Philips DVP3345V/17 DVD/VCR Combo by Philips
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Our Price: $120.00 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Home Theater See more digital camera details and other models |
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Digital camera reviews of Philips DVP3345V/17 DVD/VCR Combo
Digital camera Review: No Tuner
Summary: 1 Stars
The description of this product definitely needs to state that there is not an internal tuner.Digital camera Review: Not as good as JVC HRXVC12S for same price
Summary: 2 Stars
I wanted a DVD/VCR combo with a silver finish to match my silver SA Explorer 8300HDC DVR. This was the only silver unit I could find (new and from reputable stores/websites) other than the JVC HRXVC12S (JVC HRXVC12S Progressive Scan DVD Player and VCR Combo)...not counting a couple Walmart/Kmart brands I wasn't too keen on like Sylvania. I was less than thrilled with this Philips combo upon unboxing it, however, as the entire thing seemed to be made of plastic, and it was not as deep (front to back) as my DVR, under which I wanted it to be placed. I played a couple of DVDs and noticed the tray seemed very flimsy--definitely not kid friendly. Whilst the picture looked fine, there was a noticeable pause when the layer changed. I was also disappointed that the remote was filled with nearly 50 tiny, similarly-sized & shaped buttons that didn't glow or illuminate. It's also not Energy Star certified and does not have a dts decoder.
By comparison, the JVC does have a dts decoder, is Energy Star certified, has a more user-friendly remote, its DVD tray feels solid and it's built with a metal case. It's also about an inch deeper so it fits underneath my DVR much better. Unfortunately its silver finish is darker than the DVR's, but I believe it's better than the Philips in every other way.
Note that neither of these units has an optical digital output (just coaxial), and neither routes the VHS picture through the component outputs. Neither has HDMI or a TV tuner either but that should be obvious.
Digital camera Review: Not bad for the price
Summary: 4 Stars
I just needed a VCR to finish transferring my home videos to DVD and this was the cheapest non-refurbished stereo playback unit I found. It seems to do a good job of matching tracking and the picture quality is good so it works well for me. The DVD player seems OK but to be honest I play my DVDs in my Blu-ray player and only tried this one to see if it worked. I also did try the VCR record features. I don't imagine anyone is still recording to tape out there though since finding VCRs is almost impossible already. If you are looking for a recorder might I suggest you look into a DVR like TiVo or a DVD recorder (see below).
Note this unit does not record to DVDs. I'm using Pinnacle Studio with a USB capture devices to capture the output of the VCR (and TiVo). From my experience the DVD recorders out there are barely better than SVHS. If you are looking for something to transfer your tapes to DVD spend your money on a capture device and some editing / burning software like Pinnacle Studio or Adobe Premiere Elements instead of a DVD recorder. You will be MUCH happier with the results and probably save money too.
Digital camera Review: Philips DVD/VCR Combo, DVP3345V/17
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a very high quality playback unit. I cannot assess record capability because it does not have proper jacks for our televisions. It has only RCA output jacks. Altho' it was good value for the price, this design limitation might have kept me from purchasing had I known in advance.
That limitation aside, I am very pleased with it and am getting good use playing DVDs and VHS cassettes.
Digital camera Review: Philips DVP3345V/17 DVD/VCR Combo
Summary: 5 Stars
I set this unit up with a Philips PH 61159 modulator. In other words I hooked up the two units to an old TV that only has a 75 ohm F connector on the back. This allowes both a roof antenna and this combo unit to be connected to an older TV doesn't have RCA inputs. This arrangement worked great until the HD switchover. Now I'm going to add an HD converter box until it's time to buy a new television. For playing movies from VHS tapes and DVDs this unit works great. This unit has been light use since December 2008. No issues.