I’m thinking I want to take the DVD plunge. I want to buy a player to hook up to my television, so I won’t need it to work with my home computer. I want to be able to buy a DVD in Europe (Switzerland, which has the PAL system) and play it in the USA. But since I live in the USA, I obviously want to be able to play NTSC DVDs for Region 1.
What features do I need to look for in a DVD player? I haven’t read a lot about them, so if anyone could point me towards any recent articles/comparisons I would be grateful.
Click on multi-code players (on the top of the screen), then on “APEX AD 600-A”, and you will see the player I was thinking of purchasing. The quoted price is $249.00. The description is below.
APEX AD-600A (MULTI CODE) Outstanding machine for the money. Not only will this machine recognize any region coded disc but it is the first stand alone DVD player to play MP3 files. It also has a built in PAL to NTSC visa versa converter. Now you can play PAL dvd’s imported from Europe and viewed on a NTSC television. And best of all it is Macrovision Free. Main Features - Multi Code - Karaoke w/adjustable echo and microphone level - PAL/NTSC playback - Zoom (up to 4x) - Slow motion and frame by frame playback - Selectable Aspect Ratio - Subtitles (Languages: English, French, Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese) - Multi Angle - Parental Control - Loop play of a Chapter, Title, or Track - Playback at 2x, 4x, 6x, and 8x OUTPUTS - S-Video - Color Difference Output - Audio output (digital audio) (DTS/PCM/DOLBY DIGITAL) - Audio output (analog audio) (2 seperate sets of outputs) SUPPLIED ACCESSORIES - Audio/Video Cables (3 ft.) - Remote Control - Batteries - S-video cable (3 ft.)
I have a relativley cheap DVD player and it works fine. Most DVD players have the same basic options, but the more expensive ones can hold more discs and higher quality motors that will last longer.
We must blame them and cause a fuss before somebody thinks of blaming us.
Sheila Broflofski
Well, I do not know very much specifically about them. However, that model seems to list every significant feature that I’ve heard advertised for a DVD. DVD players, like CD players, all deliver the exact same output - there is no reason to spend a lot of money to support a brand’s advertising campaign.
At the low end, this is true. However, if you are an avid movie-watcher with a good system, you may want to look for a player with component video output (which gives a better picture than s-video). In particular, if you are interested in HDTV, look for progressive scan output so that you can take advantage of the display (i.e. ditch all the black lines and transform your TV into more of a really big computer monitor).
“Give a man a fire and he’s warm for a day… Set a man on fire and he’s warm for a lifetime.”
I know from experience this is not correct, at least to the discerning eye/ear. Remember that all the components contribute to the overall quality. Just like you can hook up your CD player to a crappy set of speakers, your DVD output is only as good as the TV and speakers you are using.
Also, some DVD players offer more video and audio output combinations than others. IIRC, the variations are (from worst to best):
Video: Coax adapter, RCA, S-Video, Composite Video (three plug RGB)
Audio: Coax adapter, RCA, 5.1 RCA, optical output
Honestly, I can’t say I’ve had first-hand experience comparing these, so feel free to correct this list.
Finally, in direct response to “What do I look for in a DVD player?”… When I bought a used one and took it home, I found that the previous buyer must have forgotten to remove their last DVD (The Thirteenth Floor), so don’t forget to look for freebies!
Correction: “I can’t say I’ve had first-hand experience comparing all of these…”
My current setup is S-Video & 2 channel RCA Audio, which really isn’t all that bad with a Surround Sound TV (32" Sony), but I’d like to get a full THX and/or DTS eventually. (Maybe when the neighbors aren’t so close…)
I’m sorry - the electrical signals sent along these different types of media are going to be different in some way? Assuming a standard television and sound system (that is, excluding HDTV as Meara talked about) there is absolutely no difference among connection or media types, or differences between brands. With any digital tranceiver there will be a 1:1 ratio between the digital media and the analog signal, and all brands conform to the same standards. Obviously your stereo head and speakers will make a big difference in sound quality - and your television will make a big difference in picture quality, but thats not what I’m talking about. Also, I’m pretty sure that any scheme; including a component video output will be equal among brands.
All I am saying, is spend money on features, not brand names. Save brand name money for your head, and especially your speakers.
If you just want to wacth movies you may find little difference. If you are picky about some things here are a few I learned about my Sony 530.
It only has one laser which is optmized for DVDs. A lot of players have a separate one for CDs. I’ve learned that this may be why it won’t play audio on CD-R computer media. Consumer Reports also said it was not the best for playing damaged DVD’s but I haven’t had problems with the rental DVDs from blockbuster.
This player doesn’t have smooth fast scanning if that’s important to you.
If you’re planning on a decent home theater system make sure it has at minimum Dolby 5:1 outputs or better still digital out put that is compatible with your reciever.
I got out of consumer electronics service just as these things were causing headaches for technicians worldwide. There is (or at least there was) some compatibility issues between certain players’ AC3/RF outputs and receivers’ input processing software. The last I heard, blame was constantly being shifted from the DVD vendor to the receiver manufacturer to software/encoding errors on the disc itself. (I guess what I’m getting at is that I’d suggest just being content with the line level (red/white/yellow) outputs unless you have a high end tv that will actually allow you to notice a difference by using s-video or AC3.)
I haven’t checked back lately to see if they’ve worked it all out yet, and I don’t think I’ll even be interested in the wonderful world of Digital Versatile Disc until it becomes affordably recordable.
What to look for: Look for the term DIVX, and then turn around & run in the opposite direction. BTW, DIVX went belly up last fall, so I don’t think anybody should be suckered into that again.
Cooper: You are so wrong that I will not even begin to address it. Please do a little research before making such blanket statements. (I suggest you start with learning what a Filter Comb does).
This is not correct. The conversion from digital to analog involves D/A converters, in conjunction with high-quality bandpass filters. In a cheap unit, the quality of the filtering can suffer, leaving artifacts. If the converters are cheap, they can also introduce distortion.
Finally, after the signal is converted to analog, it will have to be converted to the proper output with a pre-amp, and the quality of these can also vary.
This is off-topic, but it’s brief, and opus opened the door by mentioning DIVX…
There’s another evil standard rearing its head, called “Spectradisc” or something similar. It’s designed to maximize revenue in the rental market, sort of like DIVX (which was set up for a limited number of plays, after which it wouldn’t work any more without an infusion of cash; the standard is, thankfully, being abandoned). But whereas DIVX required its own type of player, and was not fully compatible with DVD, the new Spectradisc process is basically exactly the same as DVD – same player, same everything.
The difference: Spectradisc DVDs have a special coating on the disc that self-destructs after one play. So you go to Blockbuster, “rent” the movie for five bucks, take it home, watch it once, and throw it away. No repeat viewings, and you’re adding to the landfill problem.
Cooper: You’ve already had two posts jumping on you, so I won’t go into the details. Honestly, I’m not an electronics expert, but I know quality when I hear/see it, and there are definite differences between the different output formats.
I have to agree that this would be really distasteful (to be as polite as possible…) What if the phone rings or the power brownout’s and you miss a line? Do you have pay to see the movie again?
Thank you to all for your help, and especially to Mojo Rising for the links. I saw there that I could get the player cheaper at Cirtuit City, so I ran there during my lunch hour today and ordered one. Of course, when I asked the vendor “Is this the player I’ve been reading about, that can play PAL DVD’s and DVD’s from any region?”, he had no idea.
I don’t have a very fancy TV and/or sound system, so this player should suit me fine. As mentioned, my main concern is being able to play DVD’s from Europe. Of course, now I need to get a European DVD to make sure it works with the player, since Circuit City has a 30-day return policy.
Thank you Mojo, that was my understanding also, that the player would change the PAL to NTSC video signals. But what about this loss of quality? I guess I’ll go over to the DVD forum mentioned above and ask over there.
What irritates me is that you can’t even go to an electronics store and ask these questions, because the sales staff don’t know the answers! (like at Circuit City)
