Customer Reviews

Magnavox DVD Recorder/VCR Combo, HDMI 1080p Up-Conversion, No Tuner (Manufacturer Refurbished)

5 star:		(78)
4 star:		(58)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(27)

 

 

UPDATE: SINCE I WROTE THIS REVIEW THE ITEM DESCRIPTION INCLUDING THE MANUFACTURER HAS CHANGED AND THE refurbished MODEL ATTACHED TO THIS REVIEW DOES NOT HAVE A TUNER ON IT. A refurbished VCR - DVDr combo with a tuner that appears to be the newer version of my model (which is still working great a year later) can be found here : Magnavox ZV457MG9 Dual Deck DVD/VCR Recorder

I bought this after returning a similarly-priced tunerless player-only combo product made by Samsung. That one would only output VHS over the composite line. No component. No HDMI. Apparently some upscaling or signal processing is involved in making the VHS play over those outputs, but the Magnavox outputs VHS over all three types of cables. I don't need to use two inputs on my tv, and I don't need to find my tv remote to switch inputs if I want to watch a tape.

Picture quality is excellent for dvd, VHS, and the cable-box signal I'm running through the player. The VHS picture is not as good as dvd, but I didn't expect it to be. It's still a high quality four head VCR/VHS player that looks tons better than my now dead one from 2001.

I tested the recording functions, which I don't generally use, and they work great, even with cheap dvds. Set-up was easy, and I didn't have any trouble figuring out the remote.

The long and short of it is that I was able to replace my dead vcr at a reasonable price with something that suits my current needs and home entertainment configuration.

Please note that I ordered this model refurbished. The manual that came with it indicates that it is a class A. I recommend that you contact the seller to make sure that you're going to get the A model.

I, like most people, have always been skeptical of "remanufactured" products. However, this one is definitely worth the price (and then some).
I was in need of another combo unit when the one I had died and I hadn't transferred all tapes to DVD. I didn't really want to spend that much for a unit, but the "remanufactured" option was within the budget.

I have to say that this was money well spent. Not only to do you get a quality 4-head VHS player/recorder, but you also get a stunningly-versatile DVD player/burner. With 6 months of life left in my old combo unit, the VHS tapes played back with lines through the screen; hardly a quality you want when transferring tapes to DVD. Some of the tapes weren't even played that much, and sure "tape" over time will continue to degrade, but you should still get a decent picture from a tape in good condition. The 4-head VHS player brought the quality of the tape back to life.
Perhaps the best feature I'm crazed about is the DVD chapter editing feature. Of course when you record a program, chapters will automatically be added per your selected setting options (every 5...10...15min) from the menu; however, prior to finalizing your disc, you can review the chapter markers and edit them as you choose (add, move to new location or remove completely); something my old unit didn't do.

Finally, when I purchased this item, shipping was slated for at least 5-7 business days since it was coming from a third-party distributor. I ordered it on 1/25, it was shipped on 1/26 and I received it on 1/27 -- SWEET!! The shipping time enabled me to receive the unit, set it up, review the features and had me recording and dubbing by the weekend.

I just got this refurb model a few days ago and could not be happier. First, I like refurb units because it means someone had a problem with the unit when new, that now has been resolved. The one I got looks like a factory new model. The one touch dubbing is exactly what I was looking for. I have a lot of old home movies, TV shows, etc... on VHS. I pop in the tape, pop in the DVD ( I use DVD RW but this unit does R+ and R- as well)hit the dubbing button and come back in a few hours. The DVD copy actually looks cleaner than the VHS original. The DVD RW plays in every DVD player I've tried. I think the compatability problems others have talked about is because they didn't finalize the disc. With the DVD RW you don't have to finalize, with other formats you do. I got this unit for under $70 including shipping. The exact unit at a nearby store sells for $149. This is a solid machine that performs just as stated. I think you'll be happy with it.

If you want to copy your tape to DVD and to use this DVD in other units, I sincerely suggest you not to buy this product. I have 3 DVD players at home: Panasonic, Element Electronics and Curtis, I cannot play any DVD I copied from this machine in these 3 units.

I followed the instruction P.27 using Sony and TDK DVD+R, P41-42 dubbing Process and P.44-45 Finalizing a Disc, but it did not work. After 6 times try and error, called customer service 3 times, they finally told me "We cannot guarantee the disk you copied can be used in other units."

I would definitely not recommend this product.

I liked the menu setup and the quality of the video both on the VCR and the DVD, unfortunately the tray refused to work on the 28th day and the tracking mechanism on the VCR side became inoperable later that same day so I'd say there was a problem with quality control on this item

Superb unit. Works as advertised. I have found everything... via the manual. How to "finalize" DVD's (as someone else complained about)... and just yesterday, how to change the format of the outgoing picture (4:3 vs 16:9).

As my wife says, it helps to have an engineering degree... but really, one only needs to read the manual (RTFM). It's all there.

I am VERY HAPPY w/ this purchase. One of the best values for us in the last several years. Love the HDMI output to our newer Digital TV.

PS Very Quick Shipment by the vendor, too!

I purchased this dvd/vcr recorder at Big Lots yesterday for 79.99. It had no manual, but thankfully I was able to download a manual here. I do not believe it is an A model - it has a cable in, but no cable out connector. I have recorded a dvd from a movie playing on my direct tv cable channel and I am now recording from a vcr tape to a dvd. I tried playing the dvd in my computer after I recorded the movie and it played fine. Be sure to finalize your dvd. The first dvd I put in the recorder said it could not record on that dvd, but I picked another one out of the box of the same kind and it recorded fine. I will try the first one again. So far, this dvd recorder works just like I want it to work and I am pleased to have gotten it for a good price. You will need to read the manual in order to make this work. The vcr to dvd requires you use the d.dubbing key on the remote and you must have put in the setup to record vcr to dvd. I am using maxell dvd-rw 4.7 GB / 2hrs sp mode dvds.

I purchased this unit to copy old home-recorded video cassettes, some of which were 25+ years old. I was concerned that the tapes would become unplayable and I would lose the programing/films that were stored on them (films that were never released on DVD and entire broadcasts of Superbowls and World Series, etc.) I even stumbled on a press conference in March 2003 where George Bush clearly states that we had invaded Iraq because of WMD's- so much for Dick Cheney's revision of history...

This remanufactured unit came in very good condition with no visible evidence of wear or abuse and performed its functions as advertised. The manual is well-written and will aid the user in getting up and running in very little time with a little study. The only two issues I had with this DVD recorder were: 1.I had trouble getting some of my video cassettes to track properly on the VCR of this unit. Since these recordings were made on up to 10 different VCR's, this is not too surprising. (I simply used a separate stand-alone VCR as my playback source for the recordings to get around this problem). 2. The recording quality of the 4 and 6 hour modes is pretty poor. One of this unit's nice features is the 2.5 hour recording mode which is perfect for recording films which run longer than 2 hours without having to step down to the 3 or 4 hour modes. Remember that 6 hr video cassettes have a very limited resolution and that they will not produce high quality digital re-recordings in any recording mode on ANY DVD recorder. The DVD's recorded on this machine tend to look much better on an older CRT television than on a digital display.
For the price I paid, this unit is quite good and serves the purpose for which it was purchased.

I've had this unit for a couple of weeks now and I like it. It does what I expected, records tapes and dvds directly from the air and dubs from one or the other. For the price, a great deal.

It's a great refurbished product. This company is a good one to work with. Prompt shipping, it came in original packaging, very well packaged, with all the instructions, warranty information and cords intact. Easy instructions, a lot of different features. Two things that don't sit right with me: The VHS tracking, at the beginning of each and every tape, needs a lot of baby sitting. My other VHS players don't have a problem with any of these tapes, so I know it's the unit. Secondly, when recording from VHS to DVD (which is why I bought the unit), there is no way to hear the tape during this process. You can see it, but no matter how I changed out the jacks, I couldn't watch the video (home movie) while transferring it to DVD. Other than that, the DVD recordings are precise and as clear as the VHS tape provides. Also, when I was initially shopping for a VHS/DVD Recorder, I put this on my Wish List. It was too high for my budget. But I got an e-mail a week later that they dropped the price. Their "fishing" tactic worked and I really appreciated it.