JVC DR-MV80B – DVD recorder/ VCR combo

5 comments

1. 

   pillbox59 on January 10, 2010 at 7:53 am

   The DVD recorder will not record shows that are “copy protected” and guess what? All the shows are copy protected. I can spottily record things when the recorder is in the right mood but 9 times out of 10 when I press record I get the “can not record” message. I called JVC and they said, yep, you can’t record copy protected material. So this unit to me is basically useless.

2. 

   Media Man on January 10, 2010 at 9:24 am

   I was impressed how easy this was to set up, until I tried the Timer Link recording, the ONLY reason I bought this unit. It wouldn’t work at all, which of now means having to manually set the unit AND the set top box. When I called customer support I got a young lady who knew nothing and tried to tell me it was the DVD disc I was using. Yeah, right. Stay away and get one with a tuner.

3. 

   M. Wiggins on January 10, 2010 at 10:46 am

   I have owned this unit for over a month now, and have recorded several TV shows and dubbed home VHS tapes to DVD (and vice versa)without any problems. Picture quality is excellent! On-screen menu is easy to figure out and navigate through, and the remote control user friendly as well. I also like the fact that you can watch a DVD and record a program onto VHS at the same time! Keep in mind the following: This unit does NOT have a tuner in it, so you cannot record one program and watch another at the same time. But as long as you attach the video cables from your cable or satellite box to the unit, it will record your desired channel. If you want to use the timer, make sure to leave the tuner on and turn the TV off before you leave so it will record your program. Also, it will not record premium movie channels on DVD, due to copy protection. It will, however, record them onto VHS. You just won’t be able to dub them to DVD due to copy protection. Overall, I am very satisfied with this unit and highly recommend it.

4. 

   D. L. Sosebee on January 10, 2010 at 10:55 am

   My primary purpose for purchasing the DR-MV80B was to transfer older VHS recordings to DVD. I also plan to use the DVD recorder to save new satellite television broadcasts. Since I have satellite TV I don’t need a tuner, so this model is perfect for me. I did a lot of research on the various brands and models of VCR/DVD Recorder Combo Decks before choosing this one, including downloading operation manuals off the internet for each one. I chose the JVC DR-MV80B because it was by far the easiest to understand how to operate, and had all of the features I needed (and even a couple I don’t need). So far I’ve tested it quite a bit, and although I haven’t tried to make any VHS recordings yet (and am not likely to), the DVD recorder works very nicely. I have tried playing the recorded DVD’s on my computer and that works fine as well. In fact, I was a bit surprised at the video quality of the DVD recording considering the age of some of the video tapes I’ve been experimenting with (some were recorded over 15 years ago). The only real complaint that I have is that I have found times when the remote control’s EJECT button doesn’t seem to want to work – I get the ‘invalid function’ icon on the screen and have had to resort to using the front panel DVD Eject button. Also slightly annoying is that the DVD drive seems to be just a bit noisy when some commercial DVD disks are played.

5. 

   Michael Kerner on January 10, 2010 at 10:56 am

   There is no question that we are honestly seeing fewer and fewer DVD Recorders onm the market lately. Simply, because so much more from the market is gaining ground because of the Blu-Ray DVD disc players. While that might seem understandable, there are those who are also looking for a newer way to record their favorite shows. With the new changes that’ve affected the TV Signals from NTSC to ATSC, many consumers have had a harder time trying to upgrade to the newer signals. But that also has led consumers astray from finding the new leads into DVD recorders too. But it isn’t as difficult as it seems with more DVD / VCR recorders and players not having any tuners in them. In fact, they can work just as well, and this is one of them.

   The JVC DR-MV80B is a tunerless DVD / VCR Recorder that just does the job well, and as good as you would’ve expected, compared to hooking up a VCR or DVD recorder with a tuner. The job does just as good of a job. All you have to do is set it up easily with traditional Audio / Video cables to the back of your recorder, and easily connect it to the back of your cable box or converter box, with a simple connection. Next, check and make sure that your TV has a input connection for video components. Switch to that after turning it on, and you can simply watch whatever you record on your TV with ease.

   The setup also here is much more universal than other DVD recorders, as you can record and playback your DVD’s in +RW or -RW formats discs as well as the rarely recognized DVD-RAM discs. The JVC DRMV80B also does the job well at recording in both the widely used Video format, as well as the more advanced VR format or otherwise known as the RW Compatable format. The recorder does a great job at helping you edit out all those annoying commercials, and setup your favorite shows on DVD so you can have extra room to record more shows. It also does a good job at dubbing your shows from DVD to VCR cassette, and from VCR to DVD with ease. There is one big disadvantage though, the timer-link mode here where you can setup recording your favorite shows, is a lot more complicated than it was setup in the instruction book. Thankfully, it is much easier to use the regular timer recording option instead, which doesn’t complicate the owner.

   All in all, despite one or two issues the JVC DR-MV80B isn’t as complicated to setup, and honestly works just as well as you would’ve expected with all the other recorders with the NTSC or ATSC tuners. It is a affordable recorder that does the work well, and is one of the easiest recorders to operate on the market. While DVD / VCR Recorders aren’t being recognized as much, they still are great to own, and JVC does the job well at making ones that are worth the money. I absolutely recommend this for anyone who wants a DVD Recorder that is advanced that also is easy to use.

   Price: B+

   Setup: B 1/2+

   Convience: B

   Overall: B 1/2+