Samsung SV-5000W Worldwide VHS Format VCR
What a disappointment!
Samsung has long been one of my favorite brands of electronics.  I purchased this product expecting decent (albeit not professional level) format conversion and excellent performance as a mainstream VCR (given the high price).  Unfortunately, the feature set has proven irrelevant, due to the machine's inexcusably poor build quality. <br /> <br />Almost immediately, I began to notice an intermittent band of green/purple (depending upon the backdrop) distortion within every recording.  This problem ceased to be an issue, however, when persistent snow took over the entire frame. <br /> <br />Okay, so I got a dud.  No big deal.  I returned the item for an exchange, and began using the replacement.  Well, my jaw just about hit the floor when the same green/purple band appeared!  This time, I didn't wait for the snow to manifest; it was back to the store for a full refund. <br /> <br />Obviously, a major flaw must exist in the manufacturing process for me to end up with two units with an identical, peculiar defect.  I've had better experiences with no-name VCRs costing literally 1/7 the price of this model, and that's a very sad fact.  I'll think twice before buying another product from Samsung, a name that I had come to trust.