Samsung DVD-VR300 DVD Recorder/VCR Combo
Very nice!
I bought this unit so that I could save stuff from my TiVo and copy some old VHS tapes to DVD.  So far, so good!  I have made about 20 DVD recordings.  The only problem I ran into was when I was trying to copy a movie from VHS to DVD (this movie is not available on DVD yet) and it wouldn't let me copy it because it is copyrighted.  I really wanted to make a DVD of it, since it is no longer available. <br /> <br />Another nice thing is the DV input on the front.  I have a Canon mini-DV camcorder and was able to easily transfer video directly from the camera to DVD.  There is also a full set of AV inputs on the front.  Very nice for temporarily hooking up an older camcorder or (gasp!) a Beta VCR!  Yes, I have LOTS of Beta tapes that I plan on converting to DVD. <br /> <br />The menus are a lot more user-friendly than the DVD recorder my parents have.  I didn't really have to read the manual... but it is worth reading.  There are some neat features:  Pressing REC once starts recording, pressing it again starts a record timer... adding 30 minutes each time you press REC.  That's a nice function for unattended recording.  Also, most of the functions are easily accessable by remote without going into menus... including recording speed (quality) and one-touch dubbing from DVD-VHS or VHS-DVD.  Another nuce touch is the clock.  Most DVD players do not have a clock on the display, but this one does (it needs to know the time for timer recording).   <br /> <br />Also, my television is a Samsung.  The remote will control the TV as well (and other brands).  There is even a dedicated TV Power button.  Very nice for reducing the number of remotes needed to power everything up/down. <br /> <br />All of the DVD-Rs I use are Verbatim brand, and I have had no problems with them at all.