Panasonic DMR-ES30VS DVD Recorder/VCR Combo
Pardon the McDonald's tagline...
But I'm lovin' it!  Absolutely NO compatibility issues so far and super-easy to set up.  Giving it only 4 stars because the manual definitely needs work. <br /> <br />Haven't tried any of the fancier bells and whistles such as editing features, but the dubbing mode works like a dream. <br /> <br />And the machine actually flashes \\"hello\\" on startup and \\"goodbye\\" on shutdown.  Functional and well-mannered -- wish I could say the same for some of the people in my life!