Sylvania DVR90VE DVD Player/Recorder and Hi-Fi VCR Combo
BE SMART!  DON'T BUY THIS MACHINE!
I've had many problems with this, as have others.  Yes, there are some pluses.  It was very easy to set up and begin use of the machine.  Also, I enjoyed the great variety of recording speeds available, which I haven't seen yet with other machines.  Notwithstanding some of the good points, I would never advise anyone to purchase this particular product.   <br /> <br />I had problems recording from the beginning.  I wasted a few discs before calling the manufacturer.  The only information I was given was that I shouldn't use Sony or Memorex, but said I should really stick to TDK (limitation to a single brand was my first warning signal), with the possibility of using two other brands, if I wanted. (The only testing performed on the machine, the manufacturer told me, was on the three types of DVDs.)  After a while, I figured out that the actual problem was that the machine was recording at all speeds except SP :).   <br /> <br />Another reviewer said the same machine was being sold under another name at Wal-Mart, so I returned the one I had initially purchased from Amazon and bought the Wal-Mart version, which actually did prove to be pretty much identical to the first, and for almost the same price.  The VHS playback, however, was horrible on both machines.  I had recorded some high quality tapes at SP, but was getting drop-outs and the screen looked screwed up and was doing some strange things (no, it wasn't anti-copying devices screwing up copyrighted material).  At first, I thought my VHS tapes had just been degrading in quality over time.  I took the second machine back to Wal-Mart, however, and bit the bullet and got a Panasonic machine at Circuit City for $350.   <br /> <br />Wow!  Did things change.  I had no problem, whatsoever, using any type of -R DVD I tried (\\"up to 8X\\" DVDs mentioned in some of the reviews worked fine - Memorex, Maxell, whichever brand I tried).  My VHS quality was back where it used to be again.  My weekend of dubbing was going much moresmoothly. <br /> <br />This is one area where you have to pay for quality.  The Panasonic brand is great, as well.  You won't break the bank, but you'll get consistent good results over time, if my experience with Panasonic holds true.  Take my advice -- don't go for a quick cheepie.  Save a few bucks from a few more paychecks and get something that will actually work.