Sony SLVD560P DVD / VCR Combo

The SLV-D560P handles just about any conceivable 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--including CPRM-protected programming (Content Protection for Recordable Media). It will even spin your homemade MP3 CDs and JPEG picture CDs (including Kodak Picture CD).

Whether you already own an HDTV or you're merely thinking of "someday," the SLV-D560P can deliver the full potential of your DVDs. Progressive scanning, referred to as 480p for the number of horizontal lines that compose the video image, creates a picture using twice the scan lines of a conventional DVD picture, giving you higher resolution and sharper images while eliminating nearly all motion artifacts. Other DVD features include instant replay, picture zoom, and parental lock.

The VCR section offers 1-month, 8-event advance programming and commercial skip. Your camcorder or gaming console plugs right into the front panel for hassle-free connections. Its 4-head design ensures smooth slow-motion play (forward and reverse) and clear still-frame images, and with hi-fi sound the unit records and plays back stereo audio tracks. State-of-the-art, 19-micron video heads deliver the clearest possible picture when recording or viewing in EP (extended-play) mode.

VCR Plus+ simplifies advance programming, commercial skip makes it easy to zip past commercials and unwanted "coming attractions," and a built-in Quickset timer dial lets you program the VCR with just a quick turn of the wrist (press the Quickset dial, then turn the knob to set the date, start time, stop time, and channel).

Connections with combo units are often 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 television will display either the DVD or the VCR signal, depending on which format you're viewing. If you want to view DVDs in S-video or in component-video (either interlaced or progressive-scan), you will need to use 2 inputs, however, 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 can listen through a single set of stereo analog-audio cables for each component (one is supplied), or--if you want to enjoy DVDs in discrete 5.1-channel surround sound--you can send the DVD's audio to a compatible audio/video 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 an illuminated DVD/VCR remote control that also operates most brands of TV.

What's in the Box
DVD/VCR combo, Remote Commander remote control, remote batteries, a user's manual, an RF coaxial video cable, and warranty information.