Customer Reviews

MAGNAVOX DVD Recorder With VCR ZV420MW8

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

For $80.00, this used Dubbing--vcr--dvd machine works good. I only use this to copy my vhs tapes to dvd and it does the job. Learning curve is only about 30 minutes, not bad. Wish it had on board screen for menu, You have to have a tv pugged into to it to be able to go through the menu for set up. Camcorders also work well to copy to dvd, just plug in your cameras rca cables or the single yellow cable and your ready to go. You don't have to spend more to dubb, I use this only to dubb but it just as well could be your primary unit. No difference in this used one compared to new, no dents, no blemishes, Just like new and probably is.

I have had this now for more than one year.And i have recorder probably close to 1000 dvd's with this recorder.I have it hooked up to a regular tube tv,and a dish netwotk reciever.I have really gotten my money's worth.Have had NO problem with it at all.And the quality of the dvd's is better than i expected.I have a Samsung hd t.v in another room.I have begun to play the dvd's i have recorded from the recorder on my new Samsung 40 inch 120hz tv.And they look great.Very pleased with it.I bought it more than a year ago for 160$.It is cheaper today so if you want a recorder that will last and pump out hundreds and in my case thousasnds of dvd's.don't be afraid to pull the trigger.

Buyer beware. This unit does not have an internal tuner. You can only use it to record if you hook it up to your cable converter box. Otherwise it is a only a player. Magnavox claims you can buy an external tuner from WalMart/Best Buy/Radio Shack but you can't. If you have cable (we do) and use a converter box (we don't) then it should work fine.

I have dozens of VHS tapes with irreplaceable stuff that were taking up too much space. I wanted to transfer them all to DVD. I read reviews, did some online research, and didn't want to spend $800. This is what I decided on. And, so far, it's done the job.

I've had it a month now, and have done about 30 transfers.

The only major problem I had was that one tape seemed to have a "glitch" in it. I made 3 attempts to copy this tape, and each time the DVD stopped recording in exactly the same place. Just stopped and went to a screen indicating that the recording was done. I don't understand it, but I figured it was something on the tape that made the DVD stop in that same spot each time.

Otherwise, I wasted a couple discs when I pressed a wrong button - my fault, though, not the machine's.

I have only done basic dubbing from VHS to DVD, and the instructions were simple enough. Yeah, it's not quite "one-touch" recording, but it's not hard. After a few times, I am able to press all the right buttons in the right sequence from memory, I don't have to refer to the manual.

The recording quality is good. Many of my tapes are not good quality to begin with, so obviously the DVD doesn't improve that. But I find the quality of the DVD to be on a par with the quality of the VHS. No complaints here.

There is a "finalize" process that, according to the manual, will allow the disc to be played on other machines. I've had no problem there, either. (That is, I use this Magnavox on one TV to actually make the discs, then I view the discs on a separate TV with a Sony DVD player. The Sony plays them just fine.)

This is my first VHS/DVD machine, so I can't compare it to any others.

The only "complaint" I have, and this is rather minor, is that when you place a disc in the machine, it goes through a "loading" process and makes some "thunk-thunk" noises. (My Sony player does not make this kind of noise when I put a disc in.) The first disc I put in, I thought, "Darn, this is broken already." But apparently not. As I say, this is minor.

Overall, I'm pleased with the product thus far. I've got many more tapes to dub, so I hope it lasts. And the price was right - an added bonus.

Yes, I would recommend this.

I read the reviews and compared the prices and this baby matches up well in both categories.

Basically as other reviewers, I wanted to transfer my VHS family films over to DVD and without paying the cost for each individual tape through some photo service or buying a much more expensive machine.

It's lightweight, and I think easy to use. You do need your TV to read the menu and watch the film if you wish while recording, and unless I'm missing something here, you need another vcr to send the signal to the magnavox DVD to burn, i.e., you can't just run your VHS tape in the Magnovox the same time you're recording to DVD- you need an external player.

It's essentially a 4 step process after popping in the new disk(I use +RW): allow it to load, choose the recording format, e.g., SP-2 hours, record, finalize(which takes a minute). And if you're like me, play it back some to see if you or the machine messed up. When you play it back, it will show you how much time used on each recording, and you can play the one you want. So far so good after running through a dozen tapes on this "used" machine.

The quality is fine and as good as the original tapes. I haven't heard any unusual sounds, and both VCR and DVD players work great. I also playback our mini-dvd's from our camera. Even if this unit dies after the 90 day warranty, it will have been easily worth it.

Addendum: I've had this machine for over 6 months now and have transfered everything in sight vhs->DVD and done general use with no problems.

Good product. Does not record copyright written material which can be a problem if you are trying to convert your personal library...

I have found this unit to be just what I wanted as far as playing DVDs goes. I have not had a chance yet to use the dubbing part of it, but so far it's working beautifully. The DVD picks up right where I left off if I have to stop and turn it off, which I love. The remote is pretty good, though the buttons are very small, but it's also easy to use. I have nothing negative to say about this unit. The silver also matched my cable box, which was important to me as they set out in plain site.

Purchased this unit to copy some family VHS tapes girlfriend had. Tried to use to copy the tapes, the process to copy from VCR to DVD was very time consuming (i.e., not an easy load vhs tape put dvd in then select source as vhs and hit record on dvd and push play on vcr); you have to go thru a complicated set-up process each time you wish to burn a dvd from a vhs tape. Would not recommend to anyone. Poor unit.