Ratings and Reviews

Customer Reviews for Magnavox Magnavox MDR-513H/F7 320GB DVR and DVD Recorder

Magnavox Magnavox MDR-513H/F7 320GB DVR and DVD Recorder

Record your favorite movies and TV shows with the MAGNAVOX MDR513H/F7 HDD and DVD Recorder. This DVD Recorder with Digital Tuner records up to 387 hours onto a large 320GB hard drive so you can store all of your favorite television programs. Pause live television while you record the show on this 1080p DVD recorder. Its 1080p up-conversion gives you the best quality picture from DVDs. Play songs; view photos, and enjoy virtual surround sound, with Dolby Digital stream out on this DVR/DVD recorder.
Average Customer Rating:
4.148 out of 5
4.1
 out of 
5
(737 Reviews) 660
Open Ratings Snapshot
Rating SnapshotOverall Rating Totals
5 stars
398
4 stars
207
3 stars
42
2 stars
23
1 star
67
Customer Recommendation85%627 out of 737reviewers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Questions & Answers:
404 Questions | 1,489 Answers
Open Ratings Snapshot
Rating SnapshotOverall Rating Totals
5 stars
398
4 stars
207
3 stars
42
2 stars
23
1 star
67
Customer Reviews
Review 1 for Magnavox MDR-513H/F7 320GB DVR and DVD Recorder
09/08/2012
By ,
Youngstown,OH
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Have used for a while and works great. Easy to set and record. Can record many hours of favorite shows before needing to delete.
Product Attributes:
Value
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Meets Expectations
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Recommends this product? Yes
Age:45 - 54
Gender:Male
Ownership:7 - 8 months
Usage:Every few days
+1point
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Review 2 for Magnavox MDR-513H/F7 320GB DVR and DVD Recorder

MDR-513H poor substitute for the famous DVR

05/15/2012
By ,
Stuart, Florida
2 out of 5
2 out of 5
The manufacturers of this unit obviously though it's primary use would be to record from cable TV onto DVD. Everything about it is set up that way. It doesn't function well as a DVR with live FF and Rew. There is a definite lag, accompanied by the TV screen going black. The remote has lots of tiny buttons that are poorly arranged. It might be okay if you just wanted to convert all your old VHS home movies to DVD, but I found it lacking in all other uses. After 2 weeks I returned the unit to Walmart, who took it back with no questions asked, thank you very much Walmart.
Product Attributes:
Value
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
Meets Expectations
1 out of 5
1 out of 5
Recommends this product? No
Age:45 - 54
Gender:Male
Ownership:2 - 7 weeks
Usage:Every day
+1point
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Review 3 for Magnavox MDR-513H/F7 320GB DVR and DVD Recorder

Great for recording day BB games to watch at night

05/04/2012
By ,
Illinois
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Even though the online info indicates this records at 480p, I've recorded 1080p Baseball games from cable on the HDD and they play back at 1080p and look just as good as watching the game directly from cable. I record day games and then watch them in the evening. I especially like the rapid play option that allows playing at 1.3X speed. The audio and video both seem just as good as playing at 1X speed. Fast Forwarding through the commercials @ 20X is also great. Only takes a few seconds to Fast Forward through commercials. Also,during slow games (lots of pitches per player and really no action), I find playing at 2X Fast Forward allows moving through those parts of the game great. There's no audio but one can switch to 1.3X with audio instantaneously. I used to do a similar thing with my old VCR but it was, of course, Standard Def and I sometimes needed to rewind cause it was hard to spot the end of the commercials. This is much better. I am glad I purchased this machine and would recommend it to anyone with similar viewing habits. I haven't yet tried the DVD recording yet but I played back a DVD of a TV Series that I purchased several years ago. The play back was just as good as it should be and I have no complaints. Again, I recommend this machine.
Product Attributes:
Value
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Meets Expectations
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Recommends this product? Yes
Age:55 - 64
Gender:Male
Ownership:2 - 7 weeks
Usage:Every day
+1point
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Review 4 for Magnavox MDR-513H/F7 320GB DVR and DVD Recorder

Great product. Very easy to set up and use.

04/15/2012
By ,
Clarksville MD
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
It does exactly what I was looking for in a DVR.
Product Attributes:
Value
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Meets Expectations
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Recommends this product? Yes
Age:45 - 54
Gender:Male
Ownership:2 - 3 months
Usage:Every few days
+1point
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Review 5 for Magnavox MDR-513H/F7 320GB DVR and DVD Recorder

Excellent DVD recorder for recording TV Programs

04/14/2012
By ,
Greater Cleveland, OH
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
The recording quality on the hard drive is excellent. Its very hard to find any recording device that has a digital tuner today. I still use a standard TV antenna to receive the eight local TV stations in the greater Cleveland area and a digital tuner is a must for me. Being able to burn the recorded tv programs to a blank DVD disc is icing on the cake. Too bad the device doesn't have a database to store often used titles, instead of typing it each time. You can't beat the price, it's $70 less than amazon.com's price. Great buy and value!
Recommends this product? Yes
Age:45 - 54
Gender:Male
Ownership:2 - 7 weeks
Usage:Every day
+2points
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Review 6 for Magnavox MDR-513H/F7 320GB DVR and DVD Recorder

TOTAL DISAPOINTMENT

04/12/2012
By ,
PALM COAST, FL
1 out of 5
1 out of 5
THIS PRODUCT NEVER WORKED PROPERLY...IT WOULD EITHER DROP OFF JUST AS THE PROGRAM BEGUN, GIVING YOU A BLANK DISC, OR IT WOULD DROP OFF DURING THE RECORDING PROCESS GIVING YOU A DISC WITH A PARTIAL RECORDING OF A FEW MINUTES AT BEST.
Product Attributes:
Value
1 out of 5
1 out of 5
Meets Expectations
1 out of 5
1 out of 5
Recommends this product? No
Age:65 or older
Gender:Male
Ownership:2 - 7 weeks
Usage:Every day
+1point
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Review 7 for Magnavox MDR-513H/F7 320GB DVR and DVD Recorder

Excellent DVR

04/10/2012
By ,
Houston, Tx
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
I do not have cable and all the TV we watch is OTA. I manually set it up to record the programs we like, and we watch them when we have time. Plus, skipping the commercials is a great time saver. We play DVDs on our PS3, so I have not tried the DVD side. I do intend to record some DVDs, but haven't yet.
Product Attributes:
Value
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Meets Expectations
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Recommends this product? Yes
Age:45 - 54
Gender:Male
Ownership:2 - 7 weeks
Usage:Every few days
+2points
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Review 8 for Magnavox MDR-513H/F7 320GB DVR and DVD Recorder
04/09/2012
By ,
WY
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
I bought this primarily to record tv shows. It's nice as it's hdmi and gets all the digital channels, so it's much clearer picture-wise. For my needs, it's great. I really do like it.
Problems: It's already frozen once and we had to unplug it for a bit and then it worked again... not without deleting all of my set recordings though. I've only had it for a month, maybe. Also, the remote really is not user friendly, I read that and thought that wouldn't be a problem... but it really is annoying when you try 8 different buttons to get you back to the show and finally the 9th most random button is the only one to do the trick. I'm still not used to it.
Recommends this product? Yes
Age:25 - 34
Gender:Female
Ownership:2 - 7 weeks
Usage:Every day
+1point
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Help files available
Posted 04/10/2012
Here's an index of help files:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12244086#post12244086
Check out the "Tuning Interference" subject and the "Soft Reset" subject for your "freezes." You might also want an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) from Walmart, and the "FW Updates" file on how to make you 513 operate like a 515.
There's also a file on a $10-13 Philips 7-Device Remote that works like a charm on these Mag recorders (and all your other equipment too).
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Review 9 for Magnavox MDR-513H/F7 320GB DVR and DVD Recorder

Ok but not perfect

04/08/2012
By ,
Bowling Green,OH
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
1. It does have a lot of recording space.
2. The remote and menu are easy to use.
3. It does not have fast playing speeds like my Phillips does. With the Phillips you have a slow, and 2 fast play speeds where you can still hear the sound perfectly. The sound is not sped up or sound like chipmunks.
4. It doesn’t let you specify the aspect ration as “Set by program”. So everything is recorded at the same size.
Product Attributes:
Value
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
Meets Expectations
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
Recommends this product? No
Age:65 or older
Gender:Male
Ownership:2 - 7 weeks
Usage:Every day
+2points
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Yes it does!
Posted 04/09/2012
3. It does have Rapid Play - with Audio
During playback, press RAPID PLAY button:
1x = 0.8X (slower than normal)
2x = 1.3X (faster than normal)
3x = Back to normal play.
Full audio with Rapid Play speeds can be used during normal playback and even in the following watch/record combinations:
For watching a recorded HDD title while recording a new program.
For Chase Playing a program currently being recorded.
Slow/fast audio continues after the jump moves, SKIP, REPLAY, PREV, NEXT, but mutes during FF/REW.
More playback & search options in these help files:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=12469860&postcount=130
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=12304095&postcount=21
4. While it doesn't have a "Set by program" aspect setting, it does let you set TV Aspect > 4:3 Letter Box or 16:9 Wide. I leave mine set for 16:9 Wide, as explained in this help file:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=12371974&postcount=62
An index of other info and help files is here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12244086#post12244086
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Review 10 for Magnavox MDR-513H/F7 320GB DVR and DVD Recorder

As advertised

04/06/2012
By ,
Wisconsin
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Purchased for my 80 year old mother. She only has antenna and over the air television. Needed to record over the air television show was so thought we would try this. It has taken her several calls to customer service to help with general operations, but all seems to be working okay. For an 80 year old person to figure out electronic devices like a dvr is not always easy, so this device must be fairly user friendly. I know she has recorded tv to DVD and hdd and set up a daily program to record favorite soap opera.
Product Attributes:
Value
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Meets Expectations
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Recommends this product? Yes
Ownership:2 - 7 weeks
Usage:Every day
+2points
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Help index here.
Posted 04/07/2012
Here's an index of help files for anyone who needs it:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12244086#post12244086
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Review 11 for Magnavox MDR-513H/F7 320GB DVR and DVD Recorder

Very Good

04/05/2012
By ,
London, Ky
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
DVD recorder works fine and it will even open dvd's that I had made from my Sony dvd recorder (that quit working) that were not finalized. I can even continue recording on those dvd's.
The dvr portion works too, even though I really haven't used it. I just checked to see if it works and it did. I have Dish network, therefore I don't think I can set it up to record on different channels, only the channel is on. If you have cable tv, I do believe you can record from other channels.
Recommends this product? Yes
Age:45 - 54
Gender:Female
Ownership:2 - 7 weeks
Usage:Every few days
+2points
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Review 12 for Magnavox MDR-513H/F7 320GB DVR and DVD Recorder

Poor performance

04/05/2012
By ,
Roanoke, Va.
1 out of 5
1 out of 5
Unit recorded using timer on NBC channel but produced no picture or sound. Unit recorded on CBS & FOX but skipped at times. However, when recording manually it would perform flawlessly on all channels. Suspect chip set faulty.
When recording manually the picture produced was exceptionally clear, bright & appeared just like watching from a digital cable box.
Returned product to store for refund.
Recommends this product? No
Age:65 or older
Gender:Male
Ownership:2 - 7 weeks
Usage:Never
+2points
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Review 13 for Magnavox MDR-513H/F7 320GB DVR and DVD Recorder

Great product

04/05/2012
By ,
Altoona, Iowa
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
This is my 3rd DVR from Walmart. I would highly recommend this DVR. It is very user friendly and reliable. Glad I bought it when I did, they keep going up in price.
Product Attributes:
Value
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Meets Expectations
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Recommends this product? Yes
Age:55 - 64
Gender:Male
Ownership:2 - 7 weeks
Usage:Every day
+2points
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Make your 513's operate like upgraded model 515
Posted 04/05/2012
Here's a help file on updating the FW in your 513's to make them operate like the upgraded model 515:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=17340385&postcount=6962
Here's a comparison of the op, features of the 513 and 515:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=19423540&postcount=11724#515Comparison
Here's an index of other info and help files:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12244086#post12244086
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Review 14 for Magnavox MDR-513H/F7 320GB DVR and DVD Recorder

Great DVR for a beginner.

04/04/2012
By ,
Fremont, CA
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Setup is easy. Record programming is easy. Better than DVR's I have previously owned.
Product Attributes:
Value
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Meets Expectations
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Recommends this product? Yes
Age:45 - 54
Gender:Male
Ownership:2 - 7 weeks
Usage:Every day
+2points
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Review 15 for Magnavox MDR-513H/F7 320GB DVR and DVD Recorder

Great product! Easy to set up and use..

04/04/2012
By ,
Chicago, IL
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
This product is easy to setup and use right out the box. I'm an old-school type that have used a trusty VCR to record TV programs for years. But, when my cable provider switched to all digital I was left out in the cold. This product has digital tuning and lots of other functionality that makes it a great purchase for someone like myself. Great value!
Product Attributes:
Value
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Meets Expectations
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Recommends this product? Yes
Age:45 - 54
Gender:Male
Ownership:2 - 7 weeks
Usage:Every few days
+2points
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Review 16 for Magnavox MDR-513H/F7 320GB DVR and DVD Recorder

DVR works really.

04/04/2012
By ,
va
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
DVR works really well and was delivered in a timely manner.
Product Attributes:
Value
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
Meets Expectations
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Recommends this product? Yes
Age:55 - 64
Gender:Male
Ownership:2 - 7 weeks
Usage:Every few days
+1point
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Review 17 for Magnavox MDR-513H/F7 320GB DVR and DVD Recorder
04/01/2012
By ,
Central NY
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
This was exactly what I needed - essentially, a digital VCR. It works with standard cable, just like the old VCR, but is easier to find your recording, and the picture quality is better. The manual is very detailed, and I would advise to just jump in and follow the setup screens, using the manual for a reference when necessary. I had one question, and got through to tech support promptly. I just wonder why no one carries this in-store, it seems to be only available online. Everything else available that resembles this item requires a monthly subscription.
Product Attributes:
Value
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Meets Expectations
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Recommends this product? Yes
Age:55 - 64
Gender:Male
Ownership:2 - 7 weeks
Usage:Every day
+1point
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Help files available
Posted 04/03/2012
See index of info and help files here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12244086#post12244086
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Review 18 for Magnavox MDR-513H/F7 320GB DVR and DVD Recorder

A good DVR at a reasonable price

04/01/2012
By ,
Southern Arizona
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
I bought this for my wife so that she could watch live TV with pause and rewind like I enjoy with MS Media Center on my PC. Unfortunately, she is not the type of person who takes to learning to operate this type of thing (among others).
The unit does what I wanted but is not intuitive enough for some people.
Product Attributes:
Value
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Meets Expectations
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Recommends this product? Yes
Age:65 or older
Gender:Male
Ownership:2 - 7 weeks
Usage:Once per week
+1point
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Review 19 for Magnavox MDR-513H/F7 320GB DVR and DVD Recorder

Already have recommended this to a relative

03/29/2012
By ,
La
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
She hung up with me and was on her way to the store to see if they had any in stock..
I just hope it last a pretty long time for the cost, but so far its great!!
Product Attributes:
Value
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
Meets Expectations
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Recommends this product? Yes
Age:45 - 54
Gender:Female
Ownership:2 - 7 weeks
Usage:Every day
+1point
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Review 20 for Magnavox MDR-513H/F7 320GB DVR and DVD Recorder

Channels don't Match

03/26/2012
By
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
I was excited about a DVR that would replace the VCRs in my home. Set up was easy, picture was good and all ready to go. Set my first timed program, and dead air space. Went to the to the channel by using the channel up and down buttons and recieved the program and could record the program by just using the record button. Every time I tried to set the program to record on a timed setting, the channel would always be blank.
This was the the main reason for using the DVR, so I had to return the item to Walmart.
Product Attributes:
Value
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
Meets Expectations
2 out of 5
2 out of 5
Recommends this product? Yes
+1point
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Co-channel interference, can be fixed
Posted 03/27/2012
Too late for you but for others with same problem, here's a help file that explains "tuning interference," the cause of blank channel on timer record:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=21142278&postcount=16576
Here's an index of other info and help files:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12244086#post12244086
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