Product ReviewsSamsung DVD-VR357 DVD Recorder

Great product but insufficient for my needs - my fault!

Product arrived promptly & looks fine, easy to hook up. It plays DVDs as well as VHS tapes well. I haven’t tried to record anything off tv yet but I imagine that works too. Description clearly stated there was no remote & there wasn’t. I have not been able to transfer my VHS tapes to DVD, which is why I wanted it. I’ve read the users manual on line & watched YouTube, but still can’t do it without the remote so I’ve ordered one that is supposed to work with this model. I’m hoping that will solve my problem because this seems to be in excellent condition. My advice: if you want to transfer from VHS tapes to DVD, be sure to get a unit that has a remote with it.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: daves_2768

Very nice product at a GREAT price. EASY to use!

I stole my DVD VR-357 for $80 on Ebay! These cost $179 new as of 8-2007.

This DVD recorder combo does a GREAT job of recording on DVDs. Its best to use SP or XP mode for superb quality! LP mode is just OK only (quality)

Do make a note. These Samsung DVD VR357s are tunerless, meaning, that there is no TV tuner built in. So for that case, it can only record off the camcorder or other such item hooked up to it.

To me, it does not matter anyway, whether it has a built in tuner or not, cause I never (or rarely) record off TV anyhow!!! AND BESIDES, I have heard that the technology will advance to DIGITAL tuning to replace the ANALOG tuning system.

When this happens in 2009 I heard, Every TV or VCRs etc tuning systems will ALL be useless!! Then these items will be considered OUT OF DATE!

So for WHAT I LIKE about this Samsung DVD VR357, (since there is NO tuner to go OUT OF DATE), this product will take a little while before it becomes OUT OF DATE technology.

Also one of the great things I like too is the HDMI hook up! Cool. Also I can use DVD-R or DVD+R and DVDRWs too. STILL one more thing I like too, is: IT's EASY to use!!

As of this time, I can't think of any CONS about this Samsung. It is EVERYTHING I LIKE IN A DVD recorder VCR combo!Read full review...

This unit works superbly, easy setup, great features!

We purchased a home entertainment system from Sony a few years back. The system came with a dvd/vhs player, also by Sony. Since, we have had trouble after trouble playing dvd disks. Cleaning the already "clean" disks sometimes helped, but we found ourselves often going to our bedroom to watch the movie on our crappy $30 dvd player.

I purchased this Samsung for 2 reasons; to rid myself of the stubborn, patience-trying dvd unit we had, and because I wanted to upgrade to a dvd recorder. I love the clean look! It's elegant and sophisticated while remaining fully functional and easy to use. I have it installed in between my satellite receiver and my TV via s-video cabling, digital coaxial audio to the stereo receiver/amplifier, along with composite audio cables between the satellite receiver and TV to bypass the stereo for use without the surround sound system.

The picture I have now left me in awe! Crystal clear, excellent contrast, and a perfect picture that is not too dark or too light. Menu-driven setup allows the user to easily customize how the dvd unit performs - from picture quality to choosing audio output - all no problem to change.

It also upconverts to HDMI format for those with high-definition monitors. Will convert standard 480 dvds to 720p or 1080i output via the HDMI interface. I do not have a high-definition system so I cannot say that this works well or even that it works at all, however, I'm pretty certain when I upgrade, this unit will continue to please!Read full review...

Big Trouble for the buck.

The Samsung DVD-VR357 DVD Recorder/VCR Combo was a big disappointment. It did everything it was supposed to in the first 3 months. After the 90-day guarantee expired it started to give me trouble and I mean it didn't want to accept any of the blank disks I put in. Later, this escalated into a bigger problem. I started to look into the matter further and called the manufacturer and they said that some disks cannot be played or recorded. I then tried to play my pre-recorded disks and the machine rejected all of them with the message that they cannot be played. After a while, I got so depressed that I literally took this recorder and threw it into the garbage where it belonged. Samsung is a good brand i hear but this one gave me a lot of trouble. I bought this unit online because of the price.
It could be that it was a lemon or because it was refurbished. However, the problem was solved by disposing the unit. I never took the time to see how much it would cost to fix because that would run into more money and time which I didn't need. So, i bought another brand and so far this recorder is functioning properly. Buyer beware!! Most of these combos are not the best investment unless you do some research on the product and brand. Even a brand name can go bad.Read full review...

Great product, Vender and Price!!

I bought the DVD Recorder so to easily convert VCR tapes and Tapes from my Cam-Corder to DVD.
It was easy to do both procedures. For the VCR tapes I just simply put in the tape and the DVD and hit play and Record.
For the Cam-Corder I had to hook it up to the audio-video jacks on the back of the device.
I really liked the features of this recorder. It has a chapter and folder divide menu which was easy to figure out. It allows for extended play which allow of to 8hrs of recording on a single DVD. Samsung made a good device.
I did look at some of the others for sale but, I was confident in the Samsung name.
This was a used product. Most of the products for sale here either didn't have the required remote needed for the device. this one has a replacement remote and it was OE. The vender is very good in the description of the device and what you get with it(i.e. remote, cables). The vender also tells you if it is dented, needs work or extra parts. And the Vendor will let you know if it is hard to come by extra parts or remotes for the device.
I am very pleased with my purchase.Read full review...

How my DVD combo recorder turned out.

Everything was great once I used the firmware update. Before hand, I was having trouble with DVD-Ram disks not wanting to work and the dvd player freezing up on me. Now, the only thing I worry about is whether my XVid movies are compatible and whether the tape sticks in the VCR when I eject it. Yeah, the tape likes to catch on the top of the VCR, but it's nothing too major. I just press the side of it down and it pops right out. It's a pretty nice piece of hardware for what it cost me.Read full review...

Good Buy For The Money

This is older technology -0 2007. I purchased it to convert old VHS to DVD. Image quality is acceptable, learning how to use it is somewhat difficult.
Still a good way to convert VHS if you have a lot of tapes to convert.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: r.p.mpire

Samsung DVD-VR357 DVD Recorder / VCR Combo

I bought the DVD recorder primarily for the upconverting feature to improve the quality of my HD TV. I have been a little disappointed with the picture appearance. Regardless of what I do the picture does not fill the screen properly. There are bars on the top and bottom of the TV screen. When I tries to change the aspect of the DVD, there was no change. When I called SAMSUNG they indicated that it had to be the TV. Nothing I have doon has the picture fit the screen.

The DVD does all of the activities that are advertised.Read full review...

Great Product!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I own one for 10 years before Comcast destroys it. Before that it worked great never had a probable with it.

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: ningus

Perfect VCR for a modern 4K display.

Need a VCR for your 4K TV? Buy this. The most decent picture quality you are going to get for the format outside of buying an original CRT TV. Also has the huge benefit of having an HDMI-out for the VCR function so no conversion or messy cords are required to get it hooked up to a modern TV. Highly recommended. Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Sold by: bemc_4800