Excellent Secondary TV!
Written: Oct 17 '02 (Updated Oct 17 '02)
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Pros: Great Picture and Sound, Excellent Performance from the DVD and VCR. Cheap.
Cons: No S-Video, Component Video, read review.
The Bottom Line: All-in-one solution in a great package with a great price.
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| silvergt's Full Review: Panasonic PV-DM2792 27 inch TV/VCR/DVD Combo TV |
I needed a TV for the master bedroom of my living space, at first a simple 27" TV would have suffice until low and behold I saw a nice solution to a effective home theatre like solution in a bedroom.
What I mean by this is, if you are looking to have a top notch entertainment system in the bedroom, then please look else where. But if you have limited space, and would like to enjoy DVD, VHS and cable movies with decent surround-like sound then this will answer your hunger pangs.
Footprint of the TV is about the same size as a regular 27" TV. The screen is also nice and flat. For those of you you like to color coordinate, this TV has a metallic grey finish. With two stereo speakers on the left and right sides of the screen.
There are inputs for other Audio/Video components available at the front of the TV for convenience. The CATV Coax connector is located at the rear of the set. With the power button, volume and channel controls located conveniently and instinctively at the front of the TV.
After connecting the antenna and plugging in the power, this baby is ready to start working. No RCA cables to attach, no fussing around with which input goes to which output, everything is very simple. In fact I had this TV out of the box into the bedroom and playing Resident Evil on DVD in less than 5 minutes.
Operation of the functions are fairly simple and straight forward, those of us who are a little more familiar with electronics would find the manual unnecessary.
As the set powers up for the first time, it will search for all available channels and walk you through setting the date and time or if you rather, it would attempt configure all the chronographical information for you by the means of utilizing some TV channels that broadcast date and time for devices like "VCR PLUS!". But manual setup is a breeze.
As you leave the initial power up of the TV set, and leave the blue and large settings menu, you will see that this is not a cheap (quality) TV. The picture quality is excellent, sharp clear bright pictures.
With a simple push of a button on the remote you can switch on the fly to DVD mode or VHS mode and TV mode. With my main TV in the living room I would have to disconnect the VCR and connect the DVD player directly to the TV since the picture quality can/will degrade if some DVD players are plugged into a secondary or tertiary device such as a VCR due to the Macrovision copy protection implemented on most, if not all DVD players.
Unfortunately, probably because of legal and copyright laws, you will not be able to use the VCR to record while in DVD mode (ah shucks!). But you will however find a clear and sharp picture while playing a DVD in that mode. The picture would be as good if not slightly better than a separate TV and VCR using RCA cables.
The four-head VCR also performs just as excellent as the DVD with crisp sharp pictures that also produces crisp sharp still and slow motion pictures.
The remote control has all of the necessary functions in one convenient package, about the size of an average All-in-One remote. Unlike, having separate components "programmed" into a universal remote control with sometimes missing some functions that the original remote has, the DM2792 has all buttons on the remote. The remote control can also be illuminated if necessary; illuminating only the power, channel and volume controls, however.
One of the "extras" the DM2792 offers that I found very useful are the front located headphone jack (3.5mm), The RCA A/V jacks also located up front.
The DM2792 also feature a simulated surround sound that works in all three modes. TV shows broadcast in surround and most VHS movies and all DVD movies come out crisp and clean with positioning and separation that rivals some low end surround sound systems all with only two speakers, which will satisfy all bu the hardcore audiophiles amongst us. With that said it does make for a good bedroom TV.
A few qualms regarding the DM2792 would be that Panasonic did not provide a S-Video Jack or component outputs/inputs usually present in most of today's TV's. There is also an absence of a input/output digital sound jack, also available in most DVD players and surround processors. The other complaint, or mor elike a caveat would be that the DVD player and VCR's are built in.
A shared characteristic among all "combo" systems would be that if one or more of these devices where to breakdown the whole unit would have to be out to be serviced. This is where those Extended Warranty Plans would be recommended. It is also considerably more expensive to repair these components than it is to repair or replace a separate component, so keep that in mind when making your purchasing decision.
Overall, the DM2792 is a great buy that provides an excellent function as a secondary TV/DVD/VCR solution for bedrooms, dorms, singles living in apartments, etc. With it's excellent sound and great picture quality, this makes the DM2792 a great secondary TV. Not to mention it's great value considering a decent 27" TV would cost you about $299, a DVD player $189, a 4-head VCR $99 and a surround processor $149 and the ease of use.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 699
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Epinions.com ID:
silvergt
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Reviews written: 11
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