Sony RDR-VX500 DVD Recorder / VCR Combo

I got this as a gift from my mom--she researched these in Consumer Guide and choose this one because it was the best value especially with the dvd recording and vcr too. We still have both dvd's and vcr tapes because dvd's don't hold up as well with two boys. The controls and remote are easy to use. The buttons are good sized and visible. What a great present!

The Sony RDR VX-500 is an impressive DVD recorder for converting a VHS collection to DVD or recording DVD from other sources, like camcorders or broadcast TV. There is one hitch, you must have a remote to use the machine for anything other than its basic functions like one touch duplication or simple playback features.

The remote will be necessary to perform initial setup, like the date and the time. The remote will be required to label the title any recorded DVD you make with the machine. This includes finalizing the DVD or setting the length of the record time of the DVD which varies in increments of 60, 90, 120, 180, 240,360 minutes.

Once you have the remote and compatible media, not all DVD media works in the machine, you can have a grand time, consolidating and building an archive of Video media.

Why I purchased it was to transfer some of my vhs tapes to dvd's. But what I did not like about it, was that the seller did not say that I would need the remote to this system to finalize my recorded dvd's. Until you can do that, your recorded dvd's will not play on any other system at all! So right now the system is really not serving my purpose! The seller did state on the auction page that the remote is missing, but if I knew that you can not even pull up the menu screen, or finalize your dvd's, I would have never bought it!

Through trial and error, I found out that the original remote control is a must to set up this model. You can not set the clock, schedule timed recording nor finalize a disc so that it can be played back on another DVD Player without the remote control. I was unable to find any other remote control that could access the DVD/VCR features other than the original remote control. The DVD/VCR is fantastic to quickly and easily transfer VHS tapes to DVD discs. It is easy to set up the time modes from quick record up to six hours of recording and easy to format the disc for recording but again you can only do these functions through the remote control. The remote control is so intregal to the workings of this model that it should be addressed in the product's description. Now that I have the remote control, I am loving this model.

i like the sony dvd/vcr recorder it works good and it just what i wanted to record my dvd,s and the price was right too ,, thank you and god bless you....

If I can keep 2 yr old from shoving multiple DVD's in the VCR slot, I can get use to recording on DVD...

Plays nice, I like the auto feature, put in a DVD or VHS tape in and it plays, nice.

I bought the unit on Ebay in September. I bought it for my wife to watch her tapes and movies in her bedroom. She has terminal cancer, and I wanted to help her enjoy her days a little more. When I got it, it didn't function correctly. I contacted the seller concerning the problem. They were very cooperative and refunded the total amount taking my word for the problem. I returned the unit and everything ended well. I was extremely happy with the seller since I hadn't had any problem before. I put my rating as "POOR" but this is for the product. The company is one I would readily buy from again with no reservations. Ebay has been a great source of items for both of us, and I want everyone to know that patience and proper dealing can produce the kind of GOOD experience I had with this seller.