I purchased the Toshiba SD-V290 DVD/VCR Combo for $136.94 on
8/27/03. It is now 1/4/04.

It broke this week. Less than four months of proper use.

When I put a VHS tape into the machine it is automatically ejected. Therefore I can not play VHS tapes at this time.

When playing a DVD there are pauses throughout playback.

Now I have to deal with calling support and probably paying to send this machine in for service. Then I believe I'll be going through the following process throughout the remainder of the warranty.

First I'll return the machine to Toshiba.
Then Toshiba will repair it.
Next, Toshiba will return it to me.
Then I'll use it.
At some point it will stop working again.
Finally, I'll send it back to Toshiba for repair.
Then Toshiba will repair it...

I can see this going go on for the life of the warranty.

This adds up to a lot of time and aggravation. Stay away from this product.

I believe this machine is poorly made. Poor parts, poor quality, and poor design.

Remotely disappointing (Rating: 3.00)
Review : One would think that in this day of breath-taking technological advances, creating a dependable and user-friendly DVD/VCR combo would be child's play for manufacturers like Toshiba and Panasonic. Upon setting up this Toshiba unit, the latest acquisition in what may be my serial quest to find such a machine, I am rather reminded of the occasional difficulty some folks have in walking and chewing gum at the same time. The Toshiba replaces a similar Panasonic unit (Model No. PVD4742) which I received last year as a birthday present. Having always been a big Panasonic fan, I was not surprised by the unit's excellent video recording capabilities or with its clever DVD playback otpions. But there were two issues, one fatal. First, the remote was an ergonmic hodgepodge of indecipherable function keys so tiny that one was almost forced to use a stylus to operate them. But that glitch was nothing compared to the machine's occasional failure to "accept" VHS tapes, i.e., a tape (no matter old or new) could be placed in the slot, but the door would not close and the tape would be ejected. Despite my best efforts to get Panasonic's attention, they would do nothing about it, indeed suggesting that since they had never encountered the problem, I was likely imagining it. Having written off that machine (resolving at the same time to shun Panasonic products for the foreseeable future), I was attracted to this Toshiba unit because I have also had excellent luck with their products, including an older VCR which functioned perfectly with the most comfortable and instinctive remote I've ever used. I also noted in this site's close-up of the machine's remote that it appeared far more simple than the Panasonic's. It wasn't until setting up the new machine that I realized that the remote's simplicity comes at a price. In order to squeeze in every function button apparently demanded by the discerning DVD viewer, they omitted a couple of functions one never uses, like, for instance, volume control. That's right, the remote enables you to make a DVD stand on its end and translate German subtitles, but you can't adjust the volume, and since there is almost always a disparity between TV and tape sound volume, you thus always have to have the TV (or another) remote at hand as you switch from one to the other medium. Absolutely infuriating! Otherwise, the new machine's functions are about average: VHS recording on SLP is OK, but not as good as the Panasonic's, VCR timed recording is more complex than necessary (and much more so than my older machine), and the basic DVD controls are straightforward and reasonably legible. But if I had realized that there was no volume control, I would have continued to argue with Panasonic or bought another brand. On reflection, maybe it's best just to have separate VCR and DVD players because it certainly appears that the combo's are simply too much trouble--for both manufacturers and their customers.

DON'T DO IT (Rating: 1.00)
Review : After having this unit for a month and only using it once it died on me. The DVD would not open at all. After I unplugged it and plugged it back in both the DVD and VCR button stayed on and the clock wouldn't work. This all happened a month after I purchased it. Thank goodness Amazon has worked with me in returning the item.

Terriffic display - works great !! (Rating: 4.00)
Review : I have 3 TV's and VCR's in my home and I needed a DVD/VCR combo because I did not have enough space in my Sony TV cabinet to fit separate units along with tons of VHS tapes. I was worried that I would be compromising the VCR performance and features with a combo unit. The Toshiba V290 exceeded my expectations. The DVD, of course, works perfectly with great picture quality. The VCR slow motion, freeze frame and overall playback is very good quality. The display includes time remaining, time used, tape speed, and current time/date. The timer works perfectly. Instruction manual is 46 pages long (all in English), very complete and understandable. The remote control looks expensive - has 4 nice big buttons for the most frequently used functions. Why not 5 stars? The VCR tuner could be a little better. Some cable channels do not appear as clear as the I get thru the cable box. Overall, a great buy, looks great, and I would recommend it.

Total piece of Cr*P (Rating: 1.00)
Review : My VHS loading mechanism broke after only 4 months of use. I'm now trying to negotiate a return.