DVD Players

[mickle]

Hi....

I am in the UK and need suggestions for a good all round stand alone dvd player for vcd/svcd etc

I tried a Zenix player but my vcd's stuttered a bit on it. They play fine on my bush player but it only accepts CDRW.

Any comments regarding players in the UK and suppliers etc would be greatfully accepted.

Cheers

Mike

[Rob100]

Well I have an old Pioneer DV525 and generally it's great, besides a few minor sync issues on some DVD's. A friend of mine recently got a DV444, but the decoding of SVCD's looks crap on this compared to my 525. Also it seems to be more fussy that the 525 and can stutter. I've lent him a few SVCD's a some play fine, some not... Not sure exactly why - I've experimented with so much s/w (encoders, authoring apps etc) over the last few years I don't know what's been done with what! Yep, stupid me...

Anyway I've recently also bought a Dansai (I'd never heard of them either!) DVD-852 from Tesco's for £99. For the money it's an absolute bargain. Plays just about everything, DVD's (obviously), VCD, SVCD (all xsvcd's I've tried), MP3's etc. Also you can put an ISO disc in it and play MPEG's (1 and 2). It will play MPEG2 720x576 certainly up to 6000Kbps if not a little higher. A few stutters at 7000Kbps, but you might get away with something in between. This is great for me until DVD writers/discs are cheaper/more compatible as I can burn about 15-20 mins (I do quite a bit of stuff as 3 pass VBR 4500 avg, 6000 max) on a standard CD in "near DVD" quality - it's certainly a lot better looking than a standard SVCD. This is fine for many things I do. Also these files can be authored as a DVD when costs come down (in a year or 2). It can also play MPEG2/AC3 files muxed with BBMPEG when using an external decoder/amp. You don't get no sound using the phono outs. Did I forget to mention that there is also a secret menu to bypass region protection and macrovision? The player does have a few quirks though, such as the picture being too wide or 480x576 SVCD's playing wrong when you first switch the machine on. Simple solution is to play a DVD first - just a couple of seconds and after that it's fine. Very odd, but it works. Also the machine can get a little upset if you leave discs in it when you switch it off - seems to have a hard time when you switch on again. But what do you expect for £99? One annoying thing is the message about the Tesco's helpline on screen when you are not playing a disc, but who really cares - not me. There are a few other gimicky things that spoil the player. One important thing that I must add that picture quality is good and easily as good as my DV525. Another good thing when playing DVD's is that you rarely notice the layer transition, oh and you can jump into anywhere in the timeline on a SVCD (on my 525 I have to fast fwd through). On the DV525 I get a good second or more pause during layer change. The Dansai just rolls straight through...

Phew... didn't intend for post to be this long! ;-)

Rob.

[mickle]

Cheers

Many thanks for your detailed reply.

I did look at the Dansai in tesco's but wasn't sure about it, however, after reading your mail I will now consider a trip to the store.

Once again, thanks for taking the trouble.

Mike

[Rob100]

Mike,

No problem. Like most things you generally only get what you pay for. I normally tend to buy branded (Panasonic, Pioneer, Sony etc) products but I was pleasently suprised with the Dansai. How it will last long term I don't know. I think Tesco's are pretty good when it comes to returning things if you don't like it. The build quality on the Dansai isn't bad, but the remote does feel a bit cheap (it's very light) - but having said that it's better laid out than my DV525's. One thing I should add regarding playback of MPEG's on ISO CDR(W) is that you can't ffwd, rewind etc - just play, pause or stop.

I'm sure you've probably been here, but if you haven't take a look at the DVD compatability list on www.vcdhelp.com - don't take this as bible though as I can't understand how the DV444 is rated so high.

Rob

[mickle]

Rob,

I have been to vcdhelp to look at the reviews but prefer to hear from someone such as yourself.

As you say, at £99 you only get what you pay for, but I think I will go have a look tonight.

If they still have any in stock I will let you know how I get on.

Cheers

Mike

[Eddy]

Recently I got a CyberHome AD-L528. It has just about every feature you can think of. It even plays miniDVDs with a bitrate of 6592+384 kpbs (created with ULead DVD Workshop). The drive can probably read CD's at 6x speed. It does have some problems, but I haven't found anything unbearable yet. The problems I found are mentioned in the review at the URL below.

I bought the player in the Netherlands. But it is a german brand, so it might be available in the UK.

Eddy.

Specs
Review
VCDhelp user comments

[mickle]

Thanks Eddy, I had actually read th reviews on that player.
It is available in the UK.

Cheers

Mike

[Brian Ellis]

I've a recent Grundig and it plays everything you throw at it. It has a Korean engine, as do many of the other low-cost ones.

[mickle]

Thanks Brian.......


Mike

[Ant]

Mike I bought a SC2000 from <a href="http://www.scan.co.uk/sc2500.htm">Scan</a> last year seems to handle everything I've thrown at it DVD, VCD and SVCD wise. They do a newer model you might want to look at.

[mickle]

Thanks Ant, I'll take a look...


Mike

[mickle]

Thanks

Many thanks to Rob and all the others for their advice.

I have now purchased the Dansai DVD-852, and it is great. It plays everything without a glitch. I think it would play a dinner plate if I could get it in there.

Cheers everyone

Mike

[Rob100]

Mike,

Try a tea plate - it fits easier ;-) No, seriously.... hope you get on okay with the Dansai.

Does yours have the same "quirks" that mine does?

Also, if you ever find a way to remove the Tesco's message I'd be interested.

Rob.

[J.O.N]

mickle - where did you buy the dansai from?

I've been looking for a couple of weeks but can't find any Tescos that still have them in stock.

J.O.N.

[Rob100]

I live in sunny (as if....) Norfolk and they have loads at the "East Dereham" store. Have had ever since I bought mine in January...

Rob.