Zenith XBV442 VCR Player/DVD Player

When I first decided to replace my old VCR with a ...

Strengths: Picture and sound quality, ease of operation.

Weaknesses: None that I have found so far

Summary: When I first decided to replace my old VCR with a DVD/VCR combo, I did a lot of research on the web researching ratings and reviews. I knew I didn’t want to invest too much money due to the fact that they become obsolete in a short period of time. So after reviewing the pros and cons on several models, I chose this one and from what I can see so far, made the right decision. Despite the fact that I was connecting the unit to a 1993 model TV, setup was quite easy. In fact, it was easier to set up than if I had a high tech TV that would have been more involved, but the instructions for either one was relatively precise. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the picture and sound on both the DVD and VCR and even though the remote does have its share of buttons, if you know how to read, you can operate the remote and after a while it becomes second nature. I especially like the fact that you can record a show while watching a DVD movie. As to the speed of the rewind on the VCR, I have a separate rewinder that I use because I was advised not to constantly use the VCR to rewind the tapes. However, due to some poor reviews on this model, I purchased the 3-year extended warranty for $24.99 for peace of mind. If something should go wrong with it, I know I just have to return it and if it can’t be fixed, it will be replaced. I wasn’t looking for a unit with all the bells and whistles, just one that had good picture and sound quality and that’s exactly what I got, and I must say, I got my monies worth. Let’s face facts. You can get a lemon whether you spend $90.00 or $490.00 and this model does practically everything the higher priced models do. Am I satisfied with my purchase? Yes.

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I foolishly bought this unit - my first DVD-VCR co ...

Strengths: stylish, sleek and compact design; DVD portion of unit has good, sharp images and resolution

Weaknesses: VCR portion of unit did not play properly out of box; cannot record TV on VHS while watching different TV channel; unit died after 5 months

Summary: I foolishly bought this unit - my first DVD-VCR combo - from an online retailer that did not accept returns/exchanges on combos, thinking what could go wrong. Duh.

Right out of the box, the VCR portion did not play VHS tapes - even brand new ones - without constant rolling of the picture. For the very few tapes it did play, the picture image was grossly fractalized and on each of these "good" tapes the picture would still start rolling during the last 15 minutes of play. Needless to say, these tapes played fine on other VCRs in my house. The 442 would not play homemade VHS tapes that were taped at the faster speed (i.e., 6 hours on a tape) without constant rolling. It barely played tapes recorded at the 2-hour speed (I get confused which is EP, LP, SP) and they were not watchable because of the bad fractalization.

This meant that I could not tape TV show(s) that were longer than 2 hours. I also spent an excessive amount of money on DVDs that I ordinarily would have kept just as VHS tapes since the unit would not play the tapes.

Additionally, the various TV setup connections (RF, S-Vid, etc.) are all limited in one way or another. With RF, you can't record one TV program while watching another; with S-vid you can only watch/listen to the DVD player.

I had no trouble with the DVD portion of the unit except that I thought it took an inordinate amount of time to read the DVD before playing. (Whether this is normal, I'll find out with the SONY combo unit I just ordered.) I had no freezing, skipping or any other problems. I meant to try a .jpg cd to see if that worked, but never got around to it.

But the fact that the DVD portion was very good can hardly be considered a plus since, almost 5 months to the day, the unit just died. It won't power up. If I want to play with it for about an hour, constantly pressing the power button, eventually it will turn on.

I bought this unit because it had raves from Consumer Reports and Consumer Search. Plus, since all of my older TVs were Zeniths that lasted 20-25 years, I thought Zenith was reliable. Zenith told me that I got a bad unit, but I found strikingly similar user reviews of the VCR portion on other websites. Zenith quality seems to be different in the combo market. I'll see if I have better luck with SONY.

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