GoVideo VR4940

GoVideo's VR4940 dual-recording combination DVD recorder and VCR is capable of copying VHS tapes to DVD and DVDs to VHS at the touch of a button (except where prohibited by copy-protection technology). For camcorder owners, transferring home movies to DVD has never been easier. A convenient front-panel IEEE 1394 DV input accepts feeds from digital camcorders for easy recording to DVD and for playback on your TV. You get eight-event, one-month timer recording and you can choose whether to record to tape or disc with each program item.
Record your favorite television shows and treasured home videos to high-quality, long-lasting DVD-R (write-once) and DVD-RW (rewriteable) discs. The recorder's built-in NTSC TV tuner and onscreen user interface permits up to eight timer recordings over a single month, with five recording speeds providing between one and six hours of content on each DVD disc.
Movie fans will adore GoVideo's EZ Play DVD feature, which automatically skips ads, movie trailers, and disc menus, jumping right to the start of the main attraction. Simply place the disc in the tray, press the play key, and the movie will start without interruption.
My DVD, another GoVideo exclusive, simplifies your DVD player use by permanently storing the setup preferences that--on most DVD players--need to be checked or unchecked every time you load a new DVD.
The VR4940's versatile playback features include progressive-scan video outputs and support of MP3, JPEG, and Kodak Picture CDs. A variety of video and audio inputs--including front-panel connections for fast, temporary hookups--grant connection to virtually all televisions and home theater components. A backlit, multibrand remote control commands all the action.
Whether your living room is currently home to an HDTV or you're merely thinking of "someday," the VR4940's DVD player stands ready to deliver the full playback potential of your DVDs. Progressive scanning, referred to as 480p for the number of horizontal lines that compose the video image, creates a picture using twice the scan lines of a conventional DVD picture, giving you higher resolution and sharper images while eliminating nearly all motion artifacts.
When recording, the unit automatically creates a new disc title every time you start a new recording. You can then add chapters to these recordings manually or have them automatically inserted at five-minute intervals.
And, unlike all other DVD/VCR combination products, the VR4940 will connect to your television and deliver DVD or VHS signals using any of its available video connections, including S-video and component-/progressive-scan video outputs. Now you can view both DVD and VHS content without having to change connections or switch TV inputs.
To help you navigate the transition from VCR to DVD recording, GoVideo's "white-glove customer care" includes free telephone assistance in making your first recording, should you need it.
Amazon.com Product Description

What's in the Box
DVD player/recorder, a blank DVD-R disc, a remote control, remote batteries, an RF coaxial audio/video cable (3 feet), a stereo analog audio/composite-video interconnect (3 feet), and a user's manual.

Product Description
records to DVD-R and DVD-RW * plays DVD-Video, DVD-R & DVD-RW, DVD+R & DVD+RW, and Video CD * plays CD, CD-R & CD-RW, and MP3-encoded CD-R & CD-RW * plays digital photo CDs (JPEG) * 27MHz/10-bit video D/A converter * selectable interlaced/progressive-scan component video output(progressive scan requires an HD-compatible TV) * three DVD recording quality/time settings (1-hr., 2-hr., and 4-hr.) * optical and coaxial digital outputs for Dolby Digital/DTS/PCM * 2 sets of A/V outputs for DVD/VCR (2 composite, 1 S-video and 1 480i/480p component video) * 2 sets of A/V inputs (1 front-panel) for VCR/DVD-R * front-panel IEEE 1394 DV input (for use with a digital camcorder) * 3D Surround for enhanced 2-speaker sound * designed for use with "Region 1" coded DVDs * Note: Internal VHS-to-DVD dubbing of copy-protected tapes is not possible

GoVideo VR4940

Test report

Great - Good - Fair - Poor, April 14, 2005 Reviewer:John P. Malikie "special_d" (Missoula, MT) - My first attempt to copy a movie on VHS to DVD-R went smooth. The 2 hour movie played fine on my other DVD player. Second attempt was to copy a movie and cut the commercials. The instructions say to pause then fast foreward and press copy twice to resume. It doesn't work. All that I got was disc error after the resume.I could do it only by re-starting the copy process. Third attempt was to record a DVD from a live broadcast and cut commercials. Pause wouldn't work. I had to re-start the recorder after each break. Fourth attempt was to time record 3 shows on VHS. The manual says that it has to finalize after each recording so you will miss the beginning of the next show. I found that it would not change channels between shows and I got 3 hours of one channel, not the 3 that I programmed.
I shure hope Costco will take it back!



after the warranty....under 90 days, March 23, 2005 Reviewer: The Real Deal (new york new york) -
expect it to break. i paid so much money for this machine...and guess what.. right after the warranty was over.. it broke! i transfered maybe.. and i mean maybe 10 tapes to dvd. after that, it simply wouldn't read dvd's. there is really something wrong with the machine or the company that makes them. I can't say I paid for what I got because I paid a whole lotta money!! i wonder what kind of operation they are running! looks like a con game to me!




Good Device, But Not Without Problems, January 5, 2005 Reviewer: Beth Fox (Los Angeles, CA USA) -
I bought this device because it was (at the time) a reasonably priced way to get a DVD Player/Recorder with a VCR. I've owned GoVideo DVD/VCR combo players (not recorders) in the past, and I've been pleased with them. I wanted a device that would actually record from the TV to DVD, however, so that I could watch programs later with greater clarity than those recorded on a videotape.

The good news is that it does just that, and the pictures it records are sharp. It also functions as a good DVD/VCR player.

Here are the problems:

1. When attempting to record timed TV programs, you must make sure that the DVD starts with its power OFF (it will turn itself on with the timer.) Otherwise, the DVD will freeze after awhile.

2. In general, you need to keep the device powered off when not in use. If you keep it on, it will "freeze" the TV picture (but not the audio.) As a result, when you are watching TV, you will see a freeze frame, but hear the ongoing audio.

3. I have had a problem transferring my own personal camcorder (three-hour) tapes from the TV to the DVD. The DVD recorder simply cannot absorb a long recording session -- it is unable to record to file afterwards. I address this problem by stopping the DVD after an hour and a half and letting it "record to file" before continuing.

On balance, I am happy that I own a DVD recorder. If I had to do it over again, however, I'd wait for the next generation, so that they can get the kinks out.



good quality but complicated and missing features, July 11, 2004 Reviewer: "tanjb" (WA USA) - The good news is it does make good quality recordings onto DVD-R. The XP (high quality mode) beat the best I got using encoder software on my PC, and the resulting disk played better in standard DVD player. That would be worth 5 stars, if only it were accepted as usable by my family (including me).
It does have some problems reading S-VHS tapes from my video recorder, which it is spec'd to do. It seems to take a few seconds to get into the correct mode so I lose the first few seconds which is irritating, but after that it works fine.
There is no S-Video input at the back, only the front. Rather odd, but maybe they reckon the only S-Video device in a normal household is a camcorder.
The bad news is it is complicated. The remote has dozens of small buttons and is modal. The modality is very confusing when dubbing from tape to DVD or vice versa, since at that time both devices are in use and you have to wonder which one is being controlled by the buttons. It is not really a universal remote it can only handle a very small number of TVs and not much else. So, it has definately not done the #1 thing needed of it in my household, which is to simplify the A/V setup.
When you play a DVD and pause it, incredibly it does not freeze frame on the screen. It switches to blank screen. If you like the ability to freeze frame and step frames forward and back, which is on every other DVD player I have used, you will miss it here.
One final problem, the DV input is useless from a computer. The recorder has minimal editting capability, so if you try to use your computer software to edit your DV home video then uplink through the front panel to make a tape or DVD, forget it. You can't even manually start the tape or DVD to record and then switch on the computer to send the video. The VR4940 (aka Zenith XBR413 etc.) just complains it can't control the DV device and refuses to do anything with it.
The DV capability is input only, a reasonable limitation but disappointing.
So, because of complexity this does not satisfy people who just want a simple DVD-tape recorder combo, and because of lack of features it won't satisfy those who want a high end gadget.
The manual seems accurate and fairly clear.



So far, I am extremely pleased, April 2, 2004
Reviewer: 30 year Audiophile (Charlotte NC) -

I finally decided to get in the "digital world", and convert hundreds of VHS tapes (mostly recorded from HBO\Showtime over the years) to DVD. The first thing to understand is: If you have bad VHS (low sound or picture quality)...you will have a bad DVD. It simply transfers the contents of a VHS direct to a DVD in the same manner it was on VHS. You just change the type of media it's stored on. It does not improve the quality of the original VHS. With that being said, most of my tapes are recorded from satellite dish in standard 2 hour play and are in dolby stereo. My DVD record quality has been excellent from this player. I have copied several dozen hi quality VHS tapes to DVD, and they play perfectly on my other 2 DVD players. No skips, etc. But this is only on -R DVD's Note: It will ONLY record on DVD -R & -RW DVD's (not + R or +RW's), so buy the correct DVD format. I have noticed that some copies I've done on -RW DVD's (even in the 'compatible' Video format) will not play at all on one of my DVD players. So I don't recommend -RW DVD's. Operation is simple; manual is good on simple one touch recording...but is quite complex in the sections of custom DVD chapter editing. This is my second GoVideo Product (also have their dual deck VCR). So far I am a very satisfied customer with it's performance.


Poor product for the money, November 27, 2004 Reviewer: Scubafiend "scubafiend" (St. Petersburg, FL USA) -I used to be a recording engineer for a professional recording studio and have some fairly high end electronics in my home. I purchased this product as a gift for my parents and regret it every time I try and use it. I'm surprised my father hasn't pitched it into the lake in frustration. The controls are not user friendly, the documentation is less than useful, and the remote refuses to accept entry of numbers. On top of all of that, after very little use the DVD refuses to read any DVDs - ones that have been played on all 3 of my DVD players without any problem. The whole purpose of the purchase was to provide them with a DVD player aside from the one in their computer. I could have purchased a stand-alone DVD and a stand alone VCR for less than I paid for the combo and not had all of these issues. Personally, I will not purchase another item made by Go-Video.




Good picture quality but easily overheats in TV cabinets, November 24, 2004

Reviewer:
way finder (Mountain View, CA) -I like the picture quality when transferring non-copy-protected VHS tapes to DVD. DVD recordings of broadcast TV are pretty good too.

However, one problem that I had initially had was that the unit would freeze up after making a DVD recording (the unit's clock would stop, and you couldn't turn on the device) -- and I had to unplug and replug the unit to reset it. After trying various things, doing some Internet searches, and finally reading the manual carefully, I'm pretty sure the problem was overheating.

I had put the VR4940 in my TV cabinet with all my other AV equipment (TiVO, DVD player, AV receiver, etc.). But according to the GoVideo manual, "This product should not be placed in a built-in installation such as a bookcase or rack unless proper ventilation is provided or the manufacturer's instructions have been adhered to." They also say "Do not block any ventilation openings" and "Slots and openings in the cabinet are provided for ventilation and to ensure reliable operation of the product and to protect it from overheating."

When I took the unit out of my cabinet, put it in a well ventilated location, and used it to make DVD recordings, it seems to work fine and does not lock up.

Bottom line: be prepared to put this unit somewhere other than inside a closed AV or TV cabinet or closet.



Go Vidoe VR4940 VCR/DVD Combo., November 5, 2004 Reviewer: Mary E. Inoue "M. Inoue" (Phoenix, Arizona) - You always have to be carefull about buying combonation items as they never work as well as the single items do. This product wroked fine for 2 monts then started to cause the color to wash out on the TV. We have and A/B swith and when we swiched to TV mode the color was fine. Go Vido only warrenties products for labor for 30 days. Since I was over they wanted $99 to send me a refurbished item. Not new as I had purchased. So I was to inherit someone elses headache!! I guess I'll stick with the devil that I know but buyer beware product just barely outlasts warrenty. Not worh it.



Well Done, October 16, 2004

Reviewer:
L. Hansberry "Laura" (Maryland) I received my GoVideo VR4940 Progressive-Scan DVD player/recorder. I am very happy with it. If you read the instructions carefully you can not go wrong. I highly recommend this model. It was very easy to install. Very user friendly. I like the GoVideo reputation.



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GoVideo VR4940

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