Posted by Stan Brown on 01/12/82 11:38

Sun, 29 Jan 2006 08:43:18 +0000 from John <brit@nnia.com>:
> There's not really much point in getting a combination VHS/DVD unit as
> VHS became pretty much redundant 3 years ago in 2003, and the more
> parts you have inside a machine the more things are likely to go wrong
> with it. It is usually always best to get a stand-alone product.

I don't think it's as open and shut as you make it. A combo unit can
be an excellent way to transfer treasured tapes to DVD.

If your father has no VHS to transfer to DVD, and never intends
renting or buying or borrowing another VHS tape, then for his
specific use I would agree.

> DVD though is a widescreen format and to get the best use out of a DVD
> Player or Recorder you really need to have the best quality Widescreen
> Television you can afford.

I disagree with this, rather strenuously.

First, DVD is no more a "widescreen format" than VHS or broadcast.
The choice of full screen or wide screen is completely independent of
the choice of media. Widescreen isn't intrinsically better; it's
better when the original source material was created in widescreen. A
widescreen TV adds nothing to /All About Eve/ or inner at Eight/ or
/Witness for the Prosecution/.

A widescreen TV might be a good choice if he's in the market for a
new TV, but it is by no means a necessity "to get the best use out of
a DVD player or recorder".

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com/
DVD FAQ: http://dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html
other FAQs: http://oakroadsystems.com/genl/faqget.htm

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