Customer Reviews

Sylvania 15" Digital LCD Tv and DVD Combo

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This is my first TV / DVD combo. We bought one for my wife's boss, then he bought us one in return. Picture is good, typical LCD screen with the usual screen options with one big difference. When you're playing a DVD, your stuck with whatever aspect ratio the movie was made in. That's pretty much my only complaint with this set. Our other LCD sets have digital channels following each analog station. This one has the digital stations in a set following all the analog channels, so you have to go through all the analogs before you can get to the digitals. Setup is typical of most sets without too much hassle. Sound quality isn't too bad for a set this size.

We've had this TV for over two years. We use it in our travel trailer. The idea was to save space and weight and upgrade to digital tuning. This fit the bill. Picture was good. But there are several issues:

The viewing angle from up and down is very narrow, especially down. It is mounted on the wall near the 6 1/2 foot ceiling and when you sit on the couch the screen is very dark even though it is tilted down to aim directly at the couch cushion. If you stand up the picture is fine.

There is no instant replay button on the remote DVD controls.

It turns itself on whenever it wants. I have to leave it unplugged when we are away.

The manual buttons are on the top and cannot be viewed when hung high on a wall.

The TV will last much longer than the DVD player and you can't upgrade one without the other.

I finally got tired of these issues and replaced it with a 22" LED LCD and separate Blue-Ray player. The total package fits in the same space and weighs less plus I now have a bigger screen, 1080P HD and upgraded the player, all for just a few dollars more than I paid for the Sylvania.

Oh yeah, one more thing; My grandchildren lost the remote and two different universal remotes I bought will not control the unit satisfactorily.

With the imminent switch to ATSC Digital broadcasts (DTV), I started shopping for a new TV. Just before Christmas, I found this Sylvania at a local retailer, as an "open box special" for only $165. I have been very satisfied with my purchase.

This TV is not true "HD" - with a 640x480 screen, it is merely "HD compatible". However, the display is still enjoyable -- clear and sharp... although not as bright as many current LCD TV's. With a $10 amplified antenna, the TV picks up 25 DTV channels, including all the major networks. The TV has two viewing modes -- "Letterbox", which is wide-screen; and "Zoom", which zooms the picture to a traditional 4:3 format, ala regular tube TV. We usually watch this TV in Zoom mode.

The DVD player works well... although, contrary to Amazon.com's web page, my unit does not play CD-RW's... only DVD's and DVD+R/+RW (DVD-R and DVD-RW don't work, I tried).

If I had to complain about "something" -- it would be that the speakers are on the sides, instead of underneath the display. This makes the unit wider than it should be, and can limit where you set it on a countertop. In other words, it takes up the same space that a 19" LCD TV (with speakers under the display) does.

Overall, I am satisfied with this TV, and I can heartily recommend buying one, if you can find it (like me) for under $200.