Toshiba MW20FP1 20 inch TV/VCR/DVD Combo TV

What a wonderful change from my parent's old twelve-inch TV! I rarely watch TV and have a DVD/CD player on my computer, but I still watch VHS tapes pretty often and it just wasn't much fun watching them on that little screen, even if the picture was okay. I didn't read reviews like usual and found a few weeks ago the Toshiba MW20FP1 at a local store that also delivered. It's 20 inches, flat screen, color TV with a Video Cassette Recorder and DVD/CD Player.

At first it sat on my floor because it was too large for my former TV table, but I found a bigger stand later so then a guy friend lifted the almost sixty-pound TV onto it. I don't get cable, but my old TV's rabbit ears is working very nicely in getting in stations, a deal better than the old one. I've also watched probably a dozen movies on it, both DVD and VHS, and only had some trouble with one VHS tape bought off eBay. A friend and I tried to fix it with tracking on the remote control with inconsistent results. I think it was a flawed tape; a second time watching the movie increased my picture and sound problems with it.

My biggest complaint about the TV is the Timer Record feature. One has to have the patience of Sisyphus to get it done! First I just recorded a bit of a show currently playing and that was easy enough with the Owner's Manual. Then I tried to record something that came on in the future. All I managed to do was turn the set off. The next time I tried, and I was reading the instructions, nothing happened. Finally with a friend's help, I realized I needed to press the first and third record buttons at the same time, though the Manual shows the first two. Not good. It's very confusing, time-consuming and tricky to do. Many arrows have to be pressed just right and the remote control buttons are small as well. So I got it to time-record finally, but not easily!

The Owner's Manual has eleven sections: Introduction, Connections, Basic Setup, TV Operation, Playback (VCR), Recording (VCR), Other Functions (VCR), Basic Playback (DVD), Advanced Playback (DVD), Function Setup and Others. I haven't had any other problems with its instructions and don't think I will. There are two pages of troubleshooting in the Manual and other instructions and notes for use look very thorough.

I've listened to Cds on it and enjoyed it a lot. Haven't used headphones or tried connecting to optional sound equipment like an amplifier equipped with a Dolby Digital decoder, Dolby Surround Pro Logic, DTS decoder, MPEG audio decoder or digital audio input. I haven't tried the karaoke feature which needs an amplifier. The Toshiba MW20FP1 has even more functionality than I was looking for in my TV and that's a real bonus. I won't use some like the V-Chip, duplicating a video tape and changing soundtrack language. I will rarely if ever timer-record. Most people have cable, so will be able to timer-record easier than me.

The set cost me $327, plus delivery and tax, making it $398. There's a Limited 2 Year Warranty of Picture Tube, 1 year on parts. The power supply is AC 120 V 60Hz, the color system is NTSC, the video head has 4 rotary heads, the audio track is Hi-Fi sound-2 tracks/MONO sound-1 track and it's silver in appearances with many buttons on the bottom as well as the VCR and DVD players and audio options.

I'm really happy with my purchase and do recommend it. The color is vivid and the sound rich, making it a joy to watch my movies or listen to my Cds. Toshiba also offers Tvs in 24 and 27 inches, but 20 inches is fine for me. If you're looking for what this TV offers, I think you'll enjoy it, although taking it in for repairs would be quite a bother for someone like me. That's something to consider.