Panasonic PV-D4744 Progressive-Scan DVD/VCR Combo , Black
OK for the PRICE BUT NO LP RECORDING SPEED!
THE MAIN REASON I BOUGHT PANASONIC is MY EXCELLANT PAST EXPERIENCE WITH the PANASONIC NAME ESPECIALLY THEIR VCRS. I HAVE ONE of THEIR EARLY HI-FI MODELS THAT is ABOUT 10 YEARS OLD and STILL WORKING.  HOWEVER I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT PANASONIC is HAVING SOMEONE ELSE MANUFACTURE THEIR VCRS BECAUSE THIS UNIT PLUS a NEW PANASONIC VCR I BOUGHT DOES NOT RECORD in the VERY PREFERRED SPEED of LP WHICH WAS ALWAYS a BIG REASON I BOUGHT THEIR BRAND. THE LP SPEED is a GOOD COMPROMISE BETWEEN USING the VERY FAST ( and Tape Eating ) SPEED of SP and the SLOWER, POORER VIDEO QUALITY of SLP.  THE LP SPEED ALSO GAVE YOU MUCH LESS of a PROBLEM WHEN PLAYING a RECORDED TAPE ON ANOTHER VCR WITH TRACKING PROBLEMS. I ALSO LIKED HOW YOU COULD FIT TWO HOLLYWOOD MOVIES ON ONE TAPE in the LP SPEED THAT GAVE YOU 4 HOURS of RECORDING TIME. I HAVE READ on ANOTHER SITE THAT the VIDEO RECORDER in PANASONIC DVD/VCR RECORDERS are MADE by ANOTHER CHEAPER KOREAN MANUFACTURER WHICH I NOW BELIEVE is TRUE. THIS UNIT WORKS OK WITH TINY BUTTONS and DOES the JOB. ONE THING ABOUT THIS MODEL I REALLY HATE is THAT YOU MUST PUSH in and HOLD the TIMER BUTTON AFTER PROGRAMMING IT or IT WILL NOT RECORD. THIS is EASY to FORGET and MOST VCRS RECORD AFTER PROGRAMMING and TURNING the POWER OFF. I WOULD NOT PAY OVER $115.00 for THIS SINCE PANASONIC is NOT the PANASONIC I ONCE KNEW. I DOUBT THAT PANASONIC MAKES ANY VCR THAT STILL RECORDS in the LP SPEED @ ANY PRICE SO I AM HOLDING ON to MY TWO THAT STILL DO. MY BIGGEST COMPLAINT is THAT PANASONIC is PROBABLY NOT MAKING MOST of THEIR OWN PRODUCTS and EVEN by EXAMINING THEIR CURRENT VIDEO PRODUCTS YOU CAN SEE a LOSS of QUALITY. THEY USED to be of a GREATER QUAILITY and IT SEEMS THEY are TRYING to STAY COMPETITIVE PRICE WISE. I STILL RECOMMEND THIS UNIT OVER the SONY BRAND WHICH ALSO HAS CHEAPENED ITSELF MANY YEARS AGO. SAMSUNG EVEN THOUGH KOREAN is a NOW a GOOD BRAND and RECOMMENDED by CONSUMER REPORTS. I HAVE a SAMSUNG DVD/VCR COMBO and IT is a LITTLE BETTER FEATURE WISE THAN the PANASONIC.  MANASQUAN TOM