written by on 06/06/2008
After contacting Lite On and receiving my second 9016G, it was just as bad. Slow response, won't work with any of the $80.00 worth of DVD's I've tried. Now it won't even play a DVD. The company was very difficult and would not replace the second one. Paid $200, biggest mistake I'v made. Stay away from this product.
written by on 23/03/2008
I will never by another Lite On DVD anything. DVD's in general are horrible, and this device just makes the experience worse. It's the most basic system I have seen, and if you want to use it for simple tape to disc transfers then take the time to learn it's little attitude problems.
written by thedeb41 on 30/09/2007
If someone gave me this unit as a present for free or for what ever reason, I WOULD NOT TAKE IT. Stay away from this unit. Cannot depend on this unit to do timer recording.
written by oberjim on 24/10/2006
After wasting a couple of weeks of my spare time dubbing VHS tapes to DVD's, I took the Lite-On LVC-9016G DVD/VCR Combi back to Costco, and got a Panasonic DMR-EH75VS, which I should have bought in the first place.
written by hollidayp1 on 23/05/2006
The Lite-On LVC-9016G is a VHS-DVD combo unit that can record DVD's from VHS tapes and VHS tapes from DVD's. It has a very good user interface and is easy to use. However, the VHS tape functions are limited, and so are the DVD functions. Although the unit performs well as a copy device from one media to the other, it is not as good as having a separate VCR and a separate DVD recorder.
A major flaw with this unit's copy function (from VHS to DVD) is that you cannot use the OTR (One Touch Recording) function once you have started copying from VHS to DVD. The problem is that you have to stop the recording manually instead of, for example, setting the OTR to stop the recording automatically after 1 or 2 or 6 hours. This is a real pain if you want to transfer only 3 hours say, of a 6 hour VHS tape. You have to hang around for 3 hours to stop the thing when you want, which is a real pain in the neck.
You are much better of with a $50 VCR and a separate $150 (or less) DVD recorder and a simple A/V cable. At least you will have a full-featured VCR, and if one unit fails you can replace it easily.
Another, and perhaps more serious problem with the Lite-On LVC-9016G (and with other Lite-On DVD Recorder models) is that it records DVD's with a very strange and troublesome format. Basically, when you look at the DVD on a computer with Windows Explorer (and other programs) you will see more than 8Gb (yes, 8 Gigabytes) of files on a 4.7Gb single layer DVD. It appears that Lite-On records extra stuff for some unknown reason that fools most Windows programs. The bottom line about this crazy format is that you cannot ever re-author or edit the DVD! The only thing you can do is make an image copy (say from DVD RW to DVD R), but the copy still shows 8Gb of files that you cannot re-author. This is the main reason that I rate the Lite-On LVC-9016G as NOT ACCEPTABLE and it should be avoided.
By the way, the same unacceptable recording format was found on the Lite-On LVW-5005 and the Lite-On LVW-1101HC1 models, and these are also NOT ACCEPTABLE.
Paul Holliday (May 2006).
Written on: 05/02/2007
I should add that I had the same problem with my Sony RDR VX 420 DVD-Player.
<br/>I bought it to transfert my movies from my VCR to DVD but I can not watch them on my computer.
<br/>I tried many programs to try read the DVD but it's impossible. This is UNACCEPTABLE! AVOID THIS DEVICE TOO. or Probably all SONY DVD Recorders.
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275759_Sanz's Response to 264404_oberjim's Review
Written on: 24/01/2007
I totally agree! I heard how great and easy "Lite On" was, so I bought one. I am taking it back today to Costco. I got it all set up under my flat panel, turned it on and notice this incredible clanking noise coming from the VHS side. I found out this is normal flaw - sheesh!
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<br/>Setting up: you press the "set up" button to start setting it up internally only to find out my communication with the unit never went past the word "Hello" written on the player's screen. This would have been funny, however after 45 minutes of web search, it appears this is a Normal problem - their website even says to send the machine back if this occurs. Whatever!
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<br/>The next morning I went to call Lite On's 800 number, but low and behold it is a Toll Call now. They do not even provide a free call from their new customers. This says a lot. I will never buy their product again - waste of time.