Panasonic or Sylvania model for DVD recorder/VCR combo + HDD ?
 

continued from email...
Please ask tech questions in the forums. Others can often help you, too! :)

Link for the Panasonic: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...SIN=B000FKKO74

As per the last email, I don't suggest combo units. They break too easy. The parts are shared, and the power supplies never seem to last. I can only guess they fail from being overloaded.

The VCR half is good for recording TV to VHS, or playing VHS.
The DVD half is good for recording TV to DVD, or playing DVDs.
The HDD is good for recording TV to HDD, rough editing, and transferring the recordings to DVDs.
Combo units are NEVER good for VHS to DVD work.

If I had to pick such a monster unit, I'd look at an expensive JVC pro deck.

From the two you've picked, I'd begrudgingly select the Panasonic. It sucks the least between the two units. So it doesn't "win" as much as it "doesn't lose".

I'd also like to add that CNET is worthless. They only write reviews that are positive, even when the item being reviewed it complete garbage and faulty in every way. That's the editorial style -- too afraid to piss off any company, for fear of losing ad dollars. Or fear that somebody may not click there affiliate links to buy whatever it is. There are no honest reviews on that site. For example, on the Panasonic, the only way it would have "outstanding recording quality" is if you're legally blind, or you're using a 13" screen to test view it, AND you're only using XP mode, and the recorded input source was NOT a video tape. The quality is acceptable, but that's it. Notice that you'll NEVER find a bad review (that's not in the user comments section) on CNET. Pathetic. The fourth estate has been bought out there.

Hope that helps. [xx(]

Really? Thanks for the input. I've actually had a pretty good amount of success with VHS to DVD transfer. I guess that's because I don't do it really often and it's usually commercial releases and only smetimes home recordings? I was thinking Panasonic too, because I previously had a JVC and it only lasted a couple of years, but the Panasonic DVD Recorder/VCR I have right now for the last few years has worked great. I guess I don't overuse it like I did with the last one. Plus JVC sucked because I couldn't record movie channels. :( They had good VCRs though, I think they even made the first VCRs.

I figured I'd get one of these anyway so I can record to the DVR and not have to have it on the same channel I'm recoring. With a DVR, it doesn't matter what channel you're on right, or you can flip through the channels while it records your show on another channel? So that's a plus and then I can dub it to DVD-R while skipping over commercials. The VCR portion I'll probably just use to play movies I order online that are only available on VHS and then I might possibly be able to dub it to DVD. If not, I'm sure I can get someone I know like maybe here or somewhere else to help me with that. Do they make stand alone DVRs you don't have to pay a monthly charge for? If not, I guess a stand alone DVD Recorder would be the way to go? Like Panasonic or Sony or JVC?

If you're not recording to tape, then the Panasonic will probably be fine for 1-hour or 2-hour mode -- no longer than that.

Hard drives and DVRs are not the same thing. Whether you can watch other channels while recording another, entirely depends on the features of that DVD recorder. Mine cannot do this. I can watch a different recorded video on the hard drive, or a DVD, but I cannot change the channel.

I have to defer DVR/PVR questions to somebody else...

Okay yeah, that would be great if someone could let me know if you can watch a different channel while recording. I know DVD recorders don't do this, that's why I wanted a HDD or DVR, because I heard you could when using one of those, which is why I wanted to buy one of these units.

Or how about this? How about just a DVD recorder where you can change the channel while recording? I mean, VCRs used to have this feature, so why not DVD Recorders? Are there ANY machines of this kind that have this feature?