GoVideo DVR5000 DVD-VCR Combo

WORKS!!!!

Not happy! A couple of weeks after getting it, the DVD player quit working and the company won't write me back on what to do about it

My GoVideo DVR5000 DVD/VCR combo worked well for quite a while, but now the VCR half is starting to go bad. I'm not sure how long I've had it - at least a year, maybe closer to two. Recently, when I play back videos recorded with this unit, the tint is frequently (but not always) off for the top third of the screen. At first I thought I was imagining it, but then I started noticing backgrounds that should be a solid color changed color towards the top of the screen. For example, I was watching an interview that was conducted against an all-blue background, but towards the top of the picture the background turned more and more green. Things that should be red near the top of the screen are usually purple.After a lot of playing around with various tapes, and then playing around with the connections in the back of the player, I think I've narrowed the problem down to the composite video output jack. When I switched from using that to using the coaxial video output, the problem went away. But that's not really a solution, so I bought a new player and moved the Go Video to another room where the TV uses coaxial.Oddly, the composite video problem only seemed to affect the VCR half of the unit, and not the DVD half.I haven't had many problems with the DVD half of the unit. It will occasionally freeze up, or refuse to read a DVD when I first put it in the player, but after a few tries it eventually reads them.I'm really bummed that the VCR is going bad, because other than that problem I really like this unit. I've been reading reviews to decide what to get as a replacement, and it doesn't seem like anyone makes a reliable DVD/VCR combination anymore.

This is a nice combination...just don't know what to do with my fairly new VCR now...that has so far performed wonderfully.I recieved my GO-Video player for Christmas and it is my first DVD player but so far I have not been disappointed, with the one exception of the player to skip on occassion but this is fairly infrequent so it has not really hampered my viewing pleasure. The setup was quite easy as the console basically sets itself up from the info on your TV and the instruction manual is laid out quite nicely if you need to make any changes yourself. The button configuration on the player itself is laid out nicely as well and is not cluttering or confusing. Operation of the DVD player is smooth and quiet.As for the VCR side it performs just as well and is just as quiet and smooth as its DVD counter-part. The operation of the console from the remote control is easy to figure out and the button configuration is well organized and also giving you the freedom to use as your TV remote. I usually have trouble with console remote controls as they are generally too small for my hands but not so with this remote. Button size and spacing makes it easy to operate for us big handed people.Overall this is a great system and while not as sleek as a normal DVD player, it is a dual system afterall, it has a great design and looks quite nice (alot better than its older dual-VCR siblings of yester-year). However for its price there are a lot better DVD players I am sure you can get BUT if you are replacing a VCR or have a lot of VHS tapes and wanting to step up to a DVD system without getting rid of all your old VHS tapes then this is the system for you.

I work on DVD players.. actually I diagnose the problem, inform the owner and then dispose of them. Virtually every DVD player under $1000 has a disposable brush type spindle motor which will often fail after about 1500-2000 hours disk spin time. These motors are not replaceable. The machines are designed to last typically 2-3 years before replacement.The DVR5000 has a digital brushless spindle motor. A motor not found in DVD players unless you purchase a Pioneer DVD-V7400 $1400 Industrial rack mount machine. What gives the DVD-V7400 reliability is the brushless motor... the near identical motor found in the DVR5000.The DVD spindle mechanism...the most critical part of any DVD player... contained within the DVR5000 will probably outlast the DVD format altogether. Meanwhile, you will go through 4-6 Toshiba or Pioneer machines in the same timespan.Unfortunately, the DVR5000 has too much stuff crammed into too small of a space. The power supply is almost three times the size of a standard DVD player.. and likewise generates 3 times as much heat. The VHS deck takes it share of power as does the high torque DVD brushless motor.Go-Video made a mistake of not allowing sufficient ventilation of the chassis AND the inclusion of a forced air cooling system (a fan). They also placed the DVD decoder board directly above the power supply. When things heat up, electrical alignments of the decoder board drift, laser output diminishes and then the DVD stutters.I installed a cooling fan tapped off of the power supply. The fan turns on automatically when the unit is on.Since the fan installation, all skipping problems have gone away. The machine runs cool inside, the laser now tracks properly. FYI, DVD lasers are very senstive to heat; their output drops significantly with rise in temperature.It is very unfortunate that this overheating issue was overlooked by the engineers. Otherwise this could have been a flawless and easily the most successful and reliable machines on the market.I give the machine a 5 rating despite the temperature problem due to the exceptional quality and longevity incorporated into the DVD mechanism. Truely independent thought from an independent company from the disposable thought of this day and age.The DVR5000 WAS NOT designed to have a 2 year lifespan like the "quality name brand" consumer grade equipment. Looking at the componentry and exceptional construction of the DVR5000 machine, it was designed to have a trouble free 10 year lifespan.