DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) was once out of the reach of most ordinary consumers. However, it has become an increasingly popular medium in the past few years, and DVD players have dropped in price so much so that consumers can now pick up a decent DVD player for under €500.
We took some of the DVD players on the market for that price range and tested them in several categories, including picture and audio quality and surround sound decoding.
Mitsubishi Black Diamond BD24DVD — €189.99
Mitsubishi’s BD24DVD has a lot in its favour, not least the recommended retail price of €189.99. The review copy came without a SCART lead (essential) and a manual (not essential). Mitsubishi says that the leads are supplied with regular systems. Encouragingly though, the remote control was supplied complete with batteries!
The absence of a manual was not a massive drawback—as soon as the machine was plugged in, it found a channel near the usual AV setting on the TV, without any manual tinkering.
When it comes to consumer electronics, ‘plug and play’ means what it’s supposed to. Literally within minutes of taking the player out of the box, we were watching “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, which itself is a terrific advert for the DVD medium. Anyone familiar with a video remote will also find their way around the player controls without much fuss.
The player itself is a sleek, slim silver box that’s 63mm high. On the right hand side of the front panel, there’s a display that shows the progress of the disc by scene and time.
The BD24DVD supports 16:9 widescreen and standard 4:3 ratio display. It can only handle one disc at a time, but this couldn’t be classed as a failing in a system that costs less than €200. Image reproduction was very high, superior to videotape, even on a 28in widescreen TV. This quality stayed consistent when using the ‘zoom’ feature on the DVD’s remote control.
A useful tip—by connecting the player directly to the TV, rather than daisychaining it through the video, it’s possible to record from the TV to a VCR, while watching a DVD movie at the same time.
The sound quality is impressive, though it depends on the particular disc—whether it’s optimised for Dolby or THX, for instance. You may find that you have to experiment a little between the player’s sound features and your own TV’s options to get the best audio.
The BD24DVD can play music CDs, although if your speakers are not separate, then you’ll have to switch on your TV in order to hear anything. The CD software is not unlike a PC’s CD player, with track numbering, listing and playlist features.
As entry-level systems go, Mitsubishi’s model is more than up to the job. If it’s a bit light on features, we don’t consider that a massive drawback. We would argue that most of the compelling reasons to buy a DVD are found on the discs themselves rather than the players’ features.
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Image quality 9Audio quality 8Player connectivity 8Surround sound decoding 8Warranty & support 8Total: 41Mitsubishi Electric: 1800 543210 (internal/Ireland only)
JVC XV-N5SL — <span>€329
The list of features on this DVD player is impressive. Not only will it read DVD Video and DVD-R discs with video, it will also read Super VideoCD, Video CD, Audio CD, MP3 format, JPEG and CD-R/RW discs.
Visually, the DVD player is quite impressive. When the power is switched on, the entire front panel is illuminated by a blue light. The remote control is also illuminated—the essential buttons are made of glow-in-the-dark material, so even if the lights are turned down low for the authentic cinema experience, you will still be able to locate the remote.
At 435 x 55 x 258.4mm, this silver DVD player is sleek and slimline, fitting perfectly with your other home cinema products. It only takes a few minutes to set the DVD player up—as soon as the player was connected to the TV and switched on, there was no need to tune it in—the signal automatically came through on the TV’s AV channel.
Several monitor types are supported, such as 4:3 LB or PS for conventional TVs and 16:9 Normal or Auto for widescreen TVs.The audio quality on the DVD player is excellent. The crisp, clear sound is compatible with Dolby Digital sound, and a 3D phonic option allows you to simulate surround sound using your stereo speakers.
Apart from playing DVDs and MP3 files on your DVD player, you can also display JPEG images on your TV screen by using a JPEG disc. You can zoom in on the pictures or arrange for them to be shown in a slide show.
Optical digital output and coaxial digital connections are provided to allow users to attach external surround decoders, such as a Dolby Digital Decoder or a DTS or MPEG Multichannel decoder.
Depending on the DVD title being used in the player, there are several options users can avail of. The language can be changed, as can the camera angle. The JVC DVD player also allows users to implement certain special effects, such as displaying continuous still pictures (strobe) or zoom into details in a scene.
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Image quality 9Audio quality 8Player connectivity 9Surround sound decoding 8Warranty & support 8Total: 42JVC: +353 (0)1-409 4920
*****Techcentral.ie BEST BUY*****
SONY DVP-NS705V — €399
The Sony DVP-NS705V plays DVD Video discs, DVD-RW, Super Audio CD, Video CD and Music CDs. However, it cannot play photo CDs and any Data CDs except those in music CD format, Video CD format and MP3 format conforming to ISO9660. DVD-ROMs are also out, along with DVD Audio discs.
The audio/video cord is supplied, but like other DVD players reviewed here, it does not include a SCART cable. Optical digital and coaxial digital connections are provided on the DVD player, allowing users to hook up stereo amplifiers or a Minidisc/DAT deck.
Visually, this player is above average, but it’s not as impressive as some of the other reviewed here. Its sleek form is a bit more reminiscent of a VHS player than other DVD players, but it is still an impressive looking machine.
The Sony DVD player shows off the capabilities of DVD and Dolby Digital Sound at their best. It supports Dolby Digital 5.1 channel and MPEG output. A more advanced model supports DTS audio.
Most features on this DVD player can be seen on the higher DVD players in this price range. It can play MP3 tracks, programme the tracks in a certain order and viewing angles can be changed if the disc supports it. The Sony player has the advantage of allowing the sound to be adjusted according to the type of speaker set-up you have.
The picture quality can be adjusted to block noise or ‘mosaic-like’ patterns from your TV screen using a Block Noise Reduction (BNR) feature on the DVD player.
The picture mode can also be changed, adjusting the video signal to get the best possible picture quality. Standard, dynamic and cinema modes are available, while the memory option adjusts the picture in greater detail, such as colour and brightness. A Digital Video Enhancer function makes the picture more crisp and clear and can also soften the images on screen.
Additional functions include a useful parental control feature, which allows users to set a custom password for up to 40 discs.
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Image quality 9Audio quality 9Player connectivity 9Surround sound decoding 9Warranty & support 8Total: 44Sony: +353 (0)1-413 1700
Panasonic DVD-XV10 — €399.99
Like other DVD players in this review, the DVD-XV10 supports Digital Video discs, DVD-R, Audio CD and Video CD discs. However, one drawback is that the number of formats supported by the DVD player is less than other DVD players in this review—it does not support Super Video CD or Divx Video Discs.
The DVD-XV10 has a Dolby Digital decider, and so is compatible with discs carrying the Dolby Digital mark. The end result of this is powerful, crystal clear sound to accompany the superb graphics provided by the DVD player. It is difficult to find much of a difference between the image quality of the DVD players—all have the superb quality we have come to expect from digital video, but the sound on the Panasonic VD player is possibly a little superior to other players here.
For more powerful sound, an optical digital connection can be utilised to attach a 5.1 channel decoder or Dolby pro logic system. Dolby Pro Logic and stereo sound can be achieved using an analogue audio cable.
If you feel like tinkering around with the picture and sound, there are plenty of options that you can customise for your own enjoyment. The quality of the picture and audio can be changed at the touch of a button on the front panel of the DVD player—cinema and concert are both options available to users.
Different sound options, such as Bass Plus and Advanced Surround can be employed until you get the perfect sound for the disc you are playing. A dialogue enhancer can be used for DVD discs, to make the dialogue in films easier to hear, although it won’t work with all discs.
The Panasonic DVD-XV10 is a sleek, all silver affair that weighs in at 2.9kg and its dimensions are 430 x 300 x 52mm, so it essentially a slimline machine.
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Image quality 9Audio quality 9Player connectivity 7Surround sound decoding 8Warranty & support 8Total: 42Panasonic: +353 (0)1-413 5300
Pioneer DV-350 — €249.99
Pioneer may not be as well-known in the Irish home entertainment market as Sony or other big-name players, but that doesn’t mean that users should dismiss the DVD player out of hand. In fact this DVD player performed almost as well as the well-known brands.
Easy to set up, the DV-350 could be described as ‘plug and play’. Once the video cable was connected, the DVD output automatically cam through on the TV’s AV channel. If you have any problems, there are step-by-step instructions in the set-up guide. On-screen displays further simplify the process.
Aesthetically, the machine isn’t a bad-looking piece of kit. Like the rest of those reviewed, it’s silver, although not as sleek as some. Its rear panel offers similar connections to the other DVD players here: Coaxial and optical digital connections, analogue audio connections and S-Video output.
Its main features include MP3 compatibility, TruSurround and Virtual Dolby Digital sound, and 24-bit/192kHz compatible DAC. The DV-350 is fully compatible with sampling-rate discs, and has excellent sound quality. It also supports DTs sound.
DVD and Video CDs can be played in slow motion speeds and sections of the disc can be looped. When playing a video CD, the audio channels can be switched, between stereo, left channel and right channel. The image quality on the DV-350 is quite good, and the different audio options mean that the audio output delivered is crisp, clear and suitable for different discs. It lacks some of the more advanced audio features, but as all that is really required is basic functions, this is not a serious drawback.
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Image quality 8Audio quality 8Player connectivity 8Surround sound decoding 7Warranty & support 8Total: 39AV Import: +353 (0)1-240 5600
Cyber Home CH DVD 505 — €199
The Cyber Home brand is a relatively new one on the DVD market but a lot of techies out there might recognise the name. CyberHome is the domestic brand of CyberDrive, one of the biggest names in PC CD ROM’s, if you own a Fujitsu Siemens PC bought in the last 3 years the chances are it will have a CyberDrive CD ROM drive.
The ch-dvd 505 is a sleek looking aluminium fronted machine that boasts an impressive spec and a very reasonable price. There was very little setup involved as the machine came with both scart cable and phono-to-phono leads. The machine was only out of its box five minutes and we were sitting back watching Gladiator.
The advent of DVD has made us realise what we have been missing all these years with VHS but the ch-dvd 505 makes up for all the years of dodgy tracking and tinny sound.
The machine itself features a Cirrus Chipset with an Omega chip at the helm; this is the same chipset used in the higher priced Pioneer systems.It also features twice as much RAM as other DVDs in its price range. A built-in MP3 player is what really sets the 505 apart. Connected by an optical input at the back of the machine, the player will accept PC format MP3 files on its built in hard drive, the playback is smooth and crystal clear as well as being very easy to use thanks to an extensive MP3 menu.
The screen options vary from 16:9 wide screen to standard but to get the most from the wide screen options you will need a wide-screen TV, an attempt to watch the wide screen format on a standard 28″ resulted in quite a bit of picture fall off.
The remote control is sleek and light but the system seems to react sluggishly to its commands, on more than one occasion we found ourselves pushing down hard on the buttons and moving it around before the player would respond (even with brand new batteries).
The main display on the front of the player is quite straightforward with a time and scene listing in the old favourite LCD green. The player is also region switchable should you for some reason decide you would like to watch your movies in an other part of the world other than your living room, or more useful if you bring home DVDs from your travels and need to change the format.
All in all, the player is a great buy for the money at €199 and I could find very little to criticize. It looks great, it sounds even better and the MP3 feature is a nice little extra for those looking to build an affordable digital entertainment system.
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Image quality 9Audio quality 8Player connectivity 9Surround sound decoding 8Warranty & support 8Total: 42MBT: +353 (0)1-629 6540
Philips DVD634 — €199
The Philips DVD634 is a great all-rounder that supports a wide range of wide range of formats. The model not only plays DVDs and CDs, but also CD-Rewritables and MP3-CDs so that you can also enjoy your own MP3 compilations.
Setting up the player is easy because the DVD634 is perfect for those of us who get confused when having to connect things together. The inclusion of a scart lead means that everything can be wired up in seconds, rather than hours, and if your TV doesn’t have a scart connection you can still link up the player via the CVBS video output connecter.
Connecting the player to an audio system is also painless. If you want to link the player with your stereo, or via a receiver with an MPEG2 or Dolby digital decoder, it’s just a matter of connecting via the player’s coaxial leads.
If wiring up everything is easy, then that’s nothing compared to using the player’s onscreen menu. The DVD634 menu includes a large number of options that allows the user to fiddle about until they find the set-up that suits them best. Among the preferences settings included are audio, subtitle, disc menu, a parental control option and smart navigation.
Picture-wise, the DVD634 offers an image that’s so crisp and sharp you’ll be unwilling to ever visit the cinema again. The player has a ‘Smart Picture’ function that allows the user to personalise and store their picture settings rather than having to rely on the default settings, and using the remote control, it just takes a click of a button to switch between widescreen, letter box or pan scan views.
However, while we were impressed by the player’s picture quality, we weren’t particularly taken with the player’s sound. Obviously, overall sound is dependent on the quality of your audio system, but we tried out a couple of movies through a top-of-the-range stereo and found that there were occasions when the audio quality jumped between low and high.
Despite several attempts to rectify the sound issue, we was unable to strike that perfect balance and this made us unsure about just how good the player was. After all, while the player’s tasty silver finish and clean front panel design looks well, and overall picture quality was impressive, audio output was a little disappointing and made us feel as though we were missing out on that total DVD experience.
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Image quality 8Audio quality 6Player connectivity 8Surround sound decoding 7.5Warranty & support 9Total: 38.5Philips: +353 (0)1-764 0000
Denon DVD-900 — €399.99
The Denon DVD-900 was the final DVD player to reach us for review. Like Pioneer, it may not be the most well-known name, but it can perform more than adequately as a home entertainment device. It is compatible with DVD video, CD Audio and Video CD discs, along with MP3 files.
Various digital jacks, such as optical and coaxial digital jacks, can be used to connect to compatible Dolby Digital receivers, including DTS and Dolby Digital recorder.
Images can be enlarged on the screen using the zoom function, and different sections of the film can be selected for repeated playback, so you can watch that crucial scene over and over again.
To improve the image quality, there are settings that can be tinkered with to make the black sections of the picture brighter (using the black level settings). Audio is also customisable, using the Dynamic Range Control, DTS sound and MPEG sound.
A parental lock on the machine prevents younger viewers from accessing inappropriate content without the password.
The machine appears to be smaller in width than other machines reviewed here, but has a larger depth than others. However, this is only a minor quibble with an otherwise great machine. The Denon also has the added advantage of having a longer warranty than other machines reviewed here—two years instead of the standard 12 months.
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Image quality 8Audio quality 7Player connectivity 8Surround sound decoding 7Warranty & support 10
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