This New Player is Great!
Written: Mar 12 '04 (Updated Mar 12 '04)
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Pros: Versatile; good quality picture
Cons: Instructions could be improved
The Bottom Line: Can accommodate many types of TVs and plays a good picture; a good choice
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| Rocketgirl's Full Review: Zenith XBV342 DVD Player / VCR Combo |
Buying this combination machine was necessary because I simply don't have any more room in my entertainment center for another piece of equipment. And since I lost my original VCR remote and could no longer program it to record, it was time to get a new VCR. The I replaced was about 11 years old. I wasn't in any particular hurry to get a DVD player, but since I had to go for the VCR and these combination players are now available, well, I now I have a DVD player.
Zenith is a brand that has been making TVs for a long-time, so I trusted that its quality would be good. So far, I have no complaints on quality of the picture I see. In fact, since my cable is routed through the VCR to the TV, my picture is much better for that reason alone. I was experiencing a lot of snow and ghosts in my picture. Just hooking up this VCR into my system cleared that all up. It must have better filtering capabilities than my old VCR. I have to admit this clearer signal is only possible if you put the VCR on Channel 3 (or whatever channel you use to play your tapes) and use the VCR remote to change the channels. If you use your TV remote I get the same snowy pictures. I don't know why this is the case, not being an electronics whiz, but since I have discovered it, I will certainly use the VCR remote.
As I mentioned, this machine plays both DVDs and VCR tapes. The overall size of the machine is actually smaller than my former VCR, so it takes up less space, about 16 inches by 14 inches. Rather than the typical black color that most electronic components are made of, this machine is silver-colored, a classy looking machine. Both VCR tapes and DVDs can be ejected remotely, a great feature for the couch potato. There are a minimum of buttons on the front, making it just that much easier to learn how to operate.
Now let me make my first and only complaint. As usual, the manufacturer skimped on the installation instructions. There are different ways to hook up this machine depending on your current configuration. However, since the instructions don't have bold headings or any other kind of cue has to what the differences are, you'll get all the way through a section before you realize it doesn't apply to you. It would have been so much simpler if there were headings that read: IF YOU HAVE A DIGITAL OR HDTV and IF YOU DON'T HAVE A DIGITAL OR HDTV. This would have saved me a lot of grief, because you don't find that info until you've already followed several steps. There was also no way to differentiate between if you route your audio through your TV or if you route your audio through a receiver. This also makes a big difference in your set up. Instead, all it says is "preferred setup." Not much help.
Once you finally get it all hooked up and working, the main instructions on how to operate the system are fairly well explained, though it could use more pictures. The remote isn't too complex and most buttons are self-explanatory about what they do.
Programming the VCR is very simple and you can pre-program up to eight different programs at once. This player has a feature in which it can set the time itself as soon as it is plugged in. This will be a very handy feature as the power goes out in my neighborhood regularly. At least there's one clock I don't have to reset. And it will reset itself at daylight savings time. I'll never miss a program.
The features for accessing the DVD special features are driven by a simple menu button and by using the up-down-left-right arrows, plus an enter key. Very simple and intuitive operation. There is a frame by frame advance and reverse for both VCR and DVD as well as full reverse and fast-forward. The DVD has capability of playing three different DVD screen shapes, including wide screen. So the machine can do it if I ever get that kind of TV. It can also play regular music CDs and MP3 and other digital music types.
This system features "progressive scan", which in the long run, just means a better picture. This has something to do with being able to show all camera angles at one time without jerkiness and blurring between them. But once again, here is something the salesperson didn't tell me, though he did tell me how good the feature was, he did not tell me that only digital and HDTVs are capable of receiving it. If you don't have a digital or HDTV, its just a matter of shutting off the feature, or your picture will be jerky. Also, in case you do have a digital or HDTV the player does NOT come with the cables you need. You'll have to ask the salesman which cables to buy. You're set to go if you just have a "plain" TV, like I do.
I have been very pleased with how easy this machine is to use, beyond the installation instructions, most of the rest of them are helpful. There is even a troubleshooting guide. This review page asks me to rate the audio and I rated it as 4, but I think this is highly dependent on what kind of receiver/speaker system you have. Also the quality of the tape/DVD you are viewing. Quality of picture is also going to be partly dependent on the TV you have, as well as this player. I don't have a digital TV, so I'm sure I'm not seeing as good a picture as I could be seeing, that would take full advantage of the player's capabilities.
But because this player can accommodate different types of TVs, it will work on my 12 year old TV. And since it uses advanced technology, I'll be set, when my current TV blows up and I'm forced to buy a new one. This machine cost $120 at Circuit City, a good price for good value. Try buying the players separately for that price. I remember my VCR cost over $300 originally. The technology has come a long way. Sometimes it pays to wait.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 120.00
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Epinions.com ID:
Rocketgirl
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 in Books |
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Member: Beth
Location: Tri-Cities, WA
Reviews written: 398
Trusted by: 225 members
About Me:
So many books, so little time.
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