Zenith XBV342 Progressive-Scan DVD-VCR Combo
Good value
I would agree with the other reviewers that this is a quiet unit. VHS autotracking left a bit to be desired playing back tapes recorded in other VCRs but this is a common problem with most VCRs out there. What I do like about this unit is that it played DVD+R/RW and DVD-R media. I did not have any DVD-RW media to try. My main complaint with this unit is that it does not play VCDs and had trouble reading at least one brand (generic) of CDR media that I have. It did not claim to read VCDs though but my old cheap Apex played VCDs fine. Otherwise, compared to the other offerings of DVD/VCR products, I picked this because it seemed to be the best value of the bunch. I recommended the Toshiba SD-V391 to a friend prior to buying this one for myself. The Toshiba is a cheaper looking and smaller unit but the technical specs are better. I still think the Zenith is a better value but would order the XBV343 instead for a few bucks more. The 343 was out of stock when I ordered the 342. At the time of this writing, both are showing OOS. The 343 appears to be a cosmetic refresh and one previous reviewer (maybe from another site) had both and claims that the specs are equivalent. Another thing to note about the 342 is that it does not come with component cables.