Art, I had heard or read the same thing, but was told by the sales guy that sold me my Sony, that it wasn't a big deal. He himself had a Panasonic that he used with tape and never had a problem. I've dealt with this sales guy for the past seven years and have never been steered wrong, or else I wouldn't still be dealing with him. Another plus is that more than likely you'll be playing back the tape on the unit it was recorded on, which means no head adjustments. I haven't had a problem at all, and as I said, I really doubt that I'll ever use the vcr again. I have two now,I really can't see buying a third to use to archive material from the other two. The only thing the combo unit has going for it over stand alone is that you don't have to hook up anything to it.