Description:
VCR's are an inexpensive solution for recording television programs, copying other tapes, or making home videos. The only real problem with videotapes is that they are magnetic. This means that a magnet can erase and destroy what was recorded on the tape. Another problem with tapes is that their expected shelf life is not very long and they are bulky compared to either DVDs or VCDs.
TeraOptix has created a device that can digitize broadcast programs, your old videotapes, and movies from your camcorder. Not only will this device make your recordings last much longer, but the recording media, CD-R and CD-RW, are cheaper than videotapes.
So is this device really what it promises to be? Can it really replace your trusty VCR? Well, it all comes down to what you're looking to do and what you're willing to sacrifice for it.
Appearance:
The latest tech fad seems to be translucent colors. Not surprisingly, the Terapin comes in 3 such colors. Our demo device came in "Ice Blue." The colored plastic does not give you a peak at the insides like on an iMac, but it does catch your eye and brings up the question, "Hey, what's that?" from just about everyone who sees it for the first time. This does not look like your average recorder.
But take note. Its stylish exterior may also be its ruin. Due to its abnormally large display screen, the Terapin has a frontal bulge that makes the top slope. If you stack your home theater equipment, this bulge will make it impossible to put the Terapin in between various devices. The Terapin must be placed on top.
Setup:
In the box were the recorder, 3 cables, 1 remote w/ batteries, and the manual. Ease of installation will depend on how much you know about your current television setup. If you know something about video/audio in and out, things shouldn't be too bad. The manual gives you several pictures of possible setups. This is nice, but doesn't help much. The setup instructions are on the marginal side. It's not a big problem, but you will need to decide which connections you have available to use on your TV and, from the available ones, which will give you the best video quality. You have the choice of analog, composite, and S-video. For audio playback and recording you can choose between digital coaxial and optical.
If you have an older TV you might have a problem with the setup. When hooking up the Terapin to my older TV there weren't any hookups for it. I tried connecting it to my cable box and was able to get video/audio signals in, but not send signals back out to the TV due to the lack of connections. However, if you have a newer TV (10-15 years old), you shouldn't have a problem hooking up the Terapin.
Another thing to keep in mind when setting up the Terapin is that you might have to disconnect something. The other TV we hooked the Terapin up to had 2 VCRs and some other stuff hooked up to it. Basically the other equipment took all the connectors the Terapin could use. It was tough to do, but we decided to disconnect one of the VCRs so the Terapin could be installed.
Performance:
You can't just plug in the Terapin and start recording. Reading the instructions is a must. Luckily, this section of the manual is straightforward and very helpful. If you can use your VCR and CD player, operating the Terapin will not be a problem. The only differences you'll notice between using the Terapin and your VCR is that the Terapin uses different recording media, focuses around a "confirm" button, and, somewhat irritatingly, can't be programmed to record at a certain time.
Our Terapin came with a CD-RW disk. Additionally, the device can also record on CD-R disks. The device could record about an hour of video per 650MB disc. With a 700MB disc the recording time will be longer. Recording length comes out to roughly 10 megabytes a minute.
After turning on the device and inserting the CD of choice, you need to wait a bit. The device reads the inserted CD and displays on the front panel either the number of recorded tracks or "no disk," if no disc is in the player.
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