I needed to convert several older VHS tapes to DVD. I followed the directions on page 49/50 and was recording within 5 minutes. It was just that simple to operate. When the DVD recording was finished, I tested in several different players with successful results.

We bought this VCR and DVD player and recorder after several false starts with other combo units that couldn't play VHS tapes on our small HDMI television. This one apparently cannot play VHS tapes on the HDMI TV either. However, one can view the tapes while dubbing them onto a DVD --- assuming the tapes can be copied at all, which most tapes made after 1990 cannot.

An additional issue is that the DVD copies the unit does produce apparently play only on this machine --- not on computer DVD players. All our attempts to play the newly made DVD copies on computers --- whether Windows or Linux machines --- turned up no data on the DVD discs at all. To the computer, the new, burned DVDs appear blank. Perhaps we are doing something wrong.

The machine is rather complicated to use, and the instructions, very confusing.

If you understand technicalities, you can (for now) wade through the owner's manual before buying the item, at consumerservicerefurbish DOT... Read more

I originally gave bad reviews on this product. It came without an instruction book and without some connectors. I was able to download and print the instruction book , which allowed me to copy VHS to DVD . The shipper of the the unit was extremely fast and well packaged, the price of the Toshiba Recorder was worth the extra time of finding and printing the user manual.