Samsung DVD-V9500 DVD/VCR Dual Deck
Beware of the HDMI Promise!
I just purchased the DVD-V9500 about a week ago.  I have a DLP TV which allows for connecting via HDMI, which when paired with this combo unit, should have performed well.  I hooked up the combo to the TV via the HDMI cable and played a DVD at the 720p setting, and so far, so good. I then tried playing a VHS tape after switching modes over to the VCR, and nothing happened.  I tuned my TV down to the 480p and then 480i settings, thinking that the VCR part needed to see an analog output stream, but that didn't work either. <br /> <br />I then called customer service at Samsung, and they told me that if I wanted to use the HDMI interface for my DVD, that I had to ALSO use the composite connections (red,white,yellow) in order to use the VCR part.  This is NOT what the product description from Samsung advertises and is as far as I can tell, false advertising.  Even the manual for the player states that all youo need once you hook up the HDMI cable is that one cable and nothing else.  Samsung claims that when the manuals were translated from Korean to English, that part got messed up.  Okay, so why still advertise the product that way? <br /> <br />Overall perfromance from the DVD was good to excellent.  Overall performance of the VCR was poor to fair because of the limitations of the connection output, which looks terrible on a widescreen HDTV.  Not that I watch VHS much anymore, I got this so my kids could watch those evil Disney movies the have.  \\"Piece of junk\\" would be a generous way to describe the remote; and forget about trying a universal remote to learn this unit's codes - Samsung already says that it can't be done (hopefully that's just another one of their false statements). <br /> <br />If you're looking for a space saver, have a regular CRT TV, and don't watch a lot of VHS tapes, this may be okay for you, but I still wouldn't get it when you can get something similar for half the price.  If you're an HD enthusiast, thinking this is the answer to all your problems, it may come close if you hardly ever watch VHS tapes and don't mind the poor quality of the video from them, but like good quality from your DVD's; I for one was disappointed in the product. <br /> <br />If you are buying this unit, or any other that promises that the HDMI connection is all you need, you're better off going after something else.