DVD Players

[Mr Bob]

Well, I went to go buy a DVD Player that I was planning on purchasing for awhile now. It is the Philips DVP642 DVD Player.

The only problem is that now I have read the reviews, and it sounds like this DVD Player is actually pretty cheap. The remote sucks, and it has no support for DTS. Then after looking around for a bit, I find out the warranty is only 90 days.

I ran across the PANASONIC DVDF87 5-Disc Progressive Scan DVD / CD Changer - Silver which seems to look pretty ugly, but the remote is good, it has DTS support, but lacks DVD+R support.

So I am searching for a DVD player that looks great (because it will be out all the time) and has support for many types of media. A 5 disc one would be nice, but it doesn't have to be 5.

I plan to hook it up to my denon receiver, which has coax audio in.

Any suggestions for DVD Players I should look at? I don't see too many reviews on them these days.

--
I did find this that looks promising: http://www.crutchfield.com/S-J..._info&i=130DV578AS

 

[Mr Bob]

bump

 

[DaveSimmons]

Pioneer is a good brand if you don't need divx (almost no players offer it -- possibly only the Phillips).

That's also a great price for a player with both SACD and DVD-Audio support, in case you ever decide to try them. If you do, be aware that you'll have to take back the analog 5.1 inputs on your receiver to use their surround. SACD and DVD-A multichannel are like PC game surround, only available in analog not digital.

In you only care about surround sound for movies, it has both optical and coax digital connectors so your connection options are exactly the same as the Phillips you were looking at.

Music CDs will send excellent stereo audio through the digital connection.

 

[Mr Bob]

If I have the cash to spend the extra, think it is worth it?

I must use the analog 5.1 inputs for my speakers. I do have the metallica dvd-audio, (bought that the day after I got the system hehe) what do you suggest I do? I want the dvd-audio, I want the analog 5.1 inputs to be coming from my computer.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Well, if you have PC software that can decode DVD-Audio you can always use your PC to play that disc.

The Pioneer does have a full year warranty which is nice. Many of the other brands only have 90 days labor / 1 year parts. For about the same price you could get a Sony 5 disc player, but with only 90 days (or double that if you have a platinum Visa credit card). Same 90-days problem with the name-brand single disc players like the Sony that Crutchfield has for under $100.

This is one area where owning a $600 - 1200 receiver would be nice, many of them now have _2_ analog 5.1 / 7.1 inputs.

Is the Pioneer worth $130? First you might see if Amazon or Buy.com has it cheaper. It's probably better built than the Phillips, and more reliable than a 5-disc changer in the same price range (since it's less complicated). I only spent $100 on my last player (a Sony), but it doesn't have SACD or DVD-A. But since you can't use the analog 5.1 inputs for both the DVD player and PC, you might end up never using the DVD player's support.

(This is one reason why I sometimes rant about Creative's lazy monopolist behavior -- they should have started offering 5.1 digital encoding of game audio years ago, then you could connect your PC with a digital cable and let the DVD player use the analog inputs.)

 

[Mr Bob]

Arggg.. So in my current setup, where my computer speakers are going to the receiver, in order for me to use dvd-audio, I need to go from my computer to receiver?

The Pioneer shows it has: optical and coaxial digital outputs for Dolby Digital/DTS/PCM, and support for dvd-audio. Couldnt I just use the coax output to the receiver for the dvd-audio in 5.1 surround?

 

[DaveSimmons]

DVD movies use dolby 5.1 or DTS compression which can be sent over the digital cable.

Unfortunately, DVD-Audio discs don't use dolby or DTS, they use a third format that can only be sent to the receiver using analog outs or on some high-end players using a proprietary connector and cable to a matching same-brand receiver (some brands use Firewire I think).

So, either you give up games surround on the PC (and drop down to just stereo) or you give up DVD-A and SACD multichannel on the DVD player.

 

[Mr Bob]

That is STUPID. I was hoping to play my metallic dvd on a dvd player. My computer outputs sound a bit lower than the tuner/cable box. I have to turn up my receiver to -10 to get things rockin, compared to the usual -25 with my tuner.

So then, once again... The Pioneer would be a better option for me, even though I will have to continue to use dvd-aduio from my computer?

I would like something that will last for awhile, it isn't very often that I upgrade my electonics; my tv is like 6 years old... For $80 I can get the phillips with a 1 yr extended warranty. Should I just do that?

 

[DaveSimmons]

Tough call.

I like Pioneer and even Sony better than Phillips, but if you won't get any use out of the extra features it's very hard to justify paying an extra $50 given the same warranty (Phillips will actually be longer if it's 90 + year extended).

The Phillips might die sooner than the Pioneer, but by then you might want a HD-DVD or Blu-Ray player anyway.

Gah! Flip a coin?

 

[Mr Bob]

Welll, I know for sure I won't have HD TV, so I think having a player that will last for a year would be fine. Maybe I will just get the one I first settled on, but pay the extra $9.99 for the year warranty.