Samsung DVD-R135 DVD Recorder

I loved this DVD player for the first 8 months. It plays DVDs fine, recorded television fine also. The record function is very user friendly which was a selling point for me. You press the record button to start and stop the recordings (much like a VHS recording). It also has the option to automatically create chapters.My audio and video were perfect. I recorded favorite tv shows from television about once a week. About two weeks ago, I tried recording a show and the recorder froze and emitted a loud whirring noise. I had to unplug the device because the stop button didn't work. I tried a second time and it froze for about ten minutes, then I got a system error.I called the help center and they told me to send it in for repair. I'm still under the year warranty for parts but I have to pay labor. I'm very disappointed and wondering if I should just buy a new DVD recorder instead of getting this one fixed.I only gave three stars because it broke in a short time-span. I would not buy this product again.

I used this to record some family videos of my grandchild to dvd. I have managed to make a couple of dvds but it has failed me couple of times also. It didn’t come with any instructions and the remote is useless.

I just ordered this recorder for my dad. From the outside, the box is handsome and feels sturdy. The play quality is beautiful, a noticable improvement from my parents' 2 year old progressive scan panasonic player. The remote is cool-looking, but the button layout could be better and there's no back-lighting. Recording is very simple and easy. There's no tv guide feature, but judging from the reviews that feature has been getting on other players, that's probably for the best. On picture quality alone, I think this machine is worth considering.

I loved the product the first four months that I owned it. It recorded flawlessly, and the burned dvds looked great. However, after burning nearly a hundred disks, I had problems finalizing recorded DVD's. I would invest two hours into recording a movie, and then have to junk it when the finalizing process did not work. This started occurring frequently, and after numerous calls to Samsung, I finally convinced them to extend my labor warranty. However, their customer service was horrible, and I will not buy a Samsung product for a very long time. Here is a copy of the letter that I sent to Samsung regarding my experience.To whom it may concern,I purchased the DVD-R135 this past January and loved the product. However, approximately 4 months after purchase, the DVD burner began malfunctioning. I contacted customer service a couple of times, and attempted to troubleshoot the problem with the customer service reps. However, the solutions would work for a short time, and then the product would begin malfunctioning again.On Wednesday, June 27, I contacted customer service to discuss warranty repairs. Because my warranty on labor had expired, the rep had said that he would extend the labor warranty to 6 months. This meant that my warranty extension would expire on July 7. He mentioned that because the warranty would expire soon, I should send the unit to Rex Service Center before the warranty was processed. He also supplied me with the fax number to send my Bill of Sale. I attempted to fax the Bill of Sale on Thursday, and I immediately found out that the number was wrong even though I read the fax number back to the representative. I then had to call customer service again to get the right fax number. I faxed the Bill of Sale that evening, and had a transaction report from my fax machine verify that the fax had been sent.I called the Customer Service center the next afternoon (Friday) to check the status of the warranty request. However, the rep had said that the fax I sent the previous night had not been found. I double checked the transaction number on the original fax, and it matched the transaction number that the rep had given me. However, I faxed the document again.On Monday, my wife sent out the DVD player to the Rex address that the original customer service rep had given us. We had sent the unit so that it would reach REX before the extended warranty would expire.Later Monday, I had called the service center again to verify that they had received my fax from Friday night, and that the warranty was processed. While talking to her, we had discovered that the Rex Service Center that the unit was sent to was the wrong location. The original rep had apparently given me the wrong information, and the rep that I was talking to at the time had said that the originally rep was new. She had told me to call Rex Service Center on Tuesday to have them reject the package so that it would get sent to me. Then, Samsung would supply me with a new label to ship the package to the correct destination. Also, she said that because the original rep had given me the wrong address to send the package to, Samsung would reimburse me for my shipping cost to REX Service Center, and that I would need to fax the shipping receipt to the ECR department.On Tuesday I called REX and told them to reject the package. However, they were unable to reject it, and the REX Service rep contacted me to discuss how the warranty work would be done. I notified him that they were supposed to send the unit back, and that I would call Samsung to straighten the mess out.I immediately called Samsung, and eventually got transferred to the ECR department. The rep that I spoke with had mentioned that the parts warranty had been extended from one year, to a year and 90 days, and that the labor warranty had expired on April 6, 2007. I informed her that the original service rep had informed me that the labor warranty was extended, and she agreed that she would do this one time, and emphasized that it was merely a courtesy. She also said that the representatives at the call center were not allowed to extend this type of warranty. None of the people that I spoke with have mentioned that. When I asked her about following up on the agreement to reimburse me for my shipping expenses to REX Service Center, she said that she would be unable to do this. She mentioned that providing shipping for warranty work was merely a courtesy, and that she would not be able to help me with this. When I explained that I was only asking her to honor what a Samsung representative had told me previously, she once again emphasized that providing shipping expense was merely a courtesy, and that I was not entitled to the reimbursement, even though the expense occurred from faulty information that I received from a Samsung representative.I am writing this email to document my experience with the Samsung Customer Service Center. It has been a horrible experience so far, and I can only hope that the unit is sent back to me fixed without requiring any more of my time or money, neither of which Samsung apparently cares about. When I first learned that Samsung would extend the warranty on my DVD recorder, I felt that the company was being more then fair. I was very pleased, and had decided that I would continue to buy Samsung products in the future. However, during the past week that feeling of good will has been eroded away. I feel that I have been running around in circles trying to get my product fixed. Also, I feel that I was lied to about the reimbursement of shipping expense. While, the representative that made the initial agreement did not have actual authority, they were acting as an agent for the company, and their agreement should have been honored. I will likely not purchase a Samsung product for a very long time. I will also tell my friends and family members of my experience.Here is the response that Samsung sent.Thank you for contacting Samsung. Samsung does apologize for your experience with this product. Due to the nature of this issue, Samsung recommends that you call in to 1-800-Samsung to speak with our customer care for other options that might be available to you.From what I have heard, this is a common experience for people that have dealt with Samsung's customer service.

I purchased this product only with the purpose of recording my favorite tv shows, and I can say I am truly satisfied with it. The menus are really user-friendly, and the instructions are very simple and clear, so you just plug it in, configure a couple of features, and you're all set. I don't own an HD TV so I can't really comment on the picture quality, but I have to say, It really delivers for all the basic needs. I highly recommend the DVD-R 135.

I have had my unit for perhaps 8 years or so. I used it rarely to record or play. In no time at all, after the warranty period, it stopped functioning. That is, it can not process a DVD. It tells me that the disk is not compatible. Now let me say this that 1 out of 500 times it is able to process a DVD. I have other unit, different brand, that reads the DVD's with no problem. It is a nice looking unit but it ends there. U am very disappointed. I have not had an estimate to repaid because I believe that the costs to repair would fare exceed the costs to replace. By the way I can read and play CD's.

i love the HDMI connection ,,,,,, makes hook up very very simple. it also look very sharp. and matches my Samsung HD .........SEP 2007 ... this unit is now DEAD like other users , originally i gave it 5 stars, even one is too many, i made total of 2 DVD with this unit.