DVD-Player Reviews

I had been searching for a Progressive Scan DVD player for a long time. Every time I came across one it tended to be quite expensive. Well, this weekend I finally got a Progressive Scan DVD player that didn't have me empty out my wallet.

The RCA 6000P gives a good quality picture as well as superior sound. The menus are user friendly and the remote is as well. On the minus side, The picture did flicker for about a second while I was watching a movie. But, I hope that it was only and last time that it will happen.

Overall I recommend this DVD player to anyone interested in owning a Progressive Scan DVD player. If you have a High Definition capable television you'll appreciate the difference in quality.

MULTIPLE OUTPUTS IN ALL CATEGORIES. UNIT IS GREAT AND PLAYS MOST OF THE DIFFERENT FORMATS.

This unit has multiple outputs in all categories. Great picture and sound. The most features I have seen for that price!

I bought two. BR>Go get two while they last.

As far as the basic stuff goes (picture, sound and hardware) this player is pretty rock solid. Using the S-video in (via an adapter) on my old Commodore 1702 monitor, the picture is good enough that the size of the phosphors on the screen are the biggest limitation. :) I'm anticipating great things from the component out using progressive. Sound-wise, using the on-board decoders and the 2-channel downmixed outputs, sometimes the low frequencies are "choppy" sounding but I think this is simply phase-cancelling when the channels are mixed and not a fault with the player. Sound is superb otherwise--I can't wait to hear it when I get a proper multichannel receiver.

Some Goods:
* I've heard that a lot of players have quiet audio outputs. This player has pretty "hot" outputs, a tad too hot for audio CDs and MP3s but a lot better for movies compared to my digital-cable box.
* A power switch, not just "standby" like most players. If certain DVDs start getting abusive and functions (like "stop") don't work when they should, cutting the power always works. :)

Some Niggles...
Not to sound overly negative, but more effort really could have gone into the firmware, aesthetic and functionality aspects, especially for a high-end player like this.
* Poor MP3-CD support. It played the CD-RW MP3 discs I tested it with fine (both ISO-9660 and Joliet, there's about a 1/2 second gap between tracks) but ignores any filenames and folders and simply plays the tracks in the physical order they're in on the disc, even if the alphabetical order (by filename) is different. It wouldn't have taken much effort to program in ID3 support and proper player functionality (folders, shuffle, program and such), especially since they're there for CD and DVD-audio. A bit of a disappointment, because I was wanting good MP3 support so I wouldn't need to use my computer or portable player.
* No SVCD support as far as I know. There should be, considering most players I've researched do support it.
* Somewhat long disc-reading time, no picture zoom, less-than-ideal "jog shuttle" functionality (but there's frame-advance and frame-reverse which I find very important), sluggish operation in general, a few other minor things.
* Flimsy, too-small, poorly-laid-out remote. The player itself is rock-solid though.

I don't know if I'd recommend it for the average person new to DVDs. It's a great player, but the manual is one of the worst I've seen, and relies too much on assumed knowledge and technical descriptions. In addition, most on-screen menus rely on icons and cryptic descriptions. But if you're technically inclined like I am or experienced with DVD players you shouldn't have a problem. I got mine open-box, and I really wonder if had been returned because of trouble using it or understanding the manual. Poor manuals have been a persistent problem with Yamaha electronics in general, which is unfortunate because a well-written manual can make a big difference.

All in all, some simple attention to details could have made this player absolutely outstanding. But, if you're looking for great picture and great sound from your DVDs, which is what I got it for more than anything else, this one delivers.

Compared to most DVD players today, the Yamaha 6480 is built like a battleship. Most new players have minimal weight and look cheap. This player has a high quality power supply that adds to its weight and all its mechanical operations are very quiet and smooth. I'll break down the operation of this player into seperate catagories.

Video:
The DCDi de-interlacer that is so prominently displayed on the front panel silk screens is used for video source material and is not used for film source materials. Unless you play back video source dvd's this should not be a huge factor. The built in De-Interlacer provides crystal clear images with no flicker or distortions. There is no "Chroma Bug" that so many players seem to have and many home theater review sites mention. Compared to the JVC FA95GD, the Yamaha 6480 has far better color saturation and picture stability, very comparable to high end panasonic players, but with sharper image quality. The pause during layer changes is almost non-existant. Disk swaps are very smooth and quiet as compared to the JVC as well. This player does not scale non-anamorphic DVD's correctly. So far the only players that I have encountered that do are the JVC players and the Panasonic RP91.

Audio:
The 24 bit Burr-Brown D/A converters built into this unit work only with the multi-channel output for DVD audio or if you use the internal decoder for Dolby Digital or DTS surround sound. If you have a cheap decoder built into a home theater receiver, use the onboard decoders. Your ears will thank you. I have encountered no problems playing CDR's, CDRW's, DVD-r or DVD-RW disks to date. The onboard decoder even gives MP3's a warm and rich quality.

Gripes:
Player only comes in black. It would be nice to have a model that matches some of the high end Yamaha Home Theater Receivers such as the DSPA1 Gold. Major gripe.... The power button on the front panel is the only way to power up or down this unit. The remote control can not do this for you. This really isn't a huge issue, but if you have a all-in-one remote with macro's programmed to power on or off your entire home theater, you will still have to walk up to this player and turn it off at the end of the movie.

A very good player overall and of high quality build. If you need progressive playback and don't need to scale non-anamorphic dvd's this player is one stop shopping at a very affordable price. ...

I must've been really good this year, because this is what I found under the Christmas Tree. After having to deal with my very poor Pioneer DVD/Laserdisk Player (which wouldn't even play a couple of the DVDs I had bought in the past), now I have this bad boy. A Yamaha 5 Disk DVD Player.

If you're a movie addict like me, this makes for a great device. If you know that you're going to be watching a lot of movies that day, you can load up to 5 DVDs. No more having to keep taking DVDs in and out. Nope, grab the ones you know you'll be watching, and you will be set. This is also very nice when you are watching movies that are more than one disk, or programs and series that are more than one disk. (Which means you could be watching the first season of Sopranos in no time!)

The video quality is really good and crystal clear. Way better than my older player. The sound is also a lot better as well. It's like seeing my favorite movies for the very first time.

It's also a very nice stereo. If you don't think you'll be watching 5 DVDs, you can listen to 5 CDs.

There are tons of cool features that are available that I haven't even begun to play around with. Just know there's a lot you can do. (You can even program specific chapters you want to watch. You can watch a movie in RANDOM mode if you wanted to!)

All in all, I was very happy with this Christmas gift. It does cost a lot of money, but if you love movies as much as I do, this might be something to think about getting.

Positive: It has up to 16x zoom, up to 100x fast forward and good slow mo. It can remember where you were on a disc even after ejecting (unless something else was played). It has a S-VHS cable, screen saver, and standard cables (no component cables included). Also has a faux surround sound which works pretty well on some DVDs. Good price.

Negative: The remote doesn't have either back lighting or glow-in-the dark-buttons and the buttons are small. If you like watching DVDs in the dark, it's quite inconvenient using and getting used to the remote. When the player asks if you want to resume play from last position, it defaults to "No", so you have to maneuver the cursor over to "Yes" from one area of the remote and then hit Enter from another area. If you hit Enter right away when asked if you want to resume, your place is lost. Lastly, about 4 or 5 times per movie video and sound will freeze for about 2 seconds. Not awful, but it sure can throw off the flow of a good movie.

I've just bought this about 2 weeks ago and I tell you it was the best investment.The quality of picture,and sound is remarkable,the S cable hook up makes viewing crisp and clear!

If you just wanna play DVDs, this is a REALLY good player! It comes with the standard features plus a few nifty ones including a bookmarking feature. You can mark up to five points on a disc with one button and then when you want to go back, press another button and you'll be taken to a menu with screenshots of the scene you stopped at.

The user menu is also very nice-looking and would be a great player for a family with children because the menus are very kid-friendly.

This is the perfect player for someone wanting their first DVD players. It has enough to satisfy advanced users and not too many things to confuse a newbie.

The only downside is that you have to hold the chapter skip button to fast forward or rewind. The remote takes some getting used to but it's really nice-looking.

This item is very convenient and very accessible. I had to order it to entertain my 3 young ones while we travel and it works very well. I use it all the time in our car and utilize it as well in the kids room to put my daughter to bed.
I just hope that I could get another battery power that comes with it. It was dropped one time and one of the little connectors got broken. Please let me know if anyone out there has any info. Otherwise, excellent toy! Thanks.

I have had the gvp7811 since Christmas and love it. It plays all discs that I have put in it and the sound quality with headphones is amazing. The price is a steal as they were over $300.00 last year. You can purchase a universal battery for the Go video unit at Compusa for only $79.00

I was hesitant to buy this thing, considering it's not a SONY or other mainstream electronic device. Although a bargain at the "going out of bussiness sale" at Ames pushed me to make the dive into the unknown.

First off, it's obvious this product is for those of us who either can't part with our VHS collections or just must record television programs for whatever reason. The disk is definately the way of the future and once the DVD recorders get reasonable it's bye-bye clunky videocassetes.

I must say I'm happy with the unit I bought. This unit will play DVDs, MP3s, audio CDs, and VHS. I've played several DVD disks with no problems. The picture quality is great and the VHS has played flawlessly as well. There are many MANY ports in the back for just about anything you could want to hook up to it. A connection to an amplifier or other sound component is pretty straightforward and can be configured with a multitude of ways. It even has inputs in the front to give you access for ANOTHER component such as a gaming system.

The biggest drawback I found was that you cannot record DVDs onto the VHS deck. Although I'm sure all of the commercial DVDs are protected anyway. Also, it is bulky: about the size of an 80s era VCR.

All in all it's a spacesaver with a decent value for your money. I'll just have to see how long it lasts without problems.

DVD Player.
1.) DVD/Audio CD/CD-R/CD-RW Playback.
2.) Built in MP-3 Decoder.
3.) Region zone: 1
4.) DTS Digital Output/Surround Sound.
5.) Multi angle menu with picture select.
6.) Slow Motion, and Zoom Function.
7.) On Screen Graphical Interface.
8.) S-Video / Component Out.
9.) Parental Lock Function.
10.) Multi Play Function.
11.) Zoom Feature.
VCR.
1.) 4 Head Hi-Fi VCR.
2.) VHS HQ
3.) MTS/SAP
4.) Front Audio Video Input Jacks.
5.) Trilingual On-screen programming.
6.) 8 event / 1-month programming.
7.) Automatic on/play/rewind/stop/eject.
8.) Automatic Digital Audio Tracking.
9.) 2-Speed Picture Search.
10.) Auto Head Cleaner
11.) Surround Sound.
Connection Jacks.
1.) Video Out (x1) (RCA)
2.) S-Video Out.
3.) Front A/V in (x1) (RCA)
4.) L/R Stereo Audio Out (RCA) (x1)
5.) Coaxial Digital Audio (PCM) (x1)
6.) Optical Digital Audio Out (PCM/Dolby Digital) (x1)
7.) Component Out (x1)
8.) RG In/Out (x1...for VCR only)
Ships with the following.

1.) 1-46 Key Full Function Remote Control.
2.) 1-RF Cable.
3.) 1-RCA Cable.
4.) Ships in four color gift box, and weights 18.5 lbs. and measures 19.3" W x 12.4" D x 4.6" H in the shipping carton.

JPEG compatibility is a must for my digital picture slideshow project. Component Video, Composite Video AND S-Video outputs make this work on most TV sets, so I can carry it to a friends house and probably show my JPEG pictures. I presume DVD video playback will be good, but I'm not purchasing it for that. Today is Feb 8 2003, I should have this in use by Feb 15; I'll certainly revise my review (with passion) if this thing doesn't work....you can bet your boots on it! There are cheaper units which will handle JPEG, but I read some reviews and concluded that for the extra U.S.$ this is the one for me. **DON**

If you have a CD (or DVD) burner on your computer, this player will prove to be very useful. Burn MP3s, Pictures, or Video onto a CD or DVD, pop it in this player, and enjoy on your TV! If you own a digital camera, using this player is a easy and fun way to show your photos to friends. You can even add background music to your photo slideshow. The zoom feature is nice to have, but I haven't really had much of a use for it. The on-screen visuals that appear when playing music are a nice touch too. The remote is probably the biggest problem. Some often used buttons are very small and hard to locate, and look very similar to the others. You'd be better off getting RCA's excellent universal remote as an accessory. Also note that this player does NOT play SVCD's, only VCD's. I was very surprised to discover that format wasn't supported. Overall, this player does what it says in a easy-to-use fashion.

This is a very nice dvd player, and Im very happy with the quality, and features. The only problem with this DVD player is that it wont play VCD's or SACD's. Some people say that you have to use CD-RW and Not just CD-R disks for it to play VCD's but I have yet to try that. Just about every dvd player will play VCD (even a 2 yr old apex dvd player)except this one. Thats the only downside to this player. The memory card reader works superb and the menu is chocked full of options. And with progressive scan on and 5.1ch enabled it is awesome. I would definitely recommend this player to anyone who wants a extremely good DVD player with enough features to please almost everyone.

At first when I got this I just thought it was alright and then I got in the menu of the actual DVD player. The options are endless. I went into setup and change the format from 16:9 to the regular 4:3, and then I was amazed. The EZ view option is by far the coolest. It allows you to change the view of a widescreen DVD to fullscreen which is really freaking awesome. Also the memory card reader allows you to watch movies that you have recorded with your digital camera. Overall this is the best DVD player and I recommend it to anyone.

We bought this Sharp system (AT1000 Receiver + 5 speakers + subwoofer, AT4000 5-disk DVD changer) because we had read/heard good things about Sharp's "1-Bit" audio converter. Also, this was selling for considerably less than comparable models, yet sounded the same or better.
After owning this for over a month: The audio side of this HTIB is great. The receiver and speakers were a breeze to install. I was pleasantly surprised by the audio quality; especially the subwoofer since it is not a powered sub.
The only problem with this system is the DVD changer. The picture quality is good but changing DVDs is a little finnicky. Sometimes the carousel spins three times before letting you add or remove a DVD. Plus the DVD remote doesn't have all the features we had in our old DVD player. Try it out at the store first if you can since it is a little annoying to use everyday.

Summary: For the price it sells for, I doubt there is another HTIB that's better all-round, especially in terms of sound quality.

I got SO Tired of the ever-spiralling theatre tickets! For the price of a couple tickets, couple Pepsis and a tub of buttered popcorn, you can BUY two or three DVD!

No more someone talking over the movies plot; no someone kicking the back of your seat the whole time no matter how many times you ask them to stop; no stick floors from dropped drinks; no eegits screaming "Don't go in there, man!" or "What till you see where he kills here" thus revealing the whole plot because that was the 12th time the saw the movie today!!! No traffic jams or parking on the far 40!

Now you can sit in the comfort of your own home and watch what you want, and if someone talks over a crucial point in the plot...hey, rewind!! The power of the speakers are amazing, once you experience the range of sound rocking your house with Dobey Sensurround you will wonder how you ever did without this system before. Was easy to install, love the multiple DVD changer...you will be able to put all three Rings movies in at once and sit back and satisfy your addiction!

Couple this set up with a big screen HDTV...and you will be in movie heaven. Frodo and Aragon will never be the same!!

I purchased this to replace a Sony DVD that was only a year older -- same size, same layout, almost the same remote. What the older model did not have was SACD & progressive scan. A couple of notes to those considering this player that may save you some frustration.

You will need a receiver that has the 5:1 input jacks to get the full benefit of this player. You cannot use the optical or coax connection and get full multi-channel SACD. (There is one short sentence in the entire manual that says this). My Sony receiver worked fine once I connected to these jacks.

Once connected right, you may still not get the sound you expected. If you are playing a hybrid multi-channel SACD, the player defaults to the regular CD layer and you get only stereo. I had to use the player menu to select multi. Then the white light bar comes on with the blue one. If you don't get the white bar you aren't listening to multi. Single layer multi discs require no menu manipulation -- the player reads them right.

An additional note on progressive scan mode to other novices. If your TV doesn't have the component inputs, you can't use progressive scan. I'm not talking about the L-R-V jacks -- the weird ones Pb-Pr-something. Then again, if you don't have one of the wide screens, I don't think you can use the additional lines (data) provided by the progressive scan anyway (your TV can't deal with it). This is a feature that will be nice to have if you do have or plan to have the TV for it.

Is the SACD worth it? Yep, the sound of the multi is phenominal once you get it all working and understand whats going on. Since there are 6 discrete channels theres not a bad seat in the house -- it really sounds great regardless of where you're sitting.

Sony makes excellent DVD players and this 5 disc changer is no exception. Great DVD playback with 5 disc changer convenience combined with Sony quality and performance at a reasonble price make this DVD player a very good buy.

But this Sony offers even more. Like most good DVD players this unit also plays CDs. But, unlike most DVD players this Sony also plays not only regular CDs but also the new Super Audio CDs which are the finest sounding music source currently available. Not only do Super Audio CDs sound better than regular CDs they also are significantly superior in sound to the alternative DVD Audio format. Furthermore, Super Audio CDs, including this model, also improve the sound of regular CDs played on them. If you're looking for a reasonably-priced DVD player with great picture quality plus great CD sound this Sony is a terrific buy.

I thought this was one of the coolest things. The DVD's are getting to a point were they are too exspensive and this is a good quality and it is not as exspencive as some of the others. So if you want a good quality DVD player and don't want to spend to much money this is a good buy.

I purchased this machine, via Home Depot's arrangement with amazon, the total price, including shipping was only just over $70 ****!!
The unit works perfectly, the quality of the playback indistinguishable from my single play SONY unit, it seams undetected into my SONY home theatre setup. Albeit, it encourages one to become more of a couch potatoe, but the controls are easy, the remote a joy, so what the heck?
This price cannot last long, but even at twice the amount it would be a superb value.
SYLVANIA produces high quality products consistantly.