I bought a dvdirect the vcd20. I have tried to copy an 8mm tape using a Sony camcorder and also from a VHS . I have tried verbatim dvd-r 8x verbatim dvd-r 16x and Phillips dvd+r also some other cheaper brands. The only one that has worked is the Phillips brand. The ones that didn't work would record anywhere from a few seconds to over 20min. and then the machine would still show that it was recording but the counter would stop counting down. It acted like it locked up. None of the buttons would work. I would stop the machine and try to finalize and it would give me an error. I bought this machine from an individual and he contacted Sony and they told him they had no record of his warranty . I told him I was willing to pay to get it fixed. Sony told him they would not do anything if it passed the online test. I went online and tested it and it passed. The man I bought it from said he never had any problem with it. He used Sony DvD-R. I also downloaded the firmware update and that did not help. I would use the Phillips DVD+r but it is my understanding that the -r is the most compatible. I am at a loss for what to do next. I talked to Sony myself and they told me " the machine is so new we don't even have anybody to work on them yet". If anybody has had any experience with the Dvdirect I would appreciate any help.Thanks