Lite-On's budget recorder makes you want to get your eyes tested. We're not talking about a problem with the picture (not yet, anyway), or a ridiculously low price that makes you look twice (although £100 is very competitive). We're talking about the front panel display.
Hidden behind a frosted plastic screen, it looks like it's out of focus and it's a strange design element to include for starters.
Elsewhere the deck makes a better first impression. It's neatly put together and has good connectivity, including a front-panel DV input, rear component video outputs and a pair of Scart sockets. The input Scart cannot be set to accept an RGB signal, though, which is a blow, but we can't complain about the lack of an HDMI output at this price.
Recordings can be undertaken on DVD±R/RW discs, and you can choose from five recording modes, giving one, two, three, four or six hours of recording time. Editing functions are almost nonexistent and on par with the feature set available on any VHS VCR.
You can erase the contents of a disc or record over them (as with a VHS tape), but you can also give a disc a name and add chapter marks for easier navigation. Chapters can be marked manually, while you watch a recording in progress, or automatically, at pre-set intervals.
No RGB
Picture quality is where a DVD recorder can really score over a VCR, but without an RGB input (and with only an analogue tuner) you aren't getting the best the format can offer on this model.
There is a VideoPlus function for timed recordings, and you can programme up to 16 events at a time (although it is highly unlikely that you would want to squeeze 16 programmes on to one DVD).
Interestingly, a variation of this model (the 5115GDL) can record on to dual-layered R discs. The 5155GHC tested here can't. Other features include a zoom (up to 4x magnification) and slow motion (as slow as one-quarter normal speed), while multimedia compatibility includes JPEG and MP3 files, as well as DivX movie files (including VOD registration).
