Customer Reviews

RCA DRC8335 DVD Recorder & VCR Combo With Built-In Tuner

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(56)

 

 

I'm not sure about the rest of the reviewers, but I haven't had any of the problems listed above.

I've played many DVD's on this machine.
I've recording from TV to DVD and it works on it and others.
I've converted VHS to DVD and it works on it and others.
I've played VHS and it works.\

I haven't had it lock up. It hasn't eaten any discs. The tracking is setting fine. It keeps the time well as far as I can tell.

The first thing I did when I got it out of the box was convert three movies from VHS to DVD for my girlfriend and she watched them all on her player. (different brand) Everyone one of the worked.

The only reason I haven't given this 5 stars is because of the automatic chapter inserts. When making a DVD, the player automatically makes chapters. You can merge chapters, though. I have not, however, found a way to cut a chapter at a place where you want it to. I may just not be looking in the right place.

I love this product and I hope that I don't experience any of the problems others have listed.

I purchased DRC 8320N model for sole purpose of recording VCR tapes on DVD. After multiple tries and killing handful of DVD disks, I returned the product and received DRC8335 model instead. It took RCA about 6 weeks to get me the replacement model. This unit also has failed to record DVD. I get "failed" or "Streaming Error" after 2 minutes into recording. I have wasted $200 and 6 months and have not yet been able to record even one DVD!

Many of my DVD's would not read in the machine. It would just sit with a note telling me it was 'reading'. The worst part is that it would not stop. It just kept on going....I kept pushing buttons to no avail. After 5 mins it would finally just stop. then i had to turn it off and then try and eject the 'faulty' disk. The disk would run on all of my other players. And no it was not a copy or DVR. This happened to multiple disks

The RCA DRC-8335 DVD Recorder / VCR combo is a great little unit. Now's a great time to buy this model, as many factory refurbished / reconditioned models are for sale on Amazon, Overstock, etc at amazing prices.

Here's the deal on why so many of these are for sale online as refurbished models...this is NOT a buyer beware situation! Many different DVD Recorder / VCR combos from many manufacturers including RCA, Samsung, Sanyo, Memorex, Magnovox, etc were equipped with faulty power supplies. To make a long story short, these reputable brands installed power supplies which were all sourced from a common, outside manufacturer without knowing that this manufacturer was using low-quality parts. The power supplies in most of these combo units from nearly every brand went bad in a period of typically less than one year causing the recorders to stop reading and writing disks.

Anyone who has ever written a NEGATIVE review about this RCA product is an owner who purchased a new-from-the-store DRC-8335 with a faulty power supply. This was NOT totally RCA's fault, nor the fault of any of the other brands listed above. This wide-spread design flaw is the fault of a dishonest common, outside power supply manufacturer.

That being said, many DRC-8335 DVD recorders were thrown out prematurely, but some were bought-back by RCA and fixed (refurbished / reconditioned) by installing proper, fully-functioning power supplies.

If you are buying a refurbished model from Amazon then you're lucky, like me! The refurbished models have had the power supply design flaw corrected, and what you're left buying is a DVD recorder that's nearly new for more than $100 less than what you would have paid in the store. My refurbished DRC-8335 works like a champ, saved a lot of money over buying new, and should last until people stop using DVDs!!!

Best features of the refurbished RCA DRC-8335:

-Compatible with MANY blank media formats (DVD+R/W, DVD-R/W at many writing speeds).

-Allows user to finalize +/-RW disks for use in other players, and then un-finalize RW disks to erase some or all of the data and start over!

-Super-quality VHS deck will play your videos over best-quality component YPbPr (YUV) cables (many combo units will NOT do this).

-Combined digital and analog tuner allows recording from new, digital broadcasts (many new combo units still don't have a digital tuner).

Received this DRC8335 model as a substitute replacement for my previous RCA DRC8320N DVD Recorder/VCR combo that was JUNK. (My fault for not reading reviews FIRST or I would have never purchased RCA in the beginning!) Now I'm just as disappointed & frustrated with this DRC8335! Cannot playback a finalized DVD on ANY player in my house -- not even on this recorder that created the DVD! I recorded from my TV/satellite signal and finalized the DVD. Also did a quick copy from VHS tape to a DVD and finalized. ALL of these finalized DVDs just sit in the players and spin and spin and spin. They never play!!!! Users manual is very poorly written and contains only instructions on something a 3rd grader could do. Give me instructions on the complicated stuff!! TWO back-to-back BAD experiences with RCA -- will never buy RCA again!!

First unit would not play DVDs. Had to return at my shipping expense to factory repair. Took two weeks to get a replacement. Replacement unit does not play VHS properly. 33 days elapsed between time of purchase & actual use of machine. Not wasting any more money on shipping. Advice: buy from local store & verify that store will replace within 30 days of purchase.

Pretty much the same as the other reviews. Locked up. Took it back to Wally World with a blank DVD and VHS tape inside cause it wouldn't let me retrieve them. When it did work the tape tracking would go crazy. This is a sorry product!!

I did not buy through Amazon. But this recorder is terrible. Freezes many times during DVD recording. RCA passes you on to another company for assistance. Recording from VHS to DVD is poor quality. Pass this one by!

I have never had a VCR that didn't work, I thought that technology had come further then this. The tracking is impossible to get set. In the middle of watching a tape, the tracking will go crazy. I am very disappointed with my purchase of this product. It is not user friendly at all.

Bought from Walmart in July 2007. Got it home & found out the second day that it wouldn't play certain store bought DVDs that my old $29 Apex did. I let that slide because I hate the Walmart return line.

When I went to record DVD's, I only had 2 turn out out of 9. Oh, it wrote on the disc, but then it wouldn't recognize it to finalize it.

Some video tapes will not play. One's that do sometimes have intermittently cut out audio (cartoons - not just movies).

When deleting stations from the tuner memory, the deleted one's always come back.

It ruined 2 DVD's because some DVD's just would not eject from the DVD tray even after cycling off then on again and even unplugging the chord when all else failed. I had to manually try to get it open.

I would have returned it to Walmart sooner if all of the problems would have showed up at the beginning. However, I waited until the last straw with my DVD's not ejecting and now that it's the end of November, Walmart said to deal directly with the manufacturer. I dread the whole process to come. I have read reviews of the same problems on other sites. I have also heard of the hassle with RCA (which I will be experiencing shortly).

DO a search on the product if you really are considering buying it. The features can't be beat for the price, however not all of the features work properly. I don't suppose it has anything to do with being made in China.....but it too may contain lead based paint :)