Combined AV Devices > Samsung Combined AV Devices > DVD recorder / HDD recorder with TV tuner

Advantages: Price, design, features
Disadvantages: Not very user-friendly

...a happy owner of a Samsung LCD screen, I thought it made sense to pair it with a Samsung DVD recorder. Both would look good together, the recorder's features were attractive (a 160 GB hard drive, option of multi-region compatibility, HDMI, etc.). I was also appealed by the fact I could watch the beginning of a programme before the recording ended. Setting up the recorder was quite straightforward. Connecting it with a Freeview box is possible but, ...
...takes over most of my Samsung LCD TV remote's features but there are simply too many buttons: two ON/OFFs, two "TV" and two "DVD", it's just too confusing. Maybe because Samsung have tried too hard to combine all most functions of both the TV and the recorder on one remote and because the recorder is a player/recorder hybrid? Also, it should have included an easier to use TV recording interface, listing all the TV programmes on the main channels ... Read review

Advantages: Full-Speed USB Mass Storage support, large HDD
Disadvantages: flaws in DivX playback, slow startup, menus, copy, stupid 'features'

...- remote controller cooperates with Samsung televisions - can handle most USB mass storage devices, and play/record movies on it. - full speed USB2.0 support - you may watch DVD/HDD while recording - automatic power-off: you may choose that the recorder automatically goes to sleep after 2 or 8 hours of inactivity. This feature is off by default. Cons(-): -DivX playback has minor problems: screen often flickers here and there, sometimes even ...
...previous experience from the cheapo Samsung P355 player, which plays DivX OK. Hopefully Samsung will release a firmware upgrade later. - slow when navigating through menus, changing channels, and power-on sequence is a pain (about 25 sec). - disturbingly bright blue power-on indicator LED - vibration caused by HDD, one has to apply isolation layer between unit and surface to prevent noise. - copy from DVD/USB to HDD speed: about 1.5-2Mbytes/sec, ... Read review

Advantages: Low cost
Disadvantages: Dodgy menus, very disk fussy, lousy DVD burner that will fail.

...eventually replaced the DVD burner in mine with a Liteon 20X unit for about £16. This solved the problem, and for the moment, it's been working perfectly. Fitting a replacement burner is straightforward enough, though getting it to neatly fit into the existing front fascia is a bit more challenging. ... Read review

Advantages: Looks, sound, originality
Disadvantages: battery life, loudness of speakers

The Samsung YP K5 mp3 player is immediately striking. Its sleek design and black finish would seamlessly fit into Batman's arsenal of gadgets. When I first bought the product it was immediately noticed by friends and strangers and as an aid to 'street rep' it works wonders. I was at first dubious of the sound of the speakers - I bought it over the internet and so had no way of trying out the player to check the sound capacity. However, my worries ... Read review

Advantages: The media center interface, decent codec support, HD movies stream really well.
Disadvantages: The DVD player is terrible.

Okay, the big pull of this DVD player is the built in Media Center Extender software, which once set up runs really well. You need to have vista installed on a PC (which needs to be on for it to work) and you also need a good network connection between the two. I have tried both a 200mbps powerline ethernet network and a wireless N network and for me the wireless network performed better for HD movies, but this will differ for most people so just ...
...wifi connection. The built in DVD play is poor to say the least, it doesn't scale DVD's out to widescreen it simply takes the DVD's basic resolution and outputs it to the middle of the screen. I tried watching an old cracker and had to stop as it was displayed as a 640x480 picture in the middle of my 720p HDTV, believe me this looks terrible. Its worth it for the media center as it works seemlessly and is a lot easier to access than the XBOX 360 ... Read review