DVD-Player Reviews

I got this player new for around $100. It matches my Sony receiver just right and is awesome for music CDs and DVDs. I also read that it was the top-rated Consumer Reports DVD player.

The picture and sound quality so far have been superb with it hooked up through component. However, I have seen the stuttering problem occur on this player in panning scenes, but it only happens if I start pause the movie a lot. I can play movies from start to finish and pause a couple of times and never see it stutter. Another thing is that I have never seen the 4:3 PS mode work to stretch a widescreen movie to fit the whole screen. Isn't that what it's supposed to do on some DVDs (if any)?

It does read all kinds of discs and supports Pro Scan too. I really like how any disc will begin to play after only 2-3 seconds on this player. Coax and Optical audio outs are also a definite plus. I recommend this as an excellent DVD/CD player.

Doesn't JVC understand that they cannot afford to sell an incredible dvd player for under $90.00--especially when it out performs a $280.00 top brand name dvd player. MY family gave this baby the full test: DVD movies, Audio CDs, CD-R audio, CD-R video slide shows, CD-R jpegs, and the ultimate -- An original collector's edition DVD movie that would breakup every time on our $280.00 DVD player (it played flawlessly with the JVC). Needless to say, the JVC XV-N40BK is now hooked up to our home entertainment system & the "expensive" model is headed to Ebay! Don't take my word, check what Consumer Reports says about this machine!

This is a great machine. I upgraded from an older Apex player and I'm glad I did. I immediately noticed much improved audio and the video is great too using the component connections. So far it has played every format I've tried, with no problems...DVD, CD, CD-R, MP3, and JPEG. One of my major complaints with my old player was that it took forever to load a disc, whether DVD or CD. This unit loads them up quickly.

I've read some complaints about this player being light and cheaply made. It is a pretty slim machine, but come on, it just sits there! How rough can you be with a piece of electronics? One last feature I like is the remote. I can easily switch control back and forth between my JVC TV and DVD player. The buttons are well placed and easy to follow.

I'm still looking for some negatives with this player, but have not found any yet. If you don't need a 5-disc changer, then buy this model now.

After two weeks of great performance it just stopped working. I put in a disc and the TV screen just displays "READ" forever. I tried it with several discs with the same result. Funny, I bought this unit because of all the great reviews. I guess it's just a crap-shoot with cheap electronics from little-known manufacturers! At least Amazon is willing to give me a refund!

I bought this as a second player for DVD movies, CD Audio, and MP-3 music discs burned on my Mac. It will also play Kodak Picture CDs or JPEG pics you burn on a CD.
So far, I have been very happy with this player for the price. It has all of the video and audio outputs I need, and it actually has some cool features found only on higher-end models.
First off, let me say that this is a LARGE component. It won't fit on top of a medium sized TV (around 26-27 inches). The entire cabinet is real metal, and has a solid feel. So what it lacks in compactness, it makes up for in sturdy construction-so sturdy that my Technics Pro Logic Receiver is sitting on top of it! The buttons on the front are minimal, but well arranged and useful. Unlike some of the other "economy" brands Cyberhome does give you an LED display on the front of the machine to see what chapter or track you're playing. The remote has glow in the dark buttons that-while not exactly intuitive-are logically arranged. The picture quality is quite good through the S-Video and Component Video hookups. By choosing the "SETUP" button and then navigating to the "VIDEO" menu you can actually adjust the brightness and contrast output of this player. In fact, it is ESSENTIAL you do so, as this DVD player seems to have the brightness and contrast values set to "LOW" at the factory. Having this feature is a nice plus.
What does the player lack? No Dolby decoding built-in, but it will let you output to an analog or Dolby digital receiver. It does seem to take longer to read and start playing a DVD than other players, but that's minor.
To sum up, if you want an affordable first DVD player, look at this one instead of the really cheap APEX. This one looks better and plays better. You won't find one better for the price, and may end up buying two for the price of one namebrand.

This fantastic DVD player is value priced, but packs the features of many more expensive players on the market. As a fan of imports and VCDs, I got it because it played DVDs from all territories and VCD/SVCD without a hiccup. It plays MP3s and even JPEG files very well too. All through composite videos, compression artifacting is almost non-existent. We're talking extra-crisp visuals and sound. This has become my primary DVD player, unseating a much more expensive DVD player thanks to all the features. I've got to say, for people looking for an entry-level player, this is THE player. And for anyone who's big on imports and want solid features, this is still a great consideration.

After two weeks of great performance it just stopped working. I put in a disc and the TV screen just displays "READ" forever. I tried it with several discs with the same result. Funny, I bought this unit because of all the great reviews. I guess it's just a crap-shoot with cheap electronics from little-known manufacturers! At least Amazon is willing to give me a refund!

I bought this as a second player for DVD movies, CD Audio, and MP-3 music discs burned on my Mac. It will also play Kodak Picture CDs or JPEG pics you burn on a CD.
So far, I have been very happy with this player for the price. It has all of the video and audio outputs I need, and it actually has some cool features found only on higher-end models.
First off, let me say that this is a LARGE component. It won't fit on top of a medium sized TV (around 26-27 inches). The entire cabinet is real metal, and has a solid feel. So what it lacks in compactness, it makes up for in sturdy construction-so sturdy that my Technics Pro Logic Receiver is sitting on top of it! The buttons on the front are minimal, but well arranged and useful. Unlike some of the other "economy" brands Cyberhome does give you an LED display on the front of the machine to see what chapter or track you're playing. The remote has glow in the dark buttons that-while not exactly intuitive-are logically arranged. The picture quality is quite good through the S-Video and Component Video hookups. By choosing the "SETUP" button and then navigating to the "VIDEO" menu you can actually adjust the brightness and contrast output of this player. In fact, it is ESSENTIAL you do so, as this DVD player seems to have the brightness and contrast values set to "LOW" at the factory. Having this feature is a nice plus.
What does the player lack? No Dolby decoding built-in, but it will let you output to an analog or Dolby digital receiver. It does seem to take longer to read and start playing a DVD than other players, but that's minor.
To sum up, if you want an affordable first DVD player, look at this one instead of the really cheap APEX. This one looks better and plays better. You won't find one better for the price, and may end up buying two for the price of one namebrand.

This fantastic DVD player is value priced, but packs the features of many more expensive players on the market. As a fan of imports and VCDs, I got it because it played DVDs from all territories and VCD/SVCD without a hiccup. It plays MP3s and even JPEG files very well too. All through composite videos, compression artifacting is almost non-existent. We're talking extra-crisp visuals and sound. This has become my primary DVD player, unseating a much more expensive DVD player thanks to all the features. I've got to say, for people looking for an entry-level player, this is THE player. And for anyone who's big on imports and want solid features, this is still a great consideration.

I have had the pleasure of owning this JVC product for almost a year. What caught my attention was the progressive scan technology and the DVD-Audio feature along with the slim and sleek updated gold "high tech" appearance. JVC is one of a few handful of companies willing to give the owner a decent and legible on screen guide for video/audio set up complete with nifty and colorful graphics (love that picture in window screen display so you don't miss the action). JVC's earlier DVD models did have some serious lock up issues as I was the unfortunate owner of their big bulky model XV-501 ( had to have that one repaired in less than 3 years due to laser/motor burn out and lock up disfunction). It looked very expensive and sported a video fine processor feature which allowed you to really sharpen the picture detail quality by a large noticeable degree, which is simplified in the newer models.
On the XV 75 model, while the user can really fine tune color, tint, etc. without having to go through the tv's own picture controls, tweaking the picture to complete and preferable sharpness cannot be done to noticeable extremes like the older models. It allows for some sharpness but there is very subtle change or differences to make the viewer go wow ! Overall, the picture produced is very clean and substantially detailed on my 27 inch RCA (the poor man's Sony Wega) analog set, though. I have not had the luxury of trying the progressive scan feature on a high def set, yet (that's another item for my Christmas or B-day gift list of things I want BADLY !)...

The DVD-Audio decoding portion takes awhile to get used to (though it claims to be high resolution and of higher calibre than regular 2 channel stereo, the sound is rather soft).The dedicated .1 bass is wonderful when connected to the right sub (Velodyne, JBL, Infinity, anyone ?)Excellent DVD Audio discs to audition for the aural workout are The Blue Man Group Audio Surround Mix, Sting's Ten Summoner's Tales in DTS and a limited JVC Free dvd audio sampler ! Again, don't expect the earpiercing highs or mids. The sonic characteristic of DVD Audio is meant to have a "soft" and warm almost high resolution analog sound rich in deep bass (unlike that heard or felt with normal stereo). And the different effects or instruments to be heard placed around you will blow the mind (hopefully not the eardrums). The new DVD Audio format is indeed a new venue that requires getting aurally accustomed to. Also, heed my warning, YOU MUST HAVE A DECENT SUBWOOFER CONNECTED for the .1 LFE bass; otherwise you will get a very hollow soft sound not worthy of trading for regular stereo. Also, another major important ingredient is a voice matched and powerful center channel (3 way preferred). You will be amazed how many dvd audio recordings put the singer or instrumentalist dead center (another debate for another time). One drawback is that you cannot use a graphic equalizer on these newer digital receivers that must accompany dvd players like the JVC Dvd-audio player; you shouldn't need to, the sound produced by this new digital equipment is almost sonically perfect !

The reason for the 4 stars is that the laser can be sensitive meaning that if there is a microsopic scratch that is ignored by other players it may be picked up by this one and cause lock up or major macro blocking/tiling. I found this out with my Chasing Amy dvd which has a flaw on it's surface yet plays that same flawed section effortlessy on another dvd player.This may be due to the player's small or limited correction error buffer circuitry. Also, when I first bought the machine the system would lock up and not start up again or shut off unless i unplugged it (rebooted ?). Must have broken in properly because the problem has disappeared !

Overall, this JVC player wins my vote of approval in both video and audio processing functions. Remember, this player is packed with all sorts of goodies that previously were only exclusive to the Denons, Yamahas, etc. etc....

This player is the best I've run across. It plays just about any disk media, and does a superb job. I have a JVC TV, and a JVC VCR. Connecting them with AV Comu-Link lets me put the disk or tape in and sit dow. The televion turns itself on, selects the proper set of inputs and plays.
The picture quality is excellent,( you can really tell a bad transfer to disk ). I don't have a HDTV, so I can't vouch for the progressive scan, the regular picture is plenty fine for me.
The DTS/ 5.1 outputs give you beautiful surround sound. Even through a small system like my AIWA bookshelf set-up- it is the only one I've seen with 5.1 inputs (but that's another review).
The set-up menus are easy to navigate and very user friendly.
The zoom and angle features are great, and the "strobe" button lets you see things fram by frame- AWESOME!
A terrific player and a great price.

I am going on nine months with this player and could not be more pleased. Honestly if it froze up on me tommorow I would still give it high marks simply because it has performed so well and offers so much for the money.

My main reason for purchasing this player was to get a DVD-Audio player without breaking the bank, reasoning that I would rather spend my money on DVD-A software. I also wanted a progressive scan player to go with my HDTV for excellent video playback quality, again at a reasonable price. With the XV-SA75 I got it all for the incredible price of $...! I see no-frills VCRs selling for more.

DVD-Audio playback is EXCELLENT. I have it matched with the JVC RX-8020VBK AV Receiver (another excellent buy) and the sound from the 24-bit/192kHz decoders from this player is nothing less than stunning. It sounds like it should cost $1000 or more. Really, I would pit the sound quality of DVD-Audio from this player against a high end CD player from a $10,000+ system--and probably blow it away. I know it sounds like an exaggeration but believe me it's not. DVD-Audio when properly set-up is THAT GOOD. Like most DVD-Audio players, this one does not offer bass management for DVD-Audio playback. You will need five full range (or close to full range) speakers and a decent subwoofer (10"+) to maximize your listening experience. But with the money you save you can invest in a set of good speakers. Preferably floorstanding, from good speaker makers like B&W, Dynaudio, Energy, Paradigm, PSB, etc.

Progressive scan DVD playback on this player is excellent also. Movies like The Fellowship of the Ring, Star Wars Attack of the Clones, actually almost any well made DVD movie look incredibly sharp and theater-like on a high definition/widescreen digital TV. Combined with the Dolby Digital EX or DTS ES capabilities of the RX-8020, I get 6.1 surround sound and stunning progressive picture quality for a truly movie-going experience--in my living room. It never fails to impress my friends & neighbors, who think I spent a fortune on this system. If they only knew the truth.

As for the downside to this player, there are very few. I don't particularly like the CD playback quality with this player because on certain lo-fi quality CDs I will get an occasional drop off in sound during playback. I use a dedicated CD changer for CDs so this is not an issue for me. I think this saves on the wear and tear of the DVD player and I personally think this is the way to go anyway. This player also plays MP3s, CD-Rs, and CD-RWs for maximum flexibility. It really is amazing all the things this player can do. The only discs it won't play are Super Audio CDs (SACD) and DVD-Rs.

You will also need to invest in a LOT of cables for this unit, what with six analog connections for DVD-Audio, digital (coax or toslink) connection for DVD-Video sound, component cables for progressive video... but of course this would be the case for any DVD-Audio/Progressive Scan player.

I really can't say enough good things about this player. Other JVC DVD players take hits for laser problems and lock up issues, but so far this player has performed like a champ for me. The best investment I have made in a piece of electronic equipment by far.

I have had the pleasure of owning this JVC product for almost a year. What caught my attention was the progressive scan technology and the DVD-Audio feature along with the slim and sleek updated gold "high tech" appearance. JVC is one of a few handful of companies willing to give the owner a decent and legible on screen guide for video/audio set up complete with nifty and colorful graphics (love that picture in window screen display so you don't miss the action). JVC's earlier DVD models did have some serious lock up issues as I was the unfortunate owner of their big bulky model XV-501 ( had to have that one repaired in less than 3 years due to laser/motor burn out and lock up disfunction). It looked very expensive and sported a video fine processor feature which allowed you to really sharpen the picture detail quality by a large noticeable degree, which is simplified in the newer models.
On the XV 75 model, while the user can really fine tune color, tint, etc. without having to go through the tv's own picture controls, tweaking the picture to complete and preferable sharpness cannot be done to noticeable extremes like the older models. It allows for some sharpness but there is very subtle change or differences to make the viewer go wow ! Overall, the picture produced is very clean and substantially detailed on my 27 inch RCA (the poor man's Sony Wega) analog set, though. I have not had the luxury of trying the progressive scan feature on a high def set, yet (that's another item for my Christmas or B-day gift list of things I want BADLY !)...

The DVD-Audio decoding portion takes awhile to get used to (though it claims to be high resolution and of higher calibre than regular 2 channel stereo, the sound is rather soft).The dedicated .1 bass is wonderful when connected to the right sub (Velodyne, JBL, Infinity, anyone ?)Excellent DVD Audio discs to audition for the aural workout are The Blue Man Group Audio Surround Mix, Sting's Ten Summoner's Tales in DTS and a limited JVC Free dvd audio sampler ! Again, don't expect the earpiercing highs or mids. The sonic characteristic of DVD Audio is meant to have a "soft" and warm almost high resolution analog sound rich in deep bass (unlike that heard or felt with normal stereo). And the different effects or instruments to be heard placed around you will blow the mind (hopefully not the eardrums). The new DVD Audio format is indeed a new venue that requires getting aurally accustomed to. Also, heed my warning, YOU MUST HAVE A DECENT SUBWOOFER CONNECTED for the .1 LFE bass; otherwise you will get a very hollow soft sound not worthy of trading for regular stereo. Also, another major important ingredient is a voice matched and powerful center channel (3 way preferred). You will be amazed how many dvd audio recordings put the singer or instrumentalist dead center (another debate for another time). One drawback is that you cannot use a graphic equalizer on these newer digital receivers that must accompany dvd players like the JVC Dvd-audio player; you shouldn't need to, the sound produced by this new digital equipment is almost sonically perfect !

The reason for the 4 stars is that the laser can be sensitive meaning that if there is a microsopic scratch that is ignored by other players it may be picked up by this one and cause lock up or major macro blocking/tiling. I found this out with my Chasing Amy dvd which has a flaw on it's surface yet plays that same flawed section effortlessy on another dvd player.This may be due to the player's small or limited correction error buffer circuitry. Also, when I first bought the machine the system would lock up and not start up again or shut off unless i unplugged it (rebooted ?). Must have broken in properly because the problem has disappeared !

Overall, this JVC player wins my vote of approval in both video and audio processing functions. Remember, this player is packed with all sorts of goodies that previously were only exclusive to the Denons, Yamahas, etc. etc....

This player is the best I've run across. It plays just about any disk media, and does a superb job. I have a JVC TV, and a JVC VCR. Connecting them with AV Comu-Link lets me put the disk or tape in and sit dow. The televion turns itself on, selects the proper set of inputs and plays.
The picture quality is excellent,( you can really tell a bad transfer to disk ). I don't have a HDTV, so I can't vouch for the progressive scan, the regular picture is plenty fine for me.
The DTS/ 5.1 outputs give you beautiful surround sound. Even through a small system like my AIWA bookshelf set-up- it is the only one I've seen with 5.1 inputs (but that's another review).
The set-up menus are easy to navigate and very user friendly.
The zoom and angle features are great, and the "strobe" button lets you see things fram by frame- AWESOME!
A terrific player and a great price.

I am going on nine months with this player and could not be more pleased. Honestly if it froze up on me tommorow I would still give it high marks simply because it has performed so well and offers so much for the money.

My main reason for purchasing this player was to get a DVD-Audio player without breaking the bank, reasoning that I would rather spend my money on DVD-A software. I also wanted a progressive scan player to go with my HDTV for excellent video playback quality, again at a reasonable price. With the XV-SA75 I got it all for the incredible price of $...! I see no-frills VCRs selling for more.

DVD-Audio playback is EXCELLENT. I have it matched with the JVC RX-8020VBK AV Receiver (another excellent buy) and the sound from the 24-bit/192kHz decoders from this player is nothing less than stunning. It sounds like it should cost $1000 or more. Really, I would pit the sound quality of DVD-Audio from this player against a high end CD player from a $10,000+ system--and probably blow it away. I know it sounds like an exaggeration but believe me it's not. DVD-Audio when properly set-up is THAT GOOD. Like most DVD-Audio players, this one does not offer bass management for DVD-Audio playback. You will need five full range (or close to full range) speakers and a decent subwoofer (10"+) to maximize your listening experience. But with the money you save you can invest in a set of good speakers. Preferably floorstanding, from good speaker makers like B&W, Dynaudio, Energy, Paradigm, PSB, etc.

Progressive scan DVD playback on this player is excellent also. Movies like The Fellowship of the Ring, Star Wars Attack of the Clones, actually almost any well made DVD movie look incredibly sharp and theater-like on a high definition/widescreen digital TV. Combined with the Dolby Digital EX or DTS ES capabilities of the RX-8020, I get 6.1 surround sound and stunning progressive picture quality for a truly movie-going experience--in my living room. It never fails to impress my friends & neighbors, who think I spent a fortune on this system. If they only knew the truth.

As for the downside to this player, there are very few. I don't particularly like the CD playback quality with this player because on certain lo-fi quality CDs I will get an occasional drop off in sound during playback. I use a dedicated CD changer for CDs so this is not an issue for me. I think this saves on the wear and tear of the DVD player and I personally think this is the way to go anyway. This player also plays MP3s, CD-Rs, and CD-RWs for maximum flexibility. It really is amazing all the things this player can do. The only discs it won't play are Super Audio CDs (SACD) and DVD-Rs.

You will also need to invest in a LOT of cables for this unit, what with six analog connections for DVD-Audio, digital (coax or toslink) connection for DVD-Video sound, component cables for progressive video... but of course this would be the case for any DVD-Audio/Progressive Scan player.

I really can't say enough good things about this player. Other JVC DVD players take hits for laser problems and lock up issues, but so far this player has performed like a champ for me. The best investment I have made in a piece of electronic equipment by far.

I purchased my DVP-735 back in 2000. It was a wonderful "flagship" product, and I even rated it highly on a website such as this. However, since then it has been locking up in every movie that we watch (generally near the end). The irony is that a local agent - Next Electronics charged me > NZ$300 to have the pickup assembly replaced (with a 3 month warranty). Guess what - the damned piece of crap failed after 4 months - even worse than before. SONY, if you are listening, I am not too happy with your product or customer support. The local "Sony Centre" in Wellington seems to brush off faulty product that is beyond its warranty date. Every time my flatmates and I watch a DVD, it locks up - MOST EMBARRASINGLY! DO NOT BUY A SONY DVD PLAYER. If I could go back in time, I would have burnt the NZ$1,100 I spent purchasing this DVD player, rather than suffer its problems.

The Sony DVP-F21 is a vertical wall-mountable DVD player. The most important features that separate it from other DVD players are stylish design, small size, ability to play discs in vertical position and slot loading mechanism.

The player is indeed stylish and compact, but you have to pay for it - it costs $100 more than the DVD players of "normal" design. Looks and vertical position aside, this is a DVD player with CD-R and CD-RW playback (with twin-laser pickup).

The player can be placed horizontally or vertically on the included stand. The DVD-Video and CD-Audio playback is supplemented by ability to play VideoCD (352x240 resolution MPEG-1 encoding).

The player features Sony's usual cool-sounding features like Precision Drive 2, Dynamic Tilt Compensation, Block Noise Reduction, SmoothScan and SmoothSlow. Although all this sounds cool, Panasonic RV31 produces slightly better picture quality without the use of cool names (and also plays MP3s) for [price]less.

The player (as virtually all other DVD players on the market) has virtual surround sound, parental control. The optical digital audio out can be connected to a Dolby Digital or DTS decoder.

The player can display DVD- and CD-Text information, has A-B repeat, programmed play, shuffle, instant replay function, resume. The angle select, subtitle- and language-select functions are also present.

The player only has 3 fast scan speeds and 2 slow scan speeds (Panasonic DVD players have 5 fast and 5 slow speeds). The F21 has a screen saver and you can also select a background for the stop mode.

The dynamic range can be compressed for the night listening.

Remote Control

The supplied remote control can control several brands of TVs in addition to this player.

Bottom Line

The F21 is a stylish compact overpriced DVD player. When I say "overpriced", I mean it is overpriced for the functionality you get. But if the style is worth the extra [price]for you, it is difficult to find a more stylish DVD player.

I bought this player in 2001 and have taken it with me all over the country. It plays my DVDs and CDs perfectly and I've never had a single problem with it. It seems Sony has stopped making any player like it which I think is a shame. Simple to hook up, simple to play, great quality. I travel a lot and used to carry a compact bookshelf stereo with me to my various assignments, but now I just use this with some decent computer speakers and have no complaints. This is one of the smartest electronics purchases I've made in the past 3 years.

As mentioned in an earlier review, one can order an extra battery from Magnavox. However, getting through to a live person proved frustrating for me. I needed the battery for a long trip, and was told I would receive the battery (if I paid extra) in time. To make a long story short, it did not arrive on time, and I no longer had a use for it. After being on hold, being disconnected twice, and making several phone calls, I was told that I could return it at my cost, and pay a 15% restocking fee. This was despite the fact that 3 people had guaranteed I would receive the battery on time. No reason or apology was given to me for why I did not receive it on time, and Magnavox has lost a good customer due to this treatment.

We did a lot of research before purchasing this Magnavox MPD700. A lot of the other brands were flimsy, or they were lemons. We trust Magnavox--our tv, vcr, and stereo are Magnavox, and we've never had any problems from any of them.

The player seems pretty sturdy. Although the lid that covers the DVDs while they are playing seems like a thin metal, from what I've read, this is much better than some of the competitors' lids. It's done fine, even with our kids kicking it from time to time.

The features included with the player are very nice. Having AC/DC adapters and a battery means our children can watch their movies pretty much anywhere. The remote is handy, and (most importantly) the picture is crystal clear (and can change from widescreen to fullscreen at the touch of a button) and the sound is too.

Another reason we bought this model is a game console can be hooked to it. Of course, it can output to a tv, but we wanted to hookup our video games to it and play on the road. We did need an adapter (visit to local Radio Shack), but it works flawlessly.

We did pay a little more for the name brand, but we haven't had a single problem out of it, and we've had it for a few months (and used it on a 4 day trip). It had the features we wanted, and its performance has been excellent. Sometimes you do get what you pay for.

I had been researching portable DVD players for awhile and had initially settled on an Audiovox D1501, which is a 5.8 inch player that is selling for about $235.00 (It has great reviews). I was at Target a day after I ordered the thing from Amazon, and I actually saw a D1501. Nice unit, but pretty thick and the case seemed to be kind of a flimsy plastic. The way I treat stuff I would have had it broke in no time. Sitting next to the D1501 was this Magnavox. Slimmer case, heavier duty, and a 7" screen. The price ($300.00 on sale) was more than I had wanted to spend, but it seemed like a better way to go. I bought it and am very happy with it. Excellent screen resolution, sound, and it plays my recordable DVDs (which I understand some of the cheaper portable DVDs don't do). All in all, an excellent unit and one I would highly recommend to friends and family.

I'm a real Panasonic fan and usually love their products, but if I had my choice again I'd buy something else. I'm not angry I bought this, but I'm sure there's better out there.

I'm not a real audiophile, so I don't feel qualified to rate the sound on this system. Suffice to say I've been very happy with that aspect.

The features, however, leave a lot to be desired.

First, pretend that this is a single-disc player. You cannot change a disc while doing anything else. You cannot change a disc while playing another disc, while listening to the radio, your vcr or auxilliary channel. Add to that the fact that changing from one disc to another takes around ten seconds (easily twice the time I'm used to for changing discs). It also stops after each disc - you can't set it to play all discs through.

Second, this is the only cd-player I've seen in years that skips regularly. On discs that play fine on all my other cd players, this one skips, stutters and sometimes stops entirely. It seems about as good as the first generations of cd players, back in the late 80's. I intend to call customer support about this - hopefully this is not normal for this system.

Third, the controls are confusing and difficult to use. I'm a technical person who usually dives into all the settings on everything, but the controls for the various surround modes seem ill-thought-out and generally difficult to commit to memory.

I bought this system Xmas 2001. ... There a few "nagging items" I'd of like done differently but overall I'm very pleased.

THE GOOD
1) Sounds great! The subwoofer & (5) satellite speakers are nice looking & compact. And the output is plenty for our 12' x 16' room.
2) Plays virtually ALL TYPES of CD's perfectly. I use DVD, CD-audio, CD-R & CD-RW with MP3s. I've encountered no skipping problems.
3) I plugged my existing CD changer & my HiFi VCR into it's RCA jacks. These components were integrated well.
4) 5.1 Dolby Digital DVD output.
5) DVD playback features are adequate. Picture quality is perfect (of course - it's digital).

THE BAD
1) No DVD zoom or similar features I've seen on other players. Not a real big deal to me...
2) No built-in DTS decoder. Again not a big deal to me as Dolby digital kicks!
3) It takes approx 5 sec to "read" a disc before any playback can begin.
4) There is no text display for MP3 files & the unit doesn't "chapter" folders the way some units I've seen will. For instance if you have individual albums in separate folders, you can't "chapter" from folder-to-folder. This unit only skips tracks although you can type in a "go-to" track #.

THE UGLY
1) Very slow disc changes. I timed it at about 12 sec. Almost best to consider it a single disc player.
2) MP3 playback seems to be limited to a MAXIMUM of 160 kbps encoding rate. This is annoying to me as I have many recordings at 192+ kbps and this unit will jump/skip at high bit-rates.
3) The unit tends to get hot seemingly due to it's "Energy Star" compliance that cycles the fan ON/OFF. I actually returned the 1st unit I'd purchased thinking the fan wasn't working. After getting the 2nd one and watching the fan, I realized it cycles. Take heed and install in a ventilated area with good air flow!

BAD:
- The box says 400 Watts but that's not it
- Hardwire at the sat. speaker's end; if you want to hang sat. speakers at corners of a big room, the included wires are too short and there's only one way to do it is to "hand" connect your extended wire to the ends of included wires
- It takes quite a while to change discs; the disc indicate lights run back and forth between 5 of them to just change from disc 1 to 2
- Cannot play MP3 songs randomly; by default, most MP3 files are sorted ascendingly by artist's name in the CD therefore the MP3 songs are played in that order only
- Once in a while you would want to adjust bass and treble; this cannot be done

GOOD:
- Good surround sound when playing DVD movie
- With 5 disc changer and MP3 playback, it plays all 5x150 MP3 songs all day/night long
- Made in Malaysia which lasts longer than made in China or Taiwan
- Great sub-woofer
- Looks real nice, especially sat. speakers hung on corners of room

I BOUGHT THIS DVD PLAYER ABOUT A 6 MONTHS AGO AND I HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT TROUBLE WITH IT. AT FIRST IT WOULD ONLY EXECPT DVD'S AFTER THE 10TH TIME YOU PUT IT IN. THEN IT WOULD JUST TURN OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MOVIE. NOW IT WON'T EVEN TURN ON. VERY DISAPPOINTED. I ALSO BOUGHT IT AT TARGET BUT GAVE IT AS A GIFT TO MY BOYFRIEND AND HE THREW THE BOX AWAY. SO I'M STUCK WITH IT. NOT ONLY THAT BUT PHILIPS DOESN'T EVEN HAVE THE MODEL LISTED ON THERE WEBSITE SO YOU CAN'T EVEN
GET ON-LINE HELP WITH IT.

I just purchased this DVD player at my local Target. I wasn't looking to purchase another DVD player since I already own 2. However, when I saw the size of this player plus all the great features and the numerous formats of audio/video playback support I couldnt resist it. If that wasn't enough I couldnt believe the price it was on sale for. It was on sale for [X]. I thought it was a mistake since they are normally reatailed at [X]. I'd figure what do I have to lose? Luckily, they had one left but someone had apparently opened the box for the old "let me see what's inside peek" The target employee told me since I have the last one,and is already open, he would discount me an additional [X] off! Talk about a deal...everything was in the box. Sure as noted by the last review you cant use the "volume and audio adjustment" button...but who cares! use the original remote for the digital reciever. I have thrown all types of DVD movies, MP3's JPGS, even an SACD CD and played them all flawlessly. The picture quality (using the Pr/Pb/and Y jacks) is superb! I love this little machine! IT has both the coaxial AND Optical inputs. The only thing that would of given this player 5 stars is no progressive scan (for HDTV Ready TV's)...otherwise GREAT UNIT...even for the [X]! Once you see the size (think of it as a DVD-ROM drive only slight larger) Build quality is also excellent. Once I have really "broken this thing in" I will come back for a second review.

I needed a vertical DVD player to fit in the cabinet in my bedroom and this model is pretty much the only one I've found. The unit is much smaller than you'd think looking at the web page and takes up very little space. It's only about 9-1/2 inches tall when standing vertically - and only about 2 inches thick. It does have a stand as a base that spreads out a little. The performance has been perfect for me (is there such a thing as a DVD player with a bad picture?). As 'guest from Capitola' says, no DVD player has a volume control that is part of the player -- that's the function of your amp or TV to do. The remote that comes with this model does have a volume control that would work with a Philips receiver if you had one, but that's no big thing. That's only a couple buttons out of the 50+ on the remote and a non-issue to me. It has 6 audio outputs providing discrete channels if you have equipment that can handle them; for now I have it plugged into the TV which means only the left and right front--and that also works fine with this unit.

I purchased this unit primarily on spec and price. The 7" display is bright, and DVDs play well. Unit is attractive and slim - easily carried, and just fits between the front arm rests on many cars so kids can see in the back - better than a fix-ed in car unit since you can also take it with on the plane/hotel/etc. Battery lasts for rated 3 hours - but is somewhat bulky.

However after 4 months of ownership, I have noted 2 major problems.

i) Unit can overheat when playing back DVDs - causing frame to freeze.

ii) Screen hinge mechanism seems weak. One hinge already failed on my player, and the other is already cracking. We'll see how good the AudioVox warranty repair is.

Overall, I'd look at the Panasonic or Pioneer models next time for a few $$ more, the hinges look more robust. Bigger than 7" model may not fit in the car as well.

We've owned this DVD player for about a year now and are very happy with it. We use it in the car on road trips, have taken it on an oversees plane trip and use it in our home. We've had no problems with it whatsoever. It does get pretty warm after it's been running for a while, but so far this has not affected its performance. The sound is sometimes not loud enough when using it in the car, but we solved this by bying a cassette adapter so the sound gets routed over the car stereo. I liked that this DVD player already came with the DC adapter cable for the car. We bought an extra battery for a 10-hour plane trip, which turned out to be unecessary, as they had DC hookups between the seats (on American Airlines) and we could have just powered it from that! Overall, we are very satisfied with this product and the low price. It does a great job of keeping the kids entertained on trips, and while at home we just plug it right into the TV.

I have been using this player for about a week. It's had quite a bit of use in that time. So far it has been working perfectly! It is very nice, considering it was only $220! It does everything you buy on of these for and more! The sound is good without headphones, but OUTSTANDING with them! Buy one of these and you won't be disappointed-unless you plan on giving it to a "2 year old"...they can break anything! NO fault of Audiovox. I'll update if I encounter any problems in the future.