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Liz
16-Jan-07, 19:43
I have a VCR/DVD combi and, until recently, the DVD Player has had both great picture and sound.

However, recently I have noticed 'interference' in the form of faint semi circles of varying sizes on the left and right hand size of the picture.:(
They are most noticeable on dark backgrounds. It isn't bad but my eyes keeps getting drawn to it!!!

The strange thing is I went through my entire DVD collection and there were four DVDs on which the interference wasn't there?

As I am a getting a PVR I don't need the VCR so thought I might get a DVD Player but don't know which one to go for.
I would like a decent one and am willing to pay around £60.

So I would really appreciate advice as to which DVD Player to get.

Thanks!!!:D

Stumurf
16-Jan-07, 21:35
it really all depends on what media you use...

My view is that the more expensive the player, the less choice of formats you get to play on them, this ranges from types of disk to types of video formats and types of sound formats that they will play.

If you only ever play rented/bought films on it you cant really go wrong. As i dont think modern players are still finicky about what "Region" your DVD is from. If anyone else can comment on this.....

if you often recieve home made DVD's from friends and family and if you have a pc literate user in the house that likes to make/combine various media formats you will have to learn a lot of acronyms so that the player you buy will be compatable with the scary amount of formats that can be created.

Alternatively the cheaper, lesser known brands tend to be universally compatible with pretty much every format.

This isnt of course true of every DVD player, but in my opinion i find cheaper ones much better for anyone who uses the DVD player for other uses other than shop bought/rented films.

You may also be pleased to hear that the next generation of DVD is not too far away and at the moment we have 2 main competitors both backed by huge corportions. There are a few companies that are creating players that will play both types of disk but most of the high street brands seem to be going the way of only playing the type that any afiliated company is currently backing... these being Blu Ray and HD-DVD.

Sorry to complcate things but you should be aware that a simalar change from video to DVD isnt too far away... (not at least for a year or so anyway)

Happy Shopping......

I get round this by using my laptop as a DVD player... the lead was expensive but really helped to simplify buying the wrong type of player.

Jeemag_USA
16-Jan-07, 21:42
I have a Phillips DVD player, it has been brilliant since the day I got it and it plays DVD from all regions so I can watch UK ones on it and US ones on it.

I also have a Daewoo DVD Recorder, which was very cheap and I have never had a problem with it, can record onto any DVD media disk -R, +R, -RW and +RW, plays great also!

Liz
16-Jan-07, 23:22
Thanks both!

I did see a DVD Player which 'upgraded' DVDs to Hi-Def but you obviously need a Hi Def TV for this and I don't have one. It was by Evesham and only cost about £60.

Jeemag_USA what model is your Philips DVD Player please and is the sound good as well as the picture?

I only watch bought films.

stevep
16-Jan-07, 23:36
If looking for a DVD recorder the only thing I would suggest is try and get a DVD that incorporates freeview if you use that as it makes recording much easier.

Liz
17-Jan-07, 00:04
If looking for a DVD recorder the only thing I would suggest is try and get a DVD that incorporates freeview if you use that as it makes recording much easier.


Thanks but it is just a DVD Player I want as I won a PVR so will be using this for Freeview and to record.

Jeemag_USA
17-Jan-07, 00:16
Jeemag_USA what model is your Philips DVD Player please and is the sound good as well as the picture?

Its a Phillips DVP642, sound and picture are great. I bought it in the USA for around $60, about 30 pound or so in the UK. But not sire if this model is sold in Europe, it probably is. The only problem i heard is that it may not play RW ( I saw one complaint of this on a website, but it could have been his player or his disc?), it says it does but I never tried because I don't use them, I burn +R and -R on my PC and play them on this and never had a problem. Here is a link to Philips site with the product specs

http://www.consumer.philips.com/consumer/catalog/tree/HOME_ENTERTAINMENT_GR_US_CONSUMER/DVD_HOME_THEATER_CA_US_CONSUMER/product/DVP642_37_US_CONSUMER/catalog.jsp?language=en&country=US&catalogType=CONSUMER&proxybuster=24MH5DRKPP0S3J0RMRESHQNHKFSEKI5P

Liz
17-Jan-07, 00:22
Its a Phillips DVP642, sound and picture are great. I bought it in the USA for around $60, about 30 pound or so in the UK. But not sire if this model is sold in Europe, it probably is. The only problem i heard is that it may not play RW ( I saw one complaint of this on a website, but it could have been his player or his disc?), it says it does but I never tried because I don't use them, I burn +R and -R on my PC and play them on this and never had a problem. Here is a link to Philips site with the product specs

http://www.consumer.philips.com/consumer/catalog/tree/HOME_ENTERTAINMENT_GR_US_CONSUMER/DVD_HOME_THEATER_CA_US_CONSUMER/product/DVP642_37_US_CONSUMER/catalog.jsp?language=en&country=US&catalogType=CONSUMER&proxybuster=24MH5DRKPP0S3J0RMRESHQNHKFSEKI5P


Thanks a lot for that.

Much appreciated!:D

the nomad
17-Jan-07, 13:42
Cheap and cheerful...seriously. Generally all the interanls are the same just a different case and makers plate. I bought a DVD player fro Tesco's for my wee lassie £17.48 and it first class, you need to buy a SCART lead though.

dozerboy
17-Jan-07, 13:47
Panasonic is the only make worth having.

emb123
17-Jan-07, 14:58
Cheap and cheerful...seriously. Generally all the interanls are the same just a different case and makers plate. I bought a DVD player fro Tesco's for my wee lassie £17.48 and it first class, you need to buy a SCART lead though.
I agree - get a cheap one - the laser is only usually good for a few years whether it's an expensive one or a cheap one.

Factors to consider:
Surround sound (also known as AC3/5.1/DTS/Dolby Digital etc)

If you have a surround system you'll definitely enjoy the sound! Most cheaper players have only a single digital data output for the sound (either optical or coaxial (phono)) which very few amplifiers/surround systems can accept. Players which cost just a few pounds more often have separate phono outputs for the various channels (front left & right, rear left & right, centre and subwoofer).

MPEG4 (DivX and Xvid AVI movies files from your PC)

Slightly dearer players include this facility which for most people means downloading compressed movies from the internet (which of course is illegal), or you might have several home movies which you've compressed using this format. You can fit several of such movies onto a single DVD-R and MPEG4 capable players can play them back on your TV.

Multi-Region

If you are likely to want to play non region-2 DVDs then it's worth checking online before buying to see if it's possible to enable the player to ignore the region settings, usually by a combination of key presses. I am aware of a very cheap one that can be converted and slimline one which cannot. I won't mention on forum which, but it is something to take into consideration if you want to play back disks which you bought on holiday in the USA or whatever!.

If you wanty MPEG 4 playback then on a quick look-see I noticed that there is a Kazuki DVD-2700X (which is apparently a rebranded Umax) at www.savastore.com (http://www.savastore.com) which works out at about £28 including delivery. It also plays MPEG4 (which is those DivX & Xvid movies I mentioned above) and has co-axial audio output - though that may mean a single digital output or multiple outputs for conventional 5.1 surround systems, if it were important you would need to check. No information is however available for whether it can play other region disks as it is a new model.

Some people like Savastore, some people hate them. Personal experience is that they'e ok. They're not wonderful but they're not terrible either.

Worth checking ebuyer too (I haven't). They're very cheap, their customer service is dreadful in my experience but as long as your order arrives safely and works ok then you'll not need to worry about that aspect.

midi2304
17-Jan-07, 15:30
Thanks both!

I did see a DVD Player which 'upgraded' DVDs to Hi-Def but you obviously need a Hi Def TV for this and I don't have one. It was by Evesham and only cost about £60.

Jeemag_USA what model is your Philips DVD Player please and is the sound good as well as the picture?

I only watch bought films.

Do not buy an upscaling DVD player they are just awful.

I just bought myself a 47" 1080HD LCD Toshiba Regza TV. It cost me a fair few pennies to say the least. To try and save I bought an upscaling DVD but it was awful. I've since bought an HD-DVD drive for my XBox 360 and I import HD-DVDs in from America where I can get them delivered here for about £10 each.

EDDIE
17-Jan-07, 18:17
I have a VCR/DVD combi and, until recently, the DVD Player has had both great picture and sound.

However, recently I have noticed 'interference' in the form of faint semi circles of varying sizes on the left and right hand size of the picture.:(
They are most noticeable on dark backgrounds. It isn't bad but my eyes keeps getting drawn to it!!!

The strange thing is I went through my entire DVD collection and there were four DVDs on which the interference wasn't there?

As I am a getting a PVR I don't need the VCR so thought I might get a DVD Player but don't know which one to go for.
I would like a decent one and am willing to pay around £60.

So I would really appreciate advice as to which DVD Player to get.
Thanks!!!:D

Its best just to buy a cheap dvd player its the wrong time to be wasting a lot of money on players especially when blu ray and hd players are being launched another 6 to 8 months dvds will be thing of the past it will be all blu ray and hd disk

Liz
17-Jan-07, 19:15
Crikey I never knew buying a DVD Player could be such a problem!!!:eek:

I take on board all your suggestions and am grateful.

midi2304 when you say that upscaling DVDs are awful can I ask what you mean? Also are HD Discs much better than 'ordinary' DVD?

The one I was considering was by Evesham and can be used as an 'ordinary' DVD Player as well.

Excuse my ignorance but I take it that HD DVD Players will only play HD DVDs?

I would think that DVDs will be around for a lot longer than 6 to 8 months as not everyone can afford HD and BluRay. Also what are we supposed to do with all our 'old' DVDs?

Where's my lottery ticket?!!!!:lol:

scorrie
17-Jan-07, 21:31
Crikey I never knew buying a DVD Player could be such a problem!!!:eek:

I take on board all your suggestions and am grateful.

midi2304 when you say that upscaling DVDs are awful can I ask what you mean? Also are HD Discs much better than 'ordinary' DVD?

The one I was considering was by Evesham and can be used as an 'ordinary' DVD Player as well.

Excuse my ignorance but I take it that HD DVD Players will only play HD DVDs?

I would think that DVDs will be around for a lot longer than 6 to 8 months as not everyone can afford HD and BluRay. Also what are we supposed to do with all our 'old' DVDs?

Where's my lottery ticket?!!!!:lol:

Hello Liz, you might want to check out the following link:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upscaling_DVD

It will give you the low-down on upscaling. Basically it uses ordinary dvd but squeezes more detail out. Apparently these machines are much better suited to LCD and Plasma TV's so if using one with a Cathode Ray Tube "Dinosaur" the results might be poor.

True High Definition DVDs and Blue Ray are newer systems, as usual there is more than one type with some manufacturers behind one while others go with the other!! These will be very expensive in the early days. The link above has lots of links to other aspects of DVD.

If you are just looking for a DVD player to go with a normal telly then I would recommend the following possibility from Amazon.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sanyo-DVD-SX25-Multi-region-capable-Player/dp/B000FO42RS/sr=8-2/qid=1169065325/ref=pd_ka_2/026-9661969-3562047?ie=UTF8&s=electronics

Reasonably good make, plays most formats and can easily be converted to multi-regional via the remote control. Free delivery via supersaver option, I often find this is only a couple of days longer than the normal delivery.

All the best.

percy toboggan
17-Jan-07, 21:47
Panasonic is the only make worth having.
I'd usually agree with you but three years ago I bought a very expensive dvd player by Panasonic which cost £150. It gave up the ghost just two days out of guarantee. I was not pleased. I have since bought an Aiwa, and two Phillips' one of them a recorder. The combined cost was about the same and they have been brilliant.

The experience dented my confidence in Panasonic goods and I've avoided them ever since.

Liz
17-Jan-07, 23:47
Hello Liz, you might want to check out the following link:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upscaling_DVD

It will give you the low-down on upscaling. Basically it uses ordinary dvd but squeezes more detail out. Apparently these machines are much better suited to LCD and Plasma TV's so if using one with a Cathode Ray Tube "Dinosaur" the results might be poor.

True High Definition DVDs and Blue Ray are newer systems, as usual there is more than one type with some manufacturers behind one while others go with the other!! These will be very expensive in the early days. The link above has lots of links to other aspects of DVD.

If you are just looking for a DVD player to go with a normal telly then I would recommend the following possibility from Amazon.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sanyo-DVD-SX25-Multi-region-capable-Player/dp/B000FO42RS/sr=8-2/qid=1169065325/ref=pd_ka_2/026-9661969-3562047?ie=UTF8&s=electronics

Reasonably good make, plays most formats and can easily be converted to multi-regional via the remote control. Free delivery via supersaver option, I often find this is only a couple of days longer than the normal delivery.

All the best.

Hi

Many thanks indeed for the info and I think I will go for the Sanyo DVD Player as it has really good reviews and is a great price. Cheers for that!
I really appreciate you checking this out for me.

I am saving up for an LCD TV and wouldn't have been using the HD facility until then. Excuse my ignorance but can you play HD DVDs on machines which upscale?

It would probably be best to go for a cheaper one just now and see how the land lies re HD in about six months to a years time.

Thanks again!:D

Liz
20-Feb-07, 22:23
Well I got the Sanyo DVD Player but is faulty (makes a crackling sound!) so it has put me off getting another.

Someone recommended the Technika which you get from Tesco and I just wondered whether any of you have one and, if so, what do you think of it?

I asked on a 'techie' forum and the two which were recommended to me were the Panasonic DVD-S42 for a 'normal' TV and the Denon DVD-1730 for HD Ready TVs.
However these are £60 to £100 compared with only about £20 for the Technika so a fair saving but I am willing to pay for a really good one.

Would appreciate your thoughts.

Thanks!

scorrie
20-Feb-07, 23:20
Well I got the Sanyo DVD Player but is faulty (makes a crackling sound!) so it has put me off getting another.

Someone recommended the Technika which you get from Tesco and I just wondered whether any of you have one and, if so, what do you think of it?

I asked on a 'techie' forum and the two which were recommended to me were the Panasonic DVD-S42 for a 'normal' TV and the Denon DVD-1730 for HD Ready TVs.
However these are £60 to £100 compared with only about £20 for the Technika so a fair saving but I am willing to pay for a really good one.

Would appreciate your thoughts.

Thanks!


Send it back Liz. You should never put up with faulty goods and there is every chance the replacement will be fine.

EDDIE
21-Feb-07, 00:04
I have a VCR/DVD combi and, until recently, the DVD Player has had both great picture and sound.

However, recently I have noticed 'interference' in the form of faint semi circles of varying sizes on the left and right hand size of the picture.:(
They are most noticeable on dark backgrounds. It isn't bad but my eyes keeps getting drawn to it!!!

The strange thing is I went through my entire DVD collection and there were four DVDs on which the interference wasn't there?

As I am a getting a PVR I don't need the VCR so thought I might get a DVD Player but don't know which one to go for.
I would like a decent one and am willing to pay around £60.

So I would really appreciate advice as to which DVD Player to get.

Thanks!!!:D
Well for £60 i would go for a dvd player which has an hdmi connection so when ever u decided to buy a flat screen tv your dvd player with the hdmi connection will be able to upscale your dvds to near high definition
Its not really worth while buying an expensive dvd player at the moment with blu ray and hd player coming on the market they are dear at the moment but will drop in price soon just like the dvd players when they first come out.

dozerboy
21-Feb-07, 13:51
I'd usually agree with you but three years ago I bought a very expensive dvd player by Panasonic which cost £150. It gave up the ghost just two days out of guarantee. I was not pleased. I have since bought an Aiwa, and two Phillips' one of them a recorder. The combined cost was about the same and they have been brilliant.

The experience dented my confidence in Panasonic goods and I've avoided them ever since.

That's a shame Percy!! They can be a little pricey, but sometimes quality comes at a price (in my experience)

Liz
21-Feb-07, 13:53
Thanks both!:)