I got this to replace my old dvd vcr combo. I wanted the multi read dvd player for my home made dvd's. As an added bonus it also reads jpeg disks. As to all the negative reviews, I read all of them found them to be without merit. Every complaint was that the vcr had no tuner. I have a satellite box and if I wish to tape programs I use the satellite to do so. However I have no need for this as I have a dvr with my satellite service. To those who objected to the absense of a tuner, why would you purchase this product not knowing what that meant? Besides, in 2009 when the broadcasters switch to digital, everyone will need a separate digital tuner anyway.

DVD players can be so unstable, hit and miss, unreliable and short-lived that the machine may be worth the price for that feature alone. It's played every disc and doesn't even stick. There are disappointments, however. This Sony unit's remote control will not operate my Sony TV, which was purchased two years ago. More aggravating is the jumpy picture on all of my commercial VHS tapes when I play them with the Sony. (Note that S-video out and component video out capabilities apply only to the DVD player, not the VHS half.) Fortunately, I've got a really cheap Sylvania VHS player that blows this one away, and by stacking the practically generic machine on top of the Sony combo player and employing three remote controls, I'm able to achieve the desired result for which this machine was manufactured.

Still, somehow it's just not the same.

[Later: One problem I've noticed with the DVD player is the rapid movement of the tray. On some occasions, it's closed so... Read more

Until DVR's are more uniform, we decided to replace our broken VCR with another. We do have cable, and at first were really impressed with the quality and quiet of this unit. HOWEVER...when we tried to play a tape we'd previously recorded on another machine, we found out that the Sony can't adjust the tracking for tapes recorded on other VCRs, if they were recorded in SLP, the fastest speed that uses the least tape. So our old movies are unplayable, and the only way to record on our older Panasonic to be able to play it on the Sony is to record in SP, thus getting only 2 hours on a 120 tape. Anything longer will be cut off. So forget about a movie or baseball game.
A very bad feature on a very good machine.