sony blew it with this one

Sony failed miserably with this model. I usually trust that brand, but not anymore. The remote control is very poorly designed. After about the 8 month mark, the dvd tray seemed reluctant to open. 1 year later, the dvd tray wouldn't open at all.

Not being one to tolerate crappy machines that won't do what they're designed to do, I yanked off the dvd door and used some vice grips to pulled out the dvd tray (like a dentist yanks out a tooth :)

Yeah, I knew that would finish the machine, but it felt good to show the box who's boss. Actually, the vcr side still works, but I can't access the setup display any longer.