Customer Reviews

Panasonic PV-D4754S Progressive Scan DVD / VCR Combo , Silver

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I researched a lot before deciding to get this dvd/vcr combo! I love it! It has both kinds of rewind for dvds: chapter rewind and the regular vcr like rewind. You need to have both kinds of rewind! The remote is easy to use and the buttons are in a good order. It has a 100 button which is good to have if you are looking for dvd easter eggs!
It was easy to set up, and is easy to use. You can even record a tv show while watching a dvd on the same machine. However when you play what you recorded back you will hear a slight blip noise when you switched modes, put in dvd, etc. Regular recording works just fine without the blip noise. There is a slight tracking problem on self made tapes that were taped on other vcrs, but this is a common problem to most vcrs.
The dvd player works like a charm, as does the vcr. This unit will even tell you how much tape you have left to record on. The rewinding and forwarding is very fast. My tv's reception was greatly improved when I hooked it up to this unit. Dvds that made a buzzing noise on my mom's dvd/vcr/tv combo do not make the same noise on this wonderful machine! I am very happy with mine, and would reccomend it to everyone!

Although I haven't purchased a HDTV yet, I needed a combo unit that would fit my current enclosure, function well with my current 32" Mitsubishi TV and have all the features I'll need when I do get the new LCD HDTV. Although I've only watched one DVD and part of a video, I've been very impressed with this unit. After reading some reviews at Amazon regarding other combo units, I was hesitant to buy one. However, further review of the capabilities of this unit at Panasonic.com really helped.

Setup was easier than described in the manual. I had downloaded a .PDF format of the manual at Panasonic.com last week, however I really didn't need to. Setup was that easy.

I purchased a Full Screen version DVD I wanted, in order to test the DVD player. Picture and sound were crystal clear. The video I tried was older, but the VCR played it as well as my existing Mitsubishi (self-cleaning 4-head) unit. I can't ask for more. I'll have to try a more current movie next.

A note to those with older TV sets. After reading the downloaded manual information, prior to purchase, I had a feeling that this unit might not be completely compatible with my not quite seven year old TV. I was correct. Even after trying both Mitsubishi codes provided, it has most but not all functions. Although it's a little disappointing, I would gladly buy this unit again just because of all the great things it does do!

Like others, I was hesitant to buy a combo unit, but was forced to when my VCR died last month, and I found out they don't stand-alone VCR's any more :-))

It took me (Mr. Non-tech) a total of 2 hours to read the manual, remove the old DVD player and VCR, and reconnect the cable box, etc. (I would strongly recommend using RCA cables to connect the dvd/vcr deck to the TV, the picture is far better).

Using the remote is easy, just push the DVD or VCR button, and then go to the appropriate commands. A lot of the buttons are dual-use, but the setup is very intuitive. Altogether, a great unit for the price.

After trying to play one DVD+R in this Panasonic PV-D4754S, the DVD section has stopped working and will not play anything anymore except "Erin Brockovich".

The Tape section makes and plays beautifully, the transport is quiet and the remote is functional if a bit crowded. But now the DVD section is fried, dyed, and laid to the side. Won't recognize any CD's and displays error messages such as "Can't play this type disc" and "The disc is scratched or dirty"

It was good while it lasted, but I sure found out the hard way that, "it'll just refuse to play it" is NOT the worst than can happen. The DVD+R format will kill the DVD player.

Recommended: the Philips DVP642 which plays a huge variety of formats.

This unit worked for one day before it konked out. While it was easy to set up and gave excellent pictures, when I went to turn it on the second day, the power wouldn't come on. To make matters worse, the warranty info states you must ship Panasonic's Texas Service Center at your expense if you are going to get it fixed. Then to add more insult to injury, they say that if they choose not to repair your new unit, they will ship you a refurbished unit and now a new one. Using this equipment for 90 minutes only to have the unit fail is unacceptable. A new unit should be sent to replace this one - not a refurbished unit. This is a very poor warranty and exeedingly poor customer service.

I'm going to contact their customer service unit to see if I can get this serviced loaclly, but this poor level of quality control is unacceptable. If I wish to return the unit to the shipping company, I am out the original shipping charges, plus the additional shipping costs to get it back to them.

Check out all of the warranty and return policies before you purchase.

Follow-up. July 2nd. I was able to contact J&R Music Customer Service. They were friendly and quite helpful. I am in the process of exchanging the broken unit for a new one. Hopefully the second one will work.

Panasonic DVD/VCR stuff is junk. With two purchases the item stopped working after a few months. Once the 3 month "full warranty" has expired Panasonic wanted slightly more than the original purchase price to fix it. I would never buy another Panasonic product. I wish I could give it zero stars