Rating: 
Summary: it's often what they DON'T say...
Review: One of the reasons i wanted a combo unit was to view and convert dvds from grandchildren's recitals and other performances. I found out that MOST combo units do NOT read DVD-R or DVD RW. they only read commercial dvds. I just spent [a lot of money] on a dvd burner. with apple selling all these imovie tools and superdrives to burn dvds where is anyone going to be able to play them? Let's face it, we'd like to view our masterpieces on our tv...not a 17in computer screen. i am SOOOO disappointed. I've been searching for days for an alternative and still haven't found one that ready DVD-R!
Rating:
Summary: it's often what they DON'T say...
Review: One of the reasons i wanted a combo unit was to view and convert dvds from grandchildren's recitals and other performances. I found out that MOST combo units do NOT read DVD-R or DVD RW. they only read commercial dvds. I just spent [a lot of money] on a dvd burner. with apple selling all these imovie tools and superdrives to burn dvds where is anyone going to be able to play them? Let's face it, we'd like to view our masterpieces on our tv...not a 17in computer screen. i am SOOOO disappointed. I've been searching for days for an alternative and still haven't found one that ready DVD-R!
Rating: 
Summary: Nice Features, But Poor VHS Quality
Review: Overall, the build quality and image seems good, though the price is steep and features limited compared to separate standalone units. I wish the VCR was S-VHS. Easy to use overall. Commercial Advance is best feature since sliced bread. The DVD>VHS one-touch copy is very convenient for dubbing home movies from VCD to tape for grandma. Read the fine print, and you'll find that many of the cheaper DVD/VCR combos can't record onto tape from DVD (note DVR5100 still can't record copy-protected DVDs). It will play CD-R and VCDs, but not SVCDs (beware Rio HT2030 from same manufacturer, which won't play CD-R at all!). I haven't tried it with DVD-R yet. I had the same awful experience with SonicBlue support: endless phone hold, no or useless response to emails. That said, if you must have a combo unit, this is one of the better ones. However, if you have room in your rack/reciever for separate components, you'll get more for your money that way.
Rating: 
Summary: Not perfect, but better than most
Review: Overall, the build quality and image seems good, though the price is steep and features limited compared to separate standalone units. I wish the VCR was S-VHS. Easy to use overall. Commercial Advance is best feature since sliced bread. The DVD>VHS one-touch copy is very convenient for dubbing home movies from VCD to tape for grandma. Read the fine print, and you'll find that many of the cheaper DVD/VCR combos can't record onto tape from DVD (note DVR5100 still can't record copy-protected DVDs). It will play CD-R and VCDs, but not SVCDs (beware Rio HT2030 from same manufacturer, which won't play CD-R at all!). I haven't tried it with DVD-R yet. I had the same awful experience with SonicBlue support: endless phone hold, no or useless response to emails. That said, if you must have a combo unit, this is one of the better ones. However, if you have room in your rack/reciever for separate components, you'll get more for your money that way.
Rating:
Summary: "Concept" is good But Quality is lacking!
Review: The DVD play back is outstanding, though the 360 degree round button used for fast forward and rewind is tough to master. My unit started failing on the sound playback of Videotapes. Sound got softer then quit completely. I cleaned the heads, to no avail. It must go for repair, warranty is only 90 days for labor, one year for parts. Estimated repair labor is $60.00 I recommend not buying any DVD/ VCR without a 1 year warranty. For [item price] I would have expected this unit to function for at least a year! I have a 10 year old VCR and an 8 year old one that still work fine, cannot understand why a 6 month old VCR should fail. Note also that the instruction manual that comes with this does not address all questions, and that online manual is just a .pdf of the printed one. This forces you to call the 800 number, with waits of up to 30 minutes on hold, to get your questions answered.
Rating:
Summary: New York Times rated this number 1??
Review: The DVD play back is outstanding, though the 360 degree round button used for fast forward and rewind is tough to master. My unit started failing on the sound playback of Videotapes. Sound got softer then quit completely. I cleaned the heads, to no avail. It must go for repair, warranty is only 90 days for labor, one year for parts. Estimated repair labor is $60.00 I recommend not buying any DVD/ VCR without a 1 year warranty. For [item price] I would have expected this unit to function for at least a year! I have a 10 year old VCR and an 8 year old one that still work fine, cannot understand why a 6 month old VCR should fail. Note also that the instruction manual that comes with this does not address all questions, and that online manual is just a .pdf of the printed one. This forces you to call the 800 number, with waits of up to 30 minutes on hold, to get your questions answered.
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