The VCR's four-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. Its 19-micron heads deliver the clearest possible picture when recording or viewing in EP (extended-play) mode. VCR Plus+ simplifies advance programming, and SQPB (quasi-S-VHS playback) lets you watch S-VHS tapes, which normally requires a special S-VHS VCR, at standard VHS resolution. Other features include timer recording, auto head cleaning, auto repeat playback (great for trade shows and presentations), time and index search, and one-touch recording.

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, you'll need to use two separate inputs for DVD player and VCR, however, as the device will not upconvert the signal from the VCR to either of those higher-resolution formats.

A set of left/right analog-audio outputs channel DVD/VCR audio to Dolby Pro Logic receivers and stereo televisions, and there's a second stereo pair for DVD-only analog out. Both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1-channel surround-sound signals can be routed through the play