Sony - Refurbished Multiformat DVD-R/-RW/+R/+R DL/+RW Recorder

I got this for my father who is in his 80's. He really likes this unit because of the ease of use and the onscreen displays. His main problem is the small buttons on the remote, they are hard for him to see very well. All and all he is very pleased.

Product is sharp looking recorder that produces a very clear image, while not quite HD 1080. The timer programming feature is easy to use and allows you to easily tape your favorite show... Sometimes. Unfortunately, the device will not tape copyright protected shows. Some big shows are. So while you are just looking to have it for when you return, you won't be able to tape it. In that sense, the actual DVR would be better.

I bought this Dvd recorder for my mom cause she loves to record shows for my kids. She had a vcr, it finally broke down, and i decided to get her this dvd recorder. I've never been sceptic about refurbished products because every refurbished product i have bought has worked well and for a long time. I recorded a few kids shows and a wrestling event and the sound and picture quality was excellent. I would definitely recommend this product to anyone that needs a dvd recorder and doesn't want to pay an arm and a leg.

Just a remarkable piece of equipment for everyday use. I Used it to copy 8MM video tapes to DVD's. I had to call Sony to find out why I wasn't getting a picture on the TV, just audio, when trying to copy from the tape player. They answered very quickly and instructed me to connect the cables from the tape player into the front input jacks (L2) and not the rear input jacks (L1). This was explained in the first part of the manual but I didn't see it. The front input jacks are located behind a small black pull-down cover, which I would never found withou talking to Sony customer service person. The manual has a picture of it, but it doesn't say that is behind a hidden pull-down cover. I used the phone number listed in the manual. Once I made this front connection, everything went very smoothly and was able to make several good DVD's. I also found out that most 8MM video tapes are about 2 minutes longer than 2 hours. IIf you set the DVD mode for a 2 hour session (SP), you will loose some of the tape content at the end. It's better to set the DVD session for 4 hours (LP). The quality was still acceptable. Also every time you turn off the power you need to reset with the remote control: the Input to L2 and the Record Mode to your choice, because it will reset to a deafult setting. All other presets stayed the same after a power down. Just to make sure that I could remember how to operate the unit for my specific use, I have written a short instruction sheet. The manual has to cover such a wide array of applications, it's better to write up your own instructions so other members of your family can use the unit with more confidence and success. I have tried the USB input to show JPEG pictures, but as of now I couldn't get it to work yet. At this time this function is not important to me. May have to call Sony again if I decide to use it. This purchase has reaffirmed my confidence in Sony and Best Buy.

Not all movies can be recorded. Must have new VCR if you want to connect to Recorder. No coaxial connection.

Overall a very good purchase. I had fears about it recording from my DVR but it seems to work fine. I haven't hit any snags yet.

We received a great new HDTV as a gift & decided we would upgrade our recording as well. We chose this Sony refurbished unit, thinking it would work beautifully for recording shows here & there. However, we didn't know that our new TV doesn't have the proper output, so the Sony won't work unless we go out & buy a VCR or a tuner to run it through. It may work great, but we don't know yet!

I purchased this DVD recorder primarily to copy 8mm & mini DVD,s from 2 camcorders to DVD. I just conected HDMI conector to TV, & DV cable from camcorder to recorder, put in a blank DVD, & pushed the record button. It works perfect for what I wanted. It finalize's easily.Picture quality on my HD TV is very good. I haven't connected to the set-top box yet.