DVD Recorder combo drives?

[Melekal]

I've been trying to convert from VHS to DVD for the last few weeks. After many problems I decided to just pay the money for a DVD Recorder to have it done. When I went to Walmart I found that they had these VHS and DVD combo drives where the DVD was a burner. They all had a way to copy directly from the VHS to DVD. I was wondering if anyone here has encountered these things and if they had any suggestions on the best one to get. I've heard a ton about DVD recorders but don't know which of these may fall into this category where they have both in one. Also, if anyone has experience with the ones I found at Walmart I would appreciate any comments you might have. They are:

Sanyo DRW-1000
Panasonic DMR-E75E
Emerson EWR-20V40

[Wingpal]

I use a Sansui from Sears and love it. Yes it dubs VHS to DVD however you will find that most of those tapes you bought will have copy protection which will be a waste of time dubbing from the internal VHS. I use a external VHS, fed into one of the inputs of the recorder and is fed through a Sima CT2 video enhancer. I have had no experience with the recorders from Walmart so I can not do you any good there.

[Melekal]

Funny thing is I picked up the Sanyo to give that a shot and I've already noticed some of the tapes going jittery when capturing them. I think I'm going to look into taking it back to get a normal DVD recorder and getting a TBC or something to go between that and the VHS. The only problem with all this is that I want to be able to use the recorder to capture it and then author the DVD on my computer. The capturing part is what I've been having the most difficulty with.

[lordsmurf]

Combo drives are never good. Buy a good VCR and a good DVD recorder.

[hech54]

I've never met a combo that I liked very much either....well....now that the Olsen twins are older....maybe....OH....wrong web site.

Seriously....combos DO suck for the most part....

I have to stop now...

[scottw]

I have the Panasonic DMR-E75VS and it works fine for me. This is just a hobby for me. I am sure using the other methods will give better quality videos but for me it's fine, until it becomes more of a hobby and I start getting anal about the quality

I copy from VHS to DVD for my 3 year old and the quality, to me, looks like VHS which is what is expected. Also like stated above alot of store bought tapes have copy protection and there is no way to bypass that on a combo unit unless you use a seperate VCR.

[Marvingj]

JVC has one that might be the exception.

[xiaNaix]

JVC has one that might be the exception.

I've got the JVC unit and, really, I wouldn't recommend it. The VHS side is very touchy and, if you're not careful, you can easily get a tape stuck in the machine. Honestly, you'd be better off with a standalone DVD recorder (I recommend the JVC without the VHS in it) and a good quality VHS deck.

[lordsmurf]

JVC has one that might be the exception.

I've got the JVC unit and, really, I wouldn't recommend it. The VHS side is very touchy and, if you're not careful, you can easily get a tape stuck in the machine. Honestly, you'd be better off with a standalone DVD recorder (I recommend the JVC without the VHS in it) and a good quality VHS deck.

I was also severely displeased with this unit. The non-combo JVC and a decent VCR is far better.

[xiaNaix]

I was also severely displeased with this unit. The non-combo JVC and a decent VCR is far better.

I'm assuming the DVD end of the combo unit is functionally identical to the standalone version. I never use the VHS side because it's so touchy I'm afraid something bad will happen. I end up using external VHS decks into the recorder instead.

[lordsmurf]

The JVC specs seem to suggest this.

[gshelley61]

The playback quality with some of the older S-VHS VCR's (like the JVC HR-S9600U, for example) is vastly superior to the cheap units they package in those combo DVD recorder/VCR machines. Plus, you have the potential for additional heat and repair issues with two devices in one box.

It is definitely better to invest in maximum playback and recording PQ with a separate high quality VCR and standalone DVD recorder.