GoVideo VR5940 Dual-Deck DVD Recorder and VCR
Compatibility With other DVD Players
This unit was the second one I tried - the first was a Panasonic DVD/VHS combination unit. When I found that I could not read or understand the User Manual garbled together by Panasonic, I hoped that the GoViveo machine would be easier to use, based on their history of being first in the field with this type of machine. <br /> <br />After a couple of calls to the Help line, I acheived modest success in recording television shows on VHS. The GoVideo User Manual was helpful, but didn't cover all steps necessary to get the thing to work. The White Gloves specialists resolved the initial problems very well but there was a very long wait time to speak to a human being. The aid given resolved my problems, but I could have avoided making the calls had the User Manual been more complete. <br /> <br />Eventually, with a couple more calls to the Help Line, I was finally able to do what I wanted to do when I bought the machine: copy my library of VHS tapes to DVD disks. After a few more mistakes with disk titles, run time, etc., I produced two DVDs from tapes. I placed disk titles, finalized the disks, and then attempted to play the movies on my other DVD player, a two year old Toshiba. Since both disks played well on the GoVideo machine, I thought I was finally getting the procedure right. <br /> <br />No such luck. The Toshiba unit rejected both disks with a \\"DISK ERROR\\" message. All of the long procedures and troubles I had just gone through were a waste of time and effort. Another call to the Help desk resulted in the advice to try the disks on another machine since my Toshiba is over two years old. I don't have another machine and am not ready to go out and buy a new player in the hopes that the disks would play. Since this GoVideo machine does not produce recordings that will play on a rather simple DVD player and I could not do what I bought it to do, I packed it up and am returning it. My Toshiba DVD player has never refused to play the dozens of disks I have rented and I cannot accept the fact that recordings produced by the GoVidwo unit do not meet the requirements of other players. <br /> <br />I must admit that if I wanted to use only one player, the GoVideo machine does make good copies of my VHS tapes and it also plays the same the same disks back very well, so the only complaint I have at this time is that recorded disks will not play on another player. I have used many VHS players since 1980 and have never experienced incompatibility between the dozen or more player/recorders I have owned. I find it indefensible that recordings made on one DVD recorder will not play on any other DVD player. I cannot fault the Toshiba player since I am able to play all commercially available DVDs without any problems. <br /> <br />I will not be in the market for another DVD?VHS recorder until I am assured that the output will be accepted as input by a standard DVD player.