GoVideo DVR5000 DVD-VCR Combo
By: GoVideo Average Rating: 3.5 Total Reviews: 14
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 On: 2005-08-17
I have had two of these combo DVD/VCR machines. Both went bad in less than a year. Very few machines are worth fixing as opposed to buying a new one today. This machine certainly isnt worth fixing or buying.
Its the worse combo device Ive ever owned.
 On: 2004-05-13
My GoVideo DVR5000 DVD/VCR combo worked well for quite a while, but now the VCR half is starting to go bad. Im not sure how long Ive had it - at least a year, maybe closer to two. Recently, when I play back videos recorded with this unit, the tint is frequently (but not always) off for the top third of the screen. At first I thought I was imagining it, but then I started noticing backgrounds that should be a solid color changed color towards the top of the screen. For example, I was watching an interview that was conducted against an all-blue background, but towards the top of the picture the background turned more and more green. Things that should be red near the top of the screen are usually purple.After a lot of playing around with various tapes, and then playing around with the connections in the back of the player, I think Ive narrowed the problem down to the composite video output jack. When I switched from using that to using the coaxial video output, the problem went away. But thats not really a solution, so I bought a new player and moved the Go Video to another room where the TV uses coaxial. Oddly, the composite video problem only seemed to affect the VCR half of the unit, and not the DVD half. I havent had many problems with the DVD half of the unit. It will occasionally freeze up, or refuse to read a DVD when I first put it in the player, but after a few tries it eventually reads them. Im really bummed that the VCR is going bad, because other than that problem I really like this unit. Ive been reading reviews to decide what to get as a replacement, and it doesnt seem like anyone makes a reliable DVD/VCR combination anymore.
 On: 2003-07-20
I work on DVD players.. actually I diagnose the problem, inform the owner and then dispose of them. Virtually every DVD player under $1000 has a disposable brush type spindle motor which will often fail after about 1500-2000 hours disk spin time. These motors are not replaceable. The machines are designed to last typically 2-3 years before replacement.The DVR5000 has a digital brushless spindle motor. A motor not found in DVD players unless you purchase a Pioneer DVD-V7400 $1400 Industrial rack mount machine. What gives the DVD-V7400 reliability is the brushless motor... the near identical motor found in the DVR5000. The DVD spindle mechanism...the most critical part of any DVD player... contained within the DVR5000 will probably outlast the DVD format altogether. Meanwhile, you will go through 4-6 Toshiba or Pioneer machines in the same timespan. Unfortunately, the DVR5000 has too much stuff crammed into too small of a space. The power supply is almost three times the size of a standard DVD player.. and likewise generates 3 times as much heat. The VHS deck takes it share of power as does the high torque DVD brushless motor. Go-Video made a mistake of not allowing sufficient ventilation of the chassis AND the inclusion of a forced air cooling system (a fan). They also placed the DVD decoder board directly above the power supply. When things heat up, electrical alignments of the decoder board drift, laser output diminishes and then the DVD stutters. I installed a cooling fan tapped off of the power supply. The fan turns on automatically when the unit is on. Since the fan installation, all skipping problems have gone away. The machine runs cool inside, the laser now tracks properly. FYI, DVD lasers are very senstive to heat; their output drops significantly with rise in temperature. It is very unfortunate that this overheating issue was overlooked by the engineers. Otherwise this could have been a flawless and easily the most successful and reliable machines on the market. I give the machine a 5 rating despite the temperature problem due to the exceptional quality and longevity incorporated into the DVD mechanism. Truely independent thought from an independent company from the disposable thought of this day and age. The DVR5000 WAS NOT designed to have a 2 year lifespan like the "quality name brand" consumer grade equipment. Looking at the componentry and exceptional construction of the DVR5000 machine, it was designed to have a trouble free 10 year lifespan.
On: 2002-11-27
This is the worst product I have ever bought. The DVD player did not work since day one it keeps on freezing up. So I took it to get repaired since it was under warranty. That did not help matters. I took it to be repaired twice. They kept it for months at a time and when I did get it back I had more problems then when I started with. Call customer service? What a joke their idea of customer service is hysterical. The number that they give you to call you cant get through. I waited on the phone forever and still never got through. I e-mailed them at least 100 times. Their response was,"If I had any other problems to go to their website." To do what? I still dont know. My advice is to stick with the major name brands. GoVideo is generic and they dont know what the hell they are doing. The only reason I gave 1-star was because the VCR works.
On: 2001-11-22
I got this little baby as gift from my in-laws so who am I to complain. Nonetheless, weve used it about 20-30 times and so far its never failed.
On: 2001-11-13
I got this unit because my VCR was old and going and I wanted to be able to play DVD as they would be what I would rent, but I wanted to also retain the VCR ability for my 5 year old who has some Disney vids. But, I have had nothing but problems almost since the very first week. The DVD part seemed fine, but the VCR part was on the blink immediately and now Im on my second attempt to get it fixed since the first "fix" didnt work even though the whole motor was replaced!Dont trust this unit!!
by: Anonymous On: 2001-09-04
This is a great asset to anyones home theater. It doesnt seem to get the respect it deserves (at least on some of the home theater forums). For me it has played dvds flawlessly and I like that it has an s-video hookup for an even better picture.
I originally only wanted to buy a vcr because my current one was having problems. I saw the DVR5000 and I was hooked (now Im addicted to dvds). I use the vcr for recording off television and it works flawlessly too. Im totally happy with this piece of equipment, and I think others will be too, if they give it a chance.
by: Anonymous On: 2001-05-16
Though this item looks like the best of both worlds, dont believe it! The first one I got worked well for about two weeks and than the DVDs starting freezing up 2/3 to 3/4s of the way through. I got another one and on the second one the VCR sounded incredibly loud. It was fine the first week. When I called the company, they said it was probably a loose something or worn belt, in a week?! Well I am done with them now and waiting for Samsungs new combo product, the DVD-V1000 to come out before I try again. Maybe I just have had bad luck, but for me twice is once too often to get a defective item.
On: 2001-03-07
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOUR OLD VHS VCR FINALLY DIES, BUT YOU WANT TO START A DVD COLLECTION TOO? THIS IS THE ANSWER TO YOUR PRAYER. I LOVE THIS ALL-IN-ONE UNIT. I CAN RECORD A TV PROGRAM USING THE VCR, WHILE WATCHING A DVD MOVIE AT THE SAME TIME!!! HOW COOL IS THAT? THEY SAY YOU CAN RECORD A "NON-PROTECTED" DVD ONTO A VHS TAPE... WHAT I LIKE IS HAVING ONE UNIT WITH ONE SET OF CABLES TO DEAL WITH & IT SUPPORTS SURROUND SOUND SYSTEMS & HAS VIDEO INPUT & OUTPUT PORTS. NO EXTRA SPACE FOR BOTH A DVD & VCR UNIT? WELL THIS COMBO IS ONLY 4" HIGH BY 17" WIDE AND 14" DEEP, IS NICE LOOKING & HAS CONTROLS ON THE FRONT OF THE UNIT TOO, JUST IN CASE YOU MISPLACE YOUR REMOTE. "GO VIDEO" IS NOW KNOWN "SENSORY SCIENCE", AND THEY HAVE A WEB SITE FOR MORE INFO. NOW IF THEY WOULD DEVELOP A COMBO 13" COLOR TV/DVD/VCR, I WOULD BE A HAPPY CAMPER. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED WITH THIS PURCHASE.
by: dougrw On: 2001-02-27
The DVR5000 is a great idea that is also well executed. At first I was skeptical that the idea of a combination DVD/VCR would result in a good product. Not so with this system, both units are very nice. First, the DVD supports just about everything youd want in a decent quality player (Dolby Digital output/decoding, S-Video outputs, etc) as well as some nice "extra" features such as the MP3 CD support. The VCR side of the box also supports everything youd expect out of a VCR these days.Hooking up the unit is pretty simple and the instruction book does a good job of guiding you through just about any configuration. Using the unit is also pretty easy. Controls for both units share the same remote, and in many cases the same set of buttons on the remote. Usage of the remote is generally intuitive. The only downside is in the on screen menus. While they are pretty easy to navigate, some menus arent accessible at certain times (for example, the DVD setup menu is not accessible while a DVD is playing). Neither the menus nor the instruction book give any explanation behind this -- you kind of get the hang of it as you use the machine. Finally, if you are using the S-Video output for the DVD player youll find that the on screen menus are not viewable via this output. To see the menus youll have to switch your TV to the VCR input. The documentation is actually very clear about this, but it is annoying nonetheless. My only other concern is about Go-Videos customer service. I sent them an email via their website and never received a response. It wasnt a major issue so I havent pursued it any further, but it makes me worry about the overall quality of their support. Overall I recommend this box. It combines two great units into one space saving, high quality device.
On: 2001-02-04
Ive had my DVR5000 for about a week. It is very simple to use and setup. If you have countless VHS tapes and want to enjoy the new DVD medium without a messy look, this is the unit you should get. All the connections are included for whatever type of system you have, even component hookups are included. My unit seems to work flawlessy and having the ability to switch between DVD, VHS and TV internally is a big plus. One feature I really like is the Zoom control (2x and 4x) not found on many DVDs out there. Sensory Science is a relatively small company but seems to take pride in the products they sell and with the DVR5000 you get the best of both worlds..
On: 2001-02-02
I held out on purchasing this product because Id never heard of Go-Video. I did a lot of research and couldnt find anything negative about the product. So several months later, I purchased it.The first nice thing is the space saved by combining the VCR and DVD into one unit. Then, theres the ease of connecting to your TV and stereo. With my other VCR & DVD player, I have to use a lot of Y (F/F-->M) merge cable sections in order to have the VCR and TV go through the stereo/TV. ... With this, the unit handles the switching between DVD/TV/VCR at the touch of a button. Another nice feature of the DVD part of the unit is it remembers where you stopped a DVD. So even if you turn the unit off for the night, the next day you can turn it back on, switch to DVD and hit play to pick up the movie right where you left off. My JVC player wont do this! The VCR side provides a clean picture and it even shows a graphic bar for tracking purposes (while in auto-track or manual-track). I found this helpful for recordings I have kept off an old VCR but now play on the new one. Another "kewl" feature on the VCR side is the status bar when rewinding/fast-forwarding tape. And when it comes to rewinding/fast-forwarding, it does it rapidly! It actually can rewind faster than my stand-alone tape-rewind machine! The unit WILL play MP3 CDs but make sure you have better CD burning software and use better quality disk. At first the unit refused to play my MP3 CDs but once I upgraded my software, the new CDs played perfectly! Bottom line, I am glad I made this purchase! In fact, I bought a 2nd unit!
by: Anonymous On: 2001-01-19
Just a note, checking the Go-Video website description of the DVR5000, found this feature: "Record non-Macrovision encoded DVDs to VHS" This probably means that Macrovision encoded DVDs cannot be copied, and most DVDs have Macrovision copy protection. Hope nobody buys this thinking they will be able to make good VHS copies of their DVDs. Maybe it will work, but probably best to wait until someone that has one tests it out and puts up a review.
On: 2001-01-17
This is a nice combination...just dont know what to do with my fairly new VCR now...that has so far performed wonderfully. I recieved my GO-Video player for Christmas and it is my first DVD player but so far I have not been disappointed, with the one exception of the player to skip on occassion but this is fairly infrequent so it has not really hampered my viewing pleasure. The setup was quite easy as the console basically sets itself up from the info on your TV and the instruction manual is laid out quite nicely if you need to make any changes yourself. The button configuration on the player itself is laid out nicely as well and is not cluttering or confusing. Operation of the DVD player is smooth and quiet. As for the VCR side it performs just as well and is just as quiet and smooth as its DVD counter-part. The operation of the console from the remote control is easy to figure out and the button configuration is well organized and also giving you the freedom to use as your TV remote. I usually have trouble with console remote controls as they are generally too small for my hands but not so with this remote. Button size and spacing makes it easy to operate for us big handed people. Overall this is a great system and while not as sleek as a normal DVD player, it is a dual system afterall, it has a great design and looks quite nice (alot better than its older dual-VCR siblings of yester-year). However for its price there are a lot better DVD players I am sure you can get BUT if you are replacing a VCR or have a lot of VHS tapes and wanting to step up to a DVD system without getting rid of all your old VHS tapes then this is the system for you.
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