DVD-Player Reviews

The remote for this DVD player just stinks. The order of the important buttons is:

[rewind] [fast-forward] [play]

[pause] [unimportant] [stop]

In the dark its impossible to remember which is which, and you'll end up stopping, rewinding, or something else disruptive. The remote spoils the whole product, imo.

After being very scared to purchase a 2nd generation DVD player dure to all the reports of skipping, sych problems etc. I bought this machine after demoing it in a Best Buy.

For the first couple of months I owned this machine, I was very pleased with it... until I started purchasing DTS encoded DVDs and a projector.

The most glaring issue I have with this player is the lack of black-level controls. I purchased the player the day the Matrix came out on DVD, and on a smaller screen you don't notice (as much) the amount of artifacting that's apparent in shadowy scenes.

Let's just say that it's almost un-watchable when projected very large. Although for the most part this only applies to low-contrast scenes or movies that take place in a lot of darkness. When you do notice it, it makes you long for a VHS copy.

Secondly, I have to power cycle the player several times in order to get a DTS bitstream (optical) to come out of it. This may be a problem in the DVD authoring process (Saving Private Ryan is the most difficult to get playing correctly) but it's a pretty noticable glitch.

Lastly, this player has a habit of freezing and reporting disc errors in the same place on a disc that's perfectly clean and scratch-free. It also puts off a tremendous amount of heat.

For the price, it's a fantastic player for a low-end system, but if you're planning on using it in a higher-end home theatre system, you'll likely be disappointed.

After looking at several different models (Sony, Toshiba, RCA,etc...) under the $300.00 price range the Phillips finally won out.My Dad has the Toshiba SD1200 and constantly complained about the difficulty in setting up his DVD but we had the Phillips setup within 5 minutes. The Phillips came with the required audio/video cables(although no S-video cable)so there is no need to buy them. The freeze frame and frame advance quality are superb and this bad boy even plays CDs and CD-Rs as well. There are a couple of downsides if you want to call them that. There is no S-video cable that comes with the Phillips and that is almost a necessity. The controller that comes with the Phillips is small and somewhat akward to use. However those were the only two problems that I noticed with the player itself. We watched several movies over the course of the last couple days and experienced no problems with skipping or any type of sound problems at all. Overall this is a great DVD player and if you have small hands than the controller shouldn't pose any problems.

I have found this player to be of great value for the price I paid. Nice features include the option for optical, digital, or 5.1 output, easy to use interface, and a dual-DVD/CD changer. The sound is crystal clear, making the perfect complement to my Sony STR-DE835 receiver. All the extra features are great except for the fact that the remote is impossible to read in the dark, and the SD-2200 will _NOT_ play CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-RAM, or other such recordable media. However, it will play all your normal CDs, and even decodes the seldom used, but nice to hear, HDCD, or High-Definition Compatible Digital format, which effectively doubles the sampling rate of CDs (from 44kHz to 88kHz), for an incredibly clear CD listening experience. All in all, this player is a great choice for sub-$400 DVD players.

Great Picture, Crystal Clear. Extremely Quiet! Comes with Dolby 5.1 Decoder built in. Also includes Spatializer Virtual Surround Sound. I have hooked up the Dolby 5.1 & have tryed the Spatializer Surround Sound through my Stereo TV speakers. Was Extremely Impressive! Will also play CD RW a nice bonus. I am updating this review. It is now Dec.16 2002 and this unit still works like new. You cannot buy a better DVD player than this one. Has double DVD trays for movies that have two disks...I bought this one at [a]Clearance Auction ... Made in Japan (Very Good Quality!). I rate this unit at 5 Stars and Highly Recommend it to everyone young and old alike! Looks & Feels like a Quality piece of Audio/Video Equipment! Get Yours Now.. prefer the made in Japan version if you can still get one, quality is definately better.

I AM NOT GOING INTO ALL OF THE SPECIFICS, BUT OUT OF 9 DVD PLAYERS I OWN, THIS IS MY FAVORITE----THOSE ANNOYING LETTERBOX MOVIES ZOOM INTO STANDARD AT ONE CLICK WITH VERY EQUAL BALANCING ON THE CUTOFF SO THAT IT LOOKS LIKE A STANDARD MOVIE, YOU DO NOT MISS ANYTHING...IT PLAYED ALL OF MY DVD-R'S AND MY SVCD'S...I WOULD NOT TRADE IT FOR ANYTHING, IN FACT I MAY BUY ANOTHER.

I highly recommend this DVD Recorder for people wanting to transfer their home movie tapes to DVD and to transfer television programs directly to DVD. Recording Quality is excellent from 8 mm VCR to DVD and from VHS to DVD. I gave it 4 stars because the price is high.

I would look to a DVD Recorder with a hard drive if you want to use the recorder for editing and/or recording Television Programs.

It is very easy to set up and very easy to use.

The on screen menu system is excellent.

I have worked in the electronics business for over 10 years and ease of use is important. This one has it.

It allows many editing features if you use DVD-RW in VR Mode. (Only basic with DVD+RW and DVD-R).

Finalizing Time isn't bad either. 5 minutes for a full 2 hour movie. It sure beats the hours upon hours of encoding time a Computer takes to make a movie DVD.

DVDs created on it in Video Mode play well in all the DVD players I tried. (One was a 3-4 year old very sensative basic player).

I don't usually review products but had to post because I'm very happy with this one.

I have recorded on this Sony unit for several weeks now. Recording off a TV signal is as easy as a VCR. The SP record time is 3 hours with excellent quality. HQ speed is 1 hour with superior quality. I recorded home movies by hooking up my VCR to the convenient ports in the back of the unit, and they turned out perfect. I recorded old 8 mm tapes by hooking up the old camcorder to the jacks in the front of the unit. They recoreded perfectly with no problem. I will next record off my newer Sony camcorder using the fire wire jack. I can do a lot of editing off of the DV mini tapes. I have recorded DVD-R and DVD+RW and they play in 4 of 5 of our DVD players (all except the old Toshiba that we bought 5 years ago ofr $450!) This is an excellent, multi-compatible product that is very easy to use, especially with a Sony TV and camcorder. The only reason it did not get 5 stars was because it is a bit pricy compared to some other models with less features.

I have owned this machine for only two weeks, and consumer DVD recorders have a distressing tendency to fall apart after a month or so, so what I say must be taken with a grain of salt. So far, so good. This machine offers excellent image quality and is notably more tolerant of different brands of discs than some other recorders I've owned. Far fewer "disc error" or "can't read disc" messages than my Philips or my Go-Video. Although this machine bridges the format gap by recording on DVD+RW (not +R) discs as well as DVD-R/RW discs, it does not afford the full functionality of a DVD+RW recorder. Most notably, one cannot do "thumbnail" picture icons for chapters, and I was also unable to add them using a +RW recorder to a disc first recorded on this machine (perhaps this could be done with a computer). Also, the editing capabilities of this machine, which are formidable, do not apply in +RW mode. So this is not truly a "dual" machine. Another minor note: the "one-touch" dubbing function, which operates via the firewire connection, does not work unless the tape being dubbed was digital to begin with. Thus it does not work if you're using a Digital 8 camcorder outputting a digitized signal from an older analog tape. But these images can be recorded in the "normal" way just fine. All in all, I'm very pleased, so far. Hint: check out the "used and new" merchants before you pay amazon's price.

I bought this model (DVD-RP62S) in Jan 2003. Today it came up with an error "H07". Do a Google search on "H07" "Panasonic" and see how many people who have bought several Panasonic DVDs and after 1 year have this error come up. I expected more from them! My friend's cheap $30 off name dvd player is still running after 3 years. I will not be purchasing another Panasonic until they fix this motor problem.

This DVD player does it all. I wanted a progressive-scan DVD player that could also handle MP3 files, and the Panasonic DVD-RP62K handles them effortlessly--with a very handy on-screen selection menu that's icing on the cake. The rest of this machine's performance is spot on perfect. The variable zoom is a nice feature--I use it far more often than I would have guessed. I also love the Quick Replay button--just touch Quick Replay and the scene backs up 10 seconds for an instant review of something you want to see again. Very cool!

My only quibble is the remote control. It's small, hard-edged and the buttons make it VERY hard to navigate in the dark. If you have a universal remote control, then this is a non issue. But since the remote is such a critical part of the satisfaction of using a DVD player, be forewarned that the Panasonic DVD-RP62 remote might leave you a little disappointed.

Otherwise, this is a superb machine. It's well designed, beautifully engineered and built, and the look and feel (except for the remote) is outstanding. Well done, Panasonic!

I bought this player for Christmas this year and so far have been very impressed with the sound and picture quality. I've played 4 different DVDs entirely so far and have had no problems with any of them. As this is my first DVD player after years and years of VHS I'm still awestruck by how much better the picture is. I bought this player mostly based on the Panasonic name and the high review ratings posted by others, and the only complaint I saw repeated was the buttons on the remote are too small. Well, they are small, but I don't have any problems pressing them, and the size doesn't bother me a bit. I don't have a progressive-scan TV set (maybe later - I bought this planning to upgrade) but the picture is still really good with a regular TV. Overall this player gets 5 stars because I can't think of anything to complain about.

I bought this model (DVD-RP62S) in Jan 2003. Today it came up with an error "H07". Do a Google search on "H07" "Panasonic" and see how many people who have bought several Panasonic DVDs and after 1 year have this error come up. I expected more from them! My friend's cheap $30 off name dvd player is still running after 3 years. I will not be purchasing another Panasonic until they fix this motor problem.

This DVD player does it all. I wanted a progressive-scan DVD player that could also handle MP3 files, and the Panasonic DVD-RP62K handles them effortlessly--with a very handy on-screen selection menu that's icing on the cake. The rest of this machine's performance is spot on perfect. The variable zoom is a nice feature--I use it far more often than I would have guessed. I also love the Quick Replay button--just touch Quick Replay and the scene backs up 10 seconds for an instant review of something you want to see again. Very cool!

My only quibble is the remote control. It's small, hard-edged and the buttons make it VERY hard to navigate in the dark. If you have a universal remote control, then this is a non issue. But since the remote is such a critical part of the satisfaction of using a DVD player, be forewarned that the Panasonic DVD-RP62 remote might leave you a little disappointed.

Otherwise, this is a superb machine. It's well designed, beautifully engineered and built, and the look and feel (except for the remote) is outstanding. Well done, Panasonic!

I bought this player for Christmas this year and so far have been very impressed with the sound and picture quality. I've played 4 different DVDs entirely so far and have had no problems with any of them. As this is my first DVD player after years and years of VHS I'm still awestruck by how much better the picture is. I bought this player mostly based on the Panasonic name and the high review ratings posted by others, and the only complaint I saw repeated was the buttons on the remote are too small. Well, they are small, but I don't have any problems pressing them, and the size doesn't bother me a bit. I don't have a progressive-scan TV set (maybe later - I bought this planning to upgrade) but the picture is still really good with a regular TV. Overall this player gets 5 stars because I can't think of anything to complain about.

I wanted something for my wife and me to better manage our TV viewing, yet I'm completely against paying a monthly-fee for recording TV programs. The Toshiba SD-H400 with TiVo Basic turned out to be a perfect product for us, until Media Center PCs go mainstream.

I didn't really need another DVD player at home (we already have 5 other stand-alone DVD players), but if that's the only way to get TiVo Basic service, so be it. Plus, the price I paid for this Toshiba (no rebate) is only (a bit) more than a stand-alone Series 2 TiVo (after rebate). For (the money), I got a progressive-scan DVD player, progressive output for TiVo, AND free life-time subscription to TiVo Basic service. What a bargain.

TiVo Basic Service:
Okay, so I don't get the Season Pass feature. However, once you're set to record a show (say, Friends at 8PM this Thursday), you can navigate to the To-Do list and select that program, and change the recording option to "Repeat this recording". Change it to weekly, then you're all set. The only risk if that if NBC changes the time of Friends to 9 due to say the State of the Union Address, then you'll record 30 minutes worth of a bunch of people clapping at nothing. But that's a risk I'm willing to take.

One feature I don't get with the Basic service is the show search feature. However, we got the TiVo to help with managing the shows that we KNOW we want to watch. With young children, we really don't have time to watch the programs that we didn't want to watch in the first place but are suggested to us. So I won't miss that feature. For new movies we have had Netflix 4-disc service since 2000. You can always navigate using the program guide to set up recording if you want to watch something.

If you visit TiVo forums such as tivocommunity.com, you'll see that other TiVo owners complaining about the fact that you can no longer use TiVo Series 2 for anything, including manual recording, without paying the (monthly) fee. With the Toshiba SD-H400, not only you can use it for manual recording, you have a 3-day program guide available to you over the phone or wireless network.

If the Plus features are important to you, then you can always upgrade to the full TiVo feature for the same fee as a stand-alone Series 2. It goes without saying that we have no intention of upgrading.

To get program guide via wireless network:
My Toshiba came with version 5.1.1 of the TiVo software, but version 5.1.1b is required for the newer version of the Linksys USB Wireless Adapter (v 2.8). It took a few tries to download the new version of the TiVo software. It would have done it over night, but I was impatient and wanted to pull the sw manually. Note that landline is required to get the software upgrade.

To record one channel while watching another:
I can watch a different channel than the one I'm recording because I split my cable signal so that one cable goes to the Toshiba and one goes to the TV. While recording on the Toshiba, I can use the regular TV remote to switch to other channels.

Any cons?
Remote: The Toshiba remote is not as nicely designed as that of the TiVo, which had just been recognized by the NY Times as one piece of industrial design mastery. The Toshiba remote is long and hard to use if you change channel via numeral buttons often.

Wireless adapter: Since the TiVo software it comes with is version 5.1.1, it does not support the newer versions of the Linksys USB wireless adapter (I got a v. 2.8). You will need a landline to download a new TiVo software to upgrade to version 5.1.1b for the Toshiba to recognize your network adapter.

Video extraction or copying: Like the stand-alone TiVo Series 2, there is no easy way of extracting the recorded video from the Toshiba device without opening it up (voiding the warranty) and load some files onto the base Linux operating system. The only other way is to video capture (analog cable to digital to analog to digital again) it back into a PC. Not the most elegant solution.

Upgrade: according to TiVo specialists at Weaknees, it's not simple to upgrade the HD on the Toshiba. You can replace the 80G HD with a larger one, but it will not see beyond the first 80G. Weaknees is working on a solution.

The Toshiba SD-H400 has changed the way I watch TV, as I look back, I can't imagine watching broadcast TV with out it. As I evaluated my purchase, I read all of the review here, and found some to be very helpful, and others to be way off, here are my experiences;

1) Wireless / Wired Network support: It works, just not right out of the box. You have to connect via a phone line twice, once to subscribe to TIVO, the next to download the "b" version of the software with allows for connection via network. Once that's done, it's as simple as plugging in the adapter into the USB port and pressing a few buttons on the remote. Worked the first time.

2) Noise from fan: Yes, there is a fan, and it makes a slight noise, I have a Sony digital cable box that is alot louder so the low hum from the Toshiba is hardly a concern for me, if it was, I'd put all the components in a rack behind glass as others suggest.

3) Lack of tuner or cable box: This is a little kludgey, as the H400 expects you to set up IR connectors in front of your cable or satellite box. The other problem is the H400 only addesses two and three channel cable tuners, my Sony happens to use four digits for the channel number and the result is a delay in channel changing as the cable box waits for the timeout for the 4th digit before switching channels, minor annoyance when surfing.

4) Inability to record and watch different shows. I overcame this by splitting my cable signal and running one line into the H400 and the other into my TV. But it would have been nice if there way some way within the box to handle this.

5) TIVO: This is awesome, the ability to set up recordings and not worry about tapes, rewinding, and such is a dream come true. Just press a few buttons on the remote, and TIVO does the rest, can't ask for more. I may even upgrade to the plus service for the Season pass and other benefits.

6) No more commercials: Like to watch alot of shows but don't have the time, this device will cut your tv viewing in half, or allow you to watch twice as many shows. My wife and I start watching TV between 8:30 - 9:00, which is just enough time to get you to 11:00 and fast forward through all the commercials. That 2 hour American Idol really only lasts 55 minutes when you get rid of the intro's and commercials, its great.

7) Remote: Ergonomically, it's not perfect. The zero (0) is to the right of the numbers as opposed to the bottom, and the numbers are in two rows as opposed to the normal 3 or 4 on most remotes which can be annoying. The buttons are almost all the same size and feel except for the TIVO button, so until you get used to the button placement, keep a light on. This is probably my biggest gripe with the unit.

8) Progressive Scan DVD Player: Nice add-in would have been ok if it didn't have one or would have preferred a recordable DVD, but given the price, it's a nice freebie. Works great, though others have said they had problems with certain media.

Overall, I highly recommend the product, if they improved the remote, or added a recordable dvd or extra tuner, I would have given it 5 stars.

I've had it for about a week and did not have any problems setting the system up. I was able to sign into the Tivo service quickly and am in the processing of connecting it into the wireless network and removing the phone lines.

For those who would like to simplfy their electronic gadgets for their TV, this is an excellent product. I was able to free up a DVD player for another TV in the house.

This is not one of those stories of the bad experience with the a defective product, and it took months for a replacement. It's the answers and solutions I get from tech support for this that are really bad.

The product itself was great while it lasted. When I first bought it I had a PC with Win98SE installed. It ran fine, picture quality of DVD movies was just a little scratchy (but negligible) from my monitor, but crystal clear on my flat screen TV. This product also played other formats like MPEG & DAT, which was nice to see on my TV. I was having a great experience and thought highly of this product, UNTIL...I bought my new PC with WinXP installed,... guess what? THERE ARE NO DRIVERS AVAILABLE FOR 2000 or XP!!! Sure they got Beta drivers out... but they are pretty flaky and cause your computer to lock up or not respond. These beta drivers could also cause MCI plugin errors, which basically means you can't use the product at all, except as a regular slow-speed CD-ROM. What annoys me is when you are about to download the beta drivers for the product, there is a disclaimer that says they will not provide any tech support or be liable for any damage the driver causes--download at your own risk, basically. What annoyed me more is, if you ask any technician at Creative Labs when the driver will be released, the answer is, "We do not know." ... "We don't know." ... "We aren't sure yet."

When was Win 2000 released? And they still don't have a driver for their extravagant, overly-advertised DYNAMIC EXTENDED RESOLUTION (dxr3) decoder board? It's a wonder how they sell their products. I mean they show off their "new and improved" PC-DVD products every year or so, but they only work with Win 95/98/ME?? It's not like 2000 or XP was suddenly released without warning. Let the world run on Win98 for the rest of their lives to watch DVD's since Creative never knows when their drivers will be released.

If I had recieved a better answer rather than, "I don't know," maybe I wouldn't be so harsh on the tech support.

My main gripe: When I hook my monitor up to my video card directly, my picture is crisp and clear at any resolution. When I hook my monitor up to the hardware decoder card and then use a pass-through cable to connect the decoder and my video, the picture looses a substantial amount of clarity.

(My video card is an ASUS RIVA TNT, and I have a 19" Hitachi SuperScan 751 monitor at home.)

I bought this DVD drive because it came with the RealMagic decoder card. I had read excellent reviews about the RealMagic, and although I was severly tempted by the Pioneer slot-loader, I gave into my impulse buying urge one day.

I really don't have TOO many complaints about this DVD drive. Since I'm used to swapping parts in and out, the physical installation was a snap. (Although when I added a new soundcard, I realized I had to redo my internal sound cables unfortunately and use a pass-through externally for audio as a temporary fix until I get more cables.) I really don't care for the recalibration process, but once you finally get it perfected, the image is finally fairly stable.

I realize my problem lies mostly with using a decoder card, but since it comes bundled with this drive, I thought I should share my experience.

After having a second computer linked into my home entertainment system for nearly a year, (mp3's and such) I finally broke down and bought the Creative DVD w/ DXR3. Being experienced with computer hardware, it took me about 10 minutes to install, but if you're not experienced, it should still not take you more than 30 minutes. WOW! Definetly made my entertainment system complete, and at half the cost of a home DVD with the same features. The only problem I had was with some between track skipping, which was easily fixed with Creative's online update to the software. I now enjoy perfect video, and true Dolby Digital (AC-3®) 5.1-channel audio. And with the player being in my computer, I enjoy the extra features found on DVD's that will only run on a computer. Now if only Creative would design a USB port remote that will work with it, then everything would be complete!

Its a great DVD player. I have never had any issues with it since the day I bought it. The picture quality is awesome. The remote control that comes with the player is very easy to use and setting this player up is a breeze.
The only drawback is that it cant play CD-R, CD-RW.

I spent many hours on-line comparing DVD players: considering price, quality, features, and reliability. I also shopped at many electronics stores in the area. I finally came up with the Toshiba SD2150 DVD Player. Why, you ask? Well most consumers picked the SD220 as the best buy, and I would almost agree with that 100%. The SD2150 has everything the SD2200 has, but with a $100.00 difference in list price. Oh yeah, the SD2200 has two audio features the SD2150 doesn't: a dolby digital decoder and an optical digital output - both features you don't need, because you should get the dolby digital decoder feature in your audio receiver instead. Plus the 2150 has a bitstream/PCM audio output that will provide digital audio to your digital receiver or TV. ...For excellent picture quality and superb audio, you can't beat Toshiba DVD players!

With DVD machines hitting all time lows in cost its easy to get caught up in purchising a poor unit in the 150 dollar range at Walmart. Don't fret, spending the extra 50-75 dollars on this unit will be well worth your money. This nifty machine does it all! It has digital sound, zoom feature, 30x Fast forward or reverse, dual tray disk, and the all important component video output. The component video output will be the standard in years to come in viewing movies. (Basically compare HDTV to regular TV and you get the picture) The draw back to the component video function is that you have to have a TV with component inputs. Toshiba is known for very bad remote controls, on this unit they surprisingly got it right. Its Light, small, and to the point. I have two Toshiba TV's, and have been very pleased with them. So when shopping for my first DVD unit I was naturally drawn to them. But after comparing this unit to others like the Sony, and Panasonic the Toshiba price was more affordable, and the functions more abundant on this model compared to the others. Making this little beauty part of your entertainment center will be money well spent!

This is a great TV with great features. The only drawback is poor user-interface design.

I've seen more intuitive, easy-to-read and just plain BETTER on-screen menus on TV's from 10 years ago!

On the set itself all the control buttons are small, and look-alike. Each time I approach set I need to "figure-it-out" again. This isn't a problem for people who are tech-minded and can and undestand standard TV/VCR symbols. Toshiba is really showing their lack of polish and refinement by rushing this set to market in such a utilitarian configuration.

The remote control suffers from the same deficits. Most of the buttons look and are shaped the same way making it non-intuitive. Even more troubling is the way buttons are shared between the VCR and DVD functionality. To distinguish, there are two sets of colored labels. It's very hard to determine if the label is meant for the button above or the button below.

Lastly, I could find no-way to program the remote control to change channels on my Cable-box. I bought this TV/CD/DVD combo to SIMPLIFY things somewhat. With all the people these days with Cable, it's really annoying that you *STILL* need two remotes to work with this TV if you use a cable box.

Combo units sometimes get a bad rap because people assume that having everything together in one box compromises the quality one could have by buying a TV, VCR and DVD as separate components. With this Toshiba unit, there is absolutely no compromise, because everything is first rate. The flat screen TV renders an outstanding picture and the quality of the VCR and DVD are as good as if one would have purchased them separately. The remote, however, could be improved. The DVD controls are non-intuitive, and difficult to read. It took me watching about six movies before I could navigate my way easily around the menus. Thus, because of the remote, I can't give it a five-star rating. Otherwise, this is a great purchase, and kudos to Amazon[.com] for shipping it about a month before I expected it!

I bought this set to replace a JVC unit that I did not like the color or sound on. We have been pleased with the flat screen picture tube which has less distortion on the sides than other tubes and the sound and color are great. You can make fine adjustments via the menu driven controls on the remote. The VCR and DVD units are also easy to use and high quality to view. Everything is easy to control via just one remote. I would buy another one.

This is a great TV with great features. The only drawback is poor user-interface design.

I've seen more intuitive, easy-to-read and just plain BETTER on-screen menus on TV's from 10 years ago!

On the set itself all the control buttons are small, and look-alike. Each time I approach set I need to "figure-it-out" again. This isn't a problem for people who are tech-minded and can and undestand standard TV/VCR symbols. Toshiba is really showing their lack of polish and refinement by rushing this set to market in such a utilitarian configuration.

The remote control suffers from the same deficits. Most of the buttons look and are shaped the same way making it non-intuitive. Even more troubling is the way buttons are shared between the VCR and DVD functionality. To distinguish, there are two sets of colored labels. It's very hard to determine if the label is meant for the button above or the button below.

Lastly, I could find no-way to program the remote control to change channels on my Cable-box. I bought this TV/CD/DVD combo to SIMPLIFY things somewhat. With all the people these days with Cable, it's really annoying that you *STILL* need two remotes to work with this TV if you use a cable box.

Combo units sometimes get a bad rap because people assume that having everything together in one box compromises the quality one could have by buying a TV, VCR and DVD as separate components. With this Toshiba unit, there is absolutely no compromise, because everything is first rate. The flat screen TV renders an outstanding picture and the quality of the VCR and DVD are as good as if one would have purchased them separately. The remote, however, could be improved. The DVD controls are non-intuitive, and difficult to read. It took me watching about six movies before I could navigate my way easily around the menus. Thus, because of the remote, I can't give it a five-star rating. Otherwise, this is a great purchase, and kudos to Amazon[.com] for shipping it about a month before I expected it!

I bought this set to replace a JVC unit that I did not like the color or sound on. We have been pleased with the flat screen picture tube which has less distortion on the sides than other tubes and the sound and color are great. You can make fine adjustments via the menu driven controls on the remote. The VCR and DVD units are also easy to use and high quality to view. Everything is easy to control via just one remote. I would buy another one.