Samsung DVD-R135 DVD Recorder

Pros: handle most formats including DVD-RAM, DivX, HDMI, convenient one-touch recording, automatic chapter

Cons: high price, no S-video input in front

The Bottom Line: buy it only if you need extra formats(RAM, DivX, HDMI). Else consider DVD-R130, which offers same quality, same features but $40 less

Review: There are so many DVD recorders on the market but they can be divided into 2 broad categories: ones with hard disks and ones without. The ones with hard disks are expensive(cost $250 and up), so I prefer the later ones. After comparing the features...

Pros: recording quality, design, outputs, stereo tuner, size, quiet.

Cons: very dark picture with DVDs, hum from digital out, low audio level.

The Bottom Line: It looks very pretty and I thought I would hate parting with it. But after seeing the picture I will be happy to take it back.

Review: *UPDATE*

It's been very cold the last week so I didn't feel like going back to the store to return it yet. So in the last couple of days I've had the chance to encounter several more problems. I discovered that the buzzing I heard from the...

Pros: Good menus, works fine, great resolution, easy to set up

Cons: Probably not substantially superior to similar-priced units

The Bottom Line: A solid choice for most users.

Review: Yes, it's slightly more expensive than some other units, and the DVD-R130 probably does just as good a job.

I wanted a unit that would basically replace my VCR. After reading reviews and comments, I chose this unit when it was on sale...

Pros: Relatively low cost

Cons: Doesn't work. No firmware update on website. Incompetent, or misinformed, tech support.

Review: This unit does not support DVD+R media. (In spite of assurances to the contrary at both Best Buy and Circuit City.) After I made the mistake of purchasing this unit, forget the HD functions; the standard video (NTSC) wouldn't work, either.

...

Pros: UMMM...well...

Cons: Time loss, customer support, EVERYTHING!

The Bottom Line: Avoid Samsung. No customer service, products are cheap and unreliable.

Review: We purchased this product to replace a similar one of another brand. This was a poor purchase. This product has been nothing but problems. First I purchsed it for the HDMI up convert however when I hooked it to my HDTV the video quality was inferior...

Pros: Sleek style. Quality picture. Good price.

Cons: Poorly designed, terribly frustrating, audio options. Impossible to get the total benefit of HDMI.

The Bottom Line: This product is fine if you don't require dolby digital 5.1 or dts surround sound. A poorly thought out product.

Review: The HDMI capabilities have been misrepresented. Here's the problem: If you DON'T use HDMI, you don't get the "upconverting" you need for High Def TVs (the upconvert lets you watch standard DVDs in near high-def). But if you DO use HDMI, you must set...

Pros: None that I can think of.

Cons: Ports don't work, doesn't record all DVDs.

The Bottom Line: I would never purchase anything else from Samsung. Bad quality and worse customer service.

Review: It didn't take long for this to stop recording certain types of DVDs. Unfortunately, it no longer records anything, just 10 months after purchasing it. When I try to record onto a DVD, it gives me a very strange message with three sentence...

Pros: Good price /value

Cons: Poor Samsung repairs and customer support credibility.

The Bottom Line: I have to rate durability a "1" because my unit failed just after 1 month. However I know people with the same model that have had good luck.

Review: If you buy one of these units and it gives you any problems get it back to the store while you can still return it or you will have to deal with the Samsung Repair Group. I have had very poor experiences with Samsung Repair.

I bought a...

Pros: Picture, Sound, Looks

Cons: Didn't last long, recording could've been better

Review: I bought this recorder 1 year ago, 3 moths ago it started acting funny, taking ages to load discs, then last week, its loader finally crashed.

But when it was working well, its picture was good, sound from the optical output was OK. Its...

Pros: usually recorded well and played back recordings very well

Cons: overheated, required frequent reboots prior to death. error messages on a monthly basis

Review: It worked for 12 months and 2 weeks then died suddenly. Samsung won't help; of course not, it has a 1 year warranty.