Rio DDV3110 VHS VCR

I bought this VCR to replace a deck that had Commercial Advance. I like bells and whistles, and from time to time I duplicate tapes.

This VCR works fine in Deck 1, with quality and features comparable to what one would expect from a single-deck VCR costing half as much. Advanced features include Commercial Advance, time or index search, and automatic or manual tracking adjustment. These all work well. And the copy function works nicely, without any of the losses I usually experience with cabling. At least while it's new, image and audio are very sharp, and the rewind is very fast. (I can't speak to the audiophile/videophile quality -- just a 27" conventional TV and its speakers.) The front-panel display is not as informative as it could be -- ideally such a display should allow operation without any TV -- but it's better than 4 LEDs, or yet another digital clock, as is the norm.

But to claim this is like two VCRs in one is stretching. There is only one tuner, so it is not possible to record two shows that are broadcast at the same time. That's the primary reason I wanted two VCRs. And Commercial Advance isn't implemented on Deck 2.

I haven't tried duplicating pre-recorded movies yet (as when I rent a movie and realize I won't have time to watch it before its due.) The manual says the VCR won't defeat Macrovision which (the claim, if not the fact) is probably a legal requirement in this digital millennium.

Dual-deck VCRs are either twice as high, or half again as wide, as most normal VCRs. This one is wide. That could be a consideration.

Pros (long version)
Good as a single VCR, plus a secondary deck (we can't say slave any more) for duplicating. Good feature set and front panel display. Switching decks is as simple as a single button on the one remote control, instead of juggling multiple remotes and operating A/B switches.
I wish I'd spent the same money on two single VCRs and a good set of RCA cables. But if I were less technologically-inclined I'd probably appreciate the simplicity more.

Cons (long version)
Significantly less functionality than would be obtained with two separate VCRs. Second deck is not fully featured.
Operation, especially programming, is not intuitive, and not like most others. Reading the manual is necessary. Caution: "s" after a channel does not mean "Stereo", it means "Simulcast", so if you're not sending in a separate audio signal, none will be recorded.
If you put a mid-size TV directly on top of the VCR, the case will flex and the front panel buttons will stick and not work well.