Zenith XBV442 Progressive-Scan DVD/VCR Combo
Great for the price
I bought this DVD/VCR after painful 3 weeks of exhaustive research on Amazon, Circuitcity.com and Epinions.com. It seemed like there is no perfect candidate as far as combos are concerned, but this model was the highest rated among the alternatives.<br /><br />Don't fool yourself, though. Keep in mind that you are buying a piece of high-tech video equipment for under $100. The first one I bought had defective sound performance, whereas one channel made a cracking noise. I wasn't shocked or awfully upset for reasons above. I took it back to the store and got it exchanged. So far, I am happy with its performance and quality of both DVD and VCR components. Sony's and Hitachi's are twice as expensive, but based on the reviews I read they are not worth even half of their prices.<br /><br />Pros:<br /><br />- Reasoanable features, some hot-buttons available on the remote<br /><br />- Nothing super-fancy that always confuses housewifes and teenagers (I am pretty tech-savvy, but I get frustrated with too many options and buttons)<br /><br />- Quality of playback and recording<br /><br />- Price<br /><br />Cons:<br /><br />- Fast-forward and rewind are slower on VCR than I would desire.<br /><br />- The most upsetting drawback: the \\"universal\\" remote only works with certain models of TV's (LG, Goldstar, Zenith and two or three others). You would think, for the 21st century technology, it will at least be compatible with Panasonic or Sony. Now I have to have a second remote (my TV remote) to adjust volume and other TV options, something I hate and don't use anywhere else in the house.<br /><br />Still, I would give it an \\"A\\", or 5 stars, for the value.