Toshiba SD-V280 DVD-VCR Combo, Silver

• ColorStream component-video DVD outputs; 10-bit, 27 MHz video conversion
• Quasi S-VHS compatible VCR with 19-micron heads (for stable still-frames) and hi-fi stereo sound
• MP3-CD playback, DVD picture zoom, DVD bookmarking (skip instantly to your favorite scenes)
• Optical and coaxial digital-audio outputs accommodate all digital surround receivers
• Includes remote control

The unit looks fabulous, and I had no trouble with the remote control on my television. However, I only had it for 6 weeks when the power supply died. It can't be repaired, and Toshiba won't honor the 90-day warrantee.

So, while it looks like a great product, the power supply is fragile and the customer service is one of the worst I've seen.

My advice: Go with a similar product from a company with higher standards of quality and customer commitment.

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When I bought this combo system I assumed that in exchange for convenience and space saving there would be some compromises. Unfortunately there are a little too many. First, the unit cannot play back MP3 CDs as advertised. It lost about half of the songs from each CD I tried, it broke individual songs into multiple files, it messed up directory structure -in short, forget about using it to playback your MP3 collection. It is clear that the MP3 functionality was tacked on as an afterthought and not very well. Instructions regarding MP3 playback do not even appear in the (indecipherable) manual, but rather are found on an (equally indecipherable) piece of paper shipped with the unit. Since MP3 playback was a big selling point for me, I was rather disappointed.

A second annoyance is that the remote control does not work with my new Toshiba TV. Nor does the Toshiba TV remote work with the VCR/DVD. This is just ridiculous.

My main complaint however is that the unit simply stopped working 3 weeks after I bought it. The entire electrical system just shorted out I couldn't even eject the tape and DVD that were in it. Amazingly, there is a Toshiba certified repair center nearby. They promise to have it fixed about 3 weeks. Great.

Update Two weeks later, I received a call from the Toshiba Authorized Service Center saying that they don't know how to fix the unit. I was told to call Toshiba customer support. Toshiba says they will looking it, but are non-commital doing anything.

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The player is very nice to look at, with a nicely subdued blue glow to the digital display. It's surprisingly lightweight and easy to carry and position. The gold connectors are nice too. Quality is excellent with both the DVD and VHS. Recording looks good. Colors seem perfect. Audio is top notch. Dialogue, music, and the bass really kick in nicely. Monster cables or something equal increase the quality something fierce, so I recommend picking those up. The VHS is noticably less crisp than DVD, but that's pretty much a given with anything. I'm sure the remote and on-screen menus could be made more user-friendly, but I'm not complaining. Some form of audioscopes would be welcome to go along with the music. Overall, no real complaints. I like the multitude of features. It compliments my little home theater setup nicely.

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Whole thing broke down no way to eject disks. Toshiba repair claiming "lightening or power surge" and refusing to back warrantee (there was no lightening, and if there was a power surge, it didn't affect our computers at all...)

This unit is very light weight considering the fact that it has additional hardware to accomodate the DVD electronics.

There's no vent/exhause holes for dust or insects to get in. This means that there's probably little to no electronic problems in the future.

The remote and on-screen feature takes a little time to get used to, as most new things do. I found them to be self-explanatory.

DVD play is comparable to most DVD players with all the extra DVD features accessible through this player.

VHS playback is also generic in quality. But VHS recording comes a little short. It only have SLP & SP recording which means that if you want to dub over a family video or a movie that's more than 2 hours long your going to have trouble. It does NOT have EP or even LP recording which is capable of recording 4+ hours. I found that a little surprising when I tried to record over a family home video ... good thing I have a Sony VHS as my back up.

In general, this VHS/DVD combo is a great addition if you a first time DVD-player owner. Otherwise if are into recording VHS over 4+ this is NOT the combo you need.