Apex DRX-9200 DVD Recorder/Player
Pray that nothing goes wrong
The unit met my needs for almost a year.  The unit comes with a 1-year parts warranty, so I could get it repaired under that warranty, but...  The deal is that they have a \\"fixed price\\" labor service charge on this unit of $80.  And don't forget that you have to pay shipping to California.  So you're going to pay at least $100 to get the unit serviced.  My logical (to me, anyway) question to tech support was \\"What will I get for my $80?\\"  The guy could not answer the question (after trying to rephrase it several ways).  Is it so unreasonable to seek some assurance that the machine is going to function for more than another 2 weeks after I shell out that money?    I knew exactly what the problem was with my unit when I called (toasted power supply) but the guy insisted that I try plugging the unit into another outlet.  So what happened when I did that?    LOUD POP and smoke coming from unit.  So now I'm looking at more than just a toasted power supply.  (A toasted power supply I probably could have replaced myself).    So if you are thinking of buying this unit, expect that it will likely meet your needs for at least 1 month (when the FULL parts and labor warranty expires) but at some point after that (probably within a year) the unit is going to break down.  Once that happens, you may as well throw it away and buy a new one.    Other comments I've read here about the unit mirror my experience.  The unit runs hot, the clock runs fast, the remote has to be carefully aimed and is awkward, and tech support is horrible! Like many other machines, you will experience a significant delay when you close the tray (whether it holds a disc or not) while the unit tries to load the disc.  I have very few \\"coasters\\" from this unit, and successfully recorded at least 50 discs, which I have been able to play on other (non-Apex) DVD players with no problems.  One other good thing is that the unit was made before the copy protection requirement came out, so while some units won't allow you to \\"time-shift\\" copy-protected shows (like most HBO movies), this unit will (at least from my experience).    I wouldn't recommend trying to record more than 4 hours on a disc as the quality really starts to degrade beyond that.  But if you are looking to replace the time-shifting functionality of your VCR in SLP mode, this unit will provide adequate quality with up to 4 hours of recording time.  Note, though, the clock issue mentioned above, making scheduled recording difficult.    If you get the unit on sale for around $100 you will likely get your money's worth out of it for about a year, but expect to be shopping again after that.  At the rate the technology is changing, that may not be such a bad idea for the \\"gadget-minded\\" anyway.  If all you're looking for is a low-cost entry point into the world of DVD recording (your VCR is obsolete!) and can find this unit in the $100 ballpark, it may be worth a gamble, but otherwise my advice is STEER CLEAR!