5 comments about Sharp DV-SR3U DVD Player/Recorder.

1. I have 4 DVD recorders.I have 3 Panasonics (great machines) & wanted a 4th but because of the IR remote I was limited to 3.So I needed another brand and SHARP had a good price (it seemed, incorrectly)so I got the SHARP.It is an amazing BAD machine.It doesn't work correctly and getting it fixed is a nightmare. I just sent it back for the second time,it returned today and they fixed NOTHING.It is a true Nightmare,STAY AWAY!!!



2. This is the first dvd recorder I've owned. I basicly wanted to burn my old vcr tapes and record from the TV. The Sharp DV-SR3U records dvd-r,dvd-rw discs. Rewritable discs can be recorded in video and VR mode.DVD-RW recorded in the VR mode can be edited after recording,but will only playback on this machine. The dvd-r, dvd-rw(video mode) seem to play in most standard players. The operation manual is 100 pages, well written, but somewhat complicated for a non-tech person. I don't like the flip open remote, but most often used keys are on top. Easy to set up timer recording from TV. Overall this is an excellent recorder and fulfills my needs!



3. The recording quality of this recorder is excellent in SP or FINE mode, and pretty good in LP mode, but I found the EP mode could be better. Variable bit rate recording allows you to record up to an extra eight minutes in FINE mode.
   
   There is a defect in this recorder that will not allow you to set a recording timer for channels 54-60. Sharp wanted me to send mine in so they could fix the problem, but it wasn't that big of a deal to me, so I kept mine as-is.
   
   This recorder will absolutely not record anything copyrighted, so those of you looking to copy your store-bought DVDs will be disappointed.
   
   Operation of this machine is very quiet, I know some of the others can be quite loud. The remote control is very comprehensive, including about every function I could think of and more. There is a slight delay between pressing a button on the remote and the recorder performing the desired function. This is almost unnoticeable unless you are trying to fast-forward to or pause at an exact point.
   
   Overall, I would recommend this product. It has more outputs and as many analog inputs as any other recorder (although the lack of DV input may turn some people away), and excellent recording quality in FINE and SP make this recorder stand out. A fairly easy-to-use GUI doesn't hurt either. Just don't expect it to duplicate Star Wars or The Lord of the Rings, or timer record channels 54-60.



4. From day one I have the same problem with this dvd recorder
   It will not record to dvd-rw discs;I tried 5 different brands with no luck; I took the recorder to an authorized repair center and they couldn't fix it; they need the codes or firmware to reflash the unit but Sharp never gave the codes to the shop
   
   Sharp does not answer my emails, and I had been sending them for weeks; stay away, there is no support
   And yes, the remote is a joke; who could imagine the on screen display to be hidden under other buttons? the part flip open remote is not easy to use and if you try to fast forward or rewind a dvd, it does as in little image jumps, not continuisly



5. We have had our Sharp DVD player/recorder for a year and we are now having problems with it. First of all, the "open/close" takes about one minute before opening. Secondly, I have had many brand new, out of the box DVDs to lock up on the screen in the middle of a movie and then I have to literally unplug the DVD player, then plug it back to eject the DVD, which takes exactly one minute to do. It is more trouble than it is worth. Don't waste your money on this particular brand....shop around and ask around before purchasing.

No comments about Sony SLV-D350P - Silver DVD Player / 4-Head VCR.

5 comments about Panasonic DMR-E95HS Progressive-Scan DVD Recorder with 160 GB Hard Drive.

1. I have owned this model since March 2005. Almost all of the time the TV Guide hasn't worked (I have heard this might be a ploy by my cable company to push people to their DVDRs). At any rate I gave up on this feature.
   
   For the first year the unit had a tendency to go to "SELF TEST" whenever I changed disks, either DVD-R or DVD-RAM. After "SELF TEST" it almost always burned a good disk. This would have been OK excepte for wasting 15-30 minutes every time this happened. I stuck to major brand disks. Panasonic will tell you to use their disks but they are not easy to find in stores and don't come in large muffins so they tend to be expensive.
   
   Surprisingly, at the 1-year point the unit started working perfectly. I went from March 2006 to August without a "SELF TEST". Today it refused to recognise the same disks it had been burning for weeks. So I will have to take it in on the extended warranty.
   
   Panasonic customer service is terrible. Don't waste your time phoning. You will be on hold forever. About a year ago I wrote Panasonic and received a call eventually (still in the warranty period). They won't acknowledge that there is a systematic problem with this unit. They try to blame it on the disks. They also would not make any adjustment other than offer to sell me another unit at a discount.
   
   I like most things about the user interface. It allows very precise editing. When it works it produces great disks. The hard disk holds a lot.
   
   Forget about the lousy TV Guide feature!



2. I love the concept of this product but the Panasonic implemetation is WEAK! I originally purchased a DMR-E80 and it worked very well long enough to get past the one year warrenty then failed. I was told that the logic card needed to be replaced for $300 parts plus labor. A little shopping around on the net abnd I found the DME-E95H (twice the disk space) could be had for $360 from Beach Camera.
   
   The E95 didn't make it out of warrenty before failing. The unit was mailed to a service center and it was repaired. I have had the unit for about two months since the repair and it has started to exhibit the same symptoms as before.
   
   Symptom: at power-up the unit displays "Please Wait" for about 15 seconds and then displays "self Check" for about 30 seconds. The unit then appears to function normally for about 60 seconds and then fails to respond to commands from the remote. Shortly afterwards the unit shuts itself off (displayes "bye"). The disk or cable output from the unit continues for a short period (even though the unit appears to be shutdown) and then stops.
   
   Fortunately, Panasonic offered me an extended warrenty (what were they thinking?) that I took advantage of. I will continue to return this unit to the panasonic service center as my way of extracting revenge.
   
   I strongly recommend that you avoid Panasonic DVR products. My experience with two models has been extremely disappointing.



3. If the description here is correct, this set is completely crippled compared to other Panazonic models. It is said it will only read DVD -R written on other Panasonic recorders (!!!) and that it can only write to and read DVD -R. Panasonic used to make recorders limited to writing DVD -R, but since then has produced sets that can write to DVD -R DVD + R and DVD -RW. Why the jump backwards? I've never heard of any model that can only read DVD -R produced by recorders only of the same brand. This is absurd!
   The price listed is also about double wha it should be.
   Add all this to the other complaints and it's avoid at all costs.
   I incidentally own a Panasonic with a 80 GB hard disk and have recorded many hundreds of hours to the HD and made hundreds of DVDs without a problem.
   Anyway, I wouldn't buy ANY DVD recorder now unless it has an ATSC tuner included. Otherwise it becomes obsolete in two years when analogue TV is supposed to disappear.
   Manufacturers, including Panasonic, are making sets with the digital tuners for the European market. Why not in the USA?



4. This thing sucks. there is little else to say other than there is a class action lawsuit somewhere here. PANASONIC this is FRAUD!!!!! Or outright robbery. No support. Does NOT work. I say anyone who has had success with this unit is probably lying or a plant from panasonic. Errors all the time and never loads the TV Guide BS. Just a giant waste of money!!! If there were an option for no stars I would have used that. Amazon should not even be selling this. It is not fair to loyal customers.



5. I purchased one of the first panasonic dvr with the lifetime membership. When the HD went out and replaced, it was a expensive repair. The second one quit. My son replaced the HD and opening the unit found the HD encased with foam. Overheating????? yes! Programing soon became a problem. Panasonic support is terrible. I would never buy a panasonic product again.
   Had a comcast dvr, not a good product. Called Comcast regarding using TiVo with the cards that need to be installed and they said I had to upgrade my services. Called TIVO, you do not need to upgrade and they will do a 3way call with comcast when you set up your unit for the cards. MJS

4 comments about Sylvania DVC840G DVD / VCR Combo.

1. Having trouble with tracking on VCR. Cannot find a way to adjust it, and would cost too much to repair.



2. very easy to set up and works well. The buttons on the remote are easy to find and use



3. My Mom has one of these. I have spent the last couple of days trying to get it to play different burned DVDs (exact copies). I've tried 3 different types of media (+R -R and -RW) from 4 different manufacturers, burned on two different PCs and it won't play any of them. The manual says these formats are all supported.
   
   If you like a blue screen that says "Disk Error", this is the machine for you.



4. This is a steal!! Works great and is very easy to use. You're able to record a program on VHS and watch a DVD at the same time. I bought one and ended up buying two more. I would recommend this unit to anyone. Everything in video/audio is changing so quickly at the moment....if you need a combo unit, don't spend any more $ than this! One minor complaint. There isn't a time/channel/counter display on the front of the unit. Oh well, I got over it!

5 comments about Philips HDRW720 DVD Recorder with 120 GB Hard Drive.

1. I bought a refurbished unit primarily so I can recode video from my DV camcorder to DVD. The older Philips like this one will write the recording date and time to the DVD as subtitles. This is a great idea. I don't know how people can save their videos without this feature. Newer Philips don't do it anymore.
   
   Once we got it, I started liking the idea of using it as a hard drive recorder. The 120gig drive has plenty of room for lots of stuff. Recording quality is very good, I even think the 8hr mode is watchable, but you don't need it cause you have so much room.
   
   The idea of the TV guide is great. Get free listings, just highlite the show you want and its scheduled to record. The recording even saves the description of that episode.
   
   Everything sounds good right? Just one problem. IT DOESN'T WORK!
   
   I have it scheduled to record 4 shows a day. I don't think it has every properly recorder the 4 shows. It will completely miss some recordings, sometimes record part of a show, often start recording but forget to stop and record almost 6 hours of whatever. It appears that it crashes frequently. When it crashes while recording a show, red lights light up around the DVD recorder and power switch then it powers off.
   
   I haven't figured out anyway for it to work. I tried unsetting the TV guide, I tried setting explicit times to record, I tried setting the time manually. All for naught. It crashes. I wish I could find some magic hint on the internet to help make it more reliable.
   
   I "assume" its a software problem, not a hardware problem.
   
   Oh, and the usability is amazingly bad. Take whatever function and you'd never guess how unnatural an interface they came up with. Worst is the time buffer. Too many issues to describe, but again I think its related to problems with the TV guide and poor software. If it worked, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.



2. I have one phillips dvd recorder and player with hard drive, it was very expensive , but is a very bad appliance here you have the reasons to avoid it :
   
   1) The quality of the image is poor , even when it is reading a dvd it might be similar to a VCR.
   
   
   2)I tried record all my personal stuff ( which I had in VHS) to dvds but the quality I got is very poor, I got also a lot of digital vibration on the images, it is very annoying to watch , it is much better to see the all VHS.
   
   
   3)Problems with the remomte control. To use the remote control I have to point the tip of the control to the DVD I have to be very careful or it won t work , another possibilty is to come closer and then use the remote control , it does not make any sence .
   
   
   4) A little problems functionality :
   
   it doesn t have an eject button , it the remote control so you have to come to the appliance each time you want to eject the discs.
   
   
   5) It is too expensive , I paid less than 50 dollars for my second dvd and it works much better ( from every point of view ) the phillips dvd should not cost more than 120 only because of the hard drive .
   
   
   I hope do not not make the same mistake I did.
   
   regards



3. The DVR arrived dead out of the box. I was refunded my purchase price but lost the $20 I paid for shipping plus the $9 it cost to return the unit. I purchased Toshiba RD XS55 DVR units with 250 GB hard drives from another source and they worked without problems. I would never try any Philips products again.



4. This is a great idea if it would work better. Is there a better model out there?



5. When it works, it's great, but operation (esp. with TV Guide feed) is extremely unstable. Will tend to reset, hang, lose TV Guide channel/program information, "forget" to record programmed shows, forget to stop at the end of a recorded program, and probably a few other things that I forget because they didn't quite happen frequently enough.
   
   This is clearly a prematurely released product. If had a dollar for every time this box crashed, it would have earned its purchase price back long ago.

3 comments about JVC HRXVC15S DVD Video Player & VHS Hi-Fi Stereo.

1. I got this to transfer VHS to DVD. I was going to use S-Video output for the video portion. Despite the specs on this website indicating that there is one there is no such output jack. I'm thinking of returning it.



2. my JVC HRXVC15S arrived with a factory defect--a LOUD 60cycle hum via the VHS side. i called VANNS, the seller, and they said call JVC (never going to buy anything from VANNS again...), called JVC and described the problem, they asked a couple of questions that makes me believe that the problem is a known defect, tell me to ship it to them and, no, they don't pay the shpping. so.......never by another JVC product again....
   so, i'll try and sell the thing as a DVD player (no hum from that side) for $25 and shop for another (non-JVC) unit.



3. I recommend buyers look at the Amazon reviews for defunct JVC VHS/DVD
   dual deck products before they purchase any current dual deck model.
   They have a proven history of extremely poor build quality. JVC keeps
   rapidly changing model numbers, which makes this more difficult for
   the consumer to discover. However they all look very similar with
   only slight cosmetic differences.
   
   Search on these item numbers and see for yourself:
   
   JVC SR-MV40US
   
   * Built Defective, I bought and returned three of these units (12/2007)
   * Faulty DVD Drive is a known inevitable problem on every unit (11/2007)
   * Worked well while it worked (10/2007)
   * Disk Error on most discs after 5 months of owning the unit (08/2007)
   * No luck with this (06/2007)
   * Problem unit (05/2007)
   
   JVC HRXVC27U (5 1-stars out of 8)
   
   * 1yr and 1/2 and it died (02/2005)
   * Worst home electronic device I've ever owned (03/2006)
   * Barely outlived the warranty (10/2005)
   * the J must stand for Junk (05/2005)
   
   JVC DRMV5S (8 1-stars out of 16)
   
   * Do Not Buy The JVC DRMV5S DVD ... (09.2007)
   * JVC DRMV5S is defective! (03/2007)
   * Total Junk and they Know it ! (12/2006)
   * There's got to be something better (03/2006)
   * JVC should be ashamed! (01/2006)
   * Died after two weeks (10/2005)
   
   
   
   A search on "Jvc Hi-fi Vcr/DVD Combo" search yields the following models:
   
   JVC HRXVC29S
   
   * I had the unit for under a year, and one day ... it just froze (04/2006)
   * What a disapointment after only 2 years (03/2006)
   
   JVC HRXVC15S (1 1-star, 1 2-star out of 2 reviews)
   
   * Factory Defect....Look Elsewhere (09/2007)
   
   
   
   Here are some model numbers that WILL NOT come up on a search but CAN be
   accessed by working through "see all of my reviews"
   
   JVC DRMV1S (>>> FIFTY-TWO <<<< 1-stars out of 63 reviews)
   
   * Worst purchase decision ever!! (11/2007)
   * Unit has never been right (10/2007)
   * total piece of junk!!!!!! (02/2007)
   * Nothing But Trouble (07/2006)
   * poor reliability (10/2006)
   * Don't buy the JVC DRMV1S (01/2006)
   * What a piece of junk!!! (01/2006)
   * Avoid this unit or you WILL be sorry (01/2006)
   * Total loss (01/2006)
   * Worst piece of electronics I've ever seen (12/2005)
   * Possessed by Demons (10/2005)
   * For the sake of your sanity, do not buy this!!!!! (12/2005)
   ... it just goes on and on.
   
   JVC HR-XVC20U (10 1-stars out of 19 reviews)
   
   * Very disappointed - Not a good buy (10/2004)
   * I will never buy a JVC product again (07/2004)
   * In the shop (05/2004)
   * DON'T BUY IT!! (05/2004)
   * Pathetic (05/2004)
   * I bought it in october of 2003 - going bad in april 2004
   * Do not buy this unit! (04/200)
   * A regrettable purchase (02/2004)
   
   JVC HRXVC26U (6 1-stars out of 14 reviews)
   
   * Awful (08/2007)
   * 2 Units same problem ... freezing (09/2004)
   
   JVC HRXVS44U (6 1 or 2-stars out of 10 reviews)
   
   * VCR drive died after one year (10/2004)
   * Third straight reviewer to have a problem (01/2005)
   * This is junk...avoid (09/2004)
   * Durability is questionable, after 9 months ... (05/2004)
   * unit was terrible out of the box (12/2003)
   
   JVC HR-XVC33U (5 reviews out of 10 3-stars or less)
   
   * Returned Item (03/2004)
   * Problems from the start (02/2004)
   * I am on my third one and it's going bad too (12/2003)
   
   
   JVC HRXVC16B (3 1-stars out of 3 reviews)
   
   * I'll never buy another JVC product again. A month after ... (04/2007)
   
   
   Buyer Beware !!!

4 comments about DVD/VCR Combo Player.

1. Bought the Magnavox DV200MW8 at a local Walmart. Worked fine for about 2 hours. Later, VHS playback is fuzzy with distorted video and DVD player will not read DVD.
   
   Will never buy another Magnavox product based on this.



2. I bought this about a year ago, and have no problems or issues. I think that for the price you get a good picture and a great convenience for having dvd and vhs. I think that for the price, you can't do much better, and I think it is easy to use and a great buy!



3. I bought this product about two months ago, and it works great. I love the convenience of having the dvd and the vcr in one combo. The picture quality is great, and it is really simple to use for me and my children. I would buy this again in a heart beat. I also heard that phillips and magnavox are now being made with a lot of sony parts. I am very happy and would purchase again.



4. The product works well and the controls are user-friendly. The only downside is that there is no coax (cable) output so you can't use this by tuning to channel 3 (as you use to do with most VCRs). There are other outputs and this probably isn't a problem for most people, but some older users who are more comfortable with the channel 3 solution might take a while to figure out where the Input button is on their TV remote.

No comments about Sylvania DVC841G Progressive Scan DVD/VCR Combo.

5 comments about Toshiba SD-V394 DVD/VCR Combo.

1. After less than a year of limited use, the picture changes from color to black & white. The problem occurs intermittently, and it is completely random. I did not purchase an extended warranty plan because for something less than $100 it seemed silly. But after limited use for something like this to happen just screams out 'JUNK' to me.



2. This unit actually has nice DVD playback, but that's where the good news ends. The VHS playback is quite bad on this unit, even in SP mode. Also, the remote is way too small, with tiny little lettering that can only be deciphered in bright light. Would it really have cost Toshiba that much to increase the size of the remote by a couple of inches, with lettering we can actually see?
   
   The user interface for taping programs has way too many button strokes. You must go through the VCR setup menu just to get to the programming screen and you need to press the ENTER key after each parameter entry such as date, channel, etc. It doesn't end there. Exiting the menu itself won't set your timed program. After you've backed out of the programming screen, you must then press the TIMER/REC button in order for the timed program to be registered. The unit doesn't remind you to do this after you've backed out of the programming screen. Now, once you've done all this, the unit will then, for some strange reason, switch automatically to DVD mode whether you like it or not. So if there's a DVD in the unit, it will begin to play. If you don't want this to happen (who would?), you must then go into the DVD screen and hit STOP. Whomever designed this user interface should have their head examined.
   
   If you've owned a Panasonic in the past, you will not be happy with this unit.



3. We have been very pleased with our purchase. I found reading the previous reviews to be accurate and very helpful. Very easy to hook-up, will work on old television sets, DVD and VHS work well, VHS is more noisy when rewinding. We bought this for our children to watch movies and just use the most basic features, so it has suited our needs well. If looking for all bells and whistles would probably choose higher end model, but if looking to stay simple and basic I would choose this model.



4. Title says it all. DVD just stopped working after 6 months. No matter what disc you put in, the machine said "no disc." This is too bad because the machine perfectly fit our needs.
   
   I called Toshiba Customer Service, sent the old machine to them, and in two weeks had another machine. However, the machine they sent me was a DIFFERENT MODEL from the one I purchased and it lacked some of the features I needed.
   
   So I called Toshiba again. This time they sent me a prepaid shipping label which I used to mail this machine back to them. In two weeks I received a check for the purchase price of my original machine!



5. I was looking for a second VCR/DVD for an extra TV we have and chose this unit as it seemed to have good DivX support, which I was interested in playing with. Well, the DivX support has turned out to be rock-solid, playing everything I've thrown at it in countless formats burned on DVD-R, CD-RW and CD-R. Its never failed to decode a file. I've moved the unit to our video room and we've been enjoying it ever since. It is true the quality of playback of the VCR isn't great, but its good enough for my child's videos. In addition, the remote isn't too fancy, but the unit has excellent controls accessible from the remote for controlling things like picture size, jpeg playback, etc.

No comments about Remanufactured Philips DVP3050V/37 DVD/VCR Combo.