Rating: 
Summary: Bit twice by this unit -- not a 3rd time
Review: I wanted to like this product -- I did. I was looking for a replacement "hi fi" VCR as well as a new DVD player and the price seemed right.I ended up returning the first unit after one day because the VCR refused to track tapes -- even tapes it recorded itself. Every tape would just scroll and scroll. And you'd think by 2004 that any mass-produced VCR would *not* need manual "tracking" buttons, wouldn't you? This does... They just don't work that well. The replacement unit had an audible "clunk" when the VCR heads parked the tape at insertion/power off. The tracking was much better, but still the picture rolled occasionally. And I then saw the random counter display come up on-screen while playing a DVD. And I also fully agree with the comments about the remote. It's too small and as a VCR remote, it's layout is pretty bad. Also (IMO) the on-screen programming setup is pretty awful. For example, you have to manually enter the numerical day of the week -- even for the current day -- by typing in numbers instead of being able to scroll through the available days. And, it shows a lack of professionalism for the manual to offer it's web site up as a contact but (as of this writing in Jan 2004) it's not an active site yet! All in all, not worth the $90 I paid for it (on sale). It goes back to the store for a full refund as I feel I can't trust it to function correctly as a VCR *or* DVD player. Back to the drawing board...
Rating:
Summary: can't get my shipment
Review: I was suppose to get my vcr/dvd combo by October 8 - 9, Today is the 17th, and still haven't gotton shipment. I have or "had a customer" waiting for this order. He's not happy!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Doesn't come with a universal remote.
Review: I would have expected the remote to allow me to also control my TV. Nope, remote is only good for the player. I didn't check but frankly, in this day and age I assumed it would. I've returned it and never even plugged it in so no idea how it works besides that.
Rating: 
Summary: Sometimes Inexpensive Is Just Cheap
Review: Ignore the low marks from stupid reviewers who complain about shipping time or the fact that the Apex doesn't include a universal remote -- shipping time isn't the fault of Apex, and no DVD player includes a universal remote. There are plenty of other reasons to dislike this DVD/VCR combo, and let's focus on those. I too had the same problems as another reviewer from NY -- the LCD tape counter didn't work properly, the tape player would make noises sometimes, and there was a loud crackle from the speaker once while playing back a DVD. Most distubing was the apparent overload of the DSP (digital signal processor) on a DVD that had a lot of "action" -- the DVD player wasn't able to handle all the data and the display showed color bands and distorted images for a millisecond. Overall the quality of the unit just does not seem to be that high. If you get one and it doesn't have these problems out of the box, you might be okay, but then again you might not. And with only a 90 day warranty, you may be out $100+ in just a couple of months. Even though there's just a chance that I got a bad unit, I decided that it wasn't worth the risk of it blowing out, nor the hassle of returning another one again. I decided to return this one, spend a little more and get a brand name I can trust.
Rating:
Summary: You can do better!
Review: In the last two weeks, I've had two of these units. The first one's DVD drawer died about 8 days in; the second unit wouldn't play DVDs--it either said "No Disc" or froze about 15 seconds in. While I liked the display, and that the unit will internally dub a video from non-copyrighted DVDs, I had lost faith in the manufacturer. Good thing I wasn't paying shipping and just had to take them back to the mall! I'm happy with the new Toshiba SD-V392 I got for just a little more money.
Rating:
Summary: Poor progressive scan video output with Dolby Digital audio
Review: Please do not buy this 3800 Apex system. I have tested two of them for the dolby digital audio playback in progressive scan mode, the picture has waves and grids. If you are looking for these features (prog scan & dd 5.1), please avoid this one.
Rating:
Summary: DO NOT GET THIS
Review: The VCR is dreadful when it works. I have hundreds of hours of tape that this VCR has problems playing. It always skips and you can never get the tracking down just right. There is no visial display in tracking. Also, APEX customer support is factually non-existant. Their website answeres nothing and you can't contact them via email. Also, their tech-support hotline is open 8 hours and the signal is busy during those times. You'll have to end up spending $30 to send the piece of crap back because buying electronic online is like playing Russian Roulette.
Rating:
Summary: Nice Features, poor quality sound.
Review: This Apex seems to be a fine unit, except the sound quality on the DVD side is quite poor. Quality otherwise has been good, unlike some of the previous reviews. Have they improved these, or did I just get a good one?
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good
Review: This has served me well for the past three months no problems to speak of even hooked up to a televisoion from the 80's! works great!
Rating: 
Summary: Surprisingly good
Review: This is a feature-rich player full of pleasant surprises. In addition to its VCR function (play/record) it also plays DVDs, audio CDs, MP3 and WMA music CDs you burn on your computer, as well as CDs with pictures made with your digicam. I have tested all of the above (except WMA) and it all works fine. Easy navigation of folders and subfolders with MP3/JPEG disks, with on-TV display and controls that are similar to a computer display. Each folder or subfolder with JPEG images becomes an instant slide show. When playing MP3s, your TV display resembles that of a good MP3 player (with tags, elapsed/total time, etc). Large number of connection options as well, including inputs in the front where you can plug your camcorder. This purchase was a quick, unresearched decision but it has turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I cannot comment on the durability of the product though, as I have only used it for about a month. This would also make a great present for parents / grandparents as they could use it with any TV and they could display family pictures you send them on CDs you make on your computer. Although it has many modern connection options, it can also be connected as an ordinary VCR.
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