Sony SLVD360P DVD / VCR Combo
No Soneymoon
Having just purchased a Sony LCD TV, I thought I couldn't go wrong with a matching Sony DVD/VCR player. The DVD player appears to be stable and dependable, which has got to be worth something (try finding on Amazon a DVD player with decent consumer ratings from reviewers).  But for a consumer leader like Sony, the instructions are depressingly convoluted and reader-unfriendly, packed in a reduced-format manual that doesn't provide full illustrations (front, back, remote) and labels for all the jacks and controls (whatever happened to thin manuals with big pictures and \\"quick set-up and operation\\" instructions up front?).  I'm not even planning on using the VCR for recording, but I'm still searching the manual to find out why VCR playback isn't registering on the monitor.<br /><br />A few other minor complaints: the VCR does not accept an S-Video connector (common, I guess); the included Sony remote will operate all the TV sets in the house with the exception of my new Sony(!); finally, I'm a bit annoyed that even a trip to the Sony website does not make clear the difference between this set (SLVD360) and the one just above it (SLVD560), other than a twenty-dollar higher price tag.<br /><br />I may annul this unsunny Sony honeymoon and take a look at a lower-priced Panasonic or Phillips (their current ads pitched at non-rocket-scientist consumers must have me in mind).<br /><br />[Addendum: I held on to the machine, which may not have been a wise decision: the VCR is providing the jumpiest image I've ever seen from a VHS tape source.]