Toshiba SD-V296 Tunerless DVD VCR Combo

by Toshiba

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 17 x 3.7 inches ; 5.9 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• 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: B001DZFYPW
• Item model number: SDV296
• Batteries: 2 AA batteries required. (included)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #250 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

Fitting more entertainment value into less shelf space just got easier. With a DVD/VCR combo player, you get the connectivity and features without the clutter. One Touch Recording for the VCR provides a simple and convenient way to make a recording. Simply connect your DVD/VCR to your cable or satellite box and then to your monitor/TV and you are set to record a tape with the push of one button! General Information-Manufacturer-Toshiba:General Information-Manufacturer Part Number-SD-V296:General Information-Manufacturer Website Address-Toshiba:General Information-Brand Name-Toshiba:General Information-Product Model-SD-V296:General Information-Product Name-SD-V296 DVD Player/VCR Combo:General Information-Product Type-DVD Player/VCR:Miscellaneous-Package Contents-SD-V296 DVD Player/VCR Combo Remote Control User's Manual:Warranty-Standard Warranty-90 Day Limited:Technical Information-Number of Discs-1:Technical Information-Media Formats-VHS, DVD-RW, CD-RW:VCR-Number of Heads-4:Video-Video Signal Format-NTSC:Video-Video Formats-DVD Video, Video CD:Video-Picture Control-Zoom:Video-Scanning Modes-Progressive Scan:Video-Digital to Analog Video Converter-14-bit - 108 MHz:Audio-Sound System-Dolby Digital, DTS:Audio-Audio Formats-MP3:Audio-Digital to Analog Audio Converter-24-bit - 192 kHz:Image-Image Formats-JPEG:Interfaces/Ports-Component Video-Yes:Interfaces/Ports-Composite Video-Yes:Interfaces/Ports-Digital Audio Coaxial Out-Yes:Controls/Indicators-Language Supported-English, French, Spanish:Controls/Indicators-Remote Control-Yes:Power Description-Input Voltage-110 V AC:Physical Characteristics-Color-Black:Physical Characteristics-Height-3.7":Physical Characteristics-Width-17.1":Physical Characteristics-Depth-9.2":Physical Characteristics-Weight (Approximate)-5.95 lb.:

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A different review, my 2 cents, January 8, 2011

By 

1Corinthians15_10 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Toshiba SD-V296 Tunerless DVD VCR Combo (Electronics)

My review is a lot different from most of the people here.

I saw the reviews others wrote, which were very negative, and one or two that felt it was a good solid basic machine.

I have used toshiba in my profession and it is generally a solid, quality brand. Not schnazzy and spiffy, but solid. A few quirks, but it gets the job done.

What I have done/intend to do with this machine:

1--Replace my old vcr which my son destroyed
2--Play old VHS tapes that have been given to us by friends/family, mainly children's videos
3--Play DVD's (for the children and for us--playing them on my laptop it's too quiet).

On these three points, honestly, I couldn't have asked for a better deal. the price was under $50 when I purchased it last week, and it's brand spanking new, not a refurb, and everything works good. The sound quality for the VHS side is not extra quiet for my tv. In fact, I had to turn it down some. DVD worked great too.

What I have NOT tried to do/don't intend to do:

1--record old vhs's to DVD
2--Hook this puppy into a state of the art audio/visual home theater
3--set the timer for recording programs automatically.

In these more advanced digital age things, probably this is not the best tool. All I wanted was something that could play both vhs and dvd's mainly to entertain our kids and sometimes for me and my wife. Our TV is not enthroned in honor in our house, it is just a tool. Our life doesn't focus around TV programming, so all we really needed was something to play VHS and DVD when we need or want.

Now it's possible if you have a nice nice system, you've already spent hundreds of $$$ on HD stuff, then maybe you need something that is more compatible. Check carefully on brands and make sure they have the exact connections you need, or you can end up spending a lot of money.

Also, if you have a TV that only goes through Co-ax, you'll need a special box to convert the RCA to Co-ax, and the manual says you might find reduced quality if you do.

So if you just need a basic solid piece of equipment to play your vids, I think you can't beat this one. The price has raised since I bought it, but it's still the most affordable one as of today, and I'm glad I got one for well under $100.

101 of 110 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars this unit is the pits, March 24, 2009

By 

clio22 (NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Toshiba SD-V296 Tunerless DVD VCR Combo (Electronics)

There are so many things wrong with this unit that it's unusable and I have to buy another, different brand. It's the worst VCR I've had in 35 years.

Connectivity is limited, as noted by the previous reviewer. In my case, the hookup is RCA only so I can't connect it to an older TV with an RF coax.

Timer recording is so convoluted (actually, EVERYTHING is so convoluted) and you can't watch TV through the VCR while it's recording - it locks you into the DVD mode. In other words, if you set the timer, you can't watch TV or spot-record in the VCR mode. You have to shut off the unit to watch TV.

The sound level drops *depreciably* from the sound level of the TV, not only when playing VHS/ DVD tapes, but even when you just turn it on.

There's no auto-tracking and the tracking buttons do nothing to adjust the picture. The sound drops even lower playing VHS and you can't get rid of those rolling tracking lines. I haven't checked to see if this also happens on tapes recorded by this unit or if it just happens on tapes I've recorded on another unit.

The open/close button on the remote doesn't do what it's supposed to do. It either stops the action or else it cycles back and forth between open/close. I have to get up from the couch and manually press open/close from the unit itself.

Moving through/selecting the menus is primitive and so counter-intuitive. It takes forever. And the manual is totally useless.

The remote is convoluted and not user-friendly. It's also cheaply made - there are several spots where the plastic is splitting and I've only had it one month.

Rewind is excruciatingly slow.

I'm sure I'm forgetting some other really annoying problems. This unit is almost as primitive as VCRs/DVD players when they first came out. I bought Toshiba to get away from the SONYs I've been buying that die within a year, but it looks like I'll have to check out other brands now.

50 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Buy another brand, April 17, 2009

By 

Edward A. Krivoniak (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Toshiba SD-V296 Tunerless DVD VCR Combo (Electronics)

I bought this recorder to replace my Sony VCR that went bad after 8 years. This was probably one of the worst purchases I have made. Amazon got me the VCR in 2 days and the setup only took minutes but that is the last good thing I have to say. The remote control is extremely poorly designed. The rewind is slow under both modes. The search function was very difficult to use due to poor documentation. There is no slow playback function in either forward or reverse. The buttons on the remote are not in logical places causing a lot of hunting for the right keys. The lettering on the remote is very small and hard to see. The function I really miss is the one to let you know how much tape is left to be recorded. All in all, I am sorry that I bought this and will probably never buy anything from Toshiba again.