JVC DR-MX1

As you may have noticed this is not a short review, however I have tried to include many of the features of this product so please try not to give up before the end. Please bear with the abbreviations too. I have tried to explain their meaning on first use and hope you can keep with it. Enjoy. Why did we want one? ************************ Our video player had given up the ghost. Possibly it could've been repaired but with new ones so cheap and the chance that they will be obsolete in a year or two we decided to go for a dvd player instead. Another problem we had had though was that all the ... more

I already had the DRMV1 - same as the later MX1 but no HDD drive. Manuals are typically US/far east a different version of the English language with which I am not familiar. Eg altho at pp36/39 covers video recording mode - does not cover audio recording mode . Still this appalling quality of usermanual is true for most far east manuals I have. So I usually try workarounds. I soon found that the MV1 itself was useless it often failed at last stage of dubbing VHS to DVD leaving a useless DVD - anyway we are talking about the MX1 which I bought after the MV1 so I could copy a VHS tape to the MX1 ... more

The combo states it will record anything from the HDD to either VHS or DVD. Not strictly true. If your TV channels come digitally by cable or satellite this machine is not for you. Any digital sourced material can only be recorded in VR mode (incompatible with most DVD players and some other similar combos) on to DVD-RW discs only. The only workaround is to record to another VCR and then to this making the VHS deck a useless accessory. Some other brands have the same limitations. If you want to keep the recorded quality (mbps) you can only burn a maximum of 8 programs to a DVD. more than 8 and ... more