Panasonic PV-D4743S Progressive-Scan DVD-VCR Combo , Silver

• DVD player/4-head hi-fi VCR combination unit
• Progressive-scan DVD video output offers flicker-free images on high-definition or HD-ready TVs
• Record a program and watch a DVD simultaneously
• Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound outputs (for use with compatible AV receiver and speaker system)
• Plays DVD-Video, VHS tape, CD, audio CD-R and CD-RW, and video DVD-R

First off, everyone should know that a DVD/VCR combo machine such as this Panasonic will not allow you to tape DVDs you rent at Blockbuster! Most DVDs have Macrovision anti-copying technology which makes it impossible to copy to a VHS tape without a hacked VCR machine. You can, however, tape your own home-movie DVDs made on a PC.

As with their stand-alone DVD and VCR products, the Panasonic is an excellent machine that's easy to use, buit to last, and offers great video quality on all kinds of TV sets. The remote control unfortunately is a bit more complicated than necessary, but that doesn't distract from the good overall design of the machine itself. The biggest advantage of an integrated DVD/VCR is that it saves space and cables. The biggest downside is if one thing breaks, you have to fix the whole unit. Luckily, Panasonic is known of its excellent quality control, and my first VCR purchased 15+ years ago, a Panasonic, still works to this very day! My family owns a few Panasonic DVD players -I have a big family -and they all work flawlessly, including my first DVD player which I bought back in 1999, at the dawn of DVD age.

Finally, I personally prefer to silver model, because it looks high-tech and looks stunning under my black Xbox. :)

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I first reviewed this product and said it was great. Overall it has been a fine unit, but it seems to everheat once in a while during a long DVD session. From time to time the movie will freeze up, and then jump forward or backward, very annoying. Considering how inexpensive the unit is for VCR and DVD, it was still an OK value, but the overheating seems to be a fatal flaw.

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I didn't have any problem with this product. The setup is easy. It has all relevant input/outputs (although I used it only to connect both vcr and dvd to the TV). DVD has progressive scan and DTS. You can use it as a cd payer and it also can play MP3 CDs (although I didn't try it yet). My only complaint is related to the remote. I use it as universal remote (it was easy my tv is also Panasonic) and it's very easy by mistake to do something, for example, with VCR when you really working with TV. Happened to me already quite a few times. But all in all, this shortcoming is not enough not to recommend this unit as simple and reliable vcr/dvd combo.

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I wasn't planning to write a review for the Panasonic PV-VD4743K but after reading the review by "An electronics fan", I thought that it was appropriate to say something in defense of this unit.

First of all, when you write a review, it would be nice if the review were actually about the unit in question and not some other unit you bought on another occasion. "An electronics fan" buys another unit then spends his entire post in some crazed rant against Panasonic.

So what did Panasonic do, according to "An electronics fan"? Panasonic listened to his complaint several times, tried to help troubleshoot his problem, sent him to a certified tech repair center, and then when no one could figure out why his tapes were the only ones having problems, Panasonic offered to replace his unit with a re-conditioned unit (basically a new unit), and he still whines and complains about his situation. I guess some people are never happy. But either way, his review of another unit is totally inappropriate here.

Anyway, as far as THIS model is concerned, it's an excellent unit and performs perfectly for its' class. I highly recommend it.

I have a degree in Computer Science from U.C. Berkeley, so I'm not usually intimidated by technology. But this remote is just impossible. Lots of tiny, identical buttons with microscopic labels. You can only use the remote using reading glasses in a strong light. Many of the controls are non-intuitive even when you find the right buttons. The manual is strikingly unhelpful; one of the worst I've seen.

I actually bought a universal remote but this deck wouldn't respond to it at all.

(Rant: user interface design is a well-understood discipline, so why is it that user interfaces seem to be getting worse rather than better?) Anyway, I returned it and got a JVC XVC33U, which is much easier to use and has a vastly better manual.