Looks cheap, but does the job.

I have three video formats in my home; VHS, DVD, and Laserdisc. I had been looking for a combo player for two of these to save some space. My first option was a Pioneer DVL-919 Laserdisc/DVD combo player but at a price tag of over $500 USED, I decided to get a VCR/DVD combo deck. My Sony Wega is silver and while I'm not crazy about silver electronics, (too 80's) I wanted this player to match the television. I purchased it used from ebay and hoped there was nothing wrong with it. More than 10 months later, its still working great! The instruction manual was very helpful in setting up this unit for my home theater system.

The DVD Player: I briefly owned an HDTV monitor and was able to use the Progressive Scan function for a couple of movies. I don't know if it was the TV or the DVD player, but some details were a bit fuzzy. There was, however, a definite difference in picture quality between progressive and regular modes. I use the Component (RGB) jacks exclusively for DVD and the image quality is outstanding. The sound quality is also great with the coaxial digital output which I use for Dolby Digital or DTS sound. The DVD's take a while to load from the time the tray closes to the time the picture comes up (about 10-15 seconds in some cases). My old RCA DVD player only took about 5 seconds. This player is very picky about disc quality. If a disc has even small scratches or light prints, it will skip and freeze when you least expect it. The DVD player will also play JPEG files, a feature I've never thought I'd use until my sister's wedding. A really great feature to show slide shows to company but each picture takes a while to load. So far I've not had any problems playing DVD-R's.

The VCR: I don't have that many tapes but I've found that for a better picture and sound, use the composite jacks rather than the coax cable. Programing this VCR has been easier than other models I've used. The high speed rewind and fast forward functions are great.

The Remote: This remote is a bit tricky to use. There is a switchable button on the top that will control your TV (if its a Sony) or the VCR-DVD. I can't count the number of times nothing happens when I press "pause" during a movie only to find I've left the button on "TV." That gets annoying after a while. If you have a Sony TV, this remote can control most functions (except picture mode and closed caption options).

Overall, I've not encountered any problems that would make me want to smash this thing on the sidewalk. This unit looks to be constructed of cheap plastic, but it has performed quite solidly and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.