Need a Suggestion (VCR, DVD Rec, Upscale)

[Nickhamm]

I am only shooting for the moon here, but is there a single unit that has all the following features and isn't a piece of junk:

*Built in Digital tuner
*DVD Recorder
*VCR Player (doesn't have to record)
*Upscales to 720p or higher
*HDMI output
*DivX Support (optional, but would be nice)

Price is not a big issue, but if you can keep it under $300, that would be awesome.
I figured if anyone know knew where to get something like this, it would be on here.

[lordsmurf]

No.

The VCR/VCP will always be junk, and playback quality will be miserable. Don't try and use this to convert VHS tapes to DVD, it won't work in most cases. If it does, at best, you'll end up with a lousy DVD that looks worse than the tape did. Many of these crappy combo VCRs are known to "eat" tapes.

Reviews on recorders: http://www.digitalfaq.com/reviews/dvd-recorders.htm

[orsetto]

The "digital tuner" is the dealbreaker: almost no recorder that includes s digital ATSC tuner is worth the plastic its made out of. ATSC has turned out to be the biggest disaster ever to befall consumer video recording: its a poisonous Trojan Horse that wrecks the utility of nearly any recorder that incorporates it. Combo recorders were none too great to begin with before ATSC, now they're all a total waste. It helps if you understand that in USA/Canada, dvd recorders in general became a dead product three-four years ago: hardly anyone buys them. The only thing that sells is the combo, because consumers delude themselves into thinking they're a great idea. They aren't, but they're all anyone here will buy so mfrs keep making them (only to take half of them back when people return them to the stores because they can't record anything.)

A combo is OK for a very casual user who rarely records and won't be heartbroken if the machine bungles a timer recording (if you're the type who loses their mind if they miss an episode of "Lost" or "24", forget it). Otherwise, its best to pretend combos don't exist. Shop eBay or Craigs List for a clean used $20 Panasonic VCR, and connect it to a Magnavox H2160 or Panasonic EZ-28 DVD recorder. These are the only two current ATSC models that are safe to buy: they work normally, don't fail in timer mode and don't hallucinate copy protection that isn't really there. ALL other current recorders with digital tuners are a gamble at best and a guaranteed disappointment at worst. Both machines are priced within $30 of each other, if you plan to do a lot of timeshifting or dubbing of VHS I'd recommend opting for the Magnavox since it includes the very useful hard drive feature (holds 70 hours at best quality speed, allows editing and customizing of recordings before burning the DVD).

[jjeff]

Actually it's the combination of the VHS and digital tuner that's the deal breaker. Their were some decent combos made prior to ('07) when the digital tuner became mandatory and as Orsetto said their are currently a few decent digital tunered DVDRs, but none have the VHS section.
As Orsetto said, get yourself a 2160 or EZ-28 and a CraigsList or Pawn shop VCR and you'll be happier than any digital tunered combo.

[olyteddy]

Another advantage of separates is you can insert a video processor into the chain, if needed.

[susaninpdx]

I read your suggestions of the Magnavox H2160 and Panasonic EZ-28 with interest. I have many (MANY) commerical VHS tapes with copyright protection that I need to copy to DVD because they're deteriorating, and I simply can't afford to buy them all anew in DVD format.

Is it correct to assume that neither of the recommended DVD players contains copyright bypass software? Is it necessary nowadays to buy a separate piece of hardware in order to bypass the copyright protection?

Thanks, Susan

[olyteddy]

Is it necessary nowadays to buy a separate piece of hardware in order to bypass the copyright protection?

Pretty much. Certain PC based capture solutions (notably the Hauppauge PVR series of hardware MPEG encoders) ignore Macrovision,but stand alone recorders need the 'stabilizer'.