Buying electronics for the technically inept - advice

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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(Mods, if this should be in IMHO not MPSIMS, please move. Thanks!)

I decided a while ago that I wanted to get my Mom a DVD player for Giftmas. I had intended all along to get her a VCR/DVD combo (so she can still play all her tapes) to replace her current VCR (which isn’t bad but is getting older.) However, after reading some information in a couple of reviews/buyer guides, it was pointed out that I could probably get her just as good a DVD player separately (if not better) than with a combo unit to use with the VCR.

Mom is COMPLETELY technically inept. She manages to send email somehow, but she couldn’t change the cables connecting the VCR to her new TV by herself. (Make no rude comments; I’m rather afraid of messing with the video electronics myself.) She can’t program a remote (which, I am aware, is reasonably complicated but not overly difficult) and if she can’t figure out why the remote isn’t working right, she buys a new one. sigh I will point out, however, that she’s discovered Amazon.com just fine. :wink: (Even if using her credit card online scares her.)

Anyway, my original thought with buying the combo unit would be that it would be less confusing for her. However, as was pointed out in the above mentioned reviews/guides, if one half of the thing breaks down, then you lose both for the duration of repair. On the other hand, if you buy a decent enough machine, it shouldn’t break down anyway.

I was then thinking about what she would do with the old VCR. She uses stuff until it dies, normally - not always a bad trait - and so I have this niggling feeling that she’d be uncomfortable giving away/selling the old VCR because it’s “still usable”.

So, what do people think? Should I go with a single unit to replace the older existing VCR or should I get a DVD player only & have her use both? Please help; I have to buy it this week (obviously) and I can use the input.

Thanks!

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Does her current TV have two inputs, so you can connect a VCR and DVD player at the same time? If so, I think it’d be simpler to have separate units (and more importantly, separate remotes). Switching between them is simple - just hit the TV/VCR button on the TV remote and it’ll cycle through all inputs.

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Does she have more than one TV? She could always use the “spare” VCR on another TV.

The manuals that come with the DVD players I’ve seen have pretty good visual guides for the kind of hookup you need, so it shouldn’t bee too tough for her to figure out if she is willing to take the time. They are designed for the “technically inept.”

But I’d vote for the combo unit. If she won’t get rid of the VCR that is fine - tell her to keep it in a nice cool, dry place (not the attic) so if she does need it in the future she’ll be able to use it again. If the combo unit breaks she’ll be happy to be able to use her tapes still.