Sometimes 'cheap' can just mean that - the cost is low, but the product may not necessarily be crap. However, the word can also be a happy bedfellow with its best friend, 'nasty' - a double-act that applies, sadly, to this new Yamada recorder.
Ironically, first impressions are good as there's something strangely alluring about the look of the machine. It has an almost retro feel to it. And the remote, while a bit plasticky, is very well laid-out and clean-looking.
However, when I took the machine out of the box it had a disconcerting rattle that suggested the disc mechanism wasn't fitted with much care and attention. Indeed, the review sample's tray tended to wobble when extended; in my opinion, an accident waiting to happen.
The no-frills approach continues with the connections. A surprise omission is the complete lack of S-video connectivity, whether input or output. In fact, the only way to get an external feed into the recorder is through one of the two rear Scart inputs (which are RGB-capable - sing Hosanna!), or via the camcorder input that resides under a front-panel flap.
Unusually, there's also a stereo audio output (but no analogue video input) here. But the DVR-8220 does have a prog scan-capable component output, which gives the machine a small advantage over its Samsung and Philips rivals.
The DVR-8220 opts for the DVD R/ RW formats. However, editing is much more basic. You'll find only chapter setting, thumbnail selection and renaming options available - there's no capacity to split a recorded title. Furthermore, the menus are extraordinarily basic and unpleasant to look at.
They work fairly well and are easy enough to use, but look like they were generated on an old Commodore 64 computer - ahh, those were the days. Hardly the cutting-edge of new technology, though.
Featureless
The manual states that five recording modes are available for use: HQ (1hr), SP (2hrs), LP (3hrs), EP (4hrs) and SLP (6hrs) - nothing out of the ordinary, then. In practice, though, I could only find four of them on the menu screen - LP was missing. And, in terms of other features, there's little else. In fact, it has VideoPlus , PDC and a one-touch recording option and, er, that's it.
