Sharp DV NC 65 > Reviews > What a combination!

Author's product rating:   

Picture Playback	Excellent
Sound Level	Excellent
Range of Features	Excellent
Durability	Excellent
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Saves space, extremely easy to use .
Disadvantages:	Not multi - region

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

For those of you who have always been wary of combos in the past, then fear no more, the Sharp DV-NC65H is your calling!

I have always steered clear of tv combos in the past as their features are usually limited and they never seem to be the easiest of things to use. There is also the problem that if for something goes wrong with the TV then whatever it is combined with is redundant and some extent vice versa.

So what convinced me to buy a dvd/tv combo?

To be brutally honest one of the main influential factors was that it would save a lot of space and is much more convenient to move around if need be. But now I’ve had it I would not swap it back for two separates.

It is easy to set-up – at least no more difficult than your average player, it comes with a scart lead and a round coaxial cable. However it does have jacks for a 3 phono lead, which is what I use as it does improve sound and picture quality. It can also be connected to audio equipment for surround sound.

There is even a feature called ‘postcode security’ which can be used for identification purposes if it gets stolen. You simply enter your postcode, and it is then displayed for 5 seconds when you turn on the machine and it can only be changed once a pin number has been entered.

The video player will play S-VHS and NTSC formats as well as VHS. It has auto repeat and auto zero back function as well as DPSS, which allows you to bookmark certain parts of the tape.
As well as the usual timer recording this player also has VIDEO plus+ and the tape can be recorded using SP, LP or EP.

It is also easy to connect other equipment to record from i.e. a camcorder, and you can even record from the DVD player. It is also able to calculate the amount of tape remaining in hours and minutes.

The DVD player has all the usual functions, and is also able to play CD and CD-R/RW formats. It has 3 different settings for the way the film is viewed and has 8 different parental levels which are changed via a pin number. There is angle selection function for use when the film being played allows it.

If you choose to connect to audio equipment then there is an advanced surround setting, which according to the manual ‘allows you to enjoy a “surround sound” effect’. I haven’t actually used this function though, so I don’t actually know how well it works.
For enhanced picture quality there is a digital gamma setting, which brightens darker areas of the film to make it easier to see.

You can even programme the player to only play certain scenes, much like you can on a CD player. This function can be used on all of the disc formats. In conjunction with this there is the repeat function and on DVD format A-B repeat can be used, where you can programme a specific point to repeat (being a film student this is very useful to me).

There is only one remote control, which in my case means that there is one less to lose down the sofa! And although there are lots of buttons it is easy to use, each button is clearly labelled in either green or orange which corresponds to the DVD or video display on the machine. The buttons which are universal to either player i.e. play, are in white and there is a small switch so to change the remote to apply to the correct player.

So they are the features of the DV-NC65H, it is easy to use and the manual is very informative should you run into any problems. The player obviously saves space and considering it has both a video and a dvd player it is not actually that big. It also looks nice and is not bombarded with buttons.
I highly recommend this player, and if you shop around on the internet you will be able to find it at a more lower price than what it retails at. And for those die hard couch potatoes amongst you just think, you can watch at least two different films plus whatever is on the tv without even having move from the sofa!