Sony SLV-D550P DVD/VCR Combo

The SLV-D550P is the perfect combination for your home theatre. This DVD/VCR player has DVD, DVD+RW/+R, DVD-RW/-R, JPEG, CD, SVCD, VCD, CD-R/RW* and MP3 Playback.
Enjoy DVDs, VHS videos, and your CD-based digital media files right in the comfort of your living room or bedroom with the Sony SLV-D550P DVD/VCR combo unit, which handles almost any imaginable media format, from VHS and S-VHS tapes (which it renders at standard VHS resolution) to DVD-Video, DVD-R/RW, and DVD+R/RW discs. It also offers playback for CDs, Video CDs, CD-R/RWs, and MP3s, at the same time as also displaying JPEG images onscreen through the included image viewer.

The SLV-D550P fulfills the full potential of your DVDs thanks to its progressive scan function. Referred to as 480p for the number of horizontal lines that compose the video image, progressive scanning creates a picture with twice the scan lines of a conventional DVD picture, giving owners of high-definition TVs higher resolution and sharper images at the same time as eliminating nearly all motion artifacts. Audiophiles will appreciate the multiple sound options, including audio output for PCM, Dolby Digital, and DTS, and a virtual surround option that simulates surround sound effects from a traditional two-speaker stereo setup. Viewers can also choose between several aspect ratios that optimize the image to the TV’s dimensions. 4:3 letterbox, for instance, displays the entire movie image on a traditional 4:3 TV with black bands along the top and bottom, at the same time as 16:9 is the ideal setting for a widescreen TV. Additional DVD features include disc bookmarking, a handy zoom feature for closer looks at scenes, multi-angle playback, parental lock, and slow-motion frame advance.

Meanwhile, the VCR component is easy to program and set up, with a Quickset timer dial for setting the recording date, start time, stop time, and channel. A quick turn of the wrist is all it takes to activate the record function. In addition, the VCR’s four-head design ensures smooth slow-motion play (forward and reverse) and clear still-frame images, and its hi-fi sound records and plays back stereo audio tracks. The unit’s state of the art 19-micron video heads deliver the clearest imaginable picture when recording or viewing in EP (extended play) mode, at the same time as the VCR Plus+ setting simplifies the advance one-month, eight-event programming timer. The VCR also offers commercial skip for zipping past commercials and previews, 60-second Flash Rewind, auto tracking, and an auto head cleaner.

Connections with combo units are regularly inconvenient, forcing you to use separate video hookups for each section (DVD, VCR), a problem for some TVs. This player has it figured out: a single RF or composite-video connection to a TV will display either the DVD or the VCR signal, depending on which format you’re viewing. If you wish to view DVDs in S-video or component video (either interlaced or progressive-scan), it is important to use two inputs, then again, as the device will not upconvert the signal from the VCR to either of those higher-resolution formats.

It’s a different deal for audio: you’ll be able to listen through a single set of stereo analog audio cables for each component (one is supplied), or–If you wish to enjoy DVDs in discrete 5.1-channel surround sound–you’ll be able to send the DVD’s audio to a compatible AV receiver and a multichannel speaker system through a digital audio interconnect (either optical or coaxial, not supplied). The unit also comes with an RF cable that will transmit VHS/DVD audio and video to your TV, a multi-lingual onscreen display (English, Spanish, French), and a multi-brand TV/DVD/VCR remote control.

What’s in the Box
DVD player VCR combo, Cinema Illumination remote control, 75 ohm coaxial video cable, RCA-type AV cord, two AA batteries, user’s manual.
DVD/VCR combo unit with progressive scan and 4-head hi-fi VHS playback
Plays DVD-Video, DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW, CD, VCD, CD-R/RW, VHS, MP3, and JPEG image CD formats
480p progressive scan output delivers seamless, flicker-free images on compatible TVs
1-month, 8-event VCR Plus+ programming with commercial skip and Quickset dial
DVD bookmarking, picture zoom, and multi-angle playback; 16.93 x 3.35 x 11.29 inches (W x H x D)