Customer Reviews

Samsung DVD-V2500 VCR/DVD Combo

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

 

 

I looked long and hard before deciding to buy this unit. I noticed that some brands had reports of lines when they played or stopped or some other problem. I have nothing but praise for the V2500. It's clear as a bell when I use the dvd or vhs and has the progressive scan for the widescreen tvs. I have component connections for the dvd and RCA for the vhs, plus satellite and antenna inputs so I can record with one of those while watching a dvd. I wanted to ask Samsung some questions about hookups (like the component and s-video only help dvd, vhs isn't digital so RCA jacks are the best) and had no problem getting through and the Samsung Rep was very knowledgeable and friendly. I recommend the V2500 if you want a combination unit.

This is the first DVD-VCR combo unit that I've had and I enjoy using it. I love the ability to play CD and MP3 discs. There is no fast forward or random play feature for MP3 tracks. It's performance is quite satisfactory when viewing DVDs and VHS tapes. The tape rewind is extremely fast, though a bit noisy. The non-illuminated remote is crammed with useful controls and is fairly well laid out. The unit has a high quality appearance. The picture and sound quality of DVD and VHS are both excellent.

The rear of the unit is well designed having all of the connection options used today. In the front are a composite video input and stereo input. It would have been nice if they had included a headphone jack. Set up of time and date are relatively simple.

While the unit is well designed, functional and attractive I'm not so certain about the electronics. One time when playing an MP3 disk the unit seemed to become quite warm. As a result the disk eject feature failed to work, even after repeated pressings of the open button on both the remote and on the unit itself. I turned off the unit and after it cooled off the disk eject worked fine. This problem has not happened again, but I begin to wonder about reliability.

The nature of a combo unit means complexity, and I was a little confused at first about how to make it do what I wanted, so there is a bit of a learning curve involved. Samsung did an excellent job at making the controls logical, but they are not necessarily intuitive.

Overall I think that this machine is an excellent value.

I bought this model about a year ago, and while pleased with the unit, I didn't consider it a huge bargain at the time. But, now that it can be had for almost $$$ less than when I purchased it, I highly recommend it as an extrememly excellent value. (I am a little miffed that I paid so much back then, though. Such is life.)
The DVD section is excellent. It has played anything I've shoved into it, including Asian VCD's.
The VCR section has good picture and sound, nothing spectacular compared to DVD, of course. It has a very fast rewind.
The Memory Stick function works a little slowly. But, hey! It HAS a memory stick function! Where else will you find DVD, VCR, and Memory Stick in the same unit for this price?
Other pluses include quiet operation. (I don't hear the noises other reviewers have complained about.) And, an RF output for DVD.
The only minuses I've noticed is that DVD menu choices and the Memory Stck playback menu both seem to respond slowly to commands, and the remote control is a little "busy" with a ton of buttons, some quite small.

The DVD player stopped working after 5 months with less than adverage use. I noticed another reviewer experienced the same problem. When you put a DVD in the player is says "LOADING" for a couple of minutes and then says "NO DISC". We probably have watched less then 20 DVD movies on it... Total drag.

PROS: DVD/VCR COMBO with progressive scan and memory stick reader. Stylish and easy to use. Very good quality picture both in DVD and VCR.

CONS: Nothing to say.

OVERALL: RATED A1.

I bought Samsungs's P-721M DVD player, and this V2500 combo, since I could find no others for playing music and viewing photos on Memory Sticks.

The vcr part stopped working, so i sent it in and they sent out a replacement or fixed it. Other than that, never had problems except the dvd door got stuck once and wouldn't eject the dvd.

Still worked great after that.

Works good, plays homemade DVD-R as well. It's a little slow switching menus.

I bought this unit because of it high value rating. The VCR stopped working after about a week and was fixed under warranty at a local shop in Hawaii. Now, exactly 1 year after I bought it, the DVD part is broken. Luckily it is still under warranty but I have to ship it to NJ.(I now live in Florida). The unit has worked great and it was a good deal for $130.00, even with the two warranty claims.

I got this thinking I would save myself on some connections and components. Well, here is what has happened in less than a year of use (only played one VCR tape in it):

1) LOTS of problems with the unit not ejecting DVD and CD's. Will just sit there and spin...and have waited for hours before trying to get it to eject. Sent it back to Samsung, and their comment (after I paid S&H) was "couldn't reproduce problem". GAHH!!!

2) Poor options on CD/MP3 playback. There is absolutely NO random/shuffle option. On screen MP3 title selection is nice, though.

Paid $250 for this one year ago.

-Jeff