Sylvania DVR90VE DVD Player/Recorder and Hi-Fi VCR Combo
Unbeatable value--how to avoid the grief.
I purchased the machine last November (I was convinced the price couldn't go lower--wrong assumption), but as a busy school teacher, I haven't had an opportunity to try recording to disk until now.  Yes, I experienced a couple of hours of frustration, as documented by many previous consumers.  The problem was my trying to use 8X DVD-R discs, immediately remedied when I switched to 4X DVD-R.<br /><br />The other fix is to call customer service and order the upgrade disk, which will not &#34;speed up&#34; the machine but will enable it to record your 8X disks.  I was on hold for only 10 minutes, and the Funai agent was patient and helpful.  Before you call, be sure to have model and serial numbers ready and to be in front of an operating machine with remote switch in hand.  The operator will ask you to perform a rapid 4-button entry to determine which of two variations of this model needs to be modified by the upgrade.  (Practice your digital dexterity--it took me 3 tries, even though I'm not the world's slowest typist.)<br /><br />That's it.  Despite the complaints of some previous reviewers, I've found the quality of playback to be first rate.  The VCR, in fact, is clearer and less jumpy than a newly acquired Sony.  I'd give the unit 5 stars were it not for some glitches in the instructions and lack of warnings concerning the use of 8X disks. (Thanks to previous Amazon reviewers for alerting me to the cause of my initial frustration.)