Samsung DVD-VR325 DVD Recorder/VCR Combo (Progressive Scan)

Samsung DVD-VR325

DVD-VR325 DVD Recorder/VCR Combo (Progressive Scan) Review, by Melissa Perenson November 30, 2005

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• Reviewed by: zitomito

  Strengths: Samsung quality!

  Weaknesses: none

  Overall: I love this product. I like the design and it works perfect. The only complains are that it only accept Dvd-r and not dvd+r. Also I wish there was a component in; it only has component out. Overall, I love it! I recommend it!

• Reviewed by: kahlilj

  Strengths: good picture, good flexiblity of dvd functions & settings

  Weaknesses: limited connectivity with tv - has to be set to RF channel to view instead of selecting input (e.g. AV1, AV2,..) from tv. remote signal is either easily interfered or pretty weak from 7'.

  Overall: unit was fairly easy to connect to my A/V system. picture is great on both vcr & dvd. really disappointed that connection to tv is limited to RF connection. (i.e., tv has to be set to channel 3 or 4.).. automatic time setup does not work well. had to manually set time, but when power is off it reverts back to a default time which is still wrong... labels on remote are so small its hard to read, but the unit does perform well.

• Reviewed by: texasbluez

  Strengths: Compact in size for a combo recorder. Ease of Use. Nice looking. Plenty of extra features.

  Weaknesses: Wish it could also record in DVD+R, but not a major concern.

  Overall: This deck looks awesome. It was very easy to set up and included many optional set up choices. Included the HDMI cable, which was a nice touch. Good Price point for the features that include auto chapter creation and 2 way dubbing (DVD/VHS)and a front panel DV input.

• Reviewed by: vn

  Strengths: Convenient DVD-VCR recorder. Nice record and playback picture quality

  Weaknesses: HD playback of standard format (4:3) DVD and VHS movies produces picture in widescreen format only. People look fat and short. Correct aspect ratio (4:3) viewable only at 480p resolution.

  Overall: Picture quality was very good with sharp details and good colors, including black. However, this was true whether resolution was set to 480p, 720p, or 1080i. I was unable to say for sure if 1080i was definitely better than 480p. Does up-conversion really improve picture quality?One annoying feature is the display of useless information that blocks part of the picture when you press the change chapter button. You have to stop playing to get into the setup menu or to change the resolution. Of course, you cannot watch standard aspect ratio movies in HD (720p & 1080i) as mentioned above.Initially there was digital audio dropouts, but unplugging & plugging the unit appeared to have corrected this problem.If the recording feature were not important to you, you may want to check out the cheaper LG DVD/VCR player (model LGY-514??) which plays all types of DVDs plus DiVX, and also includes multi-format card readers.

• Reviewed by: oillogger

  Strengths: Easier to use than most. Super easy converting of DVDs and VHS tapes. DVDs have been compatible with every device so far.

  Weaknesses: Does not support the DVD+R and DVD+RW media.

  Overall: I purchased the Samsung DVD-VR325 progressive scan recordable DVR/VCR unit as a Christmas gift for my wife. Let go over the features/specs/operation and I'll make a few comments along the way. RECORDABLE MEDIA - Accepts DVD-R, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, and VHS. Too bad it will not record to DVD+R. So far I have recorded to DVD-R, DVD-RAM and VHS without any problems. DVD-RAM support is a good feature since DVD-RAM is so versatile. MEDIA SUPPORTED - Audio CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, and VHS. RECORDING MODES - EP, LP, SP, AND XP. I have only used SP and the playbacks were of good quality. VIDEO UPCONVERSION - 1080i (HDTV), 720p (HDTV), 768p. I do not have a high resolution television so this has not been attempted by me yet. INTERFACE TYPES - Audio - Line In (RCA), Audio - Line Out (AC-3 Bit Stream / PCM Optical), Audio - Line Out (RCA-style), Video - Coaxial (RF), Video - Component, Video - Composite (RCA), Video - i.LINK (IEEE1394), Video - S-Video, Digital Coaxial, Digital Optical, HDMI, RF Coaxial. Isn't that enough for you? It is for me for sure. There are convenient front DV and AV inputs available. SIZE - 20.2"(W) x 7.1"(H) x 16.8"(D). I have read on another website where one owner found they could not stack anything on the unit without the VCR malfunctioning. WEIGHT - About 10 pounds. ON-BOARD DECODERS - Dolby Digital 5.1-channel, DTS. WARRANTY - 1 Year Parts, 90 Day Labor REMOTE CONTROL - The remote can be programmed to control 48 different brands of televisions. The remote is not too hard to figure out and most will only need the manual to understand a couple of the buttons. The control fits in the hand fairly well. SYSTEM SETUP - The initial setup was a breeze. There is an auto time feature to set the clock for you. The automatic channel selection was quick and flawless. All menu settings for the DVD and VCR were easy to navigate and set. There is a Parental Control menu available but I did not use it. DVD/VCR RECORDING - You can record to either on demand, timed, or programmed. The menu is basically the same as the menu on any stand alone VCR you would encounter today. COPYING - Shine, shine, shine. Either go the one button route or use the menus. Copying DVDs to VHS tapes or copying VHS tapes to DVDs has never been easier! I have played back DVDs made from VHS tapes on DVD players, other DVD recorders and computers without any problems. The Samsung DVD-VR325 progressive scan recordable DVR/VCR unit is a great device to preserve those old VHS tapes on DVDs with chapters! OTHER FEATURES - Disk Manager for titles, editing names, protection, formating, and finalising. Advance Editing for scene editing and playlist editing. You also have a zoom feature and multiple camera angles feature. In conclusion I would say the Samsung DVD-VR325 progressive scan recordable DVR/VCR is a pretty good device for most people. It is fairly easy to use and seems to be fairly compatible with other devices. I have yet to try any of the high definition features yet and will not comment on that feature at this time.