Pioneer DVR-550HX-S manual

Operating Instructions Discover the benefits of registering your product online at http://www .pioneer .co.uk (or http://www .pioneer .eu ) DV R-550HX-S HDD/DVD RECORDER HDD/D VD RECORDER Operating Instructions <VRB1458-A> P rinted in UK P ublished by Pioneer Corporation. Copyright © 2007 P ioneer Corporation. All rights reser ved. http://ww[...]

Thank you for buying this P ioneer product. Please read through these operating instructions so you will know how to operate your model properly . After you have finished reading the instructions, put them away in a safe place for future reference. The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of[...]

CAUTION The ST ANDBY/ON switch on this unit will not completely shut off all power from the AC outlet. Since the power cord ser ves as the main disconnect device for the unit, you will need to unplug it from the AC outlet to shut down all power . Therefore, make sure the unit has been installed so that the power cord can be easily unplugged from th[...]

01 4 En Contents 01 Before you start What’s in the box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Putting the batteries in the remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Using the remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Disc/content format playback compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 About[...]

5 En Switching DVD and DivX soundtracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Switching audio channels . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Switching camera angles . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Displaying disc information on-screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 09 Playing and recording from a DV camcorder Playing from a DV camcorde[...]

Before you start 01 6 En Chapter 1 Before you start What’s in the box Please confirm that the following accessories are in the box when you open it; • Remote control • AA/R6P dry cell batteries x 2 • Audio/video cable (red/white/yellow) • G-LINK™ cable • RF antenna cable x 2 • Power cable • These operating instructions • Warrant[...]

Before you start 7 En 01 • You can control this recorder using the remote sensor of another Pioneer component via the CONTROL IN jack on the rear panel. See Rear panel connections on page 14 for more information. Disc/content format playback compatibility Compatible media • DVD-RW ver. 1.1 / 1x / 1x to 2x, ver. 1.2 / 2x to 4x / 2x to 6x • DVD[...]

Before you start 01 8 En HDD/DVD Recording and playback compatibility This recorder can play and record all widely-used DVD disc types, and additionally provides HDD functionality. The table below shows some specific compatibility differences between the different disc types. Notes to table *1 Must be initialized for VR mode recording (page 117). *[...]

Before you start 9 En 01 Using DVD-R DL/DVD+R DL discs DVD-R DL (Dual-Layer) and DVD+R DL (Double-Layer) discs contain two recordable layers on a single side, giving about 1.8 times the recording capacity of a conventional single-layer disc. This unit can record to both DVD-R DL and DVD+R DL discs. • If you intend to play DVD-R DL (Video mode) or[...]

Before you start 01 10 En • Sampling rates: 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz • Bit-rates: Any (128 kbps or higher recommended) • Variable bit-rate (VBR) MP3 playback: Yes • VBR WMA playback: No • WMA encoder compatibility: Windows Media Codec 8 (files encoded using Windows Media Codec 9 may be playable but some parts of the specification are no[...]

Before you start 11 En 01 DivX ® VOD content In order to play DivX VOD (video on demand) content on this recorder, you first need to register the recorder with your DivX VOD content provider. You do this by generating a DivX VOD registration code, which you submit to your provider. Some DivX VOD content may only be playable a fixed number of times[...]

Before you start 01 12 En DVB The Digital Video Broadcasting Project, or DVB for short, is a set of open standards for digital broadcasting, covering terrestrial, cable and satellite broadcasts. Based around the MPEG-2 coding system, these open standards ensure that compliant systems are able to work together, independent of manufacturer. DVB is ex[...]

Before you start 13 En 01 Optimizing HDD performance As you record and edit material on the HDD, the data on the disk becomes fragmented, eventually affecting the recorder’s performance. Before this happens, the recorder will warn you that it is time to optimize the HDD (which you can do from the Disc Setup menu; see Optimize HDD on page 117). Sy[...]

Connections 02 14 En Chapter 2 Connections Rear panel connections 1 ANTENNA IN (RF IN)/OUT Connect your TV antenna to the ANTENNA IN (RF IN) jack. The signal is passed through to the ANTENNA OUT jack for connection to your TV. 2 INPUT 3 Stereo analog audio, video and S-video inputs for connection to a VCR or other source component. 3 AV2 (INPUT 1/D[...]

Connections 15 En 02 Front panel connections On the front panel there is a flip-down cover that hides more connections. Left side: 13 DV IN A DV input i.LINK connector, suitable for connecting a DV camcorder. Right side: 14 INPUT 2 Audio/video input (stereo analog audio; composite and S-video), especially suitable for camcorders, game consoles, por[...]

Connections 02 16 En Easy connections The setup described below is a basic setup that allows you to watch and record TV programmes, and play discs. Other types of connections are explained starting on the following page. Important • These connections use SCART cables (not supplied). If your TV (or VCR) does not have a SCART connection, and you wa[...]

Connections 17 En 02 1 Connect the VIDEO OUTPUT jack to a video input on your TV. Use the yellow jack of the supplied audio/ video cable for the video connection. 2 Connect the AUDIO OUTPUT jacks to the corresponding audio inputs on your TV. Use the red and white jacks of the supplied audio/video cable for the audio connection. Make sure you match [...]

Connections 02 18 En 1 Connect RF antenna cables as shown. See Connecting a TV antenna on page 15 for more on RF antenna connections, including from this recorder to your TV. 2 Use a SCART cable (not supplied) to connect the AV1 (RGB)-TV AV connector to a SCART AV connector on your TV. This enables you to watch discs. 3 Use another SCART cable to c[...]

Connections 19 En 02 • It is not possible to watch one TV programme and record another using this setup. 1 Connect the cable from the antenna/ cable TV outlet to the antenna input on your VCR/satellite receiver/cable box. 2 Use a SCART cable (not supplied) to connect your decoder to your VCR/ satellite receiver/cable box. See the manual for your [...]

Connections 02 20 En 2 Use a SCART cable (not supplied) to connect the AV1 (RGB)-TV AV connector to a SCART AV connector on your TV. This enables you to watch discs. 3 Use another SCART cable to connect the AV2 (INPUT 1/DECODER) AV connector to a SCART AV connector on your decoder box. This enables you to record scrambled TV channels. Connecting to[...]

Connections 21 En 02 Connecting using HDMI If you have an HDMI or DVI-equipped 1 monitor or display 2 , you can connect it to this recorder using an HDMI cable (not supplied). The HDMI connector outputs uncompressed digital video, as well as almost every kind of digital audio. 1 Use an HDMI cable to connect the HDMI OUT connector on this recorder t[...]

Connections 02 22 En HDMI has the capability to support standard, enhanced, or high-definition video plus standard to multi-channel surround- sound audio. HDMI features include uncompressed digital video, a bandwidth of up to five gigabits per second (Dual Link), one connector (instead of several cables and connectors), and communication between th[...]

Controls and displays 23 En 03 Chapter 3 Controls and displays Front panel 1 A.TV indicator Lights when analog TV is selected. D.TV indicator Lights when digital TV is selected. PLTV indicator Lights during recording started using the Pause Live TV feature. DivX indicator Lights during DivX playback. COPY indicator Lights when copying is underway. [...]

Controls and displays 03 24 En 11  Press to start or restart playback.  Press to stop playback.  STOP REC Press to stop recording. ONE TOUCH COPY Press to start One Touch Copy of the currently playing title to DVD or the HDD. CH +/– Use to change channels, skip chapters/ tracks, etc. INPUT SELECT Press to change the input used for record[...]

Controls and displays 25 En 03 Display 1  Lights during playback; blinks when playback is paused. 2  Lights when copying. 3  Lights during recording; blinks when recording is paused. 4 (page 67) Lights when a timer recording has been set. (Indicator blinks if the timer has been set to DVD but there isn’t a recordable disc loaded, or the [...]

Controls and displays 03 26 En Remote control 1  STANDBY/ON Press to switch the recorder on/into standby. 2  PLAY (page 73) Press to start playback.  PAUSE Press to pause playback or recording.  STOP (page 73) Press to stop playback.  PREV  NEXT Press to skip to the previous or next title/ chapter/track/folder; or to display the p[...]

Controls and displays 27 En 03 6 A.TV/D.TV Press to switch between analog TV antenna input and digital TV antenna input. The A.TV and D.TV indicators on the front panel show which is selected. 7 Colour buttons (RED, GREEN, YELLOW, BLUE) Use when an EPG screen is displayed or when tuned to a data channel of a digital broadcast. The function of each [...]

Controls and displays 03 28 En 22 DISPLAY (page 83) Displays/changes the on-screen information displays. 23 TEXT (page 61, 62) Press to display Teletext information (in European countries except the UK) or to start the MHEG application display (UK only) if available during digital broadcasts. 24 TV/DVD Press to switch between ‘TV mode’, in whic[...]

Getting started 29 En 04 Chapter 4 Getting started Switching on and setting up When you switch the recorder on for the first time, you can make several basic settings using the Setup Navigator feature. This takes you through setting the clock, the internal TV tuner and the video output. If you’re using the recorder for the first time, we strongly[...]

Getting started 04 30 En • The clock will also be set automatically here if D.TV channels are found. • If no new channels were found a message appears asking if you want to scan again. Check the aerial connection before selecting Yes . (If you select No, skip to step 8 below.) 8 Select the analog TV (A.TV) Auto Channel Setting (‘Auto Scan’ [...]

Getting started 31 En 04 • Manual clock setting If no stations in your area are broadcasting time signals, you can set the clock manually. Use the / buttons to set your time zone. You can set this by selecting a city or a time relative to GMT. Press  then use the / buttons to select ‘On’ or ‘Off’ for summer time, then press[...]

Getting started 04 32 En 14 Select ‘Finish Setup’ to exit the Setup Navigator, or ‘Go Back’ if you want to start again. That completes basic setup using the Setup Navigator. • If there are blank channels with no station, you can set these to skip using the manual channel setting. See Manual CH Setting on page 125. For users receiving digi[...]

Getting started 33 En 04 2 Highlight ‘Postal Code’. 3 Enter your postal code. The system uses your postal code to identify which TV listings data is correct for the area in which you live, so it is important that you enter it correctly. 4 If you are using an external receiver (such as a satellite receiver) with the supplied G-LINK cable, comple[...]

Getting started 04 34 En recorder needs to be in standby; it will wake up automatically and download new codes from the host channel. The next day, try this setup process again: • Press GUIDE to display the GUIDE Plus+ screen. • Press  to highlight the Menu bar, then use  to reach the Setup area and select Setup. • Continue setting up f[...]

Getting started 35 En 04 • Even if you can’t use the EPG functions where you live, you can still set VIDEO Plus+ recordings and manual recordings — see Setting a manual recording on page 44. • The front panel display shows EPG when receiving data. If you power on the recorder during an EPG download, the download is cancelled. • EPG data m[...]

Using the GUIDE Plus+® electronic programme guide 05 36 En Chapter 5 Using the GUIDE Plus+® electronic programme guide This chapter is only applicable if the EPG Type Select setting made in the Setup Navigator (or the Initial Setup menu) is set to GUIDE Plus+ . The GUIDE Plus+ system The GUIDE Plus+® system* is a free, interactive on-screen tele[...]

Using the GUIDE Plus+® electronic programme guide 37 En 05 5 Menu bar – Gives access to the various areas of the GUIDE Plus+ system. 6 Grid – Shows TV listings information for the next seven days by channel and time. GUIDE Plus+ navigation The table below shows a summary of the remote buttons you’ll use to navigate the GUIDE Plus+ system. On[...]

Using the GUIDE Plus+® electronic programme guide 05 38 En Lock/Unlock video window When you enter the GUIDE Plus+ system, the channel you were watching remains visible in the video window. The date stamp above the window lets you know the channel, date and time. The default setting for this window is ‘locked’, as indicated by a closed padlock[...]

Using the GUIDE Plus+® electronic programme guide 39 En 05 • Tune to a programme that’s currently showing 1 • Set a programme to record • Lock or unlock the video window • Access Information panels Browsing the Grid Use the following remote buttons to browse the grid: /// (cursor buttons) – Navigate the Grid  PREV / N[...]

Using the GUIDE Plus+® electronic programme guide 05 40 En Using My Choice keywords for a search In addition to the standard categories, you can also set your own keywords. 1 Access My Choice. 2 Press the YELLOW Action button to add a keyword. 3 Enter a keyword to appear in the menu. When you’re finished, press the GREEN Action button to exit an[...]

Using the GUIDE Plus+® electronic programme guide 41 En 05 3 To add a channel to your profile, press the YELLOW Action button. Select a channel from the mosaic of channel icons and press ENTER . Repeat this step to add up to 16 channels. 4 To add a category to your profile, highlight ‘Categories’ and press the YELLOW Action button. Select a ca[...]

Using the GUIDE Plus+® electronic programme guide 05 42 En Editing a scheduled recording You can edit any parameter in a scheduled recording, or delete it if you no longer require it 1 . 1 Highlight the left tile of a scheduled recording. • If you only want to edit the recording quality, frequency, destination, timing or genre settings, skip to [...]

Using the GUIDE Plus+® electronic programme guide 43 En 05 7 Press the GREEN Action button (Frequency) to change the recording frequency. Select from the various options for one-time, daily and weekly recordings. 8 Press YELLOW Action button (Destination) to select the recording destination. Select from DVD , HDD or HDDr (Auto Replace Recording) 1[...]

Using the GUIDE Plus+® electronic programme guide 05 44 En Deleting a scheduled recording 1 Highlight the left tile of a scheduled recording. 2 Press the RED Action button (Delete). The scheduled event is deleted. Setting a VIDEO Plus+® recording 1 Select ‘Schedule’ from the Menu bar. 2 Press the RED Action button (VIDEO Plus+). 3 Use the num[...]

Using the GUIDE Plus+® electronic programme guide 45 En 05 3 Use the number and /// buttons to enter the recording date, then press the GREEN Action button (Next). 4 In the same way, enter the recording start time, followed by the GREEN Action button (Next) to confirm. 5 Enter the recording end time in the same way, followed by the GRE[...]

Using the GUIDE Plus+® electronic programme guide 05 46 En Changing the source and programme number 1 Select ‘Editor’ from the Menu bar. 2 Highlight the right channel tile of the channel you want to make a change to. 3 Press the RED Action button to change the channel source, or the GREEN Action button to enter a programme number. Each press o[...]

Using the GUIDE Plus+® electronic programme guide 47 En 05 Manual Host Channel setup The GUIDE Plus+ system will automatically identify your Host Channel as soon as the recorder is put into standby for the first time. See the table on page 34 for a list of all the European Host Channels. If you know your Host Channel details (source and programme [...]

Using the GUIDE Plus+® electronic programme guide 05 48 En Switch this recorder into standby. The next morning, please perform the GUIDE Plus+ setup again to see if your external receiver can now be controlled. – The external receiver that you use is currently not supported. If, after leaving your external receiver on overnight, and doing the Re[...]

Using the GUIDE Plus+® electronic programme guide 49 En 05 •I used the One-Button-Record feature (red Action button) to set a recording, but I recorded the wrong channel. If the channel to be recorded is received via the external receiver first make sure that the external receiver was left switched on. Next, in the Editor Area, make sure that th[...]

Using the digital electronic programme guide 06 50 En Chapter 6 Using the digital electronic programme guide This chapter is only applicable if the EPG Type Select setting made in the Setup Navigator (or the Initial Setup menu) is set to Digital EPG . The Digital EPG system The Digital EPG shows a table of scheduled digital TV programmes and detail[...]

Using the digital electronic programme guide 51 En 06 Using the Digital EPG Using the Digital EPG you can check the schedule of digital TV programmes, view information about desired programmes, and/or select programmes. 1 Press to display the Digital EPG screen. The EPG screen updates automatically if the EPG data is acquired successfully. If not, [...]

Using the digital electronic programme guide 06 52 En 3 Enter the timer recording settings. Use the / buttons to select a field; use the / buttons to change the value 1 . • CH – Choose a channel (Pr 1 to Pr 99 for analog channels and available digital channels (excluding skip channels)), or one of the external inputs from which to r[...]

Using the digital electronic programme guide 53 En 06 EPG Link 1 (UK only) – Choose whether or not to have this device automatically record scheduled programmes from the Digital EPG even if the times in which they are broadcast change. Series Recording 2 (UK only) – Choose whether or not to record all programmes from a series when you make a re[...]

Using the digital electronic programme guide 06 54 En 2 Highlight the timer programme you want to change . . . . If you want to set a new timer programme, select ‘New Input’ and skip to step 4 . 3 Press  then select ‘Modify’ from the command menu panel. Alternatively, press ENTER . The Timer Programme Set screen appears from which you ca[...]

Using the digital electronic programme guide 55 En 06 • When you have EPG Link or Series Recording set to On , any changes in broadcast time or division of broadcasts are automatically accommodated for and your scheduled recordings are carried out without any additional settings. As a result, even when you have not scheduled programmes to record [...]

Using the digital electronic programme guide 06 56 En 3 Press  then select ‘Series Search’ from the command menu panel. • The search results are displayed. Choose the programme you would like to record and press either the RED button or ENTER to schedule a recording. Searching for recommendations (UK only) You can search for recommended pr[...]

Using the digital electronic programme guide 57 En 06 3 In the ‘Time’ field select the time of day (0:00 to 23:00) to search in. 4 In the ‘Genre’ field, select the genre to search for. You can search for multiple genres by pressing ENTER after each genre. 5 Select ‘OK’. 6 Select ‘Search’. The results of your search are displayed. EN[...]

Recording 07 58 En Chapter 7 Recording About DVD recording This recorder can record to DVD-R, DVD- RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-RAM, DVD-R DL and DVD+R DL media. DVD-R and DVD-RW discs can be initialized for Video mode or VR mode recording. Each has its advantages, and it depends on what you want to do with the recording which mode you choose. If you wan[...]

Recording 59 En 07 • See also Disc/content format playback compatibility on page 7 for detailed disc compatibility information. Recording to DVD-R DL/DVD+R DL discs Recording to DVD-R DL/DVD+R DL discs is generally the same as recording to regular single-layer discs; however, please note the following points: • When the recorder switches from t[...]

Recording 07 60 En Restrictions on video recording You cannot record copy-protected video using this recorder. Copy-protected video includes DVD-Video discs and some satellite broadcasts. If copy-protected material is encountered during a recording, recording will pause automatically and an error message will be displayed on-screen. Video that is ?[...]

Recording 61 En 07 Tip • When changing terrestrial digital broadcast channels, channels with a low signal strength may result in a black screen being displayed. • For other channels, it may take a short while for the channel picture to appear, and/or for the channel number to appear. • In both of the above cases, some improvement may be possi[...]

Recording 07 62 En The channel banner displays an icon ( ) to indicate that the MHEG application can be run. • Press to start the MHEG application. 1 • You can also use any of the colour buttons. • Press TEXT to quit the MHEG application. Viewing Teletext (European countries except the UK.) You can view the Teletext that comes simultaneously [...]

Recording 63 En 07 Setting the picture quality/ recording time Before starting a recording, you will usually want to set the picture quality/recording time. There are six standard settings available, which allow you to choose a balance between picture quality and recording time. When Manual Recording is set to On (see Manual Recording on page 130),[...]

Recording 07 64 En 3 Select a TV channel to record. The front panel display shows the channel number, or channel name if it’s available: • While the recorder is stopped, you can also use the number buttons on the remote to select the channel (For channel 24, press 2 , 4 then ENTER ). • If the recorder is stopped, you can also use the CH +/–[...]

Recording 65 En 07 Pause Live TV The Pause Live TV feature lets you effectively pause a TV programme you’re watching. When you’re ready to resume watching, just press the  PLAY button. Setting up for Pause Live TV You can use the Pause Live TV feature with an AV Link-compatible TV connected using a SCART cable (see TV tuner setup for Pause L[...]

Recording 07 66 En Using Pause Live TV 1 Start recording the current TV channel. Recording continues with playback paused. • Note that it may take up to 10 seconds for recording to start. 2 Press to start playback. You can also use the scan buttons ( /  ), pause (  PAUSE ) and stop (  STOP ) — all without affecting the recording. 3 [...]

Recording 67 En 07 About timer recordings Using the timer recording features you can program up to 32 timer recordings up to a month in advance. Timer recording programmes can be set to record just once, every day, or every week. You can set the recording quality for your timer recording in the same way as for a regular recording, but with the adde[...]

Recording 07 68 En • If VPS/PDC is active for two timer programmes that are programmed to start at the same time, then the programme that actually starts first takes priority. Extending a timer recording in progress You can extend a timer recording beyond the programmed end time. This can be useful if a broadcast programme overruns, for example. [...]

Recording 69 En 07 Simultaneous recording and playback (Chase Play) Chase Play allows you to watch a recording that is still in progress from the start, without having to wait until the recording has finished (i.e., playback is ‘chasing’ the recording). In fact, you’re not just limited to watching the recording in progress. You can watch anyt[...]

Recording 07 70 En 4 Select the HDD or DVD for recording. 5 Press to start recording. • If your source is copy-protected using Copy Guard, you will not be able to record it. See Restrictions on video recording on page 60 for more details. Playing your recordings on other DVD players Most regular DVD players can play finalized discs recorded in DV[...]

Recording 71 En 07 1 Load the disc you want to finalize. Make sure that the recorder is stopped before proceeding. 2 Select ‘Disc Setup’ from the Home Menu. 3 Select ‘Finalize’ > ‘Finalize’ > ‘Next Screen’. 4 For DVD-R/-RW (Video mode) and DVD+R/+RW discs only, select a title menu style, then select ‘Yes’ to start finaliza[...]

Recording 07 72 En Important • Initializing a DVD-RW, DVD+RW or DVD-RAM disc will erase everything recorded on it. Make sure there is nothing on the disc that you want to keep! • You may not be able to re-initialize a DVD-RW disc in a different format if it was originally initialized on an older DVD recorder. • Once initialized for VR mode re[...]

Playback 73 En 08 Chapter 8 Playback Introduction Most of the features described in this chapter make use of on-screen displays. Navigate these using the cursor buttons and ENTER . To go back one level from any screen, use the RETURN/EXIT button. Remember also that the button guide at the bottom of every screen shows which buttons do what. Many of [...]

Playback 08 74 En Playing DVD discs The table below shows the basic playback controls for DVD-Video, and recordable DVD discs. Playing from the HDD The table below shows the basic playback controls when playing video recorded on the hard disk (HDD). P ress to start playback. If RESUME is displayed on- screen, playback starts from the place last sto[...]

Playback 75 En 08 Playing CDs and WMA/MP3 discs The table below shows the basic playback controls for audio CDs 1 , and WMA/MP3 files. Playing Video CD/Super VCDs The table below shows the basic playback controls for Video CD/Super VCDs. Some discs feature Playback Control (PBC for short) menus. These discs show PBC in the display when you load the[...]

Playback 08 76 En Playing DivX video files The table below shows the basic playback controls for DivX video files. P auses playback, or restarts playback when paused. P ress to start scanning. Press repeatedly to increase the scan- ning speed. P ress to skip to previous/next track. When a PBC menu is dis- played, press to display the pre- vious/nex[...]

Playback 77 En 08 Using the Disc Navigator to browse the contents of a disc Use the Disc Navigator to browse the contents of a disc and start playback. Using the Disc Navigator with recordable discs and the HDD You can use the Disc Navigator to browse and edit video on recordable DVDs and the HDD, and to view information on titles. See also Editing[...]

Playback 08 78 En Using the Disc Navigator with playback-only discs 1 Display the Home Menu. 2 Select ‘Disc Navigator’. Alternatively, for a CD, Video CD, Super VCD or WMA/MP3/DivX disc, you can press DISC NAVIGATOR , which takes you straight to the Disc Navigator screen. 3 Select what you want to play. Depending on the type of disc you have lo[...]

Playback 79 En 08 Frame advance/frame reverse You can advance or back up video on a DVD disc 1 or the HDD frame-by-frame. With Video CDs/Super VCDs and DivX titles, you can only use frame advance. 1 Pause playback. 2 Back up or advance one frame with each press. • You can also do this by rotating the Smart Jog . 3 Resume normal playback. The Play[...]

Playback 08 80 En 2 With ‘A (Loop Start)’ highlighted, press at the point you want the loop to start. 3 With ‘B (Loop End)’ highlighted, press at the point you want the loop to end. Playback immediately jumps back to the start point and plays the loop round and round. • When playing a DVD-Video, DVD-R/-RW (Video mode), DVD+R/+RW, or from [...]

Playback 81 En 08 After pressing ENTER to add the title/ chapter/folder/track, the step number automatically moves down one. • To insert a step into the programme list, highlight the step number where you want to insert another step, then select a chapter/title/folder/track as usual. After pressing ENTER , all the subsequent steps move down one. [...]

Playback 08 82 En Check the disc packaging for details of the soundtrack options. • Change the audio soundtrack. The current audio language is shown on- screen and in the front panel display. • The sound may drop out for a few seconds when switching soundtracks. • Some discs feature both Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks. There is no analog a[...]

Playback 83 En 08 Displaying disc information on-screen You can display various on-screen information about the disc loaded or the HDD. • Display/change the on-screen information. • Press once to show the HDD and removable disc (DVD, etc.) activity together. Press again to show the status of just the currently selected playback/ recording devic[...]

Playing and recording from a DV camcorder 09 84 En Chapter 9 Playing and recording from a DV camcorder You can play back and record video from a DV camcorder connected to the DV IN jack on the front panel of this recorder. Important • If you connect a second recorder using a DV cable, you cannot control the second unit from this one. • You can?[...]

Playing and recording from a DV camcorder 85 En 09 1 Make sure your DV camcorder is connected to the front panel DV IN jack. Also, set the camcorder to VTR mode. 2 Set the recording quality. • See Setting the picture quality/recording time on page 63 for detailed information. 3 From the Initial Setup menu, check that the DV audio input is setup a[...]

Playing and recording from a DV camcorder 09 86 En 5 Select ‘Record to Hard Disk Drive’ or ‘Record to DVD’. The DV tape is rewound to the beginning. Once it is rewound, the DV tape is played from the beginning and copied to either the HDD or a DVD. • If there is a gap of two minutes or more between recorded contents, the copying process i[...]

Editing 87 En 10 Chapter 10 Editing Editing options The table below shows which commands you can use with the HDD and different disc types. *1 DVD-R/-RW only HDD DVD-R/-RW (Video mode), DVD+R/+RW DVD-R/-RW , DVD-RAM (VR mode) Original Play List Create (page 89)  Play (page 89)    Erase (page 89)    Edit > Title Name (p[...]

Editing 10 88 En The Disc Navigator screen The Disc Navigator screen is where you can edit video content on unfinalized Video mode and DVD-R/-RW (VR mode) discs, DVD+R/ +RW and DVD-RAM, as well as video content on the hard disk drive. Important • Titles that have been recorded with a Input Line System setting different to the current setting of t[...]

Editing 89 En 10 HDD genres The large capacity of the HDD means that there may be many hours of video in the recorder. To help you organize your HDD video content you can assign different genres to titles. There are 20 genres in total, including five user-definable ones that you can name as you like. Create Play List only Use this function to creat[...]

Editing 10 90 En 1 Highlight the title you want to erase. • You can also use the Smart Jog to select titles. 2 Select ‘Erase’ from the command menu panel. 3 Select ‘Yes’ to confirm or ‘No’ to cancel. Tip • You can erase a title quickly by pressing CLEAR when the title is highlighted. Confirm the edit by pressing ENTER . Title Name Y[...]

Editing 91 En 10 Using the remote key shortcuts to input a name The table below shows the remote control key shortcuts that you can use to input characters in the name input screen. Pressing a button repeatedly cycles through the characters shown. If you want to enter two characters in succession that are both on the same button (for example a P an[...]

Editing 10 92 En • You can also use the Smart Jog to select titles. 2 Select ‘Edit’ > ‘Erase Section’ from the command menu panel. 3 HDD only: Select the type of edit. • For more information about these options, see Editing accuracy on page 88. 4 Highlight ‘From’ then use the playback controls (  ,  ,  ,  , etc.) to f[...]

Editing 93 En 10 4 Use the playback controls (  ,  ,  ,  , etc.) to find the place you want to divide the title. 5 Press to divide the title at the current playback position. 6 Select ‘Yes’ to confirm or ‘No’ to cancel. Chapter Edit When editing a VR mode DVD or video on the HDD you can edit individual chapters within a title, w[...]

Editing 10 94 En • Combine 1 – Combine two adjacent chapters into one: Highlight the bar divider between two adjacent chapters and press ENTER . 5 Select ‘Exit’ to get back to the main Disc Navigator screen. Set Genre Use this command to assign a genre to a title. 1 Highlight the title you want to assign a genre to. • You can also use the[...]

Editing 95 En 10 2 Select ‘Edit’ > ‘Lock’ from the command menu panel. An unlocked title will become locked; a locked title will be unlocked. Locked titles are shown in the Disc Navigator with a padlock icon. Move Play List only Use this function to re-arrange the playing order of Play List titles. 1 Highlight the title you want to move.[...]

Editing 10 96 En 3 Select another title to combine with the first. This title will be appended to the first title selected. The screen below shows title 3 selected to be appended to title 1. 4 Select ‘Yes’ to confirm or ‘No’ to cancel. Genre Name Use this command to rename one of the five user-definable genres ( Free 1 to Free 5 ). 1 Select[...]

Editing 97 En 10 Multi-Mode Multi-Mode allows you to select several titles, then select a command that will be applied to all of them. In this way you can select multiple titles and then erase them all at once, for example. 1 Select ‘Multi-Mode’ from the command menu panel. 2 Select titles from the title list. Selected titles are marked with a [...]

Copying and backup 11 98 En Chapter 11 Copying and backup Introduction Use the copying features of this recorder to: • Back up important recordings stored on the HDD to a DVD. • Make a DVD copy of a recording on the HDD to play in another player. • Transfer video from a DVD to the HDD for editing. • Transfer edited video from the HDD to DVD[...]

Copying and backup 99 En 11 HDD to DVD copies are made in the same recording mode. When copying DVD to HDD, the copy is made in whatever recording mode is currently set. Make sure that a recordable DVD disc is loaded when trying to copy from the HDD. 1 If you’re copying from DVD to the HDD, select a recording mode. Note that selecting a recording[...]

Copying and backup 11 100 En • Thumbnail picture markers and chapter markers for the Disc Navigator are copied, but their position in the copy may be slightly changed from the original. • If some part of the title being copied is copy-protected, copying will start, but the copy-protected portions will not be copied. Using Copy Lists * See also [...]

Copying and backup 101 En 11 • When adding titles that contain copy- once protected material, the copy-once parts will not be added. • When adding titles that contain material of more than one aspect ratio (screen size), each part with a different aspect ratio will be added as a separate title if high-speed copying is possible. Depending on the[...]

Copying and backup 11 102 En • Set Thumbnail – Set the thumbnail frame for a title (see Set Thumbnail on page 91). • Recording Mode – Set the picture quality of the copy (see Recording Mode on page 103). • Bilingual – Set how bilingual audio should be copied when copying from HDD to DVD-R/-RW (Video mode) and DVD+R/+RW (see Bilingual on[...]

Copying and backup 103 En 11 – the recorder is reset to its factory settings (see Resetting the recorder on page 152). • It may not be possible to copy from a DVD disc that was recorded on a different DVD recorder or a PC. 1 Select ‘Copy’ from the Home Menu. 2 Select ‘DVD/CD  HDD’. 3 Select a Copy List type. • Selecting Create New [...]

Copying and backup 11 104 En • Optimized 1,2 – The recording quality is automatically adjusted so that the Copy List fits on to the space available on the disc. Copying is carried out in real-time. When you change the recording mode setting, you can see how much disc space it will require. If this is more than is available, it shows up in red a[...]

Copying and backup 105 En 11 • You can cancel the backup process by pressing ONE TOUCH COPY for more than one second. 5 When the data has been copied, take out the disc and load a blank* recordable DVD. * If you’re using a DVD-RW or DVD+RW, the disc doesn’t have to be blank, although the previous contents of the disc will be erased in the bac[...]

Using the Jukebox 12 106 En Chapter 12 Using the Jukebox The Jukebox feature allows you to use the recorder’s HDD to store and playback music from up to 999 of your CDs. You can also transfer WMA/MP3 files stored on CD-R/ -RW/-ROM, DVD. Once on the HDD, you can name albums and tracks, assign them a genre, and set tracks that you don’t want to p[...]

Using the Jukebox 107 En 12 Playing music from the Jukebox You can select albums or individual tracks from the Jukebox to play. 1 Select ‘Jukebox’ from the Home Menu. 2 Select what you want to play. The screen below shows albums stored on the HDD: • If you select a whole album to play, all tracks that are not set to Jump will play. • If you[...]

Using the Jukebox 12 108 En Editing Jukebox albums A number of commands are available for editing and changing the playback behavior of albums. 1 Select ‘Jukebox’ from the Home Menu. 2 Select what you want to edit. 3 Select an edit function from the command menu panel. • Erase – Erase the selected track (if all tracks in an album are select[...]

The PhotoViewer 109 En 13 Chapter 13 The PhotoViewer From the PhotoViewer you can view JPEG photos and picture files stored on the HDD, recordable DVD or CD-R/-RW/-ROM. 1 You can also import files and save them to the recorder’s HDD or a DVD-R/-RW disc. Locating JPEG picture files 1 Select ‘PhotoViewer’ from the Home Menu. 2 Select the locati[...]

The PhotoViewer 13 110 En • You can change folders via the / buttons. • If you encounter a disc that will not play, check that the disc and file formats are compatible with this recorder (see JPEG file compatibility and PC-created disc compatibility on page 11). • The thumbnail of files that cannot be played is displayed as the logo. Ch[...]

The PhotoViewer 111 En 13 Zooming an image During a slideshow you can zoom in to enlarge a portion of the picture by a factor of two or four. You can also move the area of the picture displayed. 1 Press during the slideshow to zoom the picture. Repeated presses cycle between zoom off, 2x zoom and 4x zoom. The zoom factor is displayed on-screen. 2 U[...]

The PhotoViewer 13 112 En • Importing to the HDD will not work if there is insufficient space on the HDD, or if there are already the maximum number of files and/or folders on the HDD (999 folders/999 files per folder). Selecting multiple files or folders The Multi-Mode allows you to select multiple folders/files at once for importing or editing.[...]

The PhotoViewer 113 En 13 • If you erase a slideshow title from a DVD the slideshow will become unplayable but the free space will not increase. 1 Load a blank (or unfinalized Video mode) DVD-R or DVD-RW disc. 2 Select ‘View/Edit Photos on the HDD’ from the menu. 3 Select the file(s) or folder(s) you want to copy. • Copying a folder will co[...]

The PhotoViewer 13 114 En 2 Display the command menu. 3 Select ‘File Options’ or ‘Folder Options’. 4 Select ‘Erase’ or ‘Erase Folder’. 5 Select ‘Yes’ to confirm, or ‘No’ to cancel. • You can also erase a file or folder by pressing CLEAR when the file or folder is highlighted. Press ENTER to confirm. Copying files 1 Select [...]

The PhotoViewer 115 En 13 3 Select ‘Rename File’ or ‘Rename Folder’. 4 Enter a new name for the file/folder. File names or Folder names can be up to 64 characters long. See Using the remote key shortcuts to input a name on page 91 for how to enter a name. Locking/Unlocking files Locking files will protect them from accidental erasure and pr[...]

The Disc Setup menu 14 116 En Chapter 14 The Disc Setup menu From the Disc Setup menu you can name discs, lock the contents to prevent accidental recording and erasure, initialize and finalize discs. The Disc Setup menu is accessed from the Home menu. Basic settings Input Disc Name When you initialize a disc for recording, the recorder automaticall[...]

The Disc Setup menu 117 En 14 Initialize settings You can initialize a recordable DVD-R/-RW disc for either VR mode or Video mode recording. The first time you load a new DVD-RW disc, it will be automatically initialized for recording according to the DVD-RW Auto Init. setting in the Disc Setup menu (see page 72). New DVD-R discs are ready for Vide[...]

The Disc Setup menu 14 118 En 1 Select ‘Disc Setup’ from the Home Menu. 2 Select ‘Optimize HDD’ then ‘Start’. A progress bar indicates how long there is left to go. If no actions are carried out for more than 20 minutes after the optimization process is completed, the unit turns itself off. Initialize HDD When your HDD/DVD recorder is w[...]

The Video Adjust menu 119 En 15 Chapter 15 The Video Adjust menu Using the Video Adjust menu you can set up the picture quality for the built-in tuner and external inputs, for disc playback, and for recording. Setting the picture quality for TV and external inputs Picture Creation lets you choose a set of picture quality settings for the built-in T[...]

The Video Adjust menu 15 120 En • PureCinema – This setting optimizes the picture for film material when the video output is set to progressive. Usually set to Auto ; but try switching to Off if the picture appears unnatural. • 3-D Y/C – Adjusts the brightness/colour separation. • YNR – Adjusts the amount of noise reduction (NR) applied[...]

The Video Adjust menu 121 En 15 2 Move the cursor down and select ‘Detailed Settings’. 3 Select the picture quality setting you want to adjust. You can adjust the following settings: • Prog. Motion – Adjusts the motion and still picture quality when video output is set to progressive. (Prog. Motion is ineffective when PureCinema is On.) •[...]

The Initial Setup menu 16 122 En Chapter 16 The Initial Setup menu Using the Initial Setup menu The Initial Setup menu is where you can set various recorder options for sound, picture, language and so on. Some settings can only be changed when the recorder is stopped. During playback and recording these settings are grayed out in the Initial Setup [...]

The Initial Setup menu 123 En 16 EPG Type Select GUIDE Plus+ Use the Gemstar GUIDE Plus+ EPG. Digital EPG Use the EPG based on information provided by D.TV broadcasts. Setup Navigator Start Select to start the Setup Navigator . See also Switching on and setting up on page 29 . Digital T uner Replace Channels Next Screen Scans for digital channels a[...]

The Initial Setup menu 16 124 En Channel Options Next Screen F rom this screen you can skip or lock channels. Locked channels will require the correct password to be entered before the channel can be watched. Use the /// buttons to highlight a preference box and press ENTER to toggle the preference. To enter this screen, input the paren[...]

The Initial Setup menu 125 En 16 Analog T uner Auto Channel Setting Auto Scan Select your countr y and then wait for the recorder to auto tune into channels in your area. After auto scan has finished, the channel mapping screen appears showing which channels have been assigned to which programme numbers. Y ou can skip unwanted channels using the M[...]

The Initial Setup menu 16 126 En Video In/Out Input Colour System Next Screen P roceed to the next screen to set the input colour system for the external input and the built-in TV tuner . Use the Smart Jog or INPUT SELECT buttons to change the preset or external input. On the default Auto setting the recorder can generally correctly detect whether [...]

The Initial Setup menu 127 En 16 A V2/L1 In Video • Sets the AV2 (INPUT 1/DECODER) SCART input to standard composite video. S-Video Sets the AV2 (INPUT 1/DECODER) SCART input to S-video. RGB Sets the AV2 (INPUT 1/DECODER) SCART input to RGB. Decoder Use this setting if you connected a decoder to the AV2 (INPUT 1/DECODER) SCART connector . For scr[...]

The Initial Setup menu 16 128 En DV Input Stereo 1 • Select to use the ‘live’ audio track (recorded during the video shoot) from a camcorder that supports two stereo audio tracks. Stereo 2 Select to use the overdubbed audio track from a camcorder that supports two stereo audio tracks. Mix Select one of the three settings to use a mix of the t[...]

The Initial Setup menu 129 En 16 Language OSD Language English • Sets the language of the on-screen displays to English. available languages Choose from the languages displayed for the on- screen displays. On Screen Display and D.TV Language will both reflect this setting. Audio Language English • Sets the default audio language for DVD-V ideo [...]

The Initial Setup menu 16 130 En DVD Menu Language w/Subtitle Language • Sets the language of DVD-V ideo menus to the same as that set for the subtitle language. English Sets the language of DVD-V ideo menus to English. available languages Choose from the displayed languages to set the default language for DVD-V ideo menus. Other Select to set th[...]

The Initial Setup menu 131 En 16 Set Thumbnail 0 seconds • Sets the default thumbnail picture in the Disc Navigator to the first frame of the title. 30 seconds Sets the default thumbnail picture to 30 seconds into the title. 3 minutes Sets the default thumbnail picture to three minutes into the title. Auto Chapter (HDD/VR) On • When recording [...]

The Initial Setup menu 16 132 En Playback TV Screen Size 4:3 (Letter Box) Select if you have a standard 4:3 TV and prefer the letter box format presentation for widescreen material. 4:3 (Pan & Scan) Select if you have a standard 4:3 TV and prefer the pan and scan presentation for widescreen material. 16:9 • Select if you have a widescreen 16:[...]

The Initial Setup menu 133 En 16 HDMI Output (only available when an HDMI device is connected) Screen Resolution 1920 x 1080p Constant 1920 x 1080p output. 1920 x 1080i Constant 1920 x 1080i output. 1280 x 720p Constant 1280 x 720p output. 720 x 576p (720 x 480p) Constant 720 x 576p output (when setting the Input Line System to 525 System , video i[...]

The Initial Setup menu 16 134 En Options On Screen Display On • The recorder displays operation displays ( Stop , Play , etc.) on-screen. Off Switches off the on-screen operation displays. Front Panel Display On • The time is shown in the front panel display when the recorder is in standby . Off The front panel display is switched off in standb[...]

The Initial Setup menu 135 En 16 Additional information about the TV system settings About the input line system This recorder is compatible with PAL, SECAM, 3.58 NTSC and PAL-60 TV systems. The Input Line System and Input Colour System settings determine how the recorder treats incoming video signals from an external input. Please note the followi[...]

The Initial Setup menu 16 136 En About NTSC on PAL TV Depending on the Input Line System setting and the NTSC on PAL TV setting, the signal format output when the recorder is stopped varies as shown in the table below. About the input colour system The available options of the Input Colour System setting depend on the Input Line System setting. The[...]

The Initial Setup menu 137 En 16 Manual Update Select Manual Update to check for updated software immediately. If new software is found then it is automatically downloaded and installed. The new software will take effect the next time the recorder is powered on. If for some reason the new software could not be downloaded successfully, a dialog box [...]

Additional information 17 138 En Chapter 17 Additional information Setting up the remote to control your TV You can use the supplied remote to control your TV. To be able to use this feature you first have to program the remote with a maker code from the table below. 1 Press and hold down the CLEAR button, then enter the maker code for your TV. See[...]

Additional information 139 En 17 Minimum copying times The table below shows the minimum HDD to DVD copying time for one hour of video. Please note that not all discs are compatible with high-speed copying. 1 Check with the disc manufacturer for compatibility. Note that all times in the above table are approximate. Also that actual copy speed varie[...]

Additional information 17 140 En Manual recording modes The table below shows the approximate recording times for different DVD types in each manual recording mode, as well as the standard recording mode equivalents. For recording time on the HDD, see Specifications on page 153. *1 Recording time may be slightly shorter for certain disc types or re[...]

Additional information 141 En 17 • Levels separated by a bold line show where there is a noticeable change in picture quality. • Audio recording in all manual recording modes is in Dolby Digital 2 ch format, except for LPCM mode, which is in Linear PCM format. • See also Recording on page 58. Troubleshooting Incorrect operation is often mista[...]

Additional information 17 142 En No picture • Check that ever ything is connected properly (page 14). • Check that the connected TV and/or the A V amp/receiver is set to the correct input. • The recorder may be set to progressive scan with an incompatible TV . Reset to interlace by pressing and holding the front panel  (Stop) button then p[...]

Additional information 143 En 17 Audio/subtitle language cannot be changed • Note that audio and subtitle languages cannot be changed during the recording of a digital broadcast. • Y ou can only use the audio track and subtitles for the language that were selected at the time of recording a digital broadcast. The audio track and subtitles canno[...]

Additional information 17 144 En Timer programme doesn’t r ecord successfully • When setting the recording channel, make sure you set the recorder ’s built-in TV tuner , not the TV’s built-in tuner . • When recording to a DVD-R/-RW (Video mode) or DVD+R/+RW , programmes that are copy-once protected cannot be recorded. Use a VR mode format[...]

Additional information 145 En 17 HDMI If the unit does not operate normally due to external effects such as static electricity, disconnect the power plug from the outlet and insert again to return to normal operating conditions. If the picture freezes and the front panel and remote control buttons stop working • Press  (Stop) then try restarti[...]

Additional information 17 146 En On-screen displays The table below shows a list of error messages that you may encounter when using the recorder and an explanation of their meaning. Message Explanation/Action • Initializing disc. Please wait a moment. When you load a blank DVD-RW or DVD+RW disc, the recorder automatically initializes it. • Inc[...]

Additional information 147 En 17 • Repairing disc. • Repairing the HDD. During recording, the power was cut. This display appears when the power is restored. • Could not repair the disc. The recorder was unable to repair the disc af ter a power cut. The contents of the recording will be lost. • Overheating has stopped operation. Press DISPL[...]

Additional information 17 148 En Front-panel displays The table below shows a list of error messages that you may encounter when using the recorder and an explanation of their meaning. • Y ou are not allowed to watch this Conditional Access Programme. A CA module or smart card (obtained from your ser vice provider) is required to watch the select[...]

Additional information 149 En 17 Language code list Language (Language code letter), Language code Country/Area code list Country/Area, Country/Area code , Code letter Japanese (ja), 1001 English (en), 0514 French (fr), 0618 German (de), 0405 Italian (it), 0920 Spanish (es), 0519 Chinese (zh), 2608 Dutch (nl), 1412 Portuguese (pt), 1620 Swedish (sv[...]

Additional information 17 150 En Screen sizes and disc formats When viewing on a standard TV or monitor Screen format of disc Setting Appearance 16:9 4:3 (Letter Box) The programme is shown in widescreen with black bars at the top and bottom of the screen. 4:3 (Pan & Scan) The sides of the programme are cropped so that the picture fills the wh[...]

Additional information 151 En 17 Handling discs When holding discs of any type, take care not to leave fingerprints, dirt or scratches on the disc surface. Hold the disc by its edge or by the center hole and edge. Damaged or dirty discs can affect playback and recording performance. Take care also not to scratch the label side of the disc. Although[...]

Additional information 17 152 En Hints on installation We want you to enjoy using this unit for years to come, so please bear in mind the following points when choosing a suitable location for it: Do...  Use in a well-ventilated room.  Place on a solid, flat, level surface, such as a table, shelf or stereo rack. Don’t...  Use in a place [...]

Additional information 153 En 17 Specifications General Power requirements . . . . . 220 V to 240 V, 50 Hz/60 Hz Power consumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 W Power consumption in standby mode . . . . . . . 0.69 W (Front panel display: off) Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.3 kg Di[...]

Additional information 17 154 En Input/Output Antenna . . . . 75 Ω IEC 169-2 connector for VHF/UHF in/out (analog) . . . . 75 Ω IEC 169-2 connector for VHF/UHF in/out (digital) Video input . . . . . . . . . . . . AV2 (Input 1), Input 2 (front), Input 3 (rear) Input level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Vp-p (75 Ω ) Jacks . .[...]

Operating Instructions Discover the benefits of registering your product online at http://www .pioneer .co.uk (or http://www .pioneer .eu ) DV R-550HX-S HDD/DVD RECORDER HDD/D VD RECORDER Operating Instructions <VRB1458-A> P rinted in UK P ublished by Pioneer Corporation. Copyright © 2007 P ioneer Corporation. All rights reser ved. http://ww[...]