Home > Consumer Reviews > Toshiba SD-V391 Progressive Scan DVD-VCR Combo , Silver

I got the SD-V391 as a replacement for an old VCR that we used to play my son's video's. The combo is attractive and works really well. The remote is simply use. The picture quality is great and the sound is crisp. My only complaint is when you want to watch a DVD you have to remember to push the play button for the unit to recognize the DVD or re-insert the DVD even when the DVD selector switch is set to on. This can be a problem if someone else is using the DVD player who is not familiar with the unit.

Loved the easy hook-up, easy use of remote, looked nice and played fine. Purchased 11-06-03, and the DVD part stopped without warning 05-29-04. The kids never touched this one; it was all for Mommy and therefore subject to only gentle use. Now if you put a DVD in, it takes a long time to load, then comes up "ERR." And now the door makes a grinding noise when it opens. Severely disappointed, heartbroken, etc. Apparently VCRs, DVD players, and these combo units are meant to be disposable - work six months and then discard. If so, we may as well disregard brand names and buy the cheapest ones available. Forget quality, reliability, and pride of workmanship - those are things of the past.

Received the first unit and it had the mechanical defect of the DVD draw not opening. Emailed Amazon customer service, received reply within 24 hours that a 2nd unit was being shipped, and that UPS would pick up the defective one. Received the second one same day the first was picked up. Free shipping all the way around. 2nd unit works fine. Good value for these features. Will see if the DVD draw holds up. Problem with the first one sounded like an alignment issue.

I purchased the Toshiba SD-V391 based on the good experience I've had with a previous Toshiba product. My experience with the SD-V391 will make me think twice on future purchases from Toshiba. I read a handful of reviews that addressed the quality issues that this unit was having and decided to take a chance. Shame on me for taking the chance. My out-of-box experience was that the DVD drive door would not open. This was accompanied by a gear grinding noise and the display eventually showing ERR. This is a fairly big manufacturing defect. If Toshiba believes that a 50% return rate (based on user reviews) is acceptable than I'm switching brands. A responsible company would take a proactive approach and remove defective product from the shelf. Having good customer service is critical but not at the expense of quality.

As I noted on 1 or 2 other reviews, when I got the unit the DVD drawer wouldn't open. Normally that would lead me to rate the unit a 1, but the Toshiba customer service was so exceptional and the unit (once working) decent enough that I rate a 3. First, the customer service was astounding. I had to call 4 or 5 times. Every time, they answered the phone on the first ring. The person spoke clearly and well and was knowledgeable - the call never had to be transferred. I was never put on hold. After they had me try a few things, they provided instructions for a return. As promised, the new unit showed up after about 7 days, and worked fine.

Combo units of this type, no matter who the manufacturer, are prone to problems, so it is critical to have that customer support.

I bought from Amazon because they were $20 cheaper than Best Buy or any other retailer. Best Buy wouldn't match the price, which surprised me - it's not like Amazon is generally cheaper. However, if the price is close would recommend buying from a retailer in case you need to return it. If you read reviews for combo players in general you will find lots of problems.

So far, happy with the replaced unit. Setup was easy and the remote is easy to use, which often isn't the case.