Passthrough was discussed in the course of other threads, it doesn't have a dedicated thread of its own. (There will, however, be a guide on this on the new site, at some point.)
- VCR (TBC disabled) >
- Panasonic DVD recorder >
- TBC, if available >
- other optional hardware (proc amp, detailer)
- DVD recorder or capture card
Yes, "passthrough" because it passes through the machine, and the DVD recorder is not used as a DVD recorder. It's just being used as another filter device, sort of like a TBC.
Re-creating fake stereo is still fake. I never bother with it. There's nothing inherently wrong with mono audio to me. Most of my favorite stuff mono. Even when stereo is used, it tends to be used poorly. The only good use of stereo that I know of readily is the song "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne, where several effects bounce between the speakers, and gives it a really unique sound.
The 4-hour mode is not suggested at all. The ONLY exception would be the JVC series DVD recorders, the good models (DR-M10, DR-M100, etc -- LSI Logic chipset generation machines), where the recorded material is low on movement or is cartoon animation. On the JVC machines, the bitrate allocation on SP (2-hour) is the same as 4-hour (LP). On Panasonic machines, the allocation is too low, and you get a ton of blocks and noise. Don't believe the BS marketing hype on the side of the Panasonic boxes -- the four-hour mode is unacceptable and should be avoided at all costs. Some of this is mentioned already on the DVD recorder reviews page at
http://www.digitalfaq.com/reviews/dvd-recorders.htm
There are not any HD recorders at the moment, excluding proprietary DVR boxes from satellite or cable companies.
"LOADING" is a generic error message, meaning that something is wrong with the disc or the unit. Be sure you're using Verbatim 16x DVD-R in it, or good 2x DVD-RW media. Anything else will be problematic, in most cases. Most DVD recorders are like this, refusing to work with subpar blanks.
Beyond that, some of the earliest machines had faulty Chinese capacitors. This was not unique to JVC, many companies from the early 2000s ended up with the bad caps. My Panasonic ES10 had bad caps, too, as did an AMD motherboard. It's simply an issue of replacing the faulty caps. You'll need skills with a soldering. I don't have those skills, I had a friend at the local college A/V room do it for $25 plus parts ($5). Bad caps will be bulged and/or leaking, pretty easy to spot in the machine. It's a a cheap easy fix, but most people threw the machines in the trash, or sold them on eBay. Some auction sellers lied about the condition ("tested", but "as is"), others did not ("for parts").
I can create some documentation for this in a few weeks, if you need more on fixing a JVC "LOADING" error (replacing caps).