Sony SLV D950

...I have now had the Sony SLV-D 950 for almost two years, I bought it because i did not have a DVD player and wanted to get one, but at the same time i did not want to lose my collection of videos. After searching around numerous stores like Currys e.t.c. i came across this model i didn't really understand what the salesman was telling me, all i understood was that you could play DVD's, watch videos along with recording on videos. So after little deliberation ...
...my needs (simply just playing DVD's and videos without any problems). Anyway they were my reasons for buying this model, here are my views of the advantages and disadvantages of this piece of equipment.

The Advantages:

1. The main advantage with this DVD/Video combi is that it saves alot of room around your T.V. because you do not need to have two different machines (each taking up a fair bit of space) on the shelf(s) ... more

Hi, I have now had the Sony SLV-D 950 for almost two years, I bought it because i did not have a DVD player and wanted to get one, but at the same time i did not want to lose my collection of videos. After searching around numerous stores like Currys e.t.c. i came across this model i didn't really understand what the salesman was telling me, all i understood was that you could play DVD's, watch videos along with recording on videos. So after little deliberation i thought that this DVD/Video player would be perfect for my needs (simply just playing DVD's and videos without any problems). Anyway they were my reasons for buying this model, here are my views of the advantages and disadvantages of this piece of equipment.

The Advantages:

1. The main advantage with this DVD/Video combi is that it saves alot of room around your T.V. because you do not need to have two different machines (each taking up a fair bit of space) on the shelf(s) beneath your T.V. This could also benefit you in less important ways too (in many cases its the little differences which make a difference), one of these is the fact that if you only have one machine you are less likely to find a fault develop. You also free up a spare plug socket which could be used for almost anything. And finally the one i like the most you will have one less remote control to lose, possibly break and in all it will look a bit more tidy.

2. The second advantage is that fact that when it is being used it is very simple to operate, the menues are very clearly layed out on the T.V. When i have decided to record a programme which may have been on late at night, all i have had to do was select the "video" option followed by "record" and then all you have to do is enter in a few details about what time you want to start/finish recording and on which channel. Once this is done all you have to do then is press the enter button and leave the machine on standby, it will do the hard work for you. Believe it or not this is the hard way, if you have a "videoplus" number for your T.V. programme all you have to do is key that in and automatically the recorder will know when it is on, when it finishes and which channel it is on.

3. The third advantage is the fact that you can set the remote so that it can control the T.V. this is simply done by pointing the remote at the T.V. and while holding down the off button you key in the number that has been given to the make of your T.V. (can easily be found in the instructions booklet). Again this for me was a good advantage because it is yet another remote control you do not need to have. So from just buying this DVD/Video recorder combi i have already managed to avoid buying separate DVD and video players along with getting rid of two remote controls. Brilliant.

Of course if there are advantages there must be some disadvantages, here are my views on what is letting the model down.

1. One of my biggest pet hates when it comes to electrical equipment is the amount of different buttons there can be on the remote, the remote for this model does not let you down. The remote itself has 52 different buttons/switches( i understand that in some ways it has to have the buttons for the DVD, video player and possibly the T.V.),but most of these buttons i still don't know what they do after 2 years. If you ask me there should be a maximum of 30 buttons on any remote which are very simple to understand for anybody and not just the people who work in electrical stores like Currys.

2. The second of my disadvantages is the price, when i bought mine about two years ago now i spent over £200 on it and before i knew it the next wave of recorders was being sold in the shops (DVD recorders and hard drive recorders), i understand that things decrease in value as they get older, but the speed at which this happens is beyond me. This is why i believe that things should be reasonably priced from the start, no-matter what the product is.

If i was asked to give my opinion on whether i would recommend someone to buy this product, i would recommend it to someone who likes to keep their home looking tidy. If you were definatly interested in this type of equipment, try to buy it from somewhere like ebay or amazon so you can get it for a reasonable price, unlike me who ended up spending a fortune. Don't forget that technology is moving at such a fast rate now, anything you buy will be out of date in no time, don't spend loads on a piece of equipment thinking it is future proof. It's not. 

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