This unit does work, but I have found it has some flakiness.  It seems if you keep it plugged in it works fine.  If it is left unplugged for some time, it just takes a while to "warm up".  It had some issues with the "LOADING" message that flashes on the LCD panel, which from reading about these units, is a common problem.  I discovered that a capacitor was bad, which I replaced and the unit began to work.  I bough some extra caps and will include those with the unit in case it ever needs to be replaced again. From what I can tell, the unit is fully operational.  I have successfully dubbed a VCR tape to a DVD-R disc using the "just dubbing" feature.  Otherwise, I have not done more than play a VHD tape, CD, DVD in the unit.  The LCD panel is VERY dim, but you can read it if you get close.  The remote control IS INCLUDED.  The monitor shown in the pictures is NOT included, I only used it to show the output of the unit.  There are scratches and scuffs, and small dings (mostly on the top), but otherwise the unit is in good physical condition.