Editorial Review:

Item Description:
The ultimate convenience recorder, Samsung's DVD-VR300 offers not only dual-format playback - DVD and VHS videocassette - but dual-format recording, as well. The DVD-VR300 makes it easier than ever to time-shift your TV viewing, save treasured broadcasts, archive your library of home videos, or share your creations with friends and family. Further, the combo recorder offers unprecedented format flexibility, handling DVD-RAM, DVD-R, and rewriteable DVD-RW optical media.

Amazon.com Item Description:
The ultimate convenience recorder, Samsung's DVD-VR300 offers not only dual-format playback--DVD and VHS videocassette--but dual-format recording, as well. The DVD-VR300 makes it easier than ever to time-shift your TV viewing, save treasured broadcasts, archive your library of home videos, or share your creations with friends and family. Further, the combo recorder offers unprecedented format flexibility, handling DVD-RAM, DVD-R, and rewriteable DVD-RW optical media.

Samsung has developed its own multiformat technology that grants the DVD-VR300 the flexibility to support all three major DVD recording formats, each bringing its own advantages and capabilities. You have the option of recording straight from the television in either format (disc or tape), as well as being able to record from VHS to DVD and vice versa with the convenience of one easy-to-use machine. (Copy protection may prohibit recording of most commercial DVDs.)

DVD-RAM is the most technically versatile recording format available to DVDs and can even adapt to the DVD-RW standard for playback on older DVD players. It allows mixed storage of video, audio, and other types of data from both the PC and the audio/video worlds. DVD-RAM's nonlinear read/write characteristics allow convenient features like time-shifting and time-warping, which means you can start watching a program from the beginning while the end is still being recorded. Rewritable DVD-RW and write-once DVD-R compatibility lend the DVD-VR300 the broadest available DVD Forum-backed compatibility at the time of its issue.

Front-panel audio-video inputs offer easy access for connecting external devices and the unit also offers analog and digital DV (FireWire) inputs accessible from the front panel.

The unit also supports audio playback for an array of popular formats, including CD, CD-R/RW, and MP3 CD. Additionally, the player has the ability to play JPEG CDs and Kodak Picture CDs for onscreen viewing of digital photos. Full-motion video, still images, backward compatibility with VHS cassettes, all your favorite music--the DVD-VR300 is quite a device.

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Rating: - * Very touchy machine ...
I was able to play only one of five DVDs I made on this machine. When recording from an attached video camera, everything looked fine, picture appeared on TV going through the DVD/VCR, Record light is nicely lit, after finishing the DVD it played well on the Samsung. But when trying to play back either on my Sony Vaio or my Apple iMac, all I get is a soundless black picture. When I recorded on DVD-RW from a videotape inserted in the VCR, I could play the result on my Sony. But the next tape I recorded only caused Microsoft to keep asking me to send an error report when I tried to play it on my Sony. My Apple refused to recognize it as a DVD. Unpredictably incompatible. When I called the Samsung helpdesk they told me to call the computer manufacturer. I guess I would have to call both Sony and Apple then? Crutchfield was the seller for this product and they actually have a very helpful helpdesk -by the name of Darren- According to him I should try a different brand DVD disc. I tried Memorex instead of the Office Depot and found that this brand of disc solved the problem. Question for Samsung: Why don't you have this on your troubleshooting page in the manual? Why does the dealer know this, but you don't?

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Rating: - * Lots of write failures ...
This DVD recorder seems to use cheap parts that result in a large % of disc-burnin failures. Even though DVD-R is cheap these days (but not so with DVD-RAM), you'll be much better off and happier with DVD recorders from Panasonic. (The Panasonic DVD recorder/VCR combo is also $200 cheaper!)

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Rating: - * Happy Buyer ...
I had previously purchased a Samsung VCR/DVD player and was really impressed with the quality. In fact the VCR player is so good that it plays old VHS tapes that had gotten to where I could no longer watch them using my other VCR players. I have been wanting a DVD recorder to convert my large video collection to DVDs and have bought and returned several DVD Recorders because they turned out to be absolute junk. When Samsung came out with their own combo recorder I took a chance and so far so good. The minute I opened the box and discovered a large-print pictoral quick guide for setting up the recorder I knew I had struck gold. Two hours after setting up I have already converted one VHS tape to DVD. You get what you pay for!