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JVC HR-XVC20U Hi-Fi DVD-VCR Combo (Black)

JVC HR-XVC20U Hi-Fi DVD-VCR Combo (Black)

List Price: $199.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: I will never buy a JVC product again.
Review: I would not buy this product again. After about 6 months (and perhaps 20 hours of use) the DVD player started freezing images or playing too slow. Took it to a local shop and had the DVD unit replaced as some expense to me (JVC agreed to pay about half and I had to pay the rest, about $60, as the warrenty had expired). Now a couple of months later the DVD player is starting to do the same thing again and I have to decide if I want to go through the repair thing again. Probably not. I am disgusted! The VHS unit has worked great and has seen a lot more hours of use.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: In the shop
Review: I would not buy this product again. After about 6 months (and perhaps 20 hours of use) the DVD player started freezing images or playing too slow. Took it to a local shop and had the DVD unit replaced as some expense to me (JVC agreed to pay about half and I had to pay the rest, about $60, as the warrenty had expired). Now a couple of months later the DVD player is starting to do the same thing again and I have to decide if I want to go through the repair thing again. Probably not. I am disgusted! The VHS unit has worked great and has seen a lot more hours of use.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: About what I expected...
Review: I'll start off with the good points -- Playback is uniformly excellent, and I've had absolutely zero problems with playing DVDs, VCDs, even SVCD on CD-RW. The remote took over most of the functions of my TV remote after extremely minimal setup. The system itself looks nice, and is generally well laid-out, with a few carefully chosen controls on the front panel. The MP3 playback mode is a particularly nice feature. I've owned this for several months now, and so far it's been perfectly reliable.

Now the disappointments. The remote is frequently a pain to use -- the labels on most of the option buttons are tiny, confusing, and occasionally misleading, and there seems to be no logical order to them. The most forehead-slapping example would have to be the buttons which choose subtitles and audio tracks -- they're *miles* from each other, and neither one is clearly labeled as to its purpose... Audio switching is done by repeatedly pressing "A. Monitor", for example, and subtitle switching is the alternate function of a button whose primary function I don't remember since I've never used it. Glow-in-the-dark buttons would also have been a nice feature for those of us who like to watch movies with the lights out.

DVD+/-R is iffy at best, with some sound problems, and some discs completely refused. If playing home-burned movies is a priority, look elsewhere.

One more thing I wish I'd known -- I had been hoping that with the S-VHS emulation mode, that I'd be able to play the VCR through the S-Video port. As it turns out, this is impossible. This made wiring this thing to my TV and stereo a serious logistical challenge. Effectively this is two seperate appliances sharing the same case and a few of the same outputs -- it will save you some room in your entertainment center, but it won't save you any wiring. This is the case with most, if not all, of these VCR/DVD combos, though, so it's not exactly a strike against it, I'd just like to know why it's apparently so difficult to handle S-Video gracefully on these things.

This is probably not a good choice for anybody serious about home theatre, but is certainly a good performer for folks who just want a reliable, up-to-date replacement for an aging VCR, say.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: I will never buy a JVC product again.
Review: Is the worse buy in my life. The DVD does not work and to get a new one is cheaper than repair. JVC Colombia unable to fix it.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Pathetic
Review: So far I'm pretty disgusted with this unit. I think I played one DVD on it. It did sit for a few months without use, and when I came back, the unit will no longer recognize any disc at all. JVC web site is completely useless. Now I have to waste time bringing the unit to a service center. We'll see if they'll cover the warranty. Since its longer than three months, I'm sure they'll charge me labor. What a scam!! Don't waste your money!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Merry Christmas
Review: The item seems to work great we set it up today. Problem is it was a Christmas gift and these idiots sent the package unwrapped... So if you're looking to buy this for a gift, have it sent to another address. Something I sure wish I would have been told before I purchased it...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: GREAT!!!!!
Review: This DVD/VCR Combo is Very Quiet in Both DVD and VCR modes. The Playback of VHS Tapes is very Crisp and Clean. Controls are easy once you Figure them out. My only Complaint is that threr is No VCR Eject Button on the Remote. An Excellent Buy

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Works just fine
Review: We were not looking to push the limits of the home entertainment frontier. We just wanted a reliable combo player due to our limited space. This player has worked out very well. Nothing has fallen off or started rattling since we purchased it several months ago, contrary to another review I've read. Not to mention, it has received much use (more Teletubbies than any human should have to endure). This has been a very affordable and reliable player for us.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: DON'T BUY IT!!
Review: We've had this device for five months now, and have not had any problems with it. It plays all of our videotapes, CDs, and DVDs, including home-made CD-Rs and DVD+Rs. The VCR accepts and ejects tapes smoothly with no hang-ups. My only complaint is that the remote is a bit of a headscratcher sometimes. I think it could have been laid out a little better, and that's the only thing that keeps me from giving it 5 stars. But the machine itself functions fine. We aren't electronic experts or anything, but we rent a lot of DVDs, and this machine has suited our needs perfectly.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Nice little machine
Review: We've had this device for five months now, and have not had any problems with it. It plays all of our videotapes, CDs, and DVDs, including home-made CD-Rs and DVD+Rs. The VCR accepts and ejects tapes smoothly with no hang-ups. My only complaint is that the remote is a bit of a headscratcher sometimes. I think it could have been laid out a little better, and that's the only thing that keeps me from giving it 5 stars. But the machine itself functions fine. We aren't electronic experts or anything, but we rent a lot of DVDs, and this machine has suited our needs perfectly.


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