This week, our VCR and DVD players died (the TV is going next–we’re in electronics hell at my house). We’d like to replace our old stuff with a DVD recorder/VCR combo, since we’ve taped any number of shows for our kids that we’d still like them to be able to watch (not to mention the fan-subbed Dragonball Z videos it took me two years to collect), plus we like that new-fangled digital format too. Anyone own a good one they can recommend?
Is there any particular reason you want a combination player? - it’s generally not always the best idea to buy devices like this because:
-Suppose the VCR bit goes wrong - you have to either send the whole thing away for repairs, replace the whole thing, or buy a new standalone VCR, then explain to everyone why you have two VCRs (or just feel silly about it)
-They’re often more expensive than the pair of standalone devices
-They’re often less usable or functional than the pair of standalone devices (theremight be tuner limitations in the device, for example - meaning you might not find it easy to watch one thing at the same time as transferring something from VCR to DVD, or some such)
-They’re sometimes little more than two separate devices, packed together into the same box - so there might not be as much interconnectivity as you might expect, and the redundancy of some of the internal components can lead to heat management issues too.
-You’re likely to upgrade your DVD player to Pink-ray or Ultra-High-Density-Disk, or whatever they foist on us next, whereas you won’t be needing to upgrade the VCR unless it dies again.
So my recommendation for a combination VCR/DVD is to buy separate ones. 
One reason for a combo is you save space.
I don’t have a model to suggest, but I do have suggestions for you.
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Don’t by a unit until you figure out if you can interface it, and if it has better interfaces for newer televisions.
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You can purchase a DVD player and surround sound combo unit that is small and runs from $50 to $100. Consider that and a separate VCR player. Once again watch for what interfaces they have. You don’t want to have to buy a conversion box because you didn’t pay attention.
As Harmonious Discord notes, it’s a space issue. The 2 (now dead) boxes we have now are crammed together in one small space, and we had to move the DVD player every time we wanted to use it. Although, I always worry about dual use products like that.
Hmm. Now I have to think about other options. Options that are small.
I had a Toshiba DVD/VCR combo. I thought it would be good, since I’ve got a Toshiba Cinema Series TV that’s fabulous and still works great after 15 years and is fine with the digital over-the-air tuner I added. The DVD/VCR combo died after about 8 months (the DVD portion). It cost $80 in the first place, would have cost more to repair. Went to a local pawn shop for another reason not long after and they had a table stacked with FREE DVD/VCR combo players! All of them with one half or the other broken. Have since purchased a tiny DVD player from Target for $30, small, and works great. Stacked on top of the smallest VCR you can find, I’m sure it will make a much smaller footprint than the combo did, the two would just be a little taller.
As much as it’s more progressive to go with a DVR these days, since you can record anything without dealing with tapes any more, it’s hard to give up having a VCR if you’ve already got a sizeable tape catalog.
I’ve got a Panasonic DVD/VCR combo. It also lets me dub my aging VCR tapes onto DVD.
The problem is that I can’t play the DVDs on any other player – none of the other DVD players or computers can read the disc. Yet my computer is read/write DVD. What’s the problem?
The color of the ink layer in the blanks may not work well with the laser in the computer drive. It may be a unsupported DVD media format. DVD -RW or +RW or -Ram. The media may not be readable at the higher speed of your computer DVD drive, if the DVD VCR combo is using lower speed rated DVD blanks. There’s a place for you to start now.
We were thinking about buying a Panasonic Cal; which model do you have?
But it’s not just the computer drive – the DVD doesn’t work in ANY other DVD player, or in any other computer drive. I can only play it on that one device. That seems odd.
I don’t recall the model – I’ll have to get back to you.
Is there a menu option somewhere to ‘finalise’ the discs? -
We have a Panasonic DMR-E75V that we’re quite happy with. We bought it about 2 years ago and it still works very well.
We also have a Panasonic VCR/DVD combo. It’s an older machine so it doesn’t have the VHS-to-DVD copy feature but it’s always worked great. When we bought our new TV we were finally able to use the component connection to hook up to the DVD portion and movies look great.
This is the same family of player we’re looking it. It’s good to hear that it’s lasted.
I don’t have model numbers handy, but we have both GoVideo and Panasonic. Both are good, yet the motor in the GoVideo DVD is slightly louder. Not annoying when the movie is going at normal volumes, but after the kids are in bed and the sound is turned way down I can sometimes hear it.
I think they are both 2-3 years old.