Panasonic PV-D4762 DVD-VCR Combo

by Panasonic

Product Details

Product Manual [2.54mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 14.4 x 16.9 x 4.6 inches ; 15.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 18 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B00005YXZ5
• Item model number: PV-D4762
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #178,268 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Panasonic's PV-D4762 is not only incredibly convenient, but also one of the first combi models to offer a progressive-scan video output, providing top-of-the-line DVD picture quality when used with a high-definition or HD-ready TV.

Video Features
Progressive scanning displays all 480 video lines in one pass, rendering horizontal image lines sequentially rather than interlacing the even lines with the odd. This equals high vertical resolution and flicker-free, high-density images--reason enough to make the HDTV leap. The included S-video and composite-video outputs work just fine with most older TVs. The PV-D4762 plays standard DVD-Video discs and most DVD-Rs (recordable DVDs), from which you can easily make VHS copies of weddings, birthdays, etc. For the VCR, the Commercial Advance lets you hop past three minutes of commercials in about 25 seconds, while Movie Advance scans the beginning of a rental video to skip the previews. The unit's four-head design ensures smooth slow-motion (in forward and reverse) and clear still-frame images.

Audio Features
The PV-D4762 is compatible with standard CDs, audio CD-Rs and CD-RWs, and discs encoded with MP3 audio files. (CD-R/CD-RW playability may vary depending on contents and discs.) It can simulate surround-sound effects using only two speakers, so you'll still be able to appreciate a sense of surround sound even if you don't have a surround receiver or six-channel speaker setup.

Connections
In the video realm, you get standard composite-video, S-video, and premium component-video outputs for the DVD player (one set each), as well as two sets of composite-video inputs (one on the front and one at the rear) and one RF (cable-type) input and output for the VCR. There's also an optical digital-audio output to feed a surround-sound signal to a Dolby Digital-decoding or DTS-decoding AV receiver. It has stereo RCA analog audio outputs as well. In addition, an illuminated multibrand universal Light Tower remote control is included.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

220 of 223 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A winning combination, May 17, 2002

By 

Leonard Merkel "lenski" (Folsom, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Panasonic PV-D4762 DVD-VCR Combo (Electronics)

I've had this DVD/VCR combination for several weeks now, and I can say I'm very impressed. I connected the DVD video to my home theater receiver using the S-Video connection. The receiver is itself connected to my 32-inch TV also using a S-Video connection. The DVD picture is awesome! I've played several DVDs, some with challenging content (e.g. the Matrix, Star Wars Episode I), and this unit has behaved faultlessly. No nasty digital artifacts that I could see. The unit also provides a component video connection which supports progressive scan. When Santa brings me that widescreen HDTV, it'll be great to see how that performs!

I also connected the DVD audio to the same receiver using the optical digital connection (note: no connect cable supplied). The unit outputs both Dolby Digital and DTS audio streams. As my receiver decodes both forms of encoding, I could play all movies with 5.1 surround sound tracks in their full glory. Awesome! Sure beats listening through the built-in speakers in my TV.

The DVD section also plays regular CDs and home-burned MP3 CDs faultlessly, both CD-R and CD-RW. Few units handle MP3 on CD-RW, so kudos to Panasonic for that. At 128k compression, the sound is just fine for casual listening. At 192k compression it's hard to tell from a regular CD, and you can still get several hours of music on a single disc. If you don't have a CD burner for your PC, get one!

The VCR section is fine too, and has several features that my previous unit didn't have, including program index marking, and commercial advance. This last works pretty well, automatically recognizing and fast-forwarding through about 80% of recorded commercials. It also provides 3 tape speeds: SP (1 x capacity), LP (2 x capacity), and SLP (3 x capacity). So, you can choose the best trade-off between tape usage and video quality. The SP video quality is pretty good, as is the Hi-Fi stereo sound. Note though that the video output is only available through the composite or RF (antenna) connection. S-Video and component video aren't available. This is common to all other brands of DVD/VCR combination, so Panasonic is not alone. But, it does mean you need 2 connections to your receiver/TV, and you need to switch inputs on your TV when switching between DVD and VCR. (Why can't manufacturers build-in an up-converter so you only need a single video connection?)

Now the not-so-good-news. The remote, while doing the job it's supposed to, doesn't look or feel like it will last very long. It's made of ultra-lightweight plastic, dipped in silver paint to look metallic. The pale blue color used for the DVD legends is hard to read against the silver background, and the paint has already worn off the little dimple feet that make contact when placed on the coffee table. Finally, while there is a light button, only 3 of the buttons are illuminated, so don't expect to be able to use the remote easily in a dark room. Do yourself a favor. Buy a decent learning remote, and transfer the codes you need.

One final point. If you want to get the very best out of the DVD video, connect it to your TV using the best connection it supports (progressive component, then interlaced component, then S-Video, then composite, then as a last resort RF). If you use component or S-Video, be prepared to switch inputs when switching between DVD and VCR.

These are minor gripes though. If you're in the market for a quality DVD player or VCR, check out this unit. If you're in the market for both, at the price, it's a no-brainer.

76 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed, November 11, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Panasonic PV-D4762 DVD-VCR Combo (Electronics)

I've owed the PV-D4762 for 1 week now and am quite disappointed. I brought this unit because I wanted a VHS with automatic "commercial advance" like my previous unit. I also wanted a DVD. A combo of both in one unit sounded like the perfect solution. As I understand it, only Panasonic and RCA have "commercial advance" so that narrowed down my choices considerably. RCA's web site was next to useless, so Panasonic got the nod.

I set the unit up and began testing it out. Everything works but VHS recording doesn't seem to be as good as it could be. I haven't tried many programs yet so not absolute on this. There doesn't seem to be any tracking controls for the VHS. The DVD seems to play fine with the 2 discs I have tried.

The real annoyances come with the integrated display and when you try to play audio discs. Make no mistake, this is a system that was designed for DVD's, with audio disc functionality apparently added on as an afterthought.. The unit features a nice large integrated display, but there isn't much that shows in it.

Both DVD & audio discs do not show the track being played on the integrated display. You have to TURN ON THE TV TO SEE WHAT TRACK IS PLAYING! There is no normal CD function to scan forward smoothly on an audio track. What you get is the ability to jump forward in 8 second increments - very annoying! There isn't any random or shuffle play, no timer display of the time on the track and no way to repeat play a section of an audio CD.

The integrated display shows precious little information. The display is shared by both the VHS & the DVD. When recording a VHS tape, all it shows is "REC". Above this word are 3 indicators (a red square, "Hi-Fi", Timer"). No counter of how much has been recorded is shown. You have to go to the TV display to see this information. With a disc in the DVD side, no matter if it is DVD or audio, all you see is "PLAY". Again, no track information or timer is displayed. When neither the VHS or DVD side is active, the display shows the current time.

The remote control is one big mess. VHS and DVD functions are intertwined and scattered haphazardly all over the control. There are 53 buttons crammed onto it. Many buttons are tiny and many functions are cryptic. There isn't any way to tell whether the VHS or the DVD is active.

I was going to trash my 10 year old CD player but have decided to keep it. I see a short life for the PV-D4762 in my house and will likely replace it with a hard disc recording product next year. Then I'll get a separate DVD player and new CD player, sigh.

Sadly, since I went with the low price on the net (price), I can't return it. Although I am giving it a rating of 3 overall, I wouldn't recommend this unit to anyone.

36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent unit!, June 11, 2002

By 

John R. Thomas (Pleasantville, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Panasonic PV-D4762 DVD-VCR Combo (Electronics)

i purchased two (2) panasonic p-dm2799 (tv/vcr/dvd/fm combo) unit for my school... when i was so happy with the performance on these, i HAD to go with the panisonic PV-D4762 for a standalone unit. I must say, both products have served us well in a 350 student K-8 school... they perform well, i LOVE the VCD reading capability, and most of allm they have withstood the wear and tear of being used several times per day, 186 days per year.