What Hi Fi Sound and Vision
19 JUL 2007
LG RH278H
Given that this unit offers an hard-disk drive (HDD) as big – at 250GB – as that on the £375 Sony RDR-HXD970, the fact that it’s also £175 cheaper gives us pause for thought. Considering some of its specifications, the RH278H seems at first glance like a serious reasonable-budget option.
The LG offers complete multi-format recording, with DVD-R/-RW/+R/+RW, and even DVD-RAM catered for. It also features scaling up to 1080i – but not 1080p – and a full complement of sockets including HDMI, component and Scart.
Build quality is impressive, too, and better than that of the cheaper DR275. The ’278H offers sturdy casework and a decent design layout that’s only compromised a tad by the rather cheap-feeling buttons.
We find it a little anomalous that a recorder with a 250GB hard disk should only have an analogue tuner: the more sardonic among us snorted at the question of how long it might take to fill such a hard disk with only the five terrestrial channels to choose from.
Okay, cable and satellite users won’t be the slightest bit bothered by this, but in a market in which Freeview tuners have become de rigueur, it seems like a strange omission – especially since the great analogue switch-off in the UK has already beguns.
Analogue tuner lets LG down
However, the main reason the LG achieves only an average star rating – despite its alluringly reasonable price – is that the analogue tuner’s performance is so poor, which of course results in disappointing recordings. TV pictures are grainy, noisy and washed out, with scenes of subtle and fast motion displaying plenty of jagged edges and a considerable lack of steady line detail.
DVD playback is, as you might expect, a better proposition but compared to the best rivals the LG’s DVD picture is a little flat and uninvolving, and only musters an average performance at best.
If you want an HDD recorder, already have a digital source (such as cable or Sky) and you really, really don’t want to spend more than £200, give the RH278H an audition. But be warned: even at that eminently reasonable price, the LG offers only average playback and recording performance.