Home > Consumer Reviews > Panasonic PV-C1320 13" TV/VCR Combo (Black)

Very happy with this TV. Wanted something small to watch videos on in my bedroom and this is perfect. The picture quality from videos is actually better than on the 19" we've got in our living room. You have to set the clock or the light blinks incessantly, but overall it's feature packed. The remote is light and easy to use, automatically turns on captioning if you mute and has 30-sec fast forward to jump past recorded commercials. The onscreen navigation is very easy to use. Recommended if you're looking for a light, compact and fully functional TV/VCR combination.

This is the perfect bedroom companion! The TV works beautifully, and the VCR is nicely integrated both on the set and via the remote. The adequate (but not great) FM tuner is a nice touch, and the alarm clock feature is wonderful, allowing you to get up to music or to TV. That it has a built-in battery source to counteract a power failure and an auto-time setting feature make it that much more secure when doing alarm clock duty. Overall, this is the Swiss Army Knife of small TVs.

It's a great little TV, but there are some things to keep in mind before you buy it.

First of all, you will never use the FM radio tuner, so don't let that feature influence your purchase. The presets are erased if you unplug the unit, and the controls are too difficult to use for it to be worthwhile.

Second, the remote control is the worst-designed remote I have ever seen. It consists of 34 buttons -- all but two the same size and shape -- in a 1.5-inch by 3.5-inch space. The buttons are poorly arranged, so it will be months before you you will be able to operate the remote without looking at it. This is a major problem in the dark. The remote really will drive you nuts.

Third, there is no video-out port on the unit, meaning that you can't hook its VCR up to a larger TV. This may not be a big deal, but if you were expecting to be able to use the built-in VCR in every way that a regular VCR can be used, think again.

Fourth, for some bizarre reason, there are no picture controls on this TV. This means that you can't adjust the color, contrast, brightness, tint, etc. Probably not a big deal for most people, but it's something that is included on almost every other TV out there.

However, the TV has some really excellent features. The sound quality is excellent, although there is only one speaker, so you don't get stereo sound. The video quality is also quite good. The SLEEP function is good if you want to fall asleep with the TV on. The programming feature is top-notch -- you can set up eight separate programs to record your favorite shows, and you can set it up to record Monday-through-Friday, or every Monday, for example, or for one specific day. Although you can't watch one channel while it's recording another channel, the recording feature is very well done and easy to use.

By the way, although 13 inches sounds small, it is definitely large enough to see across a bedroom or dorm room.

It's probably worth the money, but it definitely has its flaws.

This is one of the finest combination TV-VCRs I have seen. Panasonic and Sony both make good 13inch TVs. One reason is the incredible picture quality it has for this size screen size. The picture is crisp and sharp. It makes VHS tapes look incredibly good.

I shopped thoroughly looking at TV's and trying them in stores and I chose this one over all the other 9 and 13 inch models. Other reviews cover the basic advantages of this unit, but I have one important item to add:

This is the only 13" tv/vcr on the market that I could find that lets you access the menu function without the remote. I use the TV to test cable TV systems and I don't always find it convenient to use the remote. All the other TV's on the market require the remote to access the menus (to adjust channel programming, tint, color, timers, etc). This TV has a button combination on the actual unit you can push to access the menu and then you use the channel and volume buttons to navigate. The menu access is labelled "Action" on the unit which is a bit confusing (why not call it "Menu" like everyone else?) The remote also allows access to menus but you don't have to have it. It is a small remote, by the way, but I rather like it. I am not a big fan of the giant space-ship-shaped remotes everything else comes with.

I like plain, simple, easy to operate, and completely functional with or without the remote. This is the only model that fits. (I actually wanted a 9" but nobody makes one that meets these criteria so I was forced to get a 13.) It's a good choice and has a nice picture.

One more addition, if you order the white version of this TV it comes with two remotes, one normal one like the black model, and another miniature credit-card sized magnetic remote that you can keep on your refrigerator. I think the white model is aimed at kitchen users.

Happy shopping!