Toshiba SD-V392 DVD/VCR Combo

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Featuring a progressive-scan DVD player combined with a four-head hi-fi VCR, this Toshiba SD-V392 dual-function unit delivers the crisp resolution and enhanced sound of high-quality DVDs paired with the ability to record your favorite programs and movies on VHS tapes. The unit flexibly interacts with a number of audio and video formats, including DVD-Video, DVD-R, video CD, audio CD, and CD-R/RW, along with MP3- and WMA-encoded formats and JPEG digital photo CDs. Like other versatile DVD players, the device also offers a selectable display format, which delivers a choice between interlaced or progressive scan depending on whether users own a HDTV-capable TV. Progressive scan displays images at a higher scan rate for a sharper, richer picture, while interlaced is the standard for traditional non-HDTV televisions.
The VCR is equipped for most common and high-end functions, featuring a program timer, 30-second commercial skip, and even the ability to watch DVDs while recording a TV show. The VCR's hi-fi stereo is bolstered by its built-in MTS decoding, which delivers a clearer audio performance. The DVD player is also compatible with a variety of enhanced audio functions, as its coaxial and audio digital outputs connect to Dolby Digital- and DTS-capable receivers for rich surround sound. The player also supports virtual surround sound, creating an audio environment that broadcasts simulated full theater sound over a two-speaker system.
The system connects to other components through its component-video, S-video, and composite-outputs, along with the aforementioned digital audio outputs. The player includes a 54 MHz/10-bit video DAC and 192 kHz/24-bit audio DAC, and comes with a full-featured remote control. Amazon.com Product Description

Price

Test Report

Poor Customer Service, April 26, 2005 Reviewer: Arnold Davis -
Even the number they provide for technical assistance is inoperative. Then they have the gall to be unresponsive.

freezefest, April 24, 2005 Reviewer: tl-rez "tl-rez" (San Francisco, CA USA) - S tried to play a dvd backup, it froze after 30 minutes. the same dvd plays fine on my apex player. component video looks bad, even though i have a toshiba tv. stay away from this one, even at that price.

A real disappointment, April 20, 2005 Reviewer: Karla K. Crabtree (Twin Falls, ID) -
I purchsed this unit from Sears almost a year ago because I wanted a DVD/VCR combo to "clean up" the look of my entertainment center. Right away, I noticed that I could not record television programs, the recordings were very poor in picture quality as well as sound quality. This was annoying and inconvenient, but acceptable considering that I record very few programs. A few months after purchase, the DVD player began skipping on several of my DVDs that seemed to work fine in other players. Now the DVD player will not recognize that there is a disk in the player at all (display says "no disc" or "disc error"). I still have the unit hooked up to my TV for use of the VCR, but several times a day, the disk tray just spontaneously opens, even when the unit is not being used! I am now going to have to replace both the DVD and the VCR and I wish that I had just gone for a higher quality in the first place, instead of searching for the best bargain. With luck, I can get the quality I am looking for at a good price from Amazon today.

Going Down Hill Fast, April 19, 2005 Reviewer: D. Pepper -
I haven't had the system very long but as others have reported it occasionally skips and freezes on movies. Of interest is that the problem is the worst with my home movies but after I re-burn them using different burning S/W they seem to be okay. I could live with this but now when using the VCR side the picture started skipping (like my black and white TV did growing up). It's now gotten too bad to watch. I tried brand new high quality tapes and cleaning the heads with no luck. This has been the shortest lived VCR I've ever had.

Great versatile combo player at a great price, April 19, 2005 Reviewer: Gadgester (New York) - If you've been waiting to get a DVD/VCR combo player at a reasonable price, this is it. The SD-V392 is nothing revolutionary, but it's a convenient player for a great price. The DVD component works very well and the VCR is exactly what you expect, no more and no less. You cannot record from commercial, copy-protected DVD movies to VHS due to copy protection, but a DVD/VCR combo is a good value if you are unwilling to go the DVD recorder route. (If you are ready for the latter, I recommend the excellent and low-priced Panasonic DMR-ES10S or ES10K, a new model line.)

DVD player can't get through a movie without skipping!, April 8, 2005 Reviewer: Carrie Sides "CSides" (Knoxville, TN USA) -
The DVD player in this product will not get through a movie without freezing and skipping through the entire thing. I tried to play a 20 minute Pilates DVD and it wasn't finished until 35 minutes later because of all the stopping. It's infuriating! I wish I could get my money back, but now I'll just have to trash it and buy another. Don't buy this product!

Re-call it, March 29, 2005 Reviewer: Ken Porrey "Rural5" (Wisconsin) -
Have other Toshiba products and have been very satisfied. this ones no good. Serious tracking problem on VCR playback made it impossible to watch since I purchased it. Received notice of the defect from the factory sometime ago but they never did anything about it. Will probably trash it and look for a different brand.

Amazon shipping is the killer, March 26, 2005 Reviewer: S. Metcalf "Troubled Customer" (Maryland) -
WHATEVER you do, if buying this or any other item from AMAZON, triple check your shipping information. If you've ordered before, they assume you want it shipped to the same address as the last time. And, once you've submitted the order, it WON'T be CHANGED... regardless of where it is being shipped. If the item was in-stock, AMAZON considers it shipped the moment you hit the "submit" button and will NOT change or cancel the order from that moment on.

Great combo player for the price and a little bit more., March 25, 2005 Reviewer: D. N. Kelly "Birmingham City FC Fan" (New Orleans, LA USA) -
In the past I have always spent big on DVD players, TVs and other home cinema equipment as watching movies etc is one of my favourite things to do. In the past I have happily paid over
$1500 for a DVD player and home cinema kit (was back in England so with currency conversion it was more like $3000) - this was about five years ago when the things were still fairly new on the market.

However I recently married and moved to the states - we are furnishing our first home from scratch so we have had to budget accordingly. Having recently purchased a $40 DVD player for a friends birthday and been impressed with it I was willing to risk buying my own first "low-price" player. And I do not regret it.

The playback for both formats is awesome and it records as well as VHS is going too, the sound quality is great (but that also depends on what you are playing it back through - for us its a low end sansui TV and its still ok. It looks sharp with nice lines and it doesnt feel cheap. Its much smaller and lighter than the first wave of combo players too.

It is quiet whilst operating, the buttons are all clear and easily accesible. The player and remote have all the features you would expect and was all tuned in when hooked up. It also has RGB hook-ups on both front and back which I like - i can have the permanent cables from the back and out of sight and we can then quickly attach games consoles etc to the front when needed.

Its a small thing but I actually really like the fact that this player has a clock - its something that most DVD players dont have and not many combo players have either.

For $80 this really is a great little combo player - would have been a great little DVD player on its own for that price too so the VCR is a bonus.

My one complaint about the model though is that it is one of the few (in hindsight as are most Toshibas) DVD players that cannot be "remote control hacked" to make it multi-region. I have a stack of DVDs I bought from the UK and I just cant watch them!

2 lemons in a row!!!, March 24, 2005 Reviewer: Wyoming Eagle (United States) - I bought one of these units from Vann's website because of the price and the good reviews. After having that one plus the replacement they exchanged me for it both have some of the same problems, I decided to look for another unit on this site and found all of these unfavorable reviews. My problems weren't the same as the others. On both my units, if I was watching tv while the vcr was doing a timed recording, when the recording changed to another program I would suddenly loose the tv signal and have to select the channel again and press the tv/vcr button. I talked to a Toshiba rep and he said the the whole manner in which the unit was interacting with the tv was in error. On the first unit, the additional problem was that when playing a tape on the vcr, if I wanted to scan in reverse and see where I am at to find a particular part of the tape, the vcr would cause a flash on the tv screen, the vcr would usually then stop the tape, and I would have to turn off the unit to get the vcr to respond to the remote again. The Toshiba rep claimed these are very good units and that there have been no reports of these problems. However, after this, I can't help but be concerned enough to not risk trying one of these units again. I'm not even sure I'll try a dvd/vcr combo unit again since I wonder if that isn't part of the problem.