I’m going to buy a DVD player (finally). I don’t need a lot of bells and whistles, a fairly basic model will do fine. I saw a Panasonic dual function player priced at $139, nicely within my budget. I have a VCR, but getting a combined unit with both the DVD and video player appeals to my sense of simplicity, i.e. two units (counting the digital cable unit) will look less cluttered than three, plus it’s one less remote and would fit into both my existing and my dream TV cabinet. Aesthetically, the combined unit wins hands down.
However, I realize that there are technological aspects which must be considered. So my questions to you are as follows:
Are dual function machines as reliable as single function machines?
Is the general play quality of either the DVD or video player compromised in the dual models?
I know that either a VCR or a DVD player can be connected to my TV, but, if I go with two separate units, how difficult is it to connect both of them to the TV?
I want the VCR because I routinely tape a show for a friend, and because I have some movies on video that I probably won’t replace as DVDs, but I don’t use the VCR that much, and doubt that I’ll use the DVD player too much more often–so whatever I buy does not need to stand up to constant use.
Put all your eggs in one basket, and watch that basket like a hawk.
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If you said “2”, you’re out of luck - other than covering it when not in use, you can’t really protect either a VCR or a DVD player.
Sorry, no experience with these, so no concrete reccomendation, but:
Single units mean that if any shared component (power supply, A/V terminals, who knows what else, fails, you lose both.
I opted for separate units because I have already thrown out a couple of VCR’s, and don’t want to throw away any more that I have to - if I used a dual deck, I’d have to throw out both my VCR and my DVD player when the VCR tracking failed (consumer units are designed to fail after a few hundred hours).
(my el cheapo DVD player died even sooner, but I know how to fix it (and, since it’s one of the early Apex AD-600A’s , you can believe I’m going to keep fixing it!)
I have a combination DVD/VCR because I don’t have a very big TV stand and was trying to save some space. It’s been two years and still working like a charm!
The video output from a DVD player needs to be connected directly to the TV’s line input. The VCR needs a separate connection directly to the TV, either to a second line input or the RF (antenna) input.
I think a combined unit needs just one connection, to either the line or RF input. (Or maybe it has to be the line input - does anyone know?)
Anyway if your TV has at least one of each input (which most TVs do), separate units require just one extra cable compared to a combined unit.
If you are looking for simplicity, use the dual deck system. They (i am using mine and a few others that i have seen as examples) have up to 5 sets of connectors on the back. One is a shared AV connection with the DVD and the VCR. it is 99% of the time a straight A/V connection ( you know, red, white and yellow RCA plugs) There will also be the RF connector that works for the VCR, and then on the DVD side, there will be a Component connection (the Red, Green and Blue) as well as S-video and a Digital Audio output and possibly even a Fiber Optic audio output. but if all you need is simple, the DVD and VCR can both be used on the TV through one set of cables.
Oh yeah, if you are thinking of using it to copy the DVD to a Video Cassette, forget about it. 99.999998% of all units will NOT let you do that.
Most electronics intems will fail within the first 30 days. That is within the warranty period. A lot of businesses will take it back for exchange.
I have had only 1 product fail beyond 30 days (and it lasted 25 years). If a $100 item lasts only 2 years I would throw it away. it isn’t worth fixing. If it was a $5000 item then yes, I would get it fixed.
You can get a progressive scan DVD combo for close to $100 on sale. The space and convenience is worth it to me. If you want to splurge, Sears sells a DVD recorder combo for $400.
See, this is my experience as well. I’ve had the same stereo speakers for 23 years (and they were just a house brand), and the receiver and tape deck I bought at the same time as the speakers were still working when I finally bought a new system 15 years after I bought them (turntable still works). I’ve had the same VCR for at least 5 years and the one before that for 7 or 8 (gave it away and as far as I know, it’s still working). I did have a TV go bust on me after about three years, but to be fair, I had moved several times in that period and the moving men were not always gentle.
So, are dual function players more prone to failure? With my track record, I’d risk it if the general reliability isn’t compromised. More importantly, is the picture and sound quality compromised in any way?
Thanks for the comments and opinions expressed so far.
Is this the one you’re talking about? My husband and I just bought that unit last week, and so far, we really like it. The picture is absolutely beautiful and I don’t notice any difference in sound quality over the tv alone or the vcr that we replaced. We did a bit of research online and found that it was reviewed as well as, or better than, other similarly priced/featured units. And I’ve always found Panasonic products to be reliable and long-lived (my Panasonic VCR has lasted nearly 10 years and a Panasonic microwave I once had lasted over 10 years, as well). We got the dual unit for the same reasons you’re considering it – we’d rather have one box sitting on top of the tv than 2, and it was easier to set up and configure than 2 separate units. We haven’t tried to do it yet, but supposedly you can be taping a program on the vcr and watching a dvd at the same time, which is a neat feature. So my recommendation is to go for it.
Shayna, that is indeed the unit I saw–and because I saw it at Costco and wasn’t sure I could still get it, it’s great to know I can get it online! Thanks!
You’re welcome, Kallessa! We bought ours at Best Buy, where we paid $20 more for it, however, we were willing to spend the extra money because a) we wanted it now and didn’t want to have to wait for shipping (I’d been asking for a dvd player for at least 6-8 months, but we’d never gotten around to pricing/researching/shopping for one, so I lit a fire under my darling hubby’s butt by buying him The Complete Monty Python’s Flying Circus DVD set for Hannukah, and as predicted, we were at the store the next morning ), and b) because they were running a special on it and including the extended editor’s cut version of The Two Towers, which retails for $30. So we satisfied our immediate need, got another dvd set we wanted anyway and saved $10 on the total package overall. So if that’s something you’re interested in, you might want to call your local Best Buy to see if they have any in stock and if they’re still running the special.
Oh, and another neat thing about the set-up… when we got it all connected, plugged in and powered on, we saw that the clock was already set to the precisely accurate date and time without having to do a thing! We have no clue how it managed that feat, but we were both quite impressed and intrigued. I really think you’ll be satisfied with this unit – it’s a nice piece of equipment.
, you can believe I’m going to keep fixing it!)