JVC DRMV100B 1080p Upconverting DVD Recorder VCR Combo with Built-in Tuner

• Super Multi DVD (-R/RW, +R/RW, RAM), Record and Playback
• JPEG, MP3, WMA Divx Playback
• ATSC QAM Clear. DV input
• 1080p Upconversion

After buying 2 similar units (a Sony and a Magnavox) and returning them both, I was skeptical that this would be The One. Well, so far, this unit has performed very well in all areas. We record most of our TV shows to watch later so a tuner was important so that we could watch another program (or go to work) while recording one or more. So far, recording to DVD-R or to VHS has been successful with fairly simple instructions. The various menus are a little different at first but they make sense after a few times. Setup and channel preset were very easy and efficient. The remote is, of course, itsy bitsy, but it could be worse and they do include batteries! I have dubbed a few VHS tapes to DVD-R with success they look better than the originals in most cases. I am also discovering the joys of recording a TV program to a DVD-RW instead of a VHS tape. DVD viewing is great and it also plays audio CDs quite well although I wish it could read the track information instead of simply saying "Track One, Track Two," etc. However, since I don't expect to use the DVD player as an audio player, it isn't a big deal. I am quite happy with this player third time's the charm, apparently. ***Update: Nearly 3 months after this review, I have had similar problems with this unit that others experience, mostly the sudden stop of recording. I have basic cable (no set top box), use the correct media, etc. I have had it freeze, requiring a reboot & I knew I would have to do it eventually when I read the troubleshooting section of the manual. It does everything it's supposed to do except that I can't trust it 100%. Since this is the third unit we've tried & it's well into the warranty, we are not getting rid of it but we are not relying on it to tape the ending of "Cold Case!" If I were reviewing it again, I would give it only 3 stars. ***Update 1/11/09: Finally bought JVC brand of DVD RW & it seems to finally record without stopping when using the timer. More sensitive to "copy protected" programs even when they should not be (movies mostly) but what I record is usually not in that category. At last!

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We have had this unit about a month, but it is the best we have owned, and we have gone through about 5 combo units.

It would not come on using channels 2,3 or 4, so I called customer service, told a very nice man my problem, and he told me to set input to AV. Have had no problem since.

It records from TV to VHS & DVD using timer recordings, it copies from VHS to DVD & DVD to VHS & the picture qualities on all are perfect. The menu is simple and easy to use, and the instruction manuel is easy to use and it is in English!JVC DRMV100B 1080p Upconverting DVD Recorder VCR Combo with Built In Tuner

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I replaced a DVD player and a VCR with the JVC DRVM100B. I still have an old non-HD CRT TV, and an old Sony AV receiver which will only handle composite video. I have an outdoor antenna on my chimney -no cable or satellite. (Yes, I know I'm seriously in the dark ages, but we really don't watch much broadcast TV. But the Olympics are on.)

With my old setup, I had to plug the S-Video cable from my DVD player into my TV when I wanted to get best-quality video from a DVD player. Then to watch a videotape or use a game system, I had to unplug the S-Video cable. My kids are not very patient with this and I've had to straighten the S-Video cable pins several times from where they have jammed it in the wrong way.

I was looking for several benefits:

Acquire Digital TV tuner (ATSC)

Replace worn-out, failing DVD player

Acquire ability to record TV to DVD

Reduce cabling complexity overall

Leave S-Video cable plugged in all the time

Provide bridge to a possible future new AV receiver and HDTV

The JVC nailed every one of my expectations. Because it will convert from composite to S-Video, I can leave the S-Video cable plugged in all the time, even when using a composite video source like a game system. The digital TV works great -crisp, bright picture with no ghosting or other problems.

Unfortunately, a combo box like this is necessarily complex. However, the JVC was pretty intuitive. The only real problem I had setting it up was figuring out how to get into the setup menus (the HOME button on the remote). It took me an hour or two to install it, program it for local channels (the auto-scan picked them all up, but then I eliminated analog NTSC channels which had digital duplicates, and I designated strong English channels as favorites), and set other preferences. However, I thought this was pretty reasonable.

I was also impressed that JVC has a toll-free help line number which is prominently displayed on the manual, quick-start guide, and FAQ sheet. Although I didn't need to use it, I was happy to have it available. And I liked the fact that the entire manual is in English, and that I can easily download PDF versions of the literature from JVC's web site.

Bottom line: Although I'm not pushing the cutting edge of any technology, I found this combo box to be just what I needed. I'm very impressed with its abilities and have no complaints at all.

Note to others who complained that DVD's recorded on this unit won't play on other players -did you finalize the disk? The manual says this is necessary before you can play it on other players.

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This was our 3rd attempt to find a dvd recorder/VCR that also has a digital tuner. We returned an LG and a Panasonic (which was the worst piece of equipment my husband and I have ever seen). I almost never return anything, but apparently nobody has worked the bugs out of this technology.

The JVC lasted 3 weeks before we took it back, since we got a fairly clear picture and it recorded well onto VHS tapes and DVD. The problem was that it kept locking up and I would have to unplug it so it could reboot. Anytime you tried to change channels too quickly or tried to watch a DVD it didn't like, it would lock up. It wouldn't let me turn it off with the remote or at the unit, so I'd have to unplug it. I'm not sure if it was just that particular unit, or a software problem in all JVC units, but it was frustrating enough that we went back to our old DVD player that doesn't have a digital tuner.

The pros on this unit were that it found all of our digital and analog channels, including a few channels I didn't even know were available (we don't have cable or satellite...we use the good old fashioned rabbit ears). It allows you to add and edit channels. The menus are fairly easy to use. These (and the fact that the Panasonic was so bad) are the reasons I'm rating it a 2 instead of 1 star.

The cons are of course the software problem that causes it to lock up. It has a bit of a lag time when you change channels. Another big negative for me is that the remote only works with a JVC television. At least the Panasonic had dozens of codes that allowed you to program the remote to power pretty much any TV.

I spent days researching brands and prices for DVD/VHS combo recorders. This JVC model wasn't the cheapest, but it had the most positive reviews. Now it has one more. I didn't know how hard it would be to find a quality, affordable model with a built in tuner. Without the tuner, you can't watch a different channel than you are recording. I found that the manual was easy to read and understand. Even if it wasn't, the screens allow easy set-up and navigation. The remote control is easy to navigate also. I don't remember the brand, but my previous combo recorder was a nightmare in so many ways, including performance. Only one word of caution. Don't buy any blank DVDs until you purchase your recorder. They don't all accept all brands of media.

As an addendum to my first comment of elation, after only a few uses, movies began to "hang" towards the end. I either have to switch to my 7" portable DVD player to watch the last 30 mins or so of a movie, or I just don't bother and watch it all on my portable player. Have no idea what causes this.