Go Video VR2940 DVD Recorder/VCR Combo

I have had a VR2940 for almost two years. As many have said GoVideo support leaves much to be desired. It took three machines before I finally got the one I am still using. Granted I do have to push the dvd tray open button several times before it opens but it does work. I have experience with four different brands of DVD recorders (Philips, GoVideo, LiteON and LG) and have come to the conclusion that DVD recorders will never have the reliability of VCRs. I would never buy a DVD camcorder. If I want to record something off air that I really want, I always record with my VCR as well. If the DVD works I can always erase the VHS. That being said I have to say the VR2940 YES Video capability makes all the problems worthwhile. I have recorded well over 100 dvds using my VR2940. Most copying my old VHS & VHS-C home videos as well as many from my Mini DV camcorder. Yes I have created some coasters and have learned that the blank media is the biggest cause. I have settled on Verbatum 8X or less as the most reliable. Some older Philips and TDK have also worked. The newer higher speed ones are not reliable. It seems that GoVideo has finally gone out of business, for the second time. To sum up. Of the four DVD recorders I have used the VR2940 is the lesser of the evils.

I bought my unit from Amazon in January 2005 and it started working quite well. I did disable the auto clock setting to stop the freezing up that required unplugging (and the requisite clearing of all my programming). The unit became more and more sensitive - would record on some DVD's and not others. Would randomly lock up during playback.The customer service people lied to me endlessly about certain brands of DVD media being bad. The customer service people who provide email support apparently don't speak much english because they can't understand anything you write to them and their responses are quite unintelligible.After upgrading the systems internal firmware and many efforts at using this piece of junk, it finally wouldn't even play pre-recorded DVD's. It just clicked noisily every time I put in a DVD. It was about 10 months old and I finally got on the line with the customer service people and begged and pleaded for them to send me a new drive. They decided to eventually not charge me the in-warranty replacement cost of $90 and sent me a new unit. They sent a different model which I have had for a few days and it works fine so far. I can't recommend that anyone buy a GoVideo unit for any reason. Even if someone gives it to you as a gift, send it back to the company. I was ready to have a great experience as I have in the past with GoVideo dual deck VCRs but they have gone to the dogs for certain.SelwynAustin, TX

This is just a great piece of equipment. I currently own (2) VR2940 and looking at purchasing the third unit. It does a fantastic job recording the home movies to DVD and makes a great play back unit. I don't understand some of the previous reviews. You must be able to read the manual and follow directions. The manual is very detailed so normal adults will have an easy time understanding its functionality. You can not just start pressing buttons and expect the equipment to work. Lets face it, it is not brain surgery. It's a VRC comb unit. Buy it, look at the manual, you will love it. The best part is the cover you print for the DVD case, now this is the fantastic part.

At first, this machine worked fine playing VHS tapes and DVD's. When we finally tried to burn a DVD, however, nothing would work. The solution turned out to be upgrading the loader and system software, easier than it sounds, but annoying and time consuming.Once that was accomplished, we were able to burn DVD's that play successfully on half our six DVD players. This is disappointing and calls to GoVideo suggest that there's simply nothing to be done about it.If you're OK with playing the GoVideo burned DVD only in the GoVideo unit itself, you should be OK. If you need to send the resulting DVD to mom or to play it on your Sony portable while traveling, this unit is a gamble you probably shouldn't take.

I am sorry so many of you have had problems with your go video recorders. I have a couple vr5940s and have had very little trouble with them. I bought one from Sharper Image, and bought the extended warranty. I had to return the first unit, but the second one has been fine. I also bought one at Cosco on sale. Most DVDs I've used are major brands, and they record fine. I have made 4 hour recordings sucessfully. I have copied many VCR tapes. Some old tapes have dirtied my vcr section heads, but a head cleaner has fixed the problem. Rarely have I come across a DVD that won't read. Once in a while it occurs. I try it in my Sony player or my computer to see if it's a bad disc. So, I am surprised to see so many failures of the 2940. Maybe the 5940 is a better machine. I have 3 or 4 of the earlier VCR to VCR Go Video recorders, and they have always worked fine. So I am amazed at so many failures. I did have a DVD that would not read or eject, and I did have to unplug it to shut it off. And when I plugged it back in I could eject the disk. So I guess I have been very lucky. Jerry M. [email protected]

It is indeed easy to record to and from DVD and VHS.However, the DVDs probably won't play on other DVD players. I sent DVD copies of home videos to six family members who had different DVD players - and NONE of the DVDs would play. They played just fine on my recorder, but not on theirs.Buried halfway inside the owner's manual is the warning that -R recorders are not compatible with +R recorders. Who knew that there were -R and +R recorders? Apparently the difference is akin to Beta and VHS. But at least the Beta and VHS recorders made it clear that that is what they are. This recorder has no such marking; it requires you to purchase it and read all the fine print.So unless you plan to carry this recorder around with you in order to show your recorded DVDs to family and friends, you might want to reconsider its purchase.