Samsung DVD-VR325 DVD/VCR Recorder
Not for home theater - digital audio dropouts w/ HDMI
Promising feature package, but does not deliver. Tape to DVD copying works fine, but do not buy this if you care about Dolby 5.1 audio with HDMI.   <br /> <br />By itself the HDMI does not support multichannel audio, only PCM (stereo).  Those wanting Dolby 5.1 must use the separate digital audio output connected directly to a receiver.  But when HDMI is connected, audible static is present from the digital audio out whenever the unit is paused or stopped, and the sound drops out every couple of minutes during playback.  All this makes the HDMI feature basically unusable for typical home theater setups. I've tried two units with the latest manufacturing dates and they behave exactly the same, it's a design flaw.  Digital audio only works properly using a component video connection, which delivers a mediocre picture.  Samsung tech support is aware of the problem, but there is no fix, and no apparent urgency in developing one or even responding to customers.  <br /> <br />This is the only model currently available from any manufacturer that has DVD recording, VCR and HDMI, and there's probably a reason why. It appears to have been rushed onto the market prematurely. <br /> <br />