Home > Consumer Reviews > GoVideo DV1030 DVD/VCR Combo

I've had mine for a year - not this exact model, but close enough.

It is terrific. I love the fast start feature that lets you go right to the movie instead of having to sit through all the idiotic features and trailers that some DVD producers force you to watch and disable the DVD FF buttons.

Anyway, this seems to be a fine deck, the price was right, the VCR quality is as good as any VHS can be and the copy feature works great.

The only thing I don't like is the remote control unit. It doesn't work with SHARP tv's very well and the volume ocntrol stops working when you go to DVD or VCR mode. to FF a tape or a disk you have to select the mode then select the TV mode again to change the volume on the set. This is annoying.

Other than that I would buy another just for the unique features.

I returned this to the store after trying it out. And, as usual, I try to pass along my reviews of such returns.


Right out of the box, things did not bode well. The remote is terrible. It's about 50% unresponsive. Even with fresh batteries, including freshly charged rechargables, you can aim the remote at the sensor, press a button, and you MAY get the response. IF you do, pressing the same button again, say Power, and you might NOT get the command sent to the remote.


Only had 1 major gripe with the VHS side. The tracking control does not appear to work correctly. It takes about 30 to 60 seconds before ATR kicks in, then, a few seconds later, tracking roll appears again. And, this was even on a tape recorded by another GoVideo product!


Didn't get a chance to test too much with the DVD side. Because, it wasn't that good of a DVD player. Colors were dark and tended to bleed. Scene changes were not smooth, but immediate transitions, resulting in loss of video. This apparently a redraw issue since many times menu items tend to bleed over from a previous menu. Lastly, the PIP display where you supposedly can move through the chapters by just typing in the chapter number simply didn't work.


Bottom line is you could do worse. It's not that expensive, so, you won't have wasted a whole slew of bills. BUT, it's still nowhere near worth the price, even at that! Pass on this item, too.

DVD side of this player says all my discs are "bad discs". I have to smack it on the sides or top to make it work. But even then in the middle of the movie it dies. I have even tried cd/dvd cleaners to no avail. So I will be buying a new dvd player because this is an extreme annoyance.

One thing I never liked was the remote control--buttons are tiny & not clearly marked.

WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS DVD/VCR player no matter how low the cost!

This particular device is not worth any money put into it. The one I had, as well as a few friends, all had the same problem or similar. Mine, the dvd was no longer receiving the signal from the remote after having it barely a year. I called and had the remote replace, which worked for a week and then died. Other problems friends have had are that it will only play 10 minutes of a dvd before turning off. If you only want a dvd player for a year or less this is a great item for you. If you want one with stamina to last longer than its warranty, dont bother.

It worked ok for a year. although I agreed with another reviewer who commented on the bad remote. After about a year it started giving me the bad disc response! I would not reccomend this player.