JVC DR-MV80B - DVD recorder/ VCR combo

Product Details

Product Reviews

(5 stars) - Works great!
I bought this from HSN a couple weeks after getting a 65 in Mitsubishi HDTV from them as well. I was thinking about getting a blu-ray player. When I saw this unit on air last weekend, I decided to try it. I really don't want to replace my movies again. I'm still replacing the VHS ones with DVDs as I find them on sale. This upconverts the regular DVD very nicely. The other bonus was that I could record my personal VHS tapes on DVD. I have my wedding and family functions that I would hate to lose. Not only was this easy to do, the DVD came out better than the VHS version. Just make sure you finalize the disc so you can play it on any DVD player.

I personally don't record anything from TV. But, there are several ways to set this up either with an HDMI cable, directly to your TV, thru a home theater system, or your cable/satellite box. It's not point and click to set up. You have to manually set it up to work, but it will record. As another reviewer stated, this will not record protected material. It's not the machine's fault. It's actually against the law to do so. Why would they allow you to record something for free when the production company wants to sell you their series on DVD?

For me, I got this to watch my current DVDs in the best high def format possible and transfer old VHS to DVD. So, this totally meets my expectations and then some. It does a fantastic job of upconverting DVDs and the VHS tapes look pretty good too. If you are looking for a great upconverting DVD player, that is a DVD-R, and has a VCR, too, this is the unit for you.

PS-I was able to use Sony DVD-R without any problems. This was not one of the recommended brands but [...].

(1 stars) - What the??
The DVD recorder will not record shows that are "copy protected" and guess what? All the shows are copy protected. I can spottily record things when the recorder is in the right mood but 9 times out of 10 when I press record I get the "can not record" message. I called JVC and they said, yep, you can't record copy protected material. So this unit to me is basically useless.

(4 stars) - Excellent Choice
My primary purpose for purchasing the DR-MV80B was to transfer older VHS recordings to DVD. I also plan to use the DVD recorder to save new satellite television broadcasts. Since I have satellite TV I don't need a tuner, so this model is perfect for me. I did a lot of research on the various brands and models of VCR/DVD Recorder Combo Decks before choosing this one, including downloading operation manuals off the internet for each one. I chose the JVC DR-MV80B because it was by far the easiest to understand how to operate, and had all of the features I needed (and even a couple I don't need). So far I've tested it quite a bit, and although I haven't tried to make any VHS recordings yet (and am not likely to), the DVD recorder works very nicely. I have tried playing the recorded DVD's on my computer and that works fine as well. In fact, I was a bit surprised at the video quality of the DVD recording considering the age of some of the video tapes I've been experimenting with (some were recorded over 15 years ago). The only real complaint that I have is that I have found times when the remote control's EJECT button doesn't seem to want to work - I get the 'invalid function' icon on the screen and have had to resort to using the front panel DVD Eject button. Also slightly annoying is that the DVD drive seems to be just a bit noisy when some commercial DVD disks are played.

(4 stars) - Tunerless Recording
There is no question that we are honestly seeing fewer and fewer DVD Recorders onm the market lately. Simply, because so much more from the market is gaining ground because of the Blu-Ray DVD disc players. While that might seem understandable, there are those who are also looking for a newer way to record their favorite shows. With the new changes that've affected the TV Signals from NTSC to ATSC, many consumers have had a harder time trying to upgrade to the newer signals. But that also has led consumers astray from finding the new leads into DVD recorders too. But it isn't as difficult as it seems with more DVD / VCR recorders and players not having any tuners in them. In fact, they can work just as well, and this is one of them.

The JVC DR-MV80B is a tunerless DVD / VCR Recorder that just does the job well, and as good as you would've expected, compared to hooking up a VCR or DVD recorder with a tuner. The job does just as good of a job. All you have to do is set it up easily with traditional Audio / Video cables to the back of your recorder, and easily connect it to the back of your cable box or converter box, with a simple connection. Next, check and make sure that your TV has a input connection for video components. Switch to that after turning it on, and you can simply watch whatever you record on your TV with ease.

The setup also here is much more universal than other DVD recorders, as you can record and playback your DVD's in +RW or -RW formats discs as well as the rarely recognized DVD-RAM discs. The JVC DRMV80B also does the job well at recording in both the widely used Video format, as well as the more advanced VR format or otherwise known as the RW Compatable format. The recorder does a great job at helping you edit out all those annoying commercials, and setup your favorite shows on DVD so you can have extra room to record more shows. It also does a good job at dubbing your shows from DVD to VCR cassette, and from VCR to DVD with ease. There is one big disadvantage though, the timer-link mode here where you can setup recording your favorite shows, is a lot more complicated than it was setup in the instruction book. Thankfully, it is much easier to use the regular timer recording option instead, which doesn't complicate the owner.

All in all, despite one or two issues the JVC DR-MV80B isn't as complicated to setup, and honestly works just as well as you would've expected with all the other recorders with the NTSC or ATSC tuners. It is a affordable recorder that does the work well, and is one of the easiest recorders to operate on the market. While DVD / VCR Recorders aren't being recognized as much, they still are great to own, and JVC does the job well at making ones that are worth the money. I absolutely recommend this for anyone who wants a DVD Recorder that is advanced that also is easy to use.

Price: B+

Setup: B 1/2+

Convience: B

Overall: B 1/2+

(3 stars) - Timer Link Recording a sham.
I was impressed how easy this was to set up, until I tried the Timer Link recording, the ONLY reason I bought this unit. It wouldn't work at all, which of now means having to manually set the unit AND the set top box. When I called customer support I got a young lady who knew nothing and tried to tell me it was the DVD disc I was using. Yeah, right. Stay away and get one with a tuner.

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