As previous reviewers indicated, good basic DVD recorder. I suggest a starter recorder to replace VHS; you could buy a combo VHS/DVD recorder to archive your VHS library, but (1) dubbing is real time (if a tape is 2 hours, it takes 2 hours to dub to DVD), and (2) most commercial VHS tapes are coded to prevent dubbing.

Thus, as a basic DVD recorder:

(1) Easy user interface menu system (not many options available).

(2) East to use menu to insert Titles to recorded material; be sure to allocate a separate time program for each show to have a separate title (don't string several off-the-programs together as 1 recording).

(3) Timer programing lacks options for MON-FRI and SAT-SUN; this means you must individually program each repeating show (for example, recording the Tonight Show w/ J Leno requires 5 individual slots -- very tedious and takes up 5 of 8 program slots). My JVC DVD recorder has repeat functions (but user interface is very... Read more

I picked this machine up a few weeks ago, and am most impressed with the ease of operation. Keep in mind it's a BASIC dvd recorder, single layer, dvd-r and dvd-rw, which is compatible with most players out there. I purchased this for the sole purpose of transferring old VHS material onto dvd, and this machine does a great job of that. And the low price of this machine makes it easy for anyone to make the move from VHS to dvd. Finally, I'll be able to get rid of those boxes of tapes. A real bargain.

This is a very basic DVD Recorder. It doesn't have a ton of bells and wistles which is what makes it perfect for beginners. The lack of DVD-ram is upsetting, considering the DR-W4 is only thirty more for many more features, but sometimes less features are nice, the simplicity makes it easy for my entire family to use. You cannot access menu items when discs are finalizing/formatting/or even when shows are recording, which is unfortunate. Otherwise, it is a great starter by a company that makes reliable products.