You are suspicious of the low price, especially since this thing also has a decent DVD player. Is it a real VCR? Will it explode or barf all over my TV stand the first time I try play one of my videotapes or record something? Relax: it is a perfectly functional, but very budget VCR. I give it top rating not because it is the best VCR I have ever used, but because it represents exceptional value. Why buy 2? Once you have convinced yourself that this thing is a real, fully functional VCR that really works, buy a second one. Judging by the plastic-y clunks it makes, it would unreasonable to expect it to last more than a year or maybe two. Replacing my old Sony My warhorse Sony SLV-N81 finally died after nearly a decade of faithful service. It is integrated into an old analog Samsung and Digitalstream DTV box. Hooking up the Sylvania was a simple matter of swapping out the plugs. The only problem is that the DTV box only has one set of RCA outs and one coax out. The RCA goes to the TV, and the Sylvania does not have a coax in. So, I had to buy a pair of RCA y-splits. The box had one pair of RCA's, and one singe RCA cable, so I had to use the included cables. How is the quality? The Sony costs about 5 bills, while the Sylvania is less than one bill, so comparisons are not very valuable. However, here are the main differences, so that if you are replacing a really good VCR, here is what to expect so you won't be too disappointed. **it is not stereo HiFi sound. It is plain, old mono analog, kinda like listening to a telephone. **it does not have an independent LCD display. So, if you want to know the current time or elapsed time on the tape, you will have to display it on the TV screen **the picture quality is not very good. If you have had other budget VCRs, then you already know what to expect **the buttons and icons are so small, that it is impossible to see them in low light. Connecting to the back of the box It has a pair of RCA jacks for analog sound/video in. For output, it has 3 RCAs for stereo (but the VCR audio will be mono) audio and video out, for both the DVD and VCR. For the DVD only, it has additional outputs: RGB, S-video, audio stereo out, digital video coax out. To get audio and video into the VCR, it has 2 pairs of RCAs, one on the back and one on the front, for L1 and L2 inputs. A bit of advice The action that usually wears out cheapie VCR is fast scanning backwards or forwards, so try not to use these functions. This applies to the index search as well (instead, use the on-screen digital counter and regular FF or REW). My final complaint One of my bugaboos is that consumer electronics with a remote control are too complicated for the ordinary mortal to operate correctly, and this VCR is no exception. It has the functions of both VCR and DVD, and the remote control is, hands down, the most complicate one I have ever seen. Setting up the VCR for timed recording has 10 steps (plus, you have to press a magic button after you come back from timed recording to get the VCR back to normal mode). So, you are obligated to keep the instruction manual next to the VCR. Read more
I bought this item on January 2011 and used VCR player only once. It was videos from family recorded on 1998 and it broke when playing the second video. To get the VCR back I had to open the entire player and manually remove VCR from player system. Player started to make a loud noise from broken plastic gears and quit running. The DVD system still working but the VCR system is gone. Not only that but the DVD system play only zone 1. As I have few DVDs from zone 2 I am not able to play them. I suggest not to waste your money in this item. Read more
Product wore out fast. Read more
I bought this same unit about 2 or 3 years ago. It failed. Bought a second one despite the rapid failure and it not getting great reviews because it seemed no products in this category and price range have good reviews. Further, it was for my mother-in-law who was already used to using the previous one. So, since no alternatives seemed to be significantly better choices based upon the reviews, I figured I would try this product again since my mother-in-law was already used to how it operates. I'm hoping this one will have much better longevity. Both the old and new units work well when they are working. I did notice that the old version of this product had its own tuner, the new one does not. Not an issue for my mother-in-law as she uses it for viewing purchased content only, but may be an issue for some. Read more
The machine works fine and has good picture and sound quality. My only beef with it is that it doesn't have a coaxial cable intake port. I must hook it up via the AV game ports, which means I have to go to my TV and change the function from TV to AV every time I want to use the player. My last player had the coaxial plug in and it was wired through my cable box, which meant I could use it with a couple pushes of my remote. It was much easier to use than this machine. I didn't see this in the specs before I purchased it. If I had I probably would have found a different product. Read more
I haven't converted all my old VCR tapes over to DVD yet... Some of those are precious home videos. I needed a player to handle them and still play DVDs without having an extra item and wires everywhere. Since I haven't converted over to BLU RAY movie watching, and don't want to create any more old VCR-style recordings; this VCR/DVD player is perfect. It worked as advertised, even better because I believe it is the quietest running video player I've ever had (either type). The remote is intuitive enough that you can use all the basic functions automatically. The select and arrow buttons for maneuvering through menus are not obvious, like my old Magnavox's. So if you watch videos in the dark, you may need some extra light to find the right keys. So easy to hook up, and operate that after 2 months I still haven't read the instructions! Read more
I watched a VHS movie and a DVD last night and in terms of value, you can't beat it. No blemishes to mention and function is good and accurate. My only disappointment was it didn't come with a remote control and there was no mention that it did not include one, so I assumed it did. Read more
I wanted to purchase a video player with both DVD and VCR. I thought this was a great deal. I was very happy with they way it worked initially, however after only 4 weeks, it BROKE! The player is permanantly stuck on VCR mode and I am unable to eject the DVD in the player or even use the DVD player, which is the main side we use. Further, since it just broke, we are a week past the time you can return the item! Waste of money. Also, I would recommend purchasing electronics from another on-line site that has a better warranty and return policy. Read more
