DVD Josh

I'm thinking about picking one up for my bedroom, but I'm concerned that something could go wrong with it fairly easily. Looking at a solid brand (Toshiba). I was thinking about just going with a smaller tv and getting a combo dvd/vcr. Thoughts?

renaldow

I had a couple TV/VCR combos years ago, and I'll never buy another combo unit again. On the first one, the picture tube went out but the VCR still worked. Not much good that did since it was useless. The 2nd one as just the opposite, the TV kept working, but the VCR broke.

I bought a DVD/VCR combo for my mom when they first came out, hers is still going strong. I think even if one part of it goes out, the combos are still inexpensive to replace or upgrade from. I'd go with one of those and a seperate TV if you're looking to save space.

LasVegasMichael

I would definately say on these type of units for several reasons, not the least of which is component switch out.

I don't know what kind of budget you are trying to work with, but realistically, prices on run of the mill TVs are dropping so fiercely right now that you could easily put together a tv (25")/dvd/vcr separate component setup for $250 out the door.

If you are willing to ditch the VCR, it will even be cheaper. (Do you really need a VCR?).

I used to have a VCR/TV combo (long before the days of dvd), and although it lasted a good 10 years, the VCR was complete crap within 3 or 4 years with quite a bit of use. The TV still works to this day, but the VCR is decorative at this point.

Good luck!

nekobus

Stay far, far away. When one part of the unit breaks you'll lose the use of the whole unit while it's being repaired. Plus, if you ever try to plug in an external dvd player (if the internal one breaks, for example), you will have to deal with macrovision issues because of the VCR.

I would also stay away from DVD/VCR combo units because of the repair issue problem and for the same budget, you can often buy better quality separates. Even Consumer Reports recommends not buying combo units.

tjr2mental

I have owned two combo TV/VCR sets in the past, a RCA and Toshiba. Both now sit in some dump where they belong. The RCA lasted about a year and a half, and the Toshiba doubled that time before it decided to take a dive on me.

Avoid these units like the plague.

cultshock

Stay away for all the reasons mentioned above.

This exact thing happened to me. I bought one about 12 years ago. The TV still works fine, but the VCR took a dump about 5 years ago. The video and audio inputs go through the internal VCR not directly to the TV, so I have macrovision problems if I try to hook up a VCR or DVD to it (luckly I found a DVD player that can get around the macrovision. A feature that comes in handy for a perfectly legitimate reason in this case)

DVD Josh

Thanks for the input fellas. Decided to pass on it.