Solid performer at a great price!

The Samsung DVD-S5500 DVD/VCR Combo has been a solid performer for me since I have purchased it. It has given me no problems at all.

Operation is straight forward and easy to understand. The remote is easy to use and the controls all make sense.

The picture on the DVD is very good and on the VCR is as good as you would expect from VHS tape.

I use this in my work room almost daily and have no complaints about it at all. It goes on functioning normally.

I have worked on numerous types and brands of DVD/VCR combo units and this one is better built than most of the newer ones. Samsung uses more metal and a standard VHS deck in this item. Many of the newer, cheaper combos are mostly plastic and lightweight stamped metal. You can find these for $59.00 and up, but you get what you pay for. The Samsung at $99.00 is a much better value.

The number one destroyer of DVD/VCR combo players is the use by children. Small children especially like to use the VCR door as a "mail slot" for all kinds of small objects (not good for the inside of a VCR.) Children also tend to get sticky little fingers all over DVDs and on VHS tapes which can cause your tape to be "eaten" and your DVD not to play. As with any combo deck, adult supervision will make sure you have years of service from this player.

One other thing to look out for is the progressive scan (P-Scan) feature. If you don't have a progressive scan monitor hooked up to the output of this combo, switching it to progressive scan mode will give you a blue screen while watching DVDs. You'll still have sound and the VHS deck will operate normally. The way to cure this is by pushing the P-Scan button on the front until the picture comes back while playing a DVD. This isn't a problem with the combo, just a feature that many people aren't aware of.