Zippy, I pay my cigar bill with a Sony RDR-GX7. DVDs cost me about 2.65 with a colour face and I charge 29.95 per VHS (PAL/SECAM/NTSC), miniDV, digital8, or Hi-8. Average about four a week at 27$ profit each = machine paid off in a few months and I have the use of it to record movies off cable for myself through the S-video link. There are other machines that are probably a better bang for the buck but the Sony was in stock when I needed a DVD real time recorder....