Zenith XBV442 Progressive-Scan DVD/VCR Combo
Great when it works, not so much otherwise
Last December I bought two of these combos: one for myself and one for my girlfriend. We both needed something with a coax output, and this was the only combo I could find that would suit. Unfortunately both the models are August '04's, and I didn't know about the manufacturing defect until it was too late to replace it.<br /><br />It wasn't until several months later that I noticed a popping noise in the DVD output on my own model. Once my girlfriend disconnected hers and used it elsewhere, the popping problem started for hers and it was many times worse. It seems to happen intermittently, so some days it behaves perfectly while others it will have problems with most discs. The VCR worked perfectly with many tapes, but we discovered that with older or slightly \\"iffy\\" tapes, it had major tracking problems.<br /><br />As I write this review I'm watching, on my VCR, a game that I taped on hers. This tape has been used to tape a few things, and now unsurprisingly the tracking problem has reared its ugly head. Every minute or so, the sound and picture go staticky and return. With older tapes this can be much worse, sometimes making a movie all but unwatchable and even causing speed problems on playback.<br /><br />I wish I'd learned about the manufacturing defect sooner, so I could get a September '04 model. This seems to be the only combo with a coax output for older TVs. It's a shame I'm stuck with a somewhat broken one (actually, two). This is a major failure of quality control, and Zenith should have recalled all the August '04 models instead of waiting for just a few jilted customers to make exchanges. I don't think I'll ever buy another Zenith product.<br /><br />Other than those problems there are a few minor issues I wish Zenith had addressed. The TV portion of the remote only works with certain brands of TVs. The remote also uses some odd command sequences that are only partially compatible with the learning remote I have, so certain buttons can be programmed and others can't.rammed and others can't.