Toshiba DVR620 DVD/VHS Recorder

The delivery took longer than I would have liked; however, it did arrive within the time window. I purchased this item for one reason ONLY: to convert old VHS tapes to DVD. I have no knowledge of other uses of the machine. I previously paid almost the price of the Toshiba DVR620 to have 15 VHS tapes “professionally” copied, plus I had to wait for over a month for my tapes/dvds to be returned. My TV monitor is connected to the Toshiba by HDMI, so no time spent sorting and connecting RCA cables. Thanks to reviewer “G.B. Packert” I hardly looked at the owner’s manual yet I was set up and copying DVDs within 30 minutes. I have now copied dozens of tapes with no problems. The only downside is that transfer from VHS to DVD is done in “real time”. This is not a big problem since I get to watch my old tapes while I copy them to DVD and there are some I have not seen in years (decades), so it’s not too tiresome to wait and watch during the transfer. Some reviewers commented that the remote was required to eject the tape/dvds – this is not the case. There is a hinged front cover that will open to reveal most all functions that are found on the remote. I leave the front cover down all the time on mine. Because “BG Packert” did not completely idiot proof his/her steps I have clarified/modified and added to those steps in order to make the VHS to DVD process a little clearer (at least for a non-techie like me). My changes are spelled out below (and I liberally quote directly from BGP’s review throughout my comments). 1. Because old videotapes may not track well when they have been unused for several years, fast forward to the end of the tape and rewind the tape before copying it. The recorder may refuse to copy a tape if it does not track well. 2. Eject the videotape. Apparently Toshiba DVRs (both the 610 and 620) can balk if the videotape is inserted before the DVD. 3. Push the DVD button and insert the blank DVD. Allow blank DVD to load. a. By-the-way “Verbatim DVD-R” disc’s work fine for making copy to DVD. 4. Press Record Mode (not Record) button (on the remote) and set the speed (typically use: “SP”). The monitor will go blank after selection is made; or, if you press “Enter” on the remote. 5. Press the “Setup” button (on the remote) and select “General Settings” then “Recording” (on the monitor). 6. From the “Recording” menu (on the monitor): select “Dubbing Mode”; a. Then Select: “VCR > DVD”. 7. To get out of the “Recording” menu, press “Set-Up” button again. (Monitor goes to blank blue screen.) 8. Press the VCR button and insert the videotape. 9. On the remote, press “Play” and then “Pause” (not Stop) at the point slightly before you wish to start copying. Press the “Dubbing” button to begin the process. 10. When you want to stop dubbing, press “Stop” on the remote. (Allow “Writing to disk” process to finish. You can then insert another videotape to dub onto the same DVD, until the DVD is full.) If you replace the VHS tape: press “Dubbing” to begin copying again on the same DVD. 11. To add titles onto the DVD disk: Using the “Top Menu” button (on the remote) select the part (Chapter) of the new DVD you wish to title then press “Enter”. a. Then (using the monitor) select Edit to create your Title. (Refer to pp 76-77 in the Owners Guide for how to use the remote to create titles.) b. After naming the Title press “Enter” and then select “yes” c. Press “Return” button on remote, 2-3 times until blue screen appears. (Allow “Writing to disk” process to finish.) 12. “Finalize” the DVD (after adding titles): Press the “Setup” button (on the remote), then select “DVD Menu” and then “Finalize” on the monitor. (Finalizing may take a few minutes). This step is not required but failure to follow it may result in your new DVD being unable to play on another machine. Also using a DVD-RW disc may allow you change titles after it’s finalized. When finished with the “12 Steps” you are good to go… unless, you want/need additional copies. If so, you will need a program to copy DVD to DVD (unless you want to re-copy your VHS tape again). To do copies: I bought “easy CD & DVD burning” by Roxio. While available from Amazon I did not buy from Amazon, because I needed it immediately. The program is simple and easy to use for a novice, such as myself. Overall I was very pleased with Roxio’s “easy CD & DVD” except for one thing: If you want to copy a single “title/chapter” that you’ve created (and not the entire DVD) Roxio will copy without sound (!). You will get a message that “AC3 codec” is not supported. Roxio’s tech support will tell you to buy “Creator Nxt 3”; but reviews on Amazon (for that product) convinced me not to waste the money. Actually, if you intend to copy the entire new DVD (not just selected titles/chapters) “easy CD & DVD” works perfectly. In my case, when I only wanted one “chapter/title” (with sound) and not the entire DVD I recopied just that portion of the VHS tape (again) to DVD. No problem, just took more time. I also found that it takes approximately 3 hours to play, convert, title and copy each standard SP (2 hours recording) VHS tape. My old VHS tapes were already well labeled with subject and time markers. If your tapes are not already labeled you will need additional time to locate the places at which you want add your title/chapters (step 11 above). Alternatively, you can let the machine set chapter marks at a specified time interval (5, 10 minutes, etc.). SUMMARY: For what I bought this for (converting VHS tape to DVD) the Toshiba DVR620 DVD/VHS Recorder works perfectly.