We Should Get Married More Often!
Written: Jun 01 '01
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Pros: Great all-in-one unit with lots of features
Cons: Can't watch channel different from recording channel; box is rather large
The Bottom Line: If you want a feature-packed TV with good sound and picture quality, go for this unit. It's a real space-saver and is very easy to use.
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| smaihlee's Full Review: Sharp 25VT-K100 25 inch TV/VCR Combo TV |
You can imagine our surprise when, upon returning from our honeymoon, my husband and I found this giant TV sitting in the pile of wedding gifts. It was given to us by my husband's brother and uncle. At first, my technology-fearing hubby was reluctant to open the box and in fact suggested we return it. We already had a 29-inch unit (and separate VCR) that was barely a year old. However, I convinced him of its functionality based on the Nintendo vs. TV issue that had arisen so many times before. So, in our bedroom the TV sat and was barely used once we finally figured out all the secret rooms in the Zelda Returns game.
It wasn't until a few months after we moved in our new, joint home that the blessing of this TV came to be. Lightning struck our home, and burned out every appliance plugged into one of the outside walls. Among the fried components was the VCR we were using with the bigger TV. Being newly married and poor, I finally convinced my husband that the Sharp should come into the den and take its rightful spot on the TV cabinet. As mentioned in my "cons", the TV housing is rather large and we were afraid it would not go in the cabinet without sticking out 10 inches. This was more of a safety concern given that this unit, more so than others, is extremely front-heavy. However, it fit perfectly and remains there today. We gave up on Nintendo and presented the Magnavox to a TV-less friend who was even poorer than we were; he thought he'd won the lottery!
The controls on the TV itself are well-placed and easy to use. The Power button is larger than the rest and, while not marked in a different color, is easy to locate even without being able to see it. The TV channel and volume controls are behind a pop-out panel at the bottom of the unit, as is the Record button for the VCR. The remaining VCR controls are located together on a circle on the outside unit. Push the top of the circle for Play, the bottom for Stop, left arrow for Rewind, and right arrow for FFwd. These controls are very operator-oriented in the spatial sense. Again, you could operate the VCR (on the main unit) in low lighting with no problems. On our unit, there are A/V jacks located right on the front of the unit. This is a very neat feature for doing slide shows with digital cameras and replaying tapes directly from the camcorder.
I am not an zealot of picture or sound, so I will comment in terms of my "layperson's" perception of both. The picture seems to be very sharp, almost to the point of being grainy sometimes. Although this was a gift, I would say with relative certainty that this is a TV I would favor if standing in an electronics store comparing pictures. Definitely NOT one of those sickeningly-saturated pictures that makes a cheap TV so easy to spot. The colors seem to be true and well-defined. The sound is fine, considering we're listening straight out of the TV speakers. I have never bothered to hook it up to our stereo system, so we'll settle for what's equipped.
At first, we used our cable box with the TV, with no complaints. However, I found that the cable worked just fine without the box, so I promptly returned it and reaped a whole $5/month savings on the bill (gotta take it any way you can ;)
The remote control is the only part of the unit I might change if given the opportunity. It is much sleeker (uniform shape and thickness) and smaller than most TV remotes I've seen, and it tended to get lost quite frequently in our home. After a couple of years of this, my husband wised up and rigged it up with duct tape and string and tied it to the table so it will never be lost again. Charming guy, huh?
Also a small beef about the remote is that all the buttons are basically the same size and with no distinctive markings. There are two different button shapes; round for the numbers, and oblong for the control buttons. There is minimal spatial arrangement, and I can recall large hands hitting the wrong button on occasion. We have run into problems when recording programs where we try to pause during commercials. The VCR buttons are hard to locate "Johnny on the Spot", meaning we have spent many a commercial re-winding the tape to get back to where we meant to stop it.
For all these complaints, it seems I would be better off to go to Wal-Mart and get a Universal with huge buttons that will work with this TV. Sometimes it's just easier to be masochistic about it, especially when you have a spouse who's terrified of learning how to work all the other gadgets I have purchased.
All in all, this has been a super TV. Ours is actually 5 years old now and has never given us any problems. As long as it continues to cooperate, we plan to continue using it until Big Brother forces us to upgrade...
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 500?
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Epinions.com ID:
smaihlee
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Location: Spartanburg, SC
Reviews written: 18
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me:
Sucker for anything - no more!
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