Sony SLV-D550P DVD/VCR Combo

by Sony

Product Details

• Item Weight: 10 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 10 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B00021XQIK
• Item model number: SLVD550P
• Average Customer Review: 1.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #107,290 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Enjoy DVDs, VHS videos, and your CD-based digital media files right in the comfort of your living room or bedroom with the Sony SLV-D550P DVD/VCR combo unit, which handles almost any conceivable media format, from VHS and S-VHS tapes (which it renders at standard VHS resolution) to DVD-Video, DVD-R/RW, and DVD+R/RW discs. It also offers playback for CDs, Video CDs, CD-R/RWs, and MP3s, while also displaying JPEG images onscreen through the included image viewer.

The SLV-D550P fulfills the full potential of your DVDs thanks to its progressive scan function. Referred to as 480p for the number of horizontal lines that compose the video image, progressive scanning creates a picture with twice the scan lines of a conventional DVD picture, giving owners of high-definition TVs higher resolution and sharper images while eliminating nearly all motion artifacts. Audiophiles will appreciate the multiple sound options, including audio output for PCM, Dolby Digital, and DTS, and a virtual surround option that simulates surround sound effects from a traditional two-speaker stereo setup. Viewers can also choose from several aspect ratios that optimize the image to the TV's dimensions. 4:3 letterbox, for instance, displays the entire movie image on a traditional 4:3 TV with black bands along the top and bottom, while 16:9 is the ideal setting for a widescreen TV. Additional DVD features include disc bookmarking, a handy zoom feature for closer looks at scenes, multi-angle playback, parental lock, and slow-motion frame advance.

Meanwhile, the VCR component is easy to program and set up, with a Quickset timer dial for setting the recording date, start time, stop time, and channel. A quick turn of the wrist is all it takes to activate the record function. In addition, the VCR's four-head design ensures smooth slow-motion play (forward and reverse) and clear still-frame images, and its hi-fi sound records and plays back stereo audio tracks. The unit's state-of-the-art 19-micron video heads deliver the clearest possible picture when recording or viewing in EP (extended play) mode, while the VCR Plus+ setting simplifies the advance one-month, eight-event programming timer. The VCR also offers commercial skip for zipping past commercials and previews, 60-second Flash Rewind, auto tracking, and an auto head cleaner.

Connections with combo units are often inconvenient, forcing you to use separate video hookups for each section (DVD, VCR), a problem for some TVs. This player has it figured out: a single RF or composite-video connection to a TV will display either the DVD or the VCR signal, depending on which format you're viewing. If you want to view DVDs in S-video or component video (either interlaced or progressive-scan), you will need to use two inputs, however, as the device will not upconvert the signal from the VCR to either of those higher-resolution formats.

It's a different deal for audio: you can listen through a single set of stereo analog audio cables for each component (one is supplied), or--if you want to enjoy DVDs in discrete 5.1-channel surround sound--you can send the DVD's audio to a compatible AV receiver and a multichannel speaker system through a digital audio interconnect (either optical or coaxial, not supplied). The unit also comes with an RF cable that will transmit VHS/DVD audio and video to your TV, a multi-lingual onscreen display (English, Spanish, French), and a multi-brand TV/DVD/VCR remote control.

What's in the Box
DVD player VCR combo, Cinema Illumination remote control, 75 ohm coaxial video cable, RCA-type AV cord, two AA batteries, user's manual.

Product Description

The SLV-D550P is the perfect combination for your home theatre. This DVD/VCR player has DVD, DVD+RW/+R, DVD-RW/-R, JPEG, CD, SVCD, VCD, CD-R/RW* and MP3 Playback.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not a good buy, September 22, 2004

By 

JR (New york, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony SLV-D550P DVD/VCR Combo (Electronics)

I purchased this DVD/VCR combo and for a few months it worked fine. After this it became a nightmare, first the picture would break up, then it would just stop working and turn itself off. After a couple of days of this, I called for service to Sony. Getting it serviced under warranty was even worse. This is why if you want to buy a DVD/VCR combo I suggest you find another brand that will make itself responsible for it's product.
Good Luck

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars SLV-D550P - Bad quality, May 26, 2005

By 

LSTAR - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sony SLV-D550P DVD/VCR Combo (Electronics)

This unit worked for 6 months only and then it broke. It's a very poor investment and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Bad Sony is not an oxymoron, August 22, 2005

By 

Cranky Brunette (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony SLV-D550P DVD/VCR Combo (Electronics)

This is the only Sony product I have ever been disappointed in. I bought it both for the Sony brand name and the VCR+ feature. I wanted to use it mainly to play old tapes and time shift tv shows (and buzz through the ads), and maybe watch the occasional rented dvd. The vcr playback is crummy--through a glass darkly and fuzzily. The picture quality in the one dvd I played was okay but not wonderful. It's not even tall enough to use as a footstool. I can't even throw it away; the trash collectors won't accept electronics. I'm really disappointed with Sony. (Think I'm going to buy another Sony anything real soon?)