JVC DR-MX1S DVD Player/Recorder, Hi-Fi VCR, and Hard Disk Recorder
Great Idea - Poor Execution
I purchased this product thinking that it would provide complete flexibility for recording television programs and transferring them between media.  What I found was that the recorder was difficult to set up properly, hard to use and poorly engineered.<br /><br />The set-up of the equipment is made more complex than should be required because the manual only includes one diagram for basic set up which is supposed to cover all possible circumstances.  It was necessary to call JVC in order to determine which of the connections was appropriate to my system and then, because of the extremely limited supply of parts provided, purchase a number of items needed to complete the set-up. For eequipment costing over $600, I think that a reasonable length coax cable and an antenna splitter could have been included. (The cable provided was less than two feet long - practically useless.)<br /><br />Programming the recorder was also more complex than necessary since the VCR unit uses a different format from the DVD and HDD drives.  In addition, it is not until page 41 of the manual that recording begins to be discussed and it is not until page 57 that we reach manual recording functions.<br /><br />It should also be noted that although the manual (page 41) indicates that you should format a DVD disc before recording, the instruction to accomplish this do not appear until page 87.  This is extremely poorly organized documentation.<br /><br />Finally, the engineering of the unit includes a useless door which impedes access to the DVD and VHS media.  It also complicates the ability to easily see the display panel. It must also be noted that the lights on the front of the unit designed to let the user know which of the functions is operational are so excessivly bright that it easily lights up a portion of the surrounding area.  This also makes the display more difficlult to read and could definitely be a problem for light sleepers should the unit begin to operate during the night.<br /><br />In summary - if you purchase this recorder, expect to spend a lot of time on the learning curve and in contact with JVC to answer questions.his recorder, expect to spend a lot of time on the learning curve and in contact with JVC to answer questions.