Samsung DVD-VR357 DVD Recorder / VCR Combo

Pros: Compact multi-function machine, good up-conversion image, DVD-RW format compatible with Sony Portable Players.
Cons: No independent tuner, blocky DVD image compression, may not support DVI.

The Samsung DVD-VR357 DVD Recorder/ VCR Combo is, simply put, a general purpose recording center for use with a cable converter box. No more, and no less. In support of this role, Samsung has done a good job of making a complex machine relatively ...

Pros: Plays dvd easily with good quality picture and sound.
Cons: Not recording "over the air" HD programs.

It plays dvd movies. However, I am having a hard time getting it to record anything. Perhaps I need additional gadgets to get it to record HD "over the air" programs since I do not have cable at home. It would be nice for the manufacturer or the sales staff at Best Buy to tell more about compatibility with your TV, especially when both were purchased at the same time at the same store.

Pros: None
Cons: refuses to play some DVD+RW even though it says it can

I have had this multi purpose tool for about 2 weeks now and I am not very satisfied with it...I record stuff to DVD+RW and sometimes when I put in a perfectly good recording it tells me the disc is uninitialized and asks me if I wish to initialize it...if you select no it ejects the disc...in other words it refuses to play the disc at all even though my other 2 players and my computer have no problems with the disc in question...also the recording to DVD looks awful with blurs and pixellations a plenty...this has to be the worst piece of equipment I could have bought in it's category...I am so disappointed in it's playback all I can say is find something else if you can...it plays regular retail DVDs fine...and it is hit or miss on Divx/XviD files...some it plays some it won't even if they were converted the same exact way with the same specifications...it is an awful player and recorder and I am very unhappy with it.

Pros: Seems to make picture quality a bit better with TV
Cons: Where do I begin...

Good idea but has major issues, simply put I bought this for my wife's birthday and it has been a disaster. It will play recorded DVD's when it wants to. It is been sent back to Samsung 2 times and is there now. The same problem 2 times with the DVD player not recording and this time the VCR is miss aligned so the tape will not go in or out without a struggle. It does not play DVD store rentals. Very disappointed. It is obvious we paid way too much for it at BEST BUY almost 200 bucks. Feel like a sucker..

Pros: Easy to Setup and one touch recording!
Cons: Poor picture quality - looks like a bad vhs tape.

We bought this for about $199.00 at Best Buy, it was only one of two choices for a DVD Recorder with VCR included. The other option was a Sony for $50 more - but with the same features, so we opted for the Samsung.

We were able to set it up quickly and record a CBS tv show with ease, but when we played it back - BOOOO it was very grainy and blotchy, with digitized smarmling all over the screen. We used a brand new sony DVD -RW disc, so maybe we should try a plain DVD -R and see if it's clearer, but at this point we're just taking it back and getting the Sony otherwise we might as well just record to vhs!

Pros: Good price for the product, but you need a masters degree to use it
Cons: Hard to use for a common person with limited electronics background.

I was able to get it to record, but it took a few hours to understand the setup. Once I did however, it recorded from VCR to DVD just fine. (Word of the wise, if you intend to copy protected VCR tapes to DVD (such as Disney), forget it). This WILL NOT copy those types of tapes!!!!

I did not try to record from my TV, but given the problems with the start-up, I did not even want to try.