Recording vcr plays tapes but won't record

Sounds like its mechanism need some alignment. Guide pole alignment. Contact any service technician. This is technically skilled work. http://electronicshelponline.blogspot.com/

You have not mentioned the make and model number of the vcr. Any way the problem is due to end sensor or related circuit. End sensors are photo diods which you can check the shorting with a multy meter.

look to see if tape will fully load and if FF or REWIND work, if not a transport problem, drive mechanism not moving the tape, unit will sense this and shut unit off----even a problem in the loading mechanism for the VHS tape not loading the tape all the way will do the same thing.

check the hours your set to record.

if your only getting 4 tapes done, expand the number of hours

may need new recorder

You need a remote to setup the dvd record and vcr record. Then you have to do dvd initialization perhaps before you can dub from tape to dvd?

I have a Magnavox MWR20V6 and I am attempting to record a Tv show but when I play it back the recording is just black.

If you mean record from one tape to another, you'll need two VCR -
outout from first with the tape you want to play to the input of the seocnd with a tape to record.
Hit play on the first one and record on the second and off you go.

If you are recording the tapes in a slow speed, then I would suspect that the tracking pulse is not being recorded properly. Since this is a new VCR, return it for an exchange. One of the recording heads is bad.
Dan

Hey do the tapes play at all? sometimes some tapes recorded
on other machines won't play on others. maybe you need to adjust the tracking on the VCR you are playing it on. If the tape
was recorded on a VCR that is misaligned it might not play back
on another VCR. Also the tape may have been recorded on a
super VHS VCR in et (extended definition) mode if so they won't play on just any VCR. If the picture looks scrambled like a
premium channel on analog cable then it's probably recorded in et.
and if its recorded on super VHS tape it may eject out of your VCR.
They don't make these S-VHS vcrs anymore but people still
have them around. There is also Digital VHS they're not
compatible with VHS either. A VHS recorded in et mode will
play on some more expensive vcrs it should say so on the box
or instructions.

There are no such adapters that would allow 8mm, Hi8 and Mini DV tapes to be played in a VHS VCR. Only the old VHS-C tapes can fit and play in an adapter. There are several reasons why 8mm (or Hi8 and miniDV tapes) cannot be physically played in a VHS VCR: 1. 8mm (Hi8, miniDV) is a different format with different technical characteristics than VHS. These formats were never developed with the intention to be mechanically compatible with current VHS technology. 2. 8mm/Hi8 tapes are 8mm wide (miniDV is 6mm wide), while VHS tape is 1/2" wide, making it impossible for a VHS video head to read the taped information correctly. 3. 8mm/Hi8/miniDV tapes are recorded and played at different speeds than VHS, so even if the tapes could physically fit into a standard VHS VCR, the VCR still couldn't play back the tapes at their correct speeds. 4. 8mm/Hi8/minDV audio is recorded differently than VHS. 8mm/Hi8 audio is recorded in AFM HiFi mode, while miniDV audio is recording in 12-Bit or 16-Bit PCM digital audio format. So, even if the video could be played back in a VHS VCR, the audio could not be read properly. 5. 8mm/Hi8 video is of higher resolution than VHS and is recorded in a different bandwidth length (miniDV video is recorded digitally), so once again, a standard VCR still could not read the information correctly, even if the tape could fit into a VCR.