Summary: Had this unit only a week, so testaments to its longevity are not yet known. However, the setup and use of this unit was much easier than expected. It is very much like a VCR in it's recording setup, so avid VCR fans, this DVD recorder is the one for you. Like a VCR you can set it up for 2, 4, 6 or 8 hour recording modes. There is even a 1 hour mode which I haven't tried. So far this is what I've done with it.
1. Transferred 6 hours of Sesame Street from a VCR tape over to a DVD+R in the EP mode (6 hours) One nice thing about this is that upon transfer and finalization the unit automatically created chapter marks where recording started and ended for each hour of the program that was recorded. So I don't have to fast forward through 4 hours of content to get where I want, I just need to hit "NEXT" and chapter jump 5 times. This was a very good and surprising feature. However, the picture quality is evidently compromised in EP mode. Any fast action scene results in serious pixelization. But my 1 year old, doesn't notice the difference so it's fine for this type of stuff.
2. Transferred 1.5 hours of DV Tape from my camcorder. Using the SP (2 hours) mode, I wanted to ensure all quality was reserved, even though the lack of a 1394 interface meant a digital to analog conversion from my camcorder. But, since camcorder resolution isn't that great anyway... it was fine. The recorded content in 2 hour mode looked exactly like the original.
3. Transferred 4 hours of DV Tape from my camcorder. Using the LP (4 hours) mode, I transferred and combined a few DV tapes. Although the quality wasn't that bad, it was definitely not the same as the 2 hour mode resolution (some pixelization). So, if you want to store those precious moments on disc, use the 2 hour mode.
4. Transferred and combined 6 education DVDs in LP (4 hour) mode. When you want to backup a movie, you'll lose certain things like: bonus material, subtitles, and scene selection. However, you get to bypass all the crap that you don't want to see and the good part is that all Chapter jumps are retained. That means that when you hit PREV or NEXT, you can still jump back and forth through chapters. This was also an unexpected surprise.
5. Recorded material on both DVD-R (generic brand) and DVD+R (Teon) and have successfully played and watched hours of it on the following DVD players -> Magnavox and Cyberhome single disc. Sony DVD Changer. Rosen All-in-One mobile system. Alpine DVD Changer.
All in all, I think it's a keeper. For the price, it's great. Picked it up for $199.99 at Best Buy, but Circuit City has if for $179.99 this week. Going to go get the price match this week ;)
Anyway, the video editing is basic, but sufficient. But now I'm not spending hours transferring content to my PC, hours editing it, and even worse hours to render it, hoping that my PC won't crash.
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