Remember when futurists predicted we would all have flying cars? They talked about the distant day when we would leave the crowded freeways behind and zoom unimpeded through the atmosphere. But last I checked, the freeways still looked like parking lots, and flying still involved an airport.

The same is true when it comes to high-definition DVD. News tidbits about HD-DVD machines in Japan and elsewhere taunt us. “Soon,” manufacturers reply when we ask when HD-DVD will hit U.S. shores. By my estimation, though, HD-DVD has been coming soon since 1997, when the first DVDs arrived in this country.  This scenario holds true for high-definition personal video recorders, too.  While the first HD-PVR models are just now emerging, HD fans have been waiting for years for the capability of recording high-definition TV programming.

However, for a couple of years there actually has been a way to record high-definition video, despite that some of us, including yours truly, have considered it too retro to be a workable solution. It uses old-fashioned videotape done up in a digital version capable of recording HDTV and playing HDTV movies. JVC introduced a high-definition digital VCR last year and simultaneously launched a new format called D-Theater, which holds prerecorded, high-definition movies on digital videotape. While other types of digital VCRs will record HDTV signals, only D-Theater VCRs can play back high-definition pre-recorded movies.

D-Theater is and probably always will be a technology for enthusiasts. A mere handful of studios, including Fox and Universal, are distributing movies in this format. With the MV8300, Marantz becomes only the second hardware manufacturer to embrace D-Theater. After two years, there are still fewer than 100 D-Theater titles, although three or four more show up every month. Blockbuster does not rent them, but you can find them at some Best Buy locations, and your custom installer may also carry a limited selection. (Click image to enlarge)

D-Theater VCRs can play high-definition video on any HDTV set that has a component video input. However, if you want to record HDTV broadcasts, this VCR requires a satellite tuner, digital TV tuner or high-definition cable box equipped with an IEEE-1394 output. (IEEE-1394 is the interface used most often to connect digital camcorders to computers.) Home-entertainment products equipped with this technology are somewhat rare at the moment, but more should be hitting the market soon.
Thankfully, I can use the MV8300 with Mitsubishi’s new HD-5000 FireWire-capable video controller and PD-5010 50-inch plasma display. Once connected, the VCR and video controller are able to talk to each other so I can actually control everything with the TV remote via an on-screen display. Setup takes only about 30 seconds.

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The MV8300’s remote differs little from a standard VCR remote. (Click image to enlarge)

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I pop in the new Digital Video Essentials D-VHS test tape, which contains glorious, carefully produced high-definition video, and hear a loud clunk—which turns out to be my jaw dropping.  The clarity of the D-Theater picture on the plasma TV is startling, but something seems amiss. I compare the VCR picture with the digital signal from a local TV station, and it dawns on me:  The image looks even better than broadcast digital TV. I assume this is the result of D-Theater’s robust data stream, which provides about half again as much picture data as a digital TV broadcast does. The result amazes me. Short of professional equipment, a D-Theater VCR is probably the best source you can use for your video projector.

The audio is great, too, as the tape’s tremendous data-storage capacity provides room for Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks at their maximum quality levels. In the case of Dolby Digital, the sound is even better from D-Theater than it is from DVD.  The sound comes right through the FireWire along with the picture information. Even without the FireWire connection, though, you can get Dolby Digital and DTS via the unit’s separate optical audio output.
You can record up to four hours of HDTV from digital broadcasts, cable or satellite, although the picture will look only as good as the original broadcast—still quite good, but not as pristine as a D-Theater tape.  You can also use this unit to record up to 24 hours of standard-definition TV, which gives it a recording capacity comparable to that of TiVo and other PVRs. The VCR also lets you record at a medium-quality level so you can store up to eight hours of DVD-quality video on a tape, which I find to be an ideal option for recording satellite TV.  When one tape is full, just pop in a new one and keep recording. Try that with your TiVo.

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The back panel includes a high-definition component video output (the green, blue and red jacks in the upper half of the photo). (Click image to enlarge)

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The MV8300 can play any of your old VHS and S-VHS tapes, and can output high-definition video in standard-definition quality to regular (non-high-definition) TVs through its S-video and composite video outputs. It also can record analog video via front-mounted S-video and composite inputs. And yes, it supports VCR Plus codes, which make it easy to record shows while you are away. And yes, you can attach your digital camcorder to it to copy home movies.

The downsides? D-Theater is tape, so it has to be rewound; there is no instant chapter jumping and you will occasionally have to clean the tape heads. Any of these actions may trigger a flashback to the halcyon days of Duran Duran. And as anyone who has toddlers knows, videotape is a lot less durable than a DVD.
So while it might seem counterintuitive to reach back to the past for the latest in video quality, D-Theater—and more specifically, the MV8300—offers just that. If you want the best available video for your system, Marantz has it. Sometimes old school is the best answer.

DESCRIPTION
Digital videocassette recorder with high-definition play/record function, as well as D-Theater playback; requires FireWire-equipped satellite tuner, broadcast tuner or cable box for HDTV recording

CONNECTIONS
Networking: Two IEEE-1394 (FireWire) ports
Video: Two S-video inputs, two composite video inputs, one component video output, two S-video outputs, two composite video outputs
Audio: Two RCA-type analog inputs, two RCA-type analog audio outputs, one optical digital output

DIMENSIONS
4.2 x 18 x 13.6 inches (hwd)

PRICE/CONTACT
PRICE: $1,599
CONTACT: 630.741.0300
www.marantz.com