DVD/VCR Combo

It does what is advertised. Dubbing from VCR to DVD is easy to do. Takes about 30 seconds to initialize the DVD. Write time is in real time; 1 hour tape takes 1 hour to record. After you stop the recording, it takes about 1 minute to complete the recording. When you finalize the DVD, it takes 1 to 2 minutes. This system is MUCH faster than using your computer. When recording from VCR to DVD, the video quality ends up a little bit washed out when viewed via video out or HDMI. HDMI gives best quality picture. Looks a bit better than the VCR video tape. Haven't tried dubbing DVD to VCR. Not really interested in that. But I've dubbed my hi-8 camcorder tapes to DVD with impressive results, in some cases looks better on the DVD than the camcorder playback when using the HDMI cable and 40 inch 1080p TV. Next item I may buy is the same setup, but with the ATSC tuner.

A great unit while it lasts. But it doesn't last long.

I bought this product to dub my tapes to dvd and record some footage to dvd. It's a nice combo unit, but beware of three things!

1. It has no tuner so you'll to connect it to a cable box, seperate tuner or converter box (I use my converter box) to get it to record programs off of tv.

2. And this is the biggest caveat! These and similar toshiba units like the D-KVR20 and DKVR60 (I've owned both of them previously) DO NOT LAST LONG FOR THE DVD FUNCTION IF YOU ARE RECORDING! I don't know about others, but this is my third unit in less than a year due to the DVD side malfunctioning and which is why I'm not rating the unit 5 stars. I can't say much about the vcr side as I didn't use it at all outside of the dubbing, but it worked fine for that. My advice? GET A SQUARETRADE WARRANTY FOR UNITS LIKE THIS! They are well worth the money as both times I got my money back after the unit dvd recording malfunctioned. Another bit of advice? Do all of your dubbing if at all possible within the warranty time frame that way you can have your tapes archived on dvd before the warranty expires and the unit gives out if your lucky. Also use DVD DECRYPTER AND DVD SHRINK TO BACK UP YOUR DVDS AS NEEDED SO YOU'LL HAVE THEM FOR YEARS TO COME (BECAUSE ALL DVD'S GET SCRATCHED AND CAN GET DAMAGED).

3. I didn't have this problem, but other people did. Older tapes don't track well & can cause the unit not to dub according to AMAZON REVIEWER G. B. Packert. They gave instructions on how to make the unit work dub and especially with older tapes. NOTE: THIS PART OF THE REVIEW IS NOT MINE BUT THEIRS ALL CREDIT FOR THIS PART GOES TO THEM AND THE FULL REVIEW CAN BE FOUND ON AMAZON BY SEARCHING TOSHIBA DVR-620 AND READING THE FIRST REVIEW ON THIS UNIT. I PLACED IT HERE YOUR CONVENIENCE.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1,050 of 1,055 people found the following review helpful
Works fine after calls to Toshiba December 16, 2009
By G. B. Packert

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 attempting to copy 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.

4. Press Record Mode (not Record) button and set the speed (I use SP).

5. Press the Setup button and select Recording. Select Dubbing Mode. Select VCR > DVD.

6. Press the VCR button and insert the videotape. Press Play and then Pause (not Stop) at the point slightly before you wish to start copying.

7. Press the Dubbing button. Push Stop when you want to stop dubbing. You can then insert another videotape to dub onto the same DVD, until it is full.

8. You can add titles on the DVD disk with the Top Menu button by selecting the part you wish to title and clicking on Edit and Edit Title.

9. After adding titles, you should finalize the DVD by pressing the Setup button, selecting DVD Menu and then Finalize (this may take a few minutes). Then you should be able to play the disk on another machine. I have been able to play finalized disks on my Sony DVD player.

Easy VHS to DVD conversion, great playback from VHS or DVD to any type TV

Just started using it. I dubbed my first VCR tape to a DVD disc, and it worked flawlessly. Since this was one of the main reasons for buying this product, I am very satisfied with it's performance. Also, it will play my VCR tapes on the newer HD televisions, and since I have already sold my old style TV, this was an unexpected benefit. The only possible improvement I could think of would be to work out a quick dubbing process. I don't know if it's technically possible to do so, going from VHS tape to DVD. I have only just started using this machine, so I'm still trying to work out all the functions. Fortunately, it works similarly to my other Toshiba DVD recorder, with the VCR feature added on. I have no basis for comparing this to similar products, as I have never used a similar product. All in all, an excellent machine.

best combo unit i have found.

i bought this unit because i still have vhs tapes,also the fact that you can copy vhs tapes to dvd.i have not had time to try this function yet but playback of both vhs and dvds works evcellent.also running my cable thru this unit first before tv has given me a cleaner picture and better volume than the tv alone.

Awesome Product....

Awesome product. Makes converting all my VHS tapes from when I was growing up into modern DVD's.

It also has tons of other options that I haven't even tried yet after I get all my VHS tapes converted.

I suggest reading the entire users manual before just trying to do the quick way.

Convert one tape to dvd then take it to a computer or another dvd player device to make sure it works.

Bottom line. It's an awesome player.

Thanks,