Samsung DVD-VR357 Tunerless DVD Recorder and VCR Combo Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Having had three combos in the last 5 years I decided to try a number of them at the same time and then return the worst of them - because as many would agree, what I actually want is just not available.
In comparison to Toshiba 650, LG 797, Sony 555 (these are the ones I have tried so far), this one is the cheapest, by a significant amount of money and better than all of the others in one way or another. The LG797 is best but it is so sensitive to copyright there are TV shows (Mad Men on AMC), even cartoons (Stuart Little), Sometimes even Lifetime Movies that it will not record from a DVR or straight from Satellite. Samsung is not sensitive.
Samsung has three drawbacks that are almost dealbreakers - except that the other combos are so much worse in so many areas- not enough connections and it is slower than the others in editing features. It records RAM but not Double Layer discs. I have never had a combo that records RAM or DL until now so I would like it to record both like the LG does.
If you research all of your components and maybe even get an adapter when needed, the hookups is no problem. The speed for deleting a portion of a dvd or dividing, is slower than the others. Since I do lots of dividing and deleting on my +RW's, this would normally be enough to send it back. But it beats the others in so many other areas, it's still close to the best.
I have been transferring 24 hours a day from VHS to DVD or DVR to DVD and it has only frozen once (the others have several times). It is not sensitive to copyright so I can tape a movie and watch it later. I only make dvd's for myself to watch and I pay for the tv stations so I should be able to watch them and Samsung gives me that opportunity at my convenience.
The video quality from VHS to DVD or DVR to DVD is ridiculously better than the Toshiba and the Sony (Both over $240 each). It records every format it claims to record (unlike Panasonic which has great difficulty with +R and +RW). I am a +RW fan - if you haven't tried it because you think it is no different than -RW - you are sorely mistaken. Not having to finalize and "make compatible" or unfinalize to add something saves time and the discs still play on all of my DVD players. Not to mention more editing ability and reusing the beginning of the disc while there are shows still on the end (I have not figured this out on the Samsung yet - my previous LiteOn's did this quite easily and from all the features with +RW Samsung allows, I think it will do this also). I have used 8 different brands of DVD's (and have tried +R/+RW/-R/-RW/RAM and every single one has recorded and played back without a problem. From high end discs down to office depot generics. This is rare. In +RW mode it has the lovely feature called "Divide" also available on Sony and LG (not Toshiba). If you are transferring or recording and you let it run long or fall asleep you can divide at the end of your show and delete the part you don't want. You can do this with all the commercials also if you wanted to take the time. You get to use variable recording speed so if you are recording in SP but the last show you are adding to the disc is a bit longer, you can record the last show in LP so it fits. When you press Record mode to set SP SLP etc, it shows on the screen how much time you would have left on the disc for recording if you used that speed. So you don't have to open up the title list or figure it out yourself. There is much more and as I continue to use the Samsung, if there is anything important, I will add to my review. This combo is not perfect - there are more things I would change if the DVD makers would let me creat my own machine with every feature I want but so far this is surprisingly better than the Sony or Toshiba and beats the LG if you tend to record show or movies to watch on DVD later. I need two combos and this is good enough that if I can't find something that has the LG797 positives and the Samsung's positives - I will actually buy another one. I am very picky with my media and especially because the combos out there generally do not do what they say they do and that's heartbreaking when you are spending anywhere from $170 - $400. My three others were Liteon's and JVC and all three broke in less than 3 years.
IF you have right hookups and this combo has the features you are looking for, I can certainly say, it is excellent compared to the others I have tried.

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Samsung LN19A650 19-Inch 720p LCD HDTV with RED Touch of Color Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I had been reading many good reviews, for a long time,on Samsung's LNT1953H & LN19A330. The latter being a discontinued item. This set was going to be used in a kitchen and ocassionally on a deck. My last 15" LCD (non HD) had a fair picture but I wanted something better. The reviews led me to the Samsung since it had a built in HD tuner and most people felt the SD quality was "good".
I purchased the A650 model and so far am MORE than pleased. Don't let the "Touch of Color" deter you. This set has only a slight red color. In fact the box calls it Rose/Black. I have to look hard to see it, and i think it adds a nice touch to the normal black border. The one negative aspect of the high gloss border is that it does reflect light from the room which can sometimes be distracting...not a deal breaker however.
It has a lot of features that I am not interested in such as being able to hook up to a PC, but the HD tuner is what caught my eye.
I am able to get 12 HD channels (no box)and the picture quality is outstanding. I remember reading a couple of years ago when I was buying my 61" HD set that someone wrote 'HD picture on anything smaller than 32" is not worth it since you do not see much of a picture quality change'. That statement is sooooo un-true. There is an amazing differance, even with this 19" set. The HD chanells are absolutely amazing and i am not new to HD. I have had a JVC 61" HD for two years.
The SD channels are very good also. Probably the best I have seen in any small set.
The set allows you to make all adjustments throught it's menu (obviously) but also allows you to do many things with macro buttons on the remote. i.e picture size, favorite channels, sound, etc... The manual is clear and concise as is the on screen menu. The only con I have is that the TV picked up all my cable channels (86) and most are duplicated in digital (another 86) and 12 HD channels. The problem is that you cannot name the channels in the channel listing menu. You can only name them if the channels are being received "over the Air". Through cable you cannot name them, so when you bring up the channel listings you only get their digital number; such as 201-122. I'm sure this is the same with all sets, not just Samsung. So you'll have to make your own program guide to know what staion that actually is.
It also comes with a wall mount fixed bracket. They say it is for concrete walls but I am sure you can use it anywhere. It won't allow you to move it right/left, but it's not bad for a fixed bracket. You attach it to the bottom of the stand, after you flip it up; and you can easily lift the TV off the bracket to move it to another location.
Other than that, it is a great set with great picture quality and I would highly recommend it.
If I could change my "rate stars", i would change it to 5!

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