Toshiba D-VR5 DVD / VHS Recorder Quite Possibly the best one ever made

[@HerrSeelenflug]

This one is built by Orion, before they switched to Funai. So it's older but Orion has a great build quality and they last forever. They aren't compatible with new noname DVDs anymore (thats often the error message) but work fine with known brands. Another good thing is, if the laser diode is done, you can get the retail version of the Pioneer drive super cheap and switch out the laser.

[@marcelinopagsanjan6959]

Watching from the Philippines..thanks for sharing..

[@mgrsdgfsdafsdgrsdgfsdg6980]

Can we get more shop stories? WE love hearing about the follies of the past.

[@12voltvids]

I think you have heard them all.

[@rich_edwards79]

That's a really nice find. I have a UK-spec Panasonic DMR-EZ48V that cost me quite a lot of money (used) back in the day, but it doesn't have S-VHS compatibility and I don't know if the DVI connection works as I don't have a compatible video camera. It can record to DVD-RAM discs but for some reason not the ones that come in a caddy even though the tray is physically compatible with them! It also has both analog and digital terrestrial tuners, and HDMI / component outputs, but no RF (which I only found out when I tried plugging it into the house RF distribution system to watch something i'd recorded in another room.) Another quirk of that deck is that PAL / NTSC playback has to be manually selected in the menus, whereas every other VCR I've ever owned (including budget ones) have detected it automatically. I have been offered another of the same model for free but the DVD drive has a fault and I'm not sure if the drives can be replaced, as I read somewhere that they are 'locked' to each unit in firmware.

[@morpheousbanshee]

EZ48 has SQPB.

[@Sb129]

Nice nice, I didn't know there was combo units that feature DVD recorders integrated as well. I remember we had a DVD recorder but it was its own box.

[@DoubleMonoLR]

Combo VCR + DVD recorder units were quite common as VCRs were being phased out, as people wanted to transfer their existing tapes. Albeit there was a lot more that just combined VCRs & DVD *players*

[@NJRoadfan]

I haven't come across one, but JVC made a combo unit (SR-MV40/50/55) that had a SVHS deck complete with the Digipure TBC like the HR-S9911U has.

[@zx8401ztv]

What a lucky find. usually the dvd laser is one of the first thing to cause problems. I would not be supprised about manufacturers being picky and wanting there own system only. i still have one of those tape/dvd combo units, a rather thick and chromed daewoo unit. I dont actually use it, my interest in dvd/tape films died a loooong time ago. Why do i still keep it? god knows lol.

[@thetechgenie7374]

Usually the 2200uf capacitors in power supply fail causing no disc error and not to boot up at times. Dead giveaway is if you power off with disc in and disc still spin.

[@zx8401ztv]

@@thetechgenie7374 Ahh yes the power supply. If i have checked them first, they are ok and it's never the fault, if i don't check the supply it turns out to be faulty. It's a kind of twisted sods law lol :-D.

[@paulb4uk]

A very good machine even better with the svhs playback.

[@12voltvids]

Yup this one is a keeper.

[@analogvideochannel4612]

The mech looks like the one from Orion at least, not the funai one. Granted, it's possible some of the pars or drum were made by funai still at this point. Some of the other toshiba combos do use the funai mech and setup, they had probably quit making their own vcr stuff before combo units were a thing.

[@thetechgenie7374]

It is definitely a Orion mechanism. They use optical sensors for mode cam gear. I still prefer the Funai as they use Panasonic dvd recorder and chipset. It has lower noise then the older LSI that people tend to like. Plus the Funai VHS side don't oversaturate the picture, the Orion VHS do. Just the Funai have mode switch oxidizing issue and SMD capacitors on recorder issue. Plus the 4700uf capacitor goes bad in PSU

[@guruoo]

Perfect for people wanting to copy their old VHS tapes to a newer, longer lasting digital format.

[@12voltvids]

Yup

[@AlexThorn]

I just picked this up for $1,but whats up with the hdmi?does it output vhs over hdmi?

[@calypso22]

Disk Setup? :)

[@12voltvids]

?

[@calypso22]

My apologies. When you were going through the menus looking for a way to format your disk at the beginning of your video, I thought I saw a an option for Disk Setup.

[@12voltvids]

@@calypso22 yes there is option to select disk. Newer machine you can put either VR or video mode disc in and it will pick the correct format depending on how the disc is formatted. On this one you have to pick what format you want discs formatted in when the drive is empty. It will then format new DVD RW discs in that format. This one was initially set to DVD VR and I put a blank DVD video diskin and it would not read it. Had I changed that to DVD video before putting in the disc it would have been fine but I don't have instruction manual for this so I had to kind of figure out as I was going through the setup how it worked.

[@ronwilgenbusch1961]

My JVC combo recorder unit is only compatible with a DVC-SD or DV25 camcorder on the DV input. Also, in the audio DV settings it has to be 12bit/32khz or 16bit/48khz, it can’t be 44.1khz. So I’d look up the manual for yours and go from there.

[@12voltvids]

Well the camera in DV mode is dv25 48khz 16 bit audio. Works when plugged into my other DVD recorder.

[@dlarge6502]

I dont know of a minidv camcorder that has a 44.1kHz sample rate. I thought it was only 12bit/32khz (to allow for a voiceover channel) and 16bit/48khz

[@12voltvids]

Working fine. Just wanted to be powered off and then back on. It was recognizing the camera but no video from it. Power cycled and it fixed it.

[@blackimp4987]

what's happening to your poor cat? it seems he or she needs desperately attention :D One question if you don't mind: what would you keep among Funai DPVR 2600 vhs- dvd player or just a JVC HD585 vhs ? I have both and I would like to sell one and keep the sturdier of the two. I've never opened any of them

[@richardkeith7571]

LoL the cat

[@rs2klee]

hi could it be that the vcr does not like a 1080 type signal when trying to record onto a svhs tape or the actual cd ?

[@12voltvids]

My camera was not set to 1080 mode it was set to DV so the signal coming out that firewire was 480i not 1080i

[@Dutch-linux]

Good morning Dave wow that looks like a very well built machine think some folks would pay a decent penny for that ..... I was wondering if the dvd drive was stuffed could it be replaced with a pc dvd drive ?

[@12voltvids]

No not standard interface.

[@MISSY4EVR]

Will it dub without a remote?

[@12voltvids]

No need remote to finialize disc. Any time I see one for sale i ask about remote if they say no then my offer drops to I will take it off your hands for free because useless without remote.

[@MISSY4EVR]

@@12voltvids thank you for this information

[@EastAngliaUK]

looks good PQ to.

[@12voltvids]

It plays svhs tapes and because it has svideo input and outputs there won't be the resolution limitation of other sqvhs decks. Quasi playback on most VHS machines had a limited improvement because the output was composite. This one does it as svideo and the recording to DVD is handled as an svideo signal. Therefore it will deliver 400 lines resolution to the DVD endoder. This was one of the few combo machines that did it. A little earlier then the d-vr7 that followed where they made them cheaper. Dropped svhs playback. Even though the tape does not record svhs, i wouldn't expect it to because in the day people would be recording to DVD ram or dvdrw for time shifting and stuff. The tape side would mainly be used to play tapes to convert to DVD. So svhs playback is a big bonus.

[@ExcellentChef]

Can it play CDs?

[@12voltvids]

I would hope.

[@sebastianflesjandersen939]

I think the problem with the FireWire is that you forgot to use a monster cable🤪

[@12voltvids]

That might be the problem. The previous owner may have used a monster cable and fuxed the connector. Will investigate that next week. Would like to get it working.

[@slayufa]

Cat helps you? :)

[@kirknelson156]

I always had the worst luck with both dvd-rw and cd-rw disks, expecially if I try to use them more than once. I just found them to be too flaky

[@12voltvids]

I've used dvd-,rw for years. Never issues unless used in liteon drives. Then they become coasters.

[@HDXFH]

I got a panasonic unit, good init better than the LG and Samsung units

[@12voltvids]

I have 3 Panasonic, 5 Toshiba, 2 lg and a Sony.

[@tonyrutgershauer7947]

This dudes the best, watch all the time.....Do VHS heads require a wand De-mag as cassette decks do occasionally ?

[@12voltvids]

No. Video heads don't need demagnetizing. for that matter neither do cassette decks as long as you put them into record once in awhile because the bias signal will neutralize any magnetism in the head. The exception is three head decks which have a dedicated playback head that one does need to be demagnetized on a cassette deck or reel-to-reel as it never sees any record current. VCR heads also do not require to be demagnetized put the machine in record once every couple hundred hours will eliminate any residual magnetic charge that may build up on the head. Because of the way video is recorded it's recorded as a FM radio signal as opposed to just a fluctuating magnetic signal on an analog audio recording.

[@borisdg]

6:46 :DDD

[@12voltvids]

Starting to sound like the wife! Talk to her that way and a 10lb cast iron fry pan would be hurled in my direction.