Rating: 
Summary: DVD STARTS TO BREAK DOWN AFTER A YEAR
Review: I've had this DVD/VCR combo for over a year. I didn't use it that often, and now I wish I had. It would have broken down sooner, and I would still have the warranty. The VCR works fine, but the DVD won't play my discs anymore. It makes a clicking noise and a blue screen comes on saying "this disc is dirty and has scratches, etc." Bull. All of my discs are recent purchases, new and clean. I tried them on my friends' DVD players and my own computer and they work fine. It is the DVD player that's not working. Panasonic used to be a good company, but I think they're no longer reliable. BUYERS BEWARE.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent DVD/VCR Combo
Review: If you are limited on space for both a VCR and DVD unit, then this unit is not bad. It was easy to install, picture quality is excellent, and there are plenty of options. Here are some highlights:a) Keys do not light on the remote. b) Has MP3 Playback options c) Universal remote capability to include your TV and Cable Box d) All 3-tape speeds are available for VCR recording (SP, LP & SLP) e) S-Video out connector for the DVD f) Video and Audio in on the front for easy access g) Timer recording for the VCR h) VCR includes a search system where an invisible mark is placed on the tape. A program index and information are also included for timer recording. These marks are used to access or scan recordings. i) Lock feature for the DVD (a 4-digit can be defined to view a blocked program or change rating settings) j) Energy Star compliant k) Home Theater ready l) Progressive Scan for a clearer picture signal for digital TVs
Rating:
Summary: pattern here, quality control poor
Review: My wife bought this unit at a nationally known retailer as Xmas gift. I plugged it in yesterday, and checked out one VHS tape.
It worked fine but then on the second tape, a commercially made movie, it refused to accept the tape. Other tapes gave same result: would not load the tape. I think Panasonic has a quality control problem here, late in 2002. DVD worked ok, but then display settings started to disappear. Unit is going back for refund today and I am looking for another manufacturer. Very disappointed with Panasonic.
Rating:
Summary: DVD Newbie, but computer geek...
Review: OK, so we took a while to switch from VHS to DVD. Heck, we didn't even have a TV for the last 14 months. Our kids had to do stuff like read, play board games, etc. -- the horror! This unit is nice. Here's how we have it set up. The video out goes to the Zenith cheapo TV. The sound goes to a set of 80 watt Yamaha computer speakers (2 + sub). The remote works fine with the TV and took all of 5 minutes to figure out. We've played several DVD movies, a couple VHS tapes, and a bunch of audio and MP3 CDs. The VHS and DVD output is very nice and the sound over the Yamaha speakers is great. The MP3 playback works fine, but the interface is a little slow and you can only see 10 or so characters of the song title, so be sure not to include the artist or album name. That drawback considered, it's still very cool and the unit will probably end up sending the audio to our Harmon Kardon amp instead of the computer speakers. We gotta get a piece of furniture to hold it all first. Easy setup, beautiful video and audio output, and the VHS/DVD combo combine to make this the right choice for us. Plus we haven't had any freezes or other problems other than seeing 50 songs all titled "The Gourds -- F" on the MP3 display on the TV. And it arrived 3 days after ordering, shipped free, no tax.
Rating: 
Summary: never again a Panasonic product for me
Review: On October 12, 2002, we bought a Panasonic PV-V4612S VCR from Circuit City to replace an old VCR. We took the VCR home, hooked it up, and tested it to make sure it worked. We have two VCRs and don't use either one very often, so it wasn't until December that we realized that the new Panasonic VCR would not play or record on older video tapes but instead would spit these tapes out immediately. Our other VCR (and the VCR that the Panasonic was purchased to replace) never had this problem.
I called Panasonic's 800 number and discussed the problem with a Panasonic representative because I thought maybe the VCR was supposed to reject older tapes for some reason unknown to me. The Panasonic representative assured me that the VCR was not supposed to reject older tapes and told me to take it to an authorized Panasonic service center, which in this case was Consumer Electronic Service. I dropped off the VCR at Consumer Electronic Service. However, Consumer Electronic Service (CES) told me there was nothing wrong with the VCR. I brought in one of our older tapes and showed them that the VCR rejected the tape. The CES representative told me that it worked fine with his sample tapes (which appeared to be brand new) and that there wasn't a problem if there was only one tape that the VCR wouldn't work with. I told him it was many tapes, that our other VCRs had no problem with these tapes, and offered to bring in more tapes to show him the problem. He refused, insisting that if he could get the VCR to work with his sample tapes that there was no problem with the VCR. I appealed to Panasonic, but this time a different Panasonic representative told me that Panasonic would have to accept the service center's diagnosis. They said that I could not get a refund or exchange the VCR for a new one. The only option Panasonic now offered was for me to return the VCR to Panasonic in exchange for a "reconditionedÂE(i.e., used) machine. Of course, by the time I got the used VCR back, the product would be out of warranty.
I am amazed that Panasonic and their certified service provider both refuse to admit that the inability of a VCR to play some videotapes is a defect. I am also very disappointed that the only option offered by Panasonic was to exchange this VCR for another, used VCR which might have had the same problem, at which point the product would have been out of warranty. I am sure that most consumers expect to be able to play their entire video tape collection on a VCR that they purchase. Because this VCR could not play the majority of our videotapes, I believe that this problem certainly does constitute a breach of warranty and consumers who purchase such a machine should have the option of returning the VCR to the manufacturer for a refund. It certainly seems that here, Panasonic used its certified service provider to create the illusion of independent evaluation while actually the certified service provider must be collaborating with Panasonic to declare defective merchandise "non-defective,ÂEthereby sticking the consumer with merchandise that does not work for its intended purpose. I will not be doing business with either Panasonic or Consumer Electronic Service of Cary in the future.
Rating: 
Summary: Great DVD picture; good remote; good VCR
Review: Pros: It was really easy to set up. Lots of great DVD controls on the remote. Programming the remote to recognize my TV was a snap (but see Cons below). The digital quality of the DVD actually blew me away! And the simulated Surround Sound is all it's cracked up to be. The crescendoing sound made during the "THX" logo made the hairs on my neck stood up. We had our Sony stereo TV on and have the duo deck connected to our stereo receiver. No formal "home entertainment" equipment, and it sounded great. The DVD looks stylish and operates quietly in the DVD mode. The VCR is louder than our old unit, BUT the loud rewind is rewinding faster than any other unit I've owned. Also, there are three levels of on-screen rewinding so you don't have to blow through your show while fast-forwarding through commercials. This unit does have Movie Advance and Commercial Advance, but I don't use those functions. Cons: Mostly remote control complaints: no mute button, no channel jump (for TV and VCR), and the "light" button only lights up the top fifth of the remote (though I wasn't used to a light function, anyway). But the thing that may take getting used to is that children's tapes of half hour sometimes will not be accepted into the machine. The manual says the VCR plays standard 2, 4, 6, and 8 hour tapes, and it almost seems as if my toddler's tapes are too light to be accepted. But, I have been able to get some of them to be accepted by just working with them. Though, I'm afraid I might break the unit. My personal workaround is to only use those tapes with my old GE VCR that I know will accept them. Maybe the machine just needs breaking in?
Rating:
Summary: Mine is Great, but there's always the Luck of the Draw...
Review: The thing that strikes me most as I peruse these and other related reviews is how often any given unit has ardent fans, giving a product 5 star ratings, while other users pan them and express great frustration over their units' technical problems. No VCR-DVD model seems exempt. It must be the "luck of the draw". Take this specific Panasonic model, for example. I bought it a little less than a year ago and it has been just fantastic! No problems. Everything works fine. It was easy to set-up and operate. It has never chewed-up a VCR tape, nor damaged any DVD's. No pauses, shudders, or explosions. Picture and audio quality have been superb. Absolutely NO service issues. I am very pleased with this unit and can recommend it with a clear conscience to anyone. As an aside, use of the s-video connector cable instead of the old composite cable noticably improved picture quality. I also liked the fact that this unit is totally configured for home theater and HDTV, which I don't currently have but may convert to in the next couple of years. My only minor complaint is that the display does not have a VCR tape counter, so it is difficult to tell how far the tape has played, recorded, rewound, etc. So, if you buy this item, it should work fine for you too. Unless, of course, the luck of the draw gives you a lemon to deal with...
Rating:
Summary: Wish I had researched more
Review: This is bigger than I wanted and so I didn't fix my storage problem and I still can't fit everything. Can't seem to get the zoom message to go off. The VCR broke after 6 weeks and had to go into repair. Since this purchase I have seen better for less money. The DVD player is really nice.. good pic and sound.
Rating:
Summary: Buyer beware
Review: This unit worked well for about a month and a half. Then it started refusing to take some of my video cassettes. The reason I bought a combo unit was because I have quite a vast collection of tapes, and I didn't want to have to replace them all.
Fortunately I bought this locally, and at this particular store there is no deadline for returning defective merchandise, so I didn't have to ship it to the Panasonic service center for repair. I exchanged the unit, only to have exactly the same problem with the new one, in addition to having the DVD freeze up on me when I tried to rewind. I was intending to try it for a third time, but as this player seems to have quite a few negative reviews, I might have to rethink. This echoes a similar problem I have had with a Panasonic answering machine. I had to return it twice before I got one that worked. Another Panasonic answering machine I purchased, stopped playing the outgoing message after a year. I am beginning to notice a trend here. When it works, this is a great player. If you decide to risk it, I'd recommend buying it somewhere were you can return it anytime.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not great
Review: We bought this DVD/VCR combo unit last Christmas (2002). It still works as well as the day we set it up. I have found that it spits out about 25% of the VHS tapes we try to put in. We've found a trick: if you push the tape in at the top left corner, it goes in alot easier. We shouldn't have to do this though. The VCR does get a bit noisy when rewinding and fast-forwarding. But it does rew/ffwd so much quicker than any VCR's we have ever owned. Also, could someone please post how to illuminate the remote? I've searched the remote and the manual with no success. I think the "illuminated remote" is just a typo on the website.
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