Apex ADV-3800 Progressive-Scan DVD-VCR Combo

[Archived in $100 - $200, APEX, DVD-VCR und Other DVD Combos, Home DVD Players, Products, Progressive-Scan DVD Players, Single-Disc DVD Players, VCR-DVD Combinations]

Manufacturer: APEX
Price at amazon.com: $99.94
Usually ships in 24 hours

Used & new from $89.00

List price $139.99



Product Features:

• DVD/VCR combination unit with progressive-scan DVD video and 4-head, hi-fi stereo VHS recording and playback
• Front-panel inputs accommodate camcorders and gaming consoles
• Active Fullscreen Function (AFF) displays widescreen movies in full-screen on 4:3 aspect-ratio TVs
• Plays MP3 and WMA CDs, JPEG and Kodak Picture CDs
• Coaxial and optical digital-audio outputs, Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1-channel surround passthrough

Product Description:

Description from Manufacturer:Spin movies, music, photo CDs, and enjoy VHS tapes right from one handy device. The ADV-3800 from Apex includes a progressive-scan DVD-Video player with MP3 and WMA file playback as well as a four-head, hi-fi stereo VCR all in a single sleek, silver chassis.

Whether your living room is currently home to an HDTV or you're merely thinking of "someday," the ADV-3800 stands ready to deliver the full potential of DVDs. Progressive scanning, referred to as 480p for the number of horizontal lines that compose the video image, creates a picture using twice the scan lines of a conventional DVD picture, giving you higher resolution and sharper images while eliminating nearly all motion artifacts.

For non-HD-ready TVs sets, the unit's top-of-the-line component-video outputs help minimize digital and line-scan artifacts on compatible advanced televisions, while composite- and S-video outputs bring compatibility with nearly any television. And, for standard 4:3 aspect-ratio TVs, the unit's Active Fullscreen Function (AFF) lets you view widescreen movies in full-screen, without black bars at the top and bottom of the screen.

The ADV-3800 also delivers the convenience of VHS recording and playback--a great way to time shift your TV viewing and share your camcorder footage with loved ones, and the only way to enjoy your extensive library of videocassettes. Your camcorder or gaming console plugs right into convenient front-panel jacks for fast hookups.

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. If you route the stereo output to an AV receiver, you can even enjoy four-channel (left, center, right, and monaural surround) Dolby Pro Logic mixes from TV and Dolby-encoded cassettes.Average Customer Rating:

---

Comment: Good Buy, But Not Perfect Rating:
Hey, for the price its great! Easy to set up, works like a charm. Quality and features are excellent at the price.

A few annoyances:

1. Even though it has dual audio outs, only one set seems to work with the VCR (I haven't tried the DVD yet), meaning I can't run audio out to my TV and my tuner at the same time.

2. The remote control looks and feels cheap. Small buttons, dense layout.

3. My universal remote doesn't know about Apex equipment, and so I have to use two remotes.

---

Comment: Great item at a great price Rating:
I bought the APEX ADV-3800 from Sears for $99. Great price. The DVD player played everything I fed to it including DVDs made in China and VCDs made in India (PAL format). It even played DVDs I recorded in +RW but haven't finalized the disk. The remote is fairly easy to operate. The picture quality is pretty good. Can't comment on the progressive scan or 5.1 sound as I don't have supporting systems for those.

The hook up was as simple as it can get. I hooked up the unit to a DVD recorder and then to TV. The whole setup worked very nicely.

If it doesn't break in 90 days as somebody suggested, I think it's a great unit.

---

Comment: DO NOT PURCHASE THIS EQUIPMENT Rating:
I purchased this device two weeks ago (May 26, 2004) from SEARS and straight out of the box, the DVD player does not play ANY DVD! I burn DVDs in many different formats (DVD-+RW) from different manufactures and none of them play. Then I tried to play a regular DVD (Anthony Robbin's Get the Edge) and it also will not play. I tried several other brand new DVDs and none will play. I even tried playing MP3 and WMP discs, with no luck. I knew I should not have purchased this product without researching it first but I was in a time crunch. I do not recommend this product! And I waited over 10 minutes trying to speak with a customer service rep, which is also unacceptable!

Posted at November 11, 2003 07:59 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)