Magnavox ZV427MG9 DVD Recorder/VCR Combo, HDMI 1080p Up-Conversion, No Tuner

I bought a refurbished unit, cause I know its working when it leaves the factory. Got free shipping and received it in 3 days. Purchased from eComm Electronics. This unit has many features that I will never use, as I only ordered it to copy all my vcr tapes to dvd. I worked perfectly for that and was very simple to use. And of course, it will play the vcr tapes that I have that were copy protected and still want to play from time to time. I hooked it up to my TV using a HDMI cable, (not included). It copied all my tapes, recorded 1985-1998, without any problems. With the refurb unit, the owners manual was a photocopy, and a lot of pages, (as it has many fine features). If you are only going to copy vcr to dvd, just take the following steps for best results: (1) Set "source" on the unit to "vcr", (2) Insert the vcr tape, fast-forward to the end, and re-wind. (don't skip this step, especially if your tapes are old. Playback will be better and you won't have to mess with the tracking). (3) Press "play" on the remote and when you get the part you want to copy press "pause" on the remote. (3) Set the "source" on the unit to "dvd", and insert a dvd disk and wait for it to load. (4) Press the red "dubbing" button on either the unit or the remote and the copying will start. (Make sure the red dubbing light is showing on the unit just above the clock). (5) When the tape is done, wait for the dvd to transfer the recording, (progress shown on screen). (6) FINALIZE You must do this if you want your dvds to play on other dvd players. You can set the unit to "auto-finalize" when a tape reaches the end, but this won't work unless to go the end of the tape. To do it manually: When recording is over, push "stop" button on dvd side of the unit, then press "set up" button on the remote. You will see some options on the screen. Select "disk edit", then select FINALIZE. The screen wil display the progress until it is done. Take the dvd out and test it on another player. I tested them on my computer. This machine has hook ups so you can also copy from an outside source, (camcorder etc), but you will need to learn how to do that via the manual. To sum it up: Great price, fast free shipping, easy to operate, did everything I wanted it to do.

This is the second Magnavox ZV427MG9 DVD Recorder/VCR Combo I purchased within a 2 month period. I really like these units. There are 2 things that are important to address here in order for this unit to work to its full potential.First, your television must have at least one composite input, and one hdmi input, otherwise this machine will not do what it is meant to do: dub from VHS to DVD, dub from DVD to VHS, nor will it record in 6 hour mode on VHS tapes.Second, it is important to push the 'TIMER SET' button after you completed programming for DVD or VHS to record while you are away, if you just turn the machine off, your programs will not record. I have a Magnavox DVD recorder that automatically sets to record once the power button is pushed to turn off, but not this unit because it is a combo unit, so this new feature took awhile for this to sink in. Just look for the little red clock once you completed your programming, if it is there then your DVD recorder will record as programmed, if the little red clock is not displayed then your programs will not record while you are away because you didn't push the 'TIMER SET' button. The channels are brought in via 'RCA cables' because there is no tuner which is not a problem at all. I really enjoy this unit, I don't have a problem buying refurbished units, especially when it saves me more than half buying new. I highly recommend purchasing a refurbished unit, it is under $100 and works great.I also bought a Toshiba DVR620 DVD/VHS Recorder because I needed to have a different brand combo near my Magnavox recorder because I wouldn't be able to program just one device because that one controller would operate both units at the same time because they would be on top of one another. They both do the same thing, only thing the Magnavox is less expensive.Update 10-2-2013. The Source button on the unit that has the DVD and VHS written next to it wouldn't work. So I tried pushing the DVD and the VHS buttons on the remote control and the same results, nothing. I was recording on VHS and I wanted to now record on a DVD disc but I couldn't switch because it got stuck on the VHS mode. Luckily I had another DVD recorder so I recorded on my backup unit. Going back to my Magnavox VHS DVD dual recorder I turned my unit off for a couple minutes and no change, it was still on VHS mode. So I decided to leave it unplugged overnight, and sure enough it worked, it reset itself. Now I am able to use my DVD function buttons. So if you have any problems with a stuck or non-functioning button, try leaving the unit off overnight, and hope it works the next morning. Resetting the time and date the next morning was a blessing. I work on restaurant appliances which are computerized nowadays, 20% of the problem is solved by simply unplugging the units overnight, thus I only charge 1 hour and no travel time the next day, a win win for everyone.

This DVD/VCR Recorder worked just fine for about 60 days. I used it MAYBE 10 hours total. Then, the VCR part wouldn't record or play a tape any longer. It would go about 15 seconds and shut down. I contacted Magnavox and they said to clean the tape head. Out side of that it needed to go in for repair. Naturally, I was reluctant to do this as I hadn't used it enough to either clean or repair it. (I have several of these older units in my home and do clean them about twice a year...needed or not)I asked WWD to replace the unit and they said: yea, just send it back at your expence and we will refund your money. They seemed to not hear what I was saying so I repeated it and again they would refund my money as soon as I remailed it, packaged, to them.. I asked for a shipping label but NO...returned items are my responsibility. OK....it would cost me a huge amout to rebox and buy the freight when they could easily generate a shipping label for a minimum fee to me. I'd be happy to pay for THEIR shipping rate.So.........DON'T BUY ANYTHING FROM WORLD WIDE DISTRIBUTORS. If something happens to your product it will COST YOU to get it refunded.....only.....no replacement as a turn-around. Needless to say, they are very UNFRIENDLY to friendly customers.