCA Scenium DRS7000N specifications

  • General
  • Type of component DVD player
  • Width 16.9 in
  • Depth 14.4 in
  • Height 3.9 in
  • Weight 12.8 lbs
  • Enclosure Color Silver
  • Localization English / North America
  • System
  • A/V System Recommended Use Home
  • Parental Lock Yes
  • Parental Control Type Password
  • On-screen Menu Language Spanish , English , French
  • Component features
  • DVD media format NTSC
  • DVD Additional Features Progressive scanning
  • Media load type Tray
  • Media type CD , DVD+R , CD-R , Video CD , CD-RW , DVD-RW , DVD-R , DVD , SVCD , DVD+RW
  • Audio System
  • Output Mode Stereo
  • Digital Audio Format Dolby Digital output , DTS digital output
  • Built-in Decoders Dolby Pro Logic
  • Separate Headphone Volume Yes
  • Connectors
  • Optical Digital Output Yes
  • Coaxial Digital Output Yes
  • Headphone Jack Yes
  • TV Tuner
  • TV tuner qty 1.0
  • TV tuner preset channel qty 181.0
  • TV tuner channel coverage Cable:1-125 , UHF:14-69 , VHF:2-13
  • TV tuner reception system NTSC
  • Secondary audio program (SAP) Yes
  • Favorite Channel List Yes
  • AutoClock Set Yes
  • Digital Player (Recorder)
  • Supported Digital Audio Standards MP3
  • ID3 Tags Support Yes
  • Digital Recording Time 30.0 hour(s)
  • Digital Storage Media Hard disk drive - 40.0 GB
  • Features PC Connection via USB , JPEG photo playback
  • Recording Features
  • Synchro Start Yes
  • Video Features
  • HDTV Ready Yes
  • Electronic Program Guide GUIDE Plus+ GOLD
  • Closed Caption Capability Yes
  • Clock & Alarm
  • Clock Yes (digital)
  • Timer Record , Playback
  • Built-in Display
  • Type Fluorescent
  • Remote Control
  • Type Universal remote control
  • Technology Infrared
  • Features Multi-brand compatibility
  • Connections
  • Connector Type 1.0 x SPDIF output ( F connector ) - Rear , 1.0 x RF input ( RCA phono x 3 ) - Rear , 1.0 x S-Video output ( 4 pin mini-DIN ) - Rear , 1.0 x Composite video/audio input ( 4 pin USB Type B ) - Rear , 1.0 x Composite video/audio output ( RCA phono x 3 ) - Front , 1.0 x S-Video input ( 4 pin mini-DIN ) - Rear , 1.0 x Component video output ( RCA phono ) - Front , 1.0 x Remote control ( RCA phono x 3 ) - Front , 1.0 x USB ( RCA phono x 3 ) - Rear , 1.0 x Headphones - Rear , 1.0 x SPDIF output - Rear , 1.0 x Composite video/audio input - Rear , 1.0 x - Rear
  • Miscellaneous
  • Cables Included Video / audio cable , Video cable , RF splitter , Remote control cable , Antenna cable
  • Battery
  • Battery None
  • Manufacturer Warranty
  • Service & Support 1 year warranty
  • Service & Support Details Limited warranty - Labor - 90 days , Limited warranty - Parts - 1 year
ie8 fix
ie8 fix
  • Recently Viewed Products
  • My Lists
  • My Software Updates
  • Promo
  • Log In | Join CNET