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VHS to DVD recorders Abound! Is JVC's Right For You?
Reviewed 6/10/10 Does using one of JVC’s VHS to DVD recorders make turning camcorder videos into family treasures a snap? That’s what they tell us but I found some problems with this DVD recorder. Now to be truthful I never really filmed my kids growing up but my wife did have some old confirmation/communion footage that I transferred to VHS years ago. I thought it was time to digitize them using one of the many VHS to DVD recorders on the market.In the past JVC had made many fine machines such as the JVC DR-DX5S HDD/DVD recorder - (full review here) . A friend of mine was happy with that machine and had no trouble through the years. Another one of their recorders the JVC DR-MH200S DVD Recorder- (full review here) was a very capable machine. It was not feature laden for the techies but quite useful for the average consumer. JVC was trying to give something to everyone. Going way back to its humble beginnings the JVC MH30 DVD Recorder - (full review here) stood the test of time as did the JVC-DR-MV1S DVD-Recorder-VCR - (full review here) which is one of their first VHS to DVD recorders. Most recently JVC has spawned the grandchild of that early machine. They developed a feature laden DVD recorder that's worth looking into. The JVC-DRMV100B DVD VCR Combo Recorder- (full review here) is a tempting choice for converting those old tapes into DVDs. Anyway I digress! I figured that JVC had a good track record so why not try one of their new DVD recorders? That’s how I wound up with the JVC DR-MV150B DVD recorder These are the surprises that I found. The access to the Setup menu is not intuitive. When pressing the Home button on the remote and then select the Setup menu you need to press the (OK) button to open the setup menu. In other words you need extra keystrokes to get where you want to go. Very annoying! Also you need to cycle through different destinations until you get to your choice. The more useful destinations like finalizing are not close at hand so the navigation is frustrating. Another problem I experienced was with the HDTV connection for my 65” Panasonic Viera. The HDMI resolution needs be set from the front panel but does not stay set when the DVD recorder is turned off. This means you have to set up the HDMI every time you turn the recorder on! I did a little online research and found that some buyers had freeze problems. Apparently it freezes up playing a DVD and the only way to unfreeze is to eject the DVD then unplug the DVD recorder. Also the DVD recorder does not work properly with all types of discs. Other consumers found that it worked for a while and then just died. Needless to say I digitized my tapes but I believe that this JVC should be passed up when searching from the all of the available VHS to DVD recorders. I returned this unit and got my cash back. On the plus side the installation of the JVC DR-MV150B is not complicated as the unit uses a standard DVD output connection. This device does have easy installation and recording flexibility. Whether recording television shows or transferring older VHS tapes this JVC DVD recorder allows you to choose many types of DVD discs including RW, -R and +R. Truthfully the wide range of recording formats is a feature that most VHS to DVD recorders do not have. The JVC DR-MV150B offers VHF, UHF, CATV analog NTSC tuning capability, as well as an ATSC digital tuner with VSB and Clear QAM capabilities. With Dolby digital for DVD’s and digital sound for VHS tapes, quality sound playback is compatible with most audio systems. Finding VHS to DVD recorders that feature quality audio and visual components is difficult so kudos to JVC for that. On the technical side the encoding system for both pre and post processing features super MPEG. The video converter is capable of 54MHz and 10 bit D/a conversion. Both the VHS and DVD use the same DVD connector allowing for a quick and easy set-up. DVD and VHS dubbing of video includes one-touch recording and 12-hour recording capabilities. The JVC DR-MV150B is a black slim profile unit. The streamlined unit is less than three inches tall allowing placement versatility. Conclusion Want to convert old family VHS tapes to DVD? While it does that function adequately and the picture quality is good on both the VCR and DVD players the unit does not work properly with all types of discs. The unit has many features making it a contender, albeit with some reservations, in the VHS to DVD recorders product line. I’d be wary of the many problems experienced with this product and investigate VHS to DVD recorders made by Toshiba or Panasonic. Read the articles on other DVD recorders offered by JVC.
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