Customer Reviews
Terrible product and poor customer service!! 
2008-09-22
I was given this camcorder as a Christmas present when I gave birth to twin girls. I recorded on it and found it would not finalize and repeatedly received a disk error message. I tried again and got the same message. Now I have two unviewable disks with precious family memories on them. When I called customer support I got a woman who barely spoke English who went through several steps with me and then told me to only purchase Memorex RW disks. There should be a warning with the camera. Nowhere in the owners manual is a specific brand name disk mentioned. I did use a Sony disk once and it did finalize but am at a loss as to what to do with others. I am very unhappy with this product.
Sad to loose priceless memories 2008-08-05
I don't usually write reviews but, I feel the need to let everyone know what a poor camcorder this is. I unfortuantely didn't do any research prior to buying on black friday 1 week before my new baby was to be born. The whole 8 mos that I have owned this I was only able to record and finalize 1 disk with no problems (the 1st disk) since then it stops recording mid disk says "write error" & it won't finalize. I thought maybe it was the disk so I bought some more/different brand of dvd-r it worked fine then mid disk same thing when I press record it says "write error" doesn't record or finalize this time it erased the month worth of taping my new baby. I tried to take it back to the store were I purchased but, since I didn't buy a protection plan and it was over 30 days I am stuck with it. Called Samsung and I have to send it in for the repair. My son is about to crawl anyday and it will be missed. I am not the only one with this problem. Now that I have done some research a lot of people are having the same problem. For something as important as taping precious memories I wish I would have paid more for a better camera. Memories are priceless.
Fair to Excellent 
2008-08-04
Camcorder is Ok but it seems like the batteries go down to easy. Tried
several batteries, but have the same results.
Camera Not Good 2008-01-14
I've had nothing but problems from this camera. It sucks the battery down lightening fast, it won't shut off sometimes and this weekend, it would skip on the recordings so it didn't record all of the event I was trying to capture. Returning this immediately!
Software issues 2008-01-14
While I bought this as a christmas present for my wife, She has yet to be able to use it. She tried to record a small video and it would not play back. Then the camera started telling her weird things like, the disk is not formated and do you want the camera to format it. When we answered yes, the same message just continued to come up. I called Samsung and was told that there was a patch I could download onto a dvd which could be put in the camera to correct the problem. When I told them I did not have a DVD burner, they offered to send me a disk. After waiting 2 weeks, the disk arrived but was on a full sized CD rather than the mini DVD so I could not put it in the camera to download. I borrowed a computer with a DVD burner and copied the file onto a mini DVD. Then when I put it in the camera, the camera told me the disc was bad. I did this three times with three different discs and the results were the same each time.
I have now sent the camera back to the on-line store which sent the camera. They indicated that they will send me a new one. I am just hoping the software patch has been installed on the new camera when I get it and my problems are resolved. I was hoping to just get my money back and try a different brand but at this point, the distributor just wants to send me the same camera.
Based on my experience to date with Samsung, I don't think I would buy anything else from that company.
worth the $$$$ 2007-12-13
Why use a camcorder with tapes when you can use this one that records directly on a DVD? With the Samsung SC-DC173 DVD Camcorder you'll have a record of the major moments that matches your most vivid and happiest memories. You'll write those incredible moments directly to a blank 8-centimeter DVD; once you're done, you can simply pop the disc into a computer or DVD player and begin sharing your movies. Before sharing, you can preview your video on the 2.7 inch LCD screen. See if you've caught everything - the 680,000 pixel CCD, 33x optical and 1200x digital zoom help you capture every detail brilliantly. 1200x digital zoom 4-in-1 multi-memory card slot compatible with SD - MMC - MemoryStick - Memory Stick Pro Digital image stabilization - Virtually eliminates shake due to normal handheld movement MPEG-4 recording - MPEG4 provides enhanced video image quality and maximizes the amount of video you can record. In addition, MPEG4 even lets you quickly and easily share video clips via email May be used as a Webcam when connected to a PC via USB 16 - 9 recording and viewing - Samsung's 16 - 9 recording option ensures that the entire image is recorded. Once your movies are captured in widescreen format, you can enjoy viewing them without having to lose any of the images on your wide-format HDTV screen Supports DVD-RW/-R/+RW/+R (dual layer) - 8-centimeter size PictBridge compatible Samsung's Audio Enhancements & Effects reduce unwanted ambient sound, improve stereo separation, voice, and music playback, and lets you add echo sound effects Features USB 2.0 connectivity (Windows98, 2000, XP) Unit Dimensions - 2.36 x 3.44 x 4.78 / Weight - 0.95 lbs. Supplied accessories - AC adapter, battery pack, A/V cable, USB cable, software CD Accepts 30mm filters Uses 8cm DVD media, playable on most DVD players
Nice camera, HORRIBLE battery life! 
2007-12-05
I bought this camera a little less than a month ago and thought I was satisfied. That is, until I charged the battery for the first time and realized that you only get about 20-25 minutes of battery life. What is the point of that? Then I thought, okay, well I will just buy a replacement battery, and cannot find one anywhere (I don't think they make one for this model). In any case, I shouldn't already have to look for a replacement battery. If I had it to do over, I would not buy this camera and do not recommend it at all.
Pleased so far. 2007-12-02
I recently purchased this camcorder with a great "black friday" discount.
I compared it to the Canon and Sony equivalent. The Canon was very similar with similar reviews (more expensive). The Sony had better reviews but was over $100.00 more. Since my husband and I film about two or three times a year, we decided that the Samsung was just fine for the money we wanted to spend. We have used the camcorder twice and both times had no trouble filming, using the controls, formatting, finalizing and viewing the finished product. While the camera is not perfect, it is fine for our use. We like the convenience of being able to replay the film right away. We used the fujifilm dvd's and the battery adapter to film. We have not fired up the battery but will do so at an upcoming party. The voice is excellent, picture average to good and the camcorder is easy to use. We have not yet used the memory card to take still pictures and really don't intend to. We have a digital camera and we intend to use that for our still pictures. If you want something that is a lot more sophisticated and that MAY make better videos, opt for the Sony 108 or 408 products that I have reviewed. But again, for the average user - this one serves the purpose well.
Samsung SC-DC173U DVD Camcorder 
2007-11-27
The camcorder is great for the price I paid. It does use DVD-RW disk, which someone said it didn't but does. The disk isn't really even noticable as far as someone saying about disk noise. I wish the battery lasted longer than an hour but like I said, it's great for the price I paid. I bought some Ridata DVDs and they work perfect as far as compatibility issues some have reported. Make sure if you buy DVDs for the camcorder that it says it IS compatible with Samsung and there should be no problem. I love how the view screen can flip around and it's nice to be able to take pictures and load them to the SD card. I think this camcorder is nice, you be the judge!
If you want better... pay more than 300 dollars for a DVD Camera 
2007-10-12
If you are looking for a camera that records to DVDs and doesnt cost an arm and a leg, buy this one. It is a decent camera if you take into account the price. The quality isnt the best however its good enough for the average customer just wanting to shoot video of family events. If you are looking for top quality, pay more. It is true you get what you pay for. For me the camera is good enough for what I use it for... a once in a while camera moment.
I've read over a couple of other reviews stating they are having a hard time getting their camera to read discs. I use the Sony mini DV-R discs and have never had a problem. They are a little more expensive however they are top quality and work great with this piece of equipment.
Also I have transfered the mini-discs to larger ones using a panasonic dvd recorder using Sony (Large) DVD-R disc and havent had a problem either.
