OK, I’ve more or less narrowed it down to a few options (all of them video+DVD), but feel free to suggest others:
Philips Dual Deck VCR/DVD. Runs about $200. I’ve never had problems with a Philips product, so I don’t mind buying it at that price. But maybe this one has problems…?
Go.Video DVD-VCR Dual Deck. Runs about $140. Significantly cheaper than the Philips, but I’ve never heard of this company. Are they good?
Samsung DVD/VCR Combo. Runs about $190. Had some problems with a Samsung stereo before, but maybe it was just a fluke. About the same price as the Philips but I am more nervous about purchasing one of their products due to past experience. Am I being needlessly paranoid?
I’d go with the Panasonic, but it’s out of my price range ($230)and I don’t want to spend more than $200 before taxes and such.
Be wary of dual-deck setups. Too much tech in a small package. Ask anyone who’s had to get a TV-VCR combo repaired. You usually can’t go wrong with a name brand (Panasonic, Philips, Sony, etc). This time of year, EVERYBODY has them on sale. Try Consumer Reports or, better yet, a magazine dedicated to DVD’s.
I don’t know much about the dual deck units but if the VCR breaks down then the whole machine is out of service until it is repaired. The VCR’s have more moving parts and tend to break more often IMO. I like the DVD’s that play all formats including MP3 and there are some that hold multiple discs. Toshiba, JVC and Sony are my favorites.
Sight unseen I’d go for the Phillips unit because of the company reputation. I would add, however, that the big deal for me where DVDs are concerned is the sound. IMO if you don’t have the surround sound set-up, you don’t have anything. We’ve got the Sony 5 DVD home theatre system which is an all-in-one unit, complete with the 6 speakers. It makes all the difference in the world. If you don’t have the sound system, start saving.
Just because it’s a Philips doesn’t make it a hunk of solid gold. Quite the opposite with my recent experiences. I bought a nice Philips stereo VCR about 6 months ago. It was a little more expensive than the off-brands, but I figured it’d be worth it. Now I practically need a court order to make the damn thing eject a tape.
And don’t get me started on my exerpiences over the last 8 months with my Philips Acoustic Edge 5.1 sound card, which has provided me with countless hours of troubleshooting enjoyment. (Note to Philips: “compatible with Windows 2000” doesn’t mean that users should have to uninstall ACPI and force the card onto its own IRQ just to make the thing sort-of work.)
As to the OP, count me as another voice of dissent against the combo unit. Dollars to donuts that VCR is going to be long dead before the DVD player. Same deal with TV/VCR combos. VCRs die before everything!
If you have a lot of downloaded Divx videos on your computer, you may want to consider one of the few DVD players that now play them. They’re still a bit pricey, though - in the $400 range. Coincidentally, the company that introduced the hardware MPEG4 chip that DVD players use for Divx is none other than Philips.
I should also note that, AFAIK, no Philips player is using their own chip. For a (very short) list of the DVD players that play Divx, consult mblackwell’s vcdhelp link. Do a search of the DVD players and mark the Divx box.
I’ve got a Samsung DVD player and I’m very VERY happy with it. Why? I just found out how to de-region lock it using the remote control and an internet faq.
Dread Pirate Jimbo has it correct, in my experience - what matters is the sound. I went so far as to buy the home stereo set up (a Cambridge SoundWorks rig that was highly rated on CNET and a few other sites) where the place I bought it was throwing in the DVD for FREE upon purchase of the home stereo unit. My DVD is a Samsung and it does just great.
Remember - unless you are a component geek, a DVD player is a relative simple mechanism that is very cheap to make. Most players will deliver 90% + of what you need and will do just fine - it is only if you want that extra 10% that you begin paying through the nose, just like with high-end stereo components. Keep your DVD player as simple as possible, and focus much more on the home theater system. I spent $1200 on the home theater (and prices have come down even further since then) got a very good one (again, delivers 90% of the sound - a friend who worked installing high-end stereos in millionaire’s homes said it sounds more than great) and hooked up a simple, no dual deck, straightforward DVD.
I always say go with the cheapest…I bought an entire surround sound system (w/six speakers) that included the dvd for about $139 at WallMart. Had it for about a year and it works great.
If you already have a good speaker system, get the cheapee DVD for under $50.
As others posted above, those combo tv/dvd/vhs etc. are great when all the components are working…but once one goes, the whole neat package is a waste of money.
Price check each component individually and compare to the price of the combo. I think you will be surprised to see you save a lot of money!
Target in my area is selling the Koss DVP-2165 for under $50. Upside: It’s a good DVD player, very good image quality, featuring component video and optical audio output, and supports MP3-CD, XVCD, and XSVCD (I haven’t tested these, but it’s reported as supporting them by VCDhelp.com). It’s also small, light, and very portable. Downside: They are ASS UGLY, and run rather hot. This player is so cheap because they come in ugly colors with a retarded “modern art” design scheme that no one would buy, thus resulting in a tremendous overstock. Ah well, you don’t really buy a DVD-Player because the plastic box looks good, do you? I can’t vouch for long term reliability, but I’ve had mine for about a month with no problems, and at this price they’re practically disposable.