A television monitor with a built-in videocassette recorder isn't a product the whole world wants.
These TV-VCR combos, as they are called, are space-savers designed with little else in mind.Yet twice recently I was asked: What TV-VCR combination would you buy if you were looking for high quality?
To be candid, I didn't think there was any such thing as a high-quality combo.
Well, shame on me; I haven't kept up. The last time I looked seriously at a TV-VCR combo, the only product out there was the Symphonic brand, made by Funai (13- and 19-inch models were offered). Symphonic combos are reliable, bare-bones packages that usually are heavily discounted for the budget-minded buyer (prices range from $350 to $650).
But the TV-VCR field is a bit more crowded today.
Magnavox offers three models - 13-, 19- and 20-inch TVs with entry-level VCRs tucked inside.
Panasonic and Quasar offer full model lines, ranging from a tiny four-inch laptop to a 27-inch monitor and built-in four-head VCR equipped with hi-fi stereo sound. These lines are nearly identical; both Panasonic and Quasar are owned by Matsushita.
The high-end 27-inch models - Panasonic's PV-MS2750, which features a Super VHS VCR, and Quasar's VV9527 - have hefty price tags: $1,699 and $1,500, respectively.
Previously, the weak link in a TV-VCR combo was the VCR's limitations. The only way a consumer could get a high-end videocassette recorder built into a TV was to buy the 27-inch sets offered by Panasonic and Quasar.
Enter Samsung, the industry leader in TV-VCR combo technology. The Korean electronics giant has just announced an $830 unit will be available on dealer shelves this fall.
The Samsung VM6405 is a 19-inch, 155-channel, cable-compatible TV monitor with a high-quality, four-head VCR built in. It is the first four-head VCR used in a TV-VCR combo with a price tag under $1,000. Panasonic makes the $1,000 model.
The Samsung's TV picture quality is excellent, especially the color contrast of videotape and broadcast images. A black-matrix picture tube probably accounts for the outstanding sharpness.
Samsung has dabbled in the TV-VCR field about as long as Funai has. But previous Samsung offerings were like most of their kin: entry-level products designed for modest budgets, with little engineering pizazz and less than great reliability.
The VM6405 is a large step above most of the pack in quality. This unit is aimed squarely at consumers who want the convenience of two units in one without compromising the video quality that TV and VCR separates can offer.
So if you aren't afraid of buying a TV set that has to go to the repair shop every time your VCR gets sick, take a look at the Samsung VM6405 when it shows up on dealer shelves this fall.