Don’t
Let the DVD Player Play You!
Choosing a DVD
player these days can be a migraine waiting to happen. I mean, the options are practically endless
and on top of that, the biggest question is, besides some of the obvious ones,
is whether or not it’s a ‘good’ player.
Well, that all depends usually on that question, but also consider some
of the other questions such as cost, compatibility, endurance, features,
quality, etc. It’s also difficult to decide with HD-DVD and Blu-Ray right
around the corner what to do, but I wouldn’t let that deter you from enjoying a
great DVD player at this time.
When it comes to
selecting a DVD player probably the first thing to set aside is a price. If you have a price range in mind then you
can narrow down your options based on that.
For example, if you are looking around the $300-$400 range than you are
going to be looking at some of the mid-range players, not the basic players
that you might find at places like Wal-Mart or Target. Now, these players (around the $100 range)
are not necessarily ‘bad’ players, but often they are lacking in certain areas,
which make them sell for less.
Usually what
determines their low cost is due to the fact that it does not have all the
options for audio or video, which might mean that the player is only capable of
playing composite video, S-video, and have a coaxial for the digital
sound. Higher-end players will always
have at least those, plus an optical out for sound as well as the higher grade
component (Red, Blue, and Green) feature, but now with High-Definition some
players are hitting the market with HDMI and DVI cable out, which is going to
give you the High-Definition audio/video experience, if you have a projector/TV
that can handle such. These are just
now becoming more popular on the market, but still a few leaps away from where
some people are going.
If you can prepare
yourself now for HD than you are only going to be ahead of the game when that
time comes, however, if you are just looking to stay with the times now, than
perhaps sticking with a non-HD ready machine is just fine. Samsung, Panasonic, JVC, Pioneer, Sony, and
Toshiba all make relatively great players that can handle just about any
consumers’ needs. Of course each
company has players that are in their higher-end range as well. Other companies like Marantz and NAD make
professional models that can sell for really high price tags. Denon is another manufacturer that tends to
dabble with the pricier makes and models.
Although, not all of these machines are necessarily going to give you
all the options that you might want, in fact sometimes they are not fully
compatible, despite offering great quality.
I would have to say
that if you are looking for a solid player then you are going to want to select
a player capable of playing DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, Super Audio CD, VCD, MP3,
Divx, CD, CD+/_RW, DVD+/-RW, JPEG, SVCD.
Of course the player should be able to play DTS, which I believe almost
every player now has the DTS built-in decoder.
It will also be important that the player can do progressive scan as
well, even if you are not able to utilize it just yet. Recommended would also be a 192kHz/24-bit
audio D/A converter. The player should
also have a great selections of connections in the rear of the machine that
allow for analog multi-channel (for DVD-Audio and SACD playback) as well as
having both coaxial and optical out for digital sound. S-video and component are vital attributes
at this moment in time, especially since almost all TV’s can do at least S-video
on the market today.
Most people
overlook some of the other vital or at least convenient functions as well that
coincide with a great machine. Those
being the remote control functions.
Does the machine have an easily laid out remote? Does it give you full control of the machine
and are you able to adjust things from there.
One factor might be how to switch your player from DVD-Audio back to
DVD-Video. Some machines are setup
drastically different in this regard and make you go through a big ordeal to
change that function. Does the remote
allow you to do zoom or fast forward easily?
Might seem like no big deal, but it can be handy. I prefer remotes that also glow in the dark
for that quick bathroom break pause right in the middle of the movie when it’s
darker than a cave in your living room.
While this might
all seem basic another feature that some consumers might want to truly think
about is also getting a player that can play All Region DVD’s. With that function you are then free to
scour the world for DVD’s that are not available here in the U.S. or are not
available with the same options. Some
of those options make the market for those imports a real hot item. See our reviews on this site for the Region
2 Donnie Darko, Region 3 Super Inframan, Region 2 Blade, and Superbit Editions of Stand By Me and Glory. If you are going to
go with an All Region player than you are also going to want to make sure that
the player has a good PAL to NTSC converter built in if you can. This will enable smooth transitions from
DVD’s that are in PAL format. A really good converter will be around 16MB and
that will keep the ‘blocking’ pattern to a minimum doing the conversion.
All in all it is
still a tough game to play. Most of the
great players that I have come across are single-disc players, not carousel
units. Typically the carousel units are
not as reliable and sometimes DVD’s or CD’s have been known to get stuck inside
the tray. The single-disc players seem
to line up the disc for better playback.
Not only that, but the player reads the disc much faster for a quicker
boot.
So what are some of
the players to keep an eye out for?
Well, Pioneer makes some really great players and their Elite line are
really superb. Look for Pioneer Elite
DV59avi, which contains HDMI and DVI outputs and can also be modified if you
search around the Internet to play All-Region.
Also Pioneer Elite models DV-45A and DV-47Ai are great machines that do
not of the HD readiness, but pricewise are on par and have some really sweet
functions. They load fast, the play
accurate, great quality, and affordable.
These can also be modified, but if you are not ready to spend a whole
lot, check out the Pioneer DV-578, which you can find for around $100 bucks and
can play almost EVERY format known at this time. This is truly a great machine!
Sony makes some ok
medium-grade players, but I personally have never liked their low-end
material. If you were going to go with
Sony I would recommend going high-end and try to find one that is not a
carousel unit that might be a challenge.
The Toshiba SD-4960 is a sweet little player with versatility as is the
Denon DVD-955, which is an HD-ready machine along with their DVD-2910 and 3910
machines. Samsung offers a terrific
price for its HD-ready HD941 model that is sleek, sturdy, and delivers
excellent quality. It can be
frustrating knowing which player is good just by looking at it in a store, so
do some online research beforehand in case you are not sure of certain
things. Never buy a DVD player on shear
impulse!
At this stage of
the war between formats the best bet would be to buy a player that you would
not mind replacing in about 2-3 years.
If you are buying something that you think will last 10 years, than you
are sorely wrong. Buy something
affordable to you and gives you the options that you want. You do not necessarily need to spend
thousands of dollars in order to get satisfactory quality. In fact, DVD is still lacking in so many
regards right now that even spending lots of money on a machine is still not
going to make a poor DVD sound or look fantastic. Don’t let that machine control you and use your best
judgment. Most people do not kick themselves
if they are only out a few bucks on a DVD player, but those that spend thousands
a few years ago are now starting to wonder what they were thinking. Not only are their machines outdated, but
some of them cannot even handle the more recent dual layered discs. We will look forward to seeing more things
develop and hopefully consumers will still demand excellence from whatever
format decides to hold on.
-
Nate Goss
This essay appeared as our October 2005 home page
letter.
