Customer Reviews

GoVideo VR4940 Progressive-Scan DVD Player/Recorder with VCR

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

The good news is it does make good quality recordings onto DVD-R. The XP (high quality mode) beat the best I got using encoder software on my PC, and the resulting disk played better in standard DVD player. That would be worth 5 stars, if only it were accepted as usable by my family (including me).

It does have some problems reading S-VHS tapes from my video recorder, which it is spec'd to do. It seems to take a few seconds to get into the correct mode so I lose the first few seconds which is irritating, but after that it works fine.

There is no S-Video input at the back, only the front. Rather odd, but maybe they reckon the only S-Video device in a normal household is a camcorder.

The bad news is it is complicated. The remote has dozens of small buttons and is modal. The modality is very confusing when dubbing from tape to DVD or vice versa, since at that time both devices are in use and you have to wonder which one is being controlled by the buttons. It is not really a universal remote it can only handle a very small number of TVs and not much else. So, it has definately not done the #1 thing needed of it in my household, which is to simplify the A/V setup.

When you play a DVD and pause it, incredibly it does not freeze frame on the screen. It switches to blank screen. If you like the ability to freeze frame and step frames forward and back, which is on every other DVD player I have used, you will miss it here.

One final problem, the DV input is useless from a computer. The recorder has minimal editting capability, so if you try to use your computer software to edit your DV home video then uplink through the front panel to make a tape or DVD, forget it. You can't even manually start the tape or DVD to record and then switch on the computer to send the video. The VR4940 (aka Zenith XBR413 etc.) just complains it can't control the DV device and refuses to do anything with it.

The DV capability is input only, a reasonable limitation but disappointing.

So, because of complexity this does not satisfy people who just want a simple DVD-tape recorder combo, and because of lack of features it won't satisfy those who want a high end gadget.

The manual seems accurate and fairly clear.

I finally decided to get in the "digital world", and convert hundreds of VHS tapes (mostly recorded from HBO\Showtime over the years) to DVD. The first thing to understand is: If you have bad VHS (low sound or picture quality)...you will have a bad DVD. It simply transfers the contents of a VHS direct to a DVD in the same manner it was on VHS. You just change the type of media it's stored on. It does not improve the quality of the original VHS. With that being said, most of my tapes are recorded from satellite dish in standard 2 hour play and are in dolby stereo. My DVD record quality has been excellent from this player. I have copied several dozen hi quality VHS tapes to DVD, and they play perfectly on my other 2 DVD players. No skips, etc. But this is only on -R DVD's Note: It will ONLY record on DVD -R & -RW DVD's (not + R or +RW's), so buy the correct DVD format. I have noticed that some copies I've done on -RW DVD's (even in the 'compatible' Video format) will not play at all on one of my DVD players. So I don't recommend -RW DVD's. Operation is simple; manual is good on simple one touch recording...but is quite complex in the sections of custom DVD chapter editing. This is my second GoVideo Product (also have their dual deck VCR). So far I am a very satisfied customer with it's performance.

There are certain key things you need to know before you purchase this product. First of all, let me explain that I was extremely excited about receiving this product because I thought it was going to eliminate the need for me to buy a PC with a dvd burner and editing software. I currently own a Sony Handycam digital camcorder that uses a IEEE 1394 DV input (firewire). Since my PC does not have a IEEE input, I looked into ways to upgrade my PC to accommodate this; however, in the process, I discovered that my PC did not have the minimum requirements that it needed to edit videos and was going to take even more upgrading than I had originally planned. Therefore, when I saw this product on Amazon and read the product description, it sounded as if it fit perfectly with what my needs were, so I decided to purchase. I was very happy also because I have home videos that are already on VHS tapes that I have been wanting to convert to DVD, which this product has the capability.

ADVANTAGES TO THIS PRODUCT:

? IEEE 1394 DV input on the front panel for digital camcorders
? Ability to put in a DVD and have it play automatically without going through the menu system (advantage when you have kids too young to go through a menu)
? Ability to view picture CDs containing JPEG images
? Ability to play MP3 files
? Progressive scanning for HDTV

WHAT THE PRODUCT DESCRIPTON DOES NOT TELL YOU:

? Yes, you can transfer VHS tapes to DVD and DVDs to VHS tapes, but depending on what format you use, you may not be able to play your DVDs in all recorders.
? This product uses two types of DVDs: DVD-R and DVD-RW (DVD formats are DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW)
* DVD-R will play on all DVD players
* DVD-RW will play on MOST but not all DVD players IF AND ONLY IF you record your video in "Video Mode" rather than "VR mode".
*There are only certain brands of recordable DVDs that work well with this unit; I found this out after buying Memorex and the disc would not initialize, I called customer service and they informed me Memorex always had problems. Customer service informed me to use these brands of recordable DVDs: Philips, Imation, Verbatim, Samsung

? VIDEO MODE: LIMITED, AND I MEAN LIMITED, EDITING FEATURES

1) Basically, it will produce a title and automatic chapters at intervals that you choose from a list: 3 min., 5 min., etc.

2) THERE ARE NO THUMBNAILS!!! The thumbnails that you usually see on a DVD are replaced with titles.

3) If you use a DVD-R to record in this mode, this DVD is playable in all DVD players.

4) If you use a DVD-RW to record in this mode, it will play on MOST but not all DVD players.

5) Personally, I was extremely unhappy to know that I could not do advance editing (with thumbnails and chapters) under video mode so that I could play the DVD in all DVD players. It is also a nuisance because you have to wait around for the end of your tape in case you don't want to record additional material (like fuzz when the tape is over) because you WILL NOT BE ABLE TO EDIT THIS OUT ONCE IT IS RECORDED UNDER THIS MODE. You can delete the last recording and try, try again if this happens (DVD-R remaining recording time will go down when you do this and DVD-RW remaining recording time will remain the same).

? VR MODE: ALLOWS FOR ADVANCED EDITING USING A DVD-RW
1) Uses thumbnail for titles (yeah!)
2) Gives you the ability to cut portions of the video
3) Add chapters where you choose (yeah!, you can start a new chapter at each new scenes, so during playback when you skip through chapters they will be at the beginning of the scenes rather than at pre-determined intervals as is done in "Video Mode")
4) Change title names
5) Add additional content
6) ...BUT EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO KNOW...you can only play this DVD in this GoVideo unit or an RW compatible player (which are high-end players not common on the market).
7) Personally, I loved the advanced editing and was extremely happy with it until I found out that I was limited with my options for playing. After all, I want to be able to pick up a DVD that I made and take it to family and friends' homes or other DVD players in my house and be able to play it on those DVD players, also!

All-in-all: for as much as this product costs it failed to live up to my expectations and I would have returned it if it had not been day number 31 of the 30-day return policy. Now if you are looking to pop in a tape and transfer it to DVD just to have it on DVD, then this would be a good product for you to use because it does have that ability and is fairly easy to understand. However, if you are like me and are a stickler when it comes to home videos...then more than likely, you will not like this product because the advanced editing features are only available on DVDs that you will only be able to play in this DVD player. Therefore, I am stuck with having to use the limited editing functions without the helpful thumbnails and chapters, just so I can play my DVDs in all DVD players. Disappointing.

Nice picture. Easy to use. Go Video will even talk you though your first dvd recording. Pretty simple to use. Only draw back is the warm up time is about 30 seconds.

I bought this device because it was (at the time) a reasonably priced way to get a DVD Player/Recorder with a VCR. I've owned GoVideo DVD/VCR combo players (not recorders) in the past, and I've been pleased with them. I wanted a device that would actually record from the TV to DVD, however, so that I could watch programs later with greater clarity than those recorded on a videotape.

The good news is that it does just that, and the pictures it records are sharp. It also functions as a good DVD/VCR player.

Here are the problems:

1. When attempting to record timed TV programs, you must make sure that the DVD starts with its power OFF (it will turn itself on with the timer.) Otherwise, the DVD will freeze after awhile.

2. In general, you need to keep the device powered off when not in use. If you keep it on, it will "freeze" the TV picture (but not the audio.) As a result, when you are watching TV, you will see a freeze frame, but hear the ongoing audio.

3. I have had a problem transferring my own personal camcorder (three-hour) tapes from the TV to the DVD. The DVD recorder simply cannot absorb a long recording session -- it is unable to record to file afterwards. I address this problem by stopping the DVD after an hour and a half and letting it "record to file" before continuing.

On balance, I am happy that I own a DVD recorder. If I had to do it over again, however, I'd wait for the next generation, so that they can get the kinks out.

I used to be a recording engineer for a professional recording studio and have some fairly high end electronics in my home. I purchased this product as a gift for my parents and regret it every time I try and use it. I'm surprised my father hasn't pitched it into the lake in frustration. The controls are not user friendly, the documentation is less than useful, and the remote refuses to accept entry of numbers. On top of all of that, after very little use the DVD refuses to read any DVDs - ones that have been played on all 3 of my DVD players without any problem. The whole purpose of the purchase was to provide them with a DVD player aside from the one in their computer. I could have purchased a stand-alone DVD and a stand alone VCR for less than I paid for the combo and not had all of these issues. Personally, I will not purchase another item made by Go-Video.

I have had 6... count 'em... 6 of these units. All were defective... and all in multiple ways. Most had some of the same problems, but some were excentric and barely worked at all. GoVideo customer service is a joke and the combined IQ of everyone there wouldn't be high enough to post a score on standardized test.

I spent approx, 30 hours on the phone with tech support with my 6 units. They frequently told me that features described in the manual did not work, "but we have a work around!" Well, isn't that lovely! I love buying a $500 piece of equipment that out of the box is defective.

I could go on and on and list the problems with these machines. But let me simplIfy it for you. At some point in using it, absolutely NOTHING actually works on this machine. For those of you who think you have succesful recordings... I can guarantee if you have tried to record anything of length (like 30 mins or more) your 'great looking' video will break up or stop playing or pixelize or just freeze whatver dvd player you are using.

I can not stress what a terrible machine this is. Again... units that work DON'T WORK. You may have to really experiment to find the flaws, but you will. I have experimented with many of the dvd recorders out there (I work in the film industry.) and the pioneers and toshibas work perfectly.

AVOID THIS AT ALL COST!!!!!!!!!!!!

DO NOT BUY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DO NOT EVEN SIT NEAR ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I enjoyed this product for three months. The day before my warranty expired, the unit froze up. My only option was to ship it back at their expense in return for a refurbished unit. It is an outrage that an expensive product like this dies in such a short time and you get stuck with some other unit that also broke down. I guess I am lucky it didn't break down one day later. I hope the repaired unit they send back lasts longer.

I like the picture quality when transferring non-copy-protected VHS tapes to DVD. DVD recordings of broadcast TV are pretty good too.

However, one problem that I had initially had was that the unit would freeze up after making a DVD recording (the unit's clock would stop, and you couldn't turn on the device) -- and I had to unplug and replug the unit to reset it. After trying various things, doing some Internet searches, and finally reading the manual carefully, I'm pretty sure the problem was overheating.

I had put the VR4940 in my TV cabinet with all my other AV equipment (TiVO, DVD player, AV receiver, etc.). But according to the GoVideo manual, "This product should not be placed in a built-in installation such as a bookcase or rack unless proper ventilation is provided or the manufacturer's instructions have been adhered to." They also say "Do not block any ventilation openings" and "Slots and openings in the cabinet are provided for ventilation and to ensure reliable operation of the product and to protect it from overheating."

When I took the unit out of my cabinet, put it in a well ventilated location, and used it to make DVD recordings, it seems to work fine and does not lock up.

Bottom line: be prepared to put this unit somewhere other than inside a closed AV or TV cabinet or closet.

Have owned the 4940 for four weeks now. It easily transfers recorded material from VHS to DVD-R or -RW. It beautifully does timer-recording on DVD-R or -RW. The Owners' Manual is much more complete, detailed, and easy to follow than most.
Everything I've recorded on this machine plays on it, and on my computer. I've not asked it to edit, or do anything more than the above.
I'm writing because the negative reports above almost kept me from buying a machine that does everything I need to do. Perhaps manufacture has improved in recent months. My machine was made in March, 2004.
Simple Soul