Apex ADV-3800 Progressive-Scan DVD-VCR Combo
By: Apex Average Rating: 2.5 Total Reviews: 43
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 On: 2008-05-27
I have owned an Apex VCR-DVD combo unit for four years. It has served me well. I am in the process of purchasing another unit. I am very satisified with the service.
On: 2006-12-03
Ive read a lot of the complains on this dvd player but mine works just fine going on two years now. it plays like a dream but because of the dual combo its very bulky but it fits fine on top of the tv. never had a problem with it not playing store bought dvds or cds however when i try to play dvd-r it might take a minute to load. but when i burned a movie off my computer on a regular blank cd it played like it was store bought quality and much cheaper than purchasing dvd-r
 On: 2006-11-12
DVD player stopped working after 6 months of fairly light use. Cleaning disk didnt help.
 On: 2006-01-26
has worked great for over a year
dvd plays everything - dvd-r s much better than much more expensive units i have
as for the previous complaints on the vcr; simply do NOT put another component (or anything heavier than a dvd or tape) on top of the unit. i did this at first and vcr was practically unusable but now works decently
On: 2005-09-21
The 1st unit we received was broken on the DVD side. After exchanging hassle and shipping back. The new unit starts breaking after 6 months. The DVD quality sucks, VCR has never worked right....
Do they have a negative star rating?
On: 2005-05-11
I got this for my birthday since I wanted a DVD player, but also wanted a VCR for all the VHS tapes I still have. This seemed like it was perfect, but I was proven wrong eventually.
The DVD player: When I first started using this player, I used this and it was fine. I noticed every few minutes, there would be a weird noise on the TV, but after awhile I was able to ignore it. The picture was nice, and it also played VCDs, so I thought everything was set for me. I was wrong...
The VCR: This is the problem here. I never thought to test this out right away, because in this day and age, people should know how to make a VCR. Apex fails at doing this though... I went to watch a tape a few months after I began using the DVD player. The result was in every single tape I played having horrible sound, and the picture bouncing. Because of this, the whole point of owning this player is gone.
I was lucky enough to return it and get a gift card back at the store it came from. I would do yourself a favor and just stay away from Apex products. Sure, some people say good things about them.. however the majority say they make crap products, and they do, I wont bother buying anything else from them again. You can get a DVD/VCR combo player from a better company for about the same price as this, so just get something else instead. It just isnt worth saving 10-20 dollars.
On: 2005-05-01
I paid $99.99 for this item at Sears, within months, while watching a DVD on it, it stopped showing a picture. The sound works for the DVD but no picture. The VCR part still works, picture and sound, but DVD only plays sound.
Completely USELESS!!!
On: 2005-03-17
Apex Digital products often fail within the first year. They have horrible customer service, false advertising, and fail to honor their warranties. They do not care about the consumer and based on my past 1.5 years of experience there is virtually nothing we can do about it but stop buying their products.
Please check www.labbb.gov (Better Business Bureau) and search for Apex Digital to see the F rating the better business bureau has given them. Saving 10-15 dollars is not worth the hassle they cause.
 On: 2005-02-26
Hi,
We purchased a new APEX TV/DVD Combo and the remote was missing, so we thought no problem just buy a new remote... WRONG! We looked all over no one has one, we ordered one, and since last year we are still being told its on backorder,, all eveyrone can say is they are on backorder! APEX has miserable customer service! of course they refuse to tell customers that the %%%$$#$ is going on!
On: 2004-12-26
This has served me well for the past three months no problems to speak of even hooked up to a televisoion from the 80s! works great!
On: 2004-11-30
This Apex seems to be a fine unit, except the sound quality on the DVD side is quite poor. Quality otherwise has been good, unlike some of the previous reviews. Have they improved these, or did I just get a good one?
On: 2004-11-10
Do not count on support or replacement. My remote control unit quit working after the first month. The remote control unit is necessary to access any features but basic play using buttons on the front of the player. I have been waiting for 3 months for a replacement remote control and am told month after month that they are on backorder. Service told me that there are no numbers to enter on another multi-purpose remote unit that you can buy(or enter on your cable box remote) and only the remote control from Apex will work with the ADV-3800. Apex refuses to accept return of the entire unit for replacement. The 90 day warranty has long since expired and I remain without full use of the unit, apparently indefinitely. I will not buy anything else from Apex Digital, Inc. since they they do not provide acceptable sevice and support to their customers.
On: 2004-10-13
I bought this DVD VCR combo a year back. It worked fine untill I lost its remote control. And believe me, Apex DVD/VCR combo without remote is like a hand without fingers! you can hardly use all the features in this unit.
Now the real pain began...I ordered a replacement remote from Apex in April 2004. Now its October and I still havent got it. I am doing followup w/ Apex every week for last 3 months. I tried all tricks (pleading, getting mad at them), everything, but its a typical customer service answer: This remote is on backorder and we will ship it as soon as it is available. So after almost 6 months of wait, I am still cursing at their customer service!
This combo is not at all compatible w/ some top of the line home theatre systems. Like Panasonic, I tried every option, even paid a technician to get my new HT system to run w/ Apex DVD/VCR combo. But again, failure.
Good deal is not always the best deal! Quality is not cheap. I suggest, putting extra bucks will get u a better product(Like Sony, Kenwood).
On: 2004-09-30
I have had this machine for seven months now and I cant help but tell you how well it is performing. I was a bit wary of the all in one concept but this apex does everything it says - it records your tv programs while letting you watch a dvd or as I have done - connect my old stereo system and speakers to listen to mp3 cds. The recording function on this machine works much better than stand alone vcrs that I have used - it records high quality digital cable. I would certainly buy apex again.
On: 2004-09-01
This is the first DVD player Ive owned, aside from my computer. I can play DVDs on the computer, but seldom do so since it has only a 17" monitor, and is designed for use by only one person.
Weve a considerable library of VHS movies, which have been adequate for our use. Ive found VHS quality just fine for watching films, and the selection available has been more than adequate.
And, judging from the reviews, most people who have DVD players spend most of their time complaining about the quality of the pictures they watch, anyway, rather than enjoying the movie. I guess that is to demonstrate their technological expertise. If they failed to complain, how would anyone know how discrimininating they were?
They should have been alive when all we had was radio, and the first televisions had to be adjusted with "rabbit ears," and the black and white images you received were exceedingly grainy, at best, and looked like you were watching a picture through a blizzard. Still, we thought they were wonderful. I bought the very first TV I ever saw. It was in a Navy hospital in New York. The screen was about 4" diagonally, the thing weighed about 40 lbs., and was close to a yard long. I was delighted with it. Id just returned from the Korean War on a stretcher, and was amazed at the progress theyd made on the home front.
But, recently Ive noticed that there are more movies available on DVD (sometimes exclusively) and I wanted a machine that would play either DVD or VHS, and I didnt want to spend a fortune on it. Also, I have a 20" dish, as well as an antennae for local stations, so I wanted to be able to hook up all of my available systems.
Those were my needs. The DVD player was wanted primarily so that I could watch movies available only in that format, while not giving up our extensive VHS library of movies.
This machine, the Apex-3800, fit the bill. It is inexpensive, it was easy to hook up and can play both VHS and DVD. I found nothing wrong with the quality of the pictures, and it does everything I expected of it.
Since Ive never owned another brand, I have nothing to compare it with. I HAVE seen other machines, at my friends and members of my familys homes, but cant see any difference in any of theirs and this one. Its just as easy to use, and considerably less expensive than some others. The pictures are fantastically clear, but then so are our VHS movies, for the most part, and the programs we receive from the dish and the local stations we get on the antennae. There is little to complain about, these days, when it comes to television reception--at least in this area.
Im donating the old VCR, which still works nicely, to a local school. No complaints here.
Joseph (Joe) Pierre
On: 2004-08-31
This is the first DVD player Ive owned, aside from my computer. I can play DVDs on the computer, but seldom do so since it has only a 17" monitor, and is designed for use by only one person.
Weve a considerable library of VHS movies, which have been adequate for our use. Ive found VHS quality just fine for watching films, and the selection available has been more than adequate.
And, judging from the reviews, most people who have DVD players spend most of their time complaining about the quality of the pictures they watch, anyway, rather than enjoying the movie. I guess that is to demonstrate their technological expertise. If they failed to complain, how would anyone know how discrimininating they were?
They should have been alive when all we had was radio, and the first televisions had to be adjusted with "rabbit ears," and the black and white images you received were exceedingly grainy, at best, and looked like you were watching a picture through a blizzard. Still, we thought they were wonderful. I bought the very first TV I ever saw. It was in a Navy hospital in New York. The screen was about 4" diagonally, the thing weighed about 40 lbs., and was close to a yard long. I was delighted with it. Id just returned from the Korean War on a stretcher, and was amazed at the progress theyd made on the home front.
But, recently Ive noticed that there are more movies available on DVD (sometimes exclusively) and I wanted a machine that would play either DVD or VHS, and I didnt want to spend a fortune on it. Also, I have a 20" dish, as well as an antennae for local stations, so I wanted to be able to hook up all of my available systems.
Those were my needs. The DVD player was wanted primarily so that I could watch movies available only in that format, while not giving up our extensive VHS library of movies.
This machine, the Apex-3800, fit the bill. It is inexpensive, it was easy to hook up and can play both VHS and DVD. I found nothing wrong with the quality of the pictures, and it does everything I expected of it.
Since Ive never owned another brand, I have nothing to compare it with. I HAVE seen other machines, at my friends and members of my familys homes, but cant see any difference in any of theirs and this one. Its just as easy to use, and considerably less expensive than some others. The pictures are fantastically clear, but then so are our VHS movies, for the most part, and the programs we receive from the dish and the local stations we get on the antennae. There is little to complain about, these days, when it comes to television reception--at least in this area.
Im donating the old VCR, which still works nicely, to a local school. No complaints here.
Joseph (Joe) Pierre
On: 2004-08-12
Have an apex dvd-only unit and picked up the 3800 when my old vcr died after 4 years. I was expecting the same solid performance as the dvd player - nope! It died after whining its way through about a half dozen tapes for my kids. I still have "Spirited Away" stuck in the unit. Fortunately I purchased an additional warranty from S34r5 and can return the unit to them. The power supply must have died - no lights, no noise just silence. The whole stereo is plugged into a surge surpressor and we have had no storms.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-06-09
I bought the Apex ADV-3800 from Amazon because it seemed like a great price. I had no problems with it at first. Then, a malfunction started. I no longer got video output from the DVD player. I could still view cable channels and VHS tapes fine. But when I switched to DVD mode, the screen would go black; there wasnt even the generic-blue DVD screen. If I inserted a DVD and pressed the buttons in the right order, I could get the DVD to play. However, I only heard the audio (which came through flawlessly); the screen was still black.
I tried calling Apexs customer service number (both the California area code and the toll-free). They were busy every single time. Except for once. The one time that it wasnt busy, I was on hold for over 3 hours before I gave up waiting. (In that time, I went from #17 to #3 in the queue, according to the recorded voice.) I also posted my problem on their website. They promised a reply within 24 hours but none came after 5 days of waiting.
I even called one of the companies listed on the Apex website as a licensed repair company. The company told me that they also have great difficulties with Apex, especially in getting hold of them on the phone.
Spend your money on a product supported by a company that will actually help you if anything goes wrong. Avoid Apex. Id give them zero stars if I could.
On: 2004-06-07
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 Robbins 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!
On: 2004-04-22
Use it with an HD tv. Plays back VHS and DVD just fine. Does exactly what it says it does, and does it well.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-04-13
In the last two weeks, Ive had two of these units. The first ones DVD drawer died about 8 days in; the second unit wouldnt play DVDs--it either said "No Disc" or froze about 15 seconds in. While I liked the display, and that the unit will internally dub a video from non-copyrighted DVDs, I had lost faith in the manufacturer. Good thing I wasnt paying shipping and just had to take them back to the mall! Im happy with the new Toshiba SD-V392 I got for just a little more money.
On: 2004-02-11
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 havent finalized the disk. The remote is fairly easy to operate. The picture quality is pretty good. Cant comment on the progressive scan or 5.1 sound as I dont 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 doesnt break in 90 days as somebody suggested, I think its a great unit.
-update:12/1/05 the DVD door got stuck a month back and wont open and close automatically. Pretty much broke. VCR still works.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-01-22
This is the third product from Apex Ive bought. Ive been very happy with each of them, including this bad boy. Itll play almost anything you shove into it which is really nice. If you want the quietest, highest quality player, why are you even looking at this? Its a GREAT DEAL on a nice unit.You have to wonder about any audio or videophile commenting on this. If youre like 99% of people out there with a TV that needs a DVD player, this is a decent choice. If youve got a plasma screen with multiple thousands of dollars of surround sound home theater equipment, buy something more expensive. Jeez. Kudos Apex!
On: 2004-01-16
I purchased and returned 4 different brands that claimed to play VCDs because they wouldnt play mine! This unit plays anything I put in it. I have many home movies Ive put on VCD (before home DVD burners) and they were useless until I found this unit that was much cheaper than the other 4 brands! Needless to say, Im more than happy!!
by: Anonymous On: 2004-01-13
I wanted to like this product -- I did. I was looking for a replacement "hi fi" VCR as well as a new DVD player and the price seemed right.I ended up returning the first unit after one day because the VCR refused to track tapes -- even tapes it recorded itself. Every tape would just scroll and scroll. And youd think by 2004 that any mass-produced VCR would *not* need manual "tracking" buttons, wouldnt you? This does... They just dont work that well. The replacement unit had an audible "clunk" when the VCR heads parked the tape at insertion/power off. The tracking was much better, but still the picture rolled occasionally. And I then saw the random counter display come up on-screen while playing a DVD. And I also fully agree with the comments about the remote. Its too small and as a VCR remote, its layout is pretty bad. Also (IMO) the on-screen programming setup is pretty awful. For example, you have to manually enter the numerical day of the week -- even for the current day -- by typing in numbers instead of being able to scroll through the available days. And, it shows a lack of professionalism for the manual to offer its web site up as a contact but (as of this writing in Jan 2004) its not an active site yet! All in all, not worth the $90 I paid for it (on sale). It goes back to the store for a full refund as I feel I cant trust it to function correctly as a VCR *or* DVD player. Back to the drawing board...
by: Anonymous On: 2004-01-12
I bought this product because of the price. I learned you get what you pay for.I had to return the first one becase it was "Defective". Apex made me pay to ship it back to the tune of 24.00. When I finally received the replacement it to had the same defects as the first one. Noisey when the VCR is running, display features showing on screen randomly and loud mechanical sounds on loading and unloading the VCR. Dealing with the manufaturer was no picnic either. Stay away from this product their are better DVD/VCR products coming down the road.
On: 2004-01-02
I bought this as a gift for my grandson, and it failed on the first attmpt to use it - swallowed a VHS tape and would neither play nor eject it. The design concept is good, but quality control seems to be non-existent. Back to Sears it goes, and shame on them for carrying the line.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-12-15
I bought this machine on 9/8/03. It is 12/14/03 and the dvd is no longer functioning; used it once. Apex on-line customer service doesnt exist... I wanted to chose no stars, but you cant.Overall the machine is not good. The VCR only records at SP or SLP. The picture quality is terrible on super long play. On screen record doesnt have auto turn-off (for example cant set it to record for 1 hour without pre-programing it). I guess you get what you pay for.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-12-02
When we first received the player, the VCR door would not shut completely. Considering this was such a cheap product, and the fact it did not effect the VCR playback, we figured it was something we could live with. Now, three months into owning this, the DVD player has stopped working completely! Were now in the process of retuning this piece of crap. Save yourself the trouble and buy something else!
On: 2003-10-21
The VCR is dreadful when it works. I have hundreds of hours of tape that this VCR has problems playing. It always skips and you can never get the tracking down just right. There is no visial display in tracking. Also, APEX customer support is factually non-existant. Their website answeres nothing and you cant contact them via email. Also, their tech-support hotline is open 8 hours and the signal is busy during those times. Youll have to end up spending $30 to send the piece of crap back because buying electronic online is like playing Russian Roulette.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-10-20
Ignore the low marks from stupid reviewers who complain about shipping time or the fact that the Apex doesnt include a universal remote -- shipping time isnt the fault of Apex, and no DVD player includes a universal remote. There are plenty of other reasons to dislike this DVD/VCR combo, and lets focus on those.I too had the same problems as another reviewer from NY -- the LCD tape counter didnt work properly, the tape player would make noises sometimes, and there was a loud crackle from the speaker once while playing back a DVD. Most distubing was the apparent overload of the DSP (digital signal processor) on a DVD that had a lot of "action" -- the DVD player wasnt able to handle all the data and the display showed color bands and distorted images for a millisecond. Overall the quality of the unit just does not seem to be that high. If you get one and it doesnt have these problems out of the box, you might be okay, but then again you might not. And with only a 90 day warranty, you may be out $100+ in just a couple of months. Even though theres just a chance that I got a bad unit, I decided that it wasnt worth the risk of it blowing out, nor the hassle of returning another one again. I decided to return this one, spend a little more and get a brand name I can trust.
On: 2003-10-18
I was suppose to get my vcr/dvd combo by October 8 - 9, Today is the 17th, and still havent gotton shipment. I have or "had a customer" waiting for this order. Hes not happy!!!
On: 2003-10-10
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 havent tried the DVD yet), meaning I cant 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 doesnt know about Apex equipment, and so I have to use two remotes.
 On: 2003-10-09
I would have expected the remote to allow me to also control my TV. Nope, remote is only good for the player.I didnt check but frankly, in this day and age I assumed it would. Ive returned it and never even plugged it in so no idea how it works besides that.
On: 2003-10-06
After reading not-so-good reviews on most dvd/vcr combos on this and other external sites, I decided to try my luck with the Apex 3800. My luck was not so good with this model, as I found when I hooked it up to our tv. The front LED display did not display anything--no clock or counter display, making us believe at first that the machine was not powered at all. After figuring out that the machine was working but dysfunctionally, we put in a DVD to try it out. Every 10 minutes or so, a loud popping sound would come out out of our tv speakers. This never happened before we had the machine. This may have been just a faulty machine..but Im returning this one and looking for other brands that are out there.
On: 2003-09-27
I bought one and returned to Amazon because it didnt recognize any disc(DVD,VCD, CD, etc.) after its arrival. The VCR worked and gave me blur and noisy pictures.The manufacturing quality is realy bad. Maybe thats just a bad luck on me but I dont dare to buy APEX stuff again.
On: 2003-09-25
I am actually a seasoned engineer, but the mysterious flashing "12:00" timer settings still confuse me. I know what I want - simply a great product at a great price. This APEX ADV-3800 combo unit does not disappoint. It has a plehtora of modern output feeds including optical audio, digital audio, S-Video and of course component video. With its progressive scan output capability (480p) it is very nice to couple it up with a monitor that can handle that progressive output (newer HDTVs etc) On my 56" HDTV, this little puppy (which I paid $110) shined like the mid-day sun at the OK Corral. The setup was simple, straightforward and user-friendly. I like the styling and lines of this unit. It doesnt look like the original VHS/DVD combo boxes which looked more like 1975 NASA 8-TRACK DUAL-DECK COPIERS. It has a nice silver streamlined profile. I found the video output to be very good and the audio to be much improved over the ealier Apex AD-660 (which I am replacing and moving into the kids playroom) Bottom-line, if you want it all - Ability to play CDs, MP3s, VCDs, EVEN JPGs! and DVDs in progressive scan mode for a great price and nice package, look no further than this unit. Apex all the way! Smile, it is movie-time!
On: 2003-09-22
I am not a "techie" type person, but I found this player easy to set up (though the instructions could be better). It works very well, and Im really enjoying using it. The only complaint I have is that the video records only SP and SLP, no inbetween. The quality of the playback on SLP is a little grainy. This was a great buy for me and I recommend it!
On: 2003-09-22
We bought this DVD player as we got an HDTV and needed a progressive scan player. Well my wife wanted a VCR as well for her exersize tapes. So after looking at a bunch of units for around $150, we then settled on this one. Needless to say so far it does everything well with both the VCR and DVD. We have not noticed any quality problems with the Progressive Scan DVD or the sound for DD 5.1. Works as described for a good price.
On: 2003-09-16
I just bought this piece last week. I am pretty happy so far. It looks pretty slick and plays all kinds of formats. We tried dvd, vcd, and home made vcds and they all seem to work. I am hoping its durability will meet my expectation as well.
On: 2003-09-14
Please do not buy this 3800 Apex system. I have tested two of them for the dolby digital audio playback in progressive scan mode, the picture has waves and grids. If you are looking for these features (prog scan & dd 5.1), please avoid this one.
On: 2003-09-05
Well, hate to put Apex down in any way because my last DVD player was a Apex too and it would play homemade VCDs which the previous Sanyo player could not. Apex does it all. And I seem to find info stating it does very well in this regard whereas other more expensive players cannot.
However, I had to return my first ADV-3800 to Circuit City after finding out it made a quick audio distortion noise (similar to cables being disconnected/reconnected) every 20 minutes or so. On top of that, the DVD title/chapter display would appear on screen randomly too and I could not keep it off.
This one now from Amazon could be another of these afflicted also. Ordered yesterday and delivered today, it was a very fast order being just the usual standard shipping. My serial number is similar to the last unit. At least in the several hours of use so far it has done only a few of the noises (whether Cable, Tape or DVD on), likewise with the onscreen display (DVD only). Deciding now if I can live with it for the price of just $95 versus the $120 at Circuit City. CC had a $20 rebate sale going recently but I bought the other unit a month ago.
So... I must rate this as 3 Stars, being otherwise decent DVD/VCR combo which I would have given 5 Stars! Ill just have to judge it worth returning or keeping after another few days of watching and listening.
On: 2003-08-11
i have owned a sony, hitachi, samsung and avia. why [they]pulled it is beyond me, the great stuff they discontinue, this is by far the best i have owned, it was so easy to set up and use the remote i never used the owners manual. the picture is great, the sound great, i have owned other apex items, a tv, a dvd player, they will soon figure out how great their products are and they are made in the usa, prices will go up, grab this now as they are on their way to topping sony.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-08-09
This is a feature-rich player full of pleasant surprises. In addition to its VCR function (play/record) it also plays DVDs, audio CDs, MP3 and WMA music CDs you burn on your computer, as well as CDs with pictures made with your digicam. I have tested all of the above (except WMA) and it all works fine. Easy navigation of folders and subfolders with MP3/JPEG disks, with on-TV display and controls that are similar to a computer display. Each folder or subfolder with JPEG images becomes an instant slide show. When playing MP3s, your TV display resembles that of a good MP3 player (with tags, elapsed/total time, etc). Large number of connection options as well, including inputs in the front where you can plug your camcorder. This purchase was a quick, unresearched decision but it has turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I cannot comment on the durability of the product though, as I have only used it for about a month.This would also make a great present for parents / grandparents as they could use it with any TV and they could display family pictures you send them on CDs you make on your computer. Although it has many modern connection options, it can also be connected as an ordinary VCR.
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