New DVD Player Needed

[LemJe]

Can anyone recomend a decent DVD player in the 200 to 250 range. My Sony player is on it's last legs and I am going to have to get something soon. I am thinking about maybe getting one with progressive scan but it isnt a necessity as I dont have a great TV and won't be buying a new one for awhile. Just trying to get peoples ideas on a reliable and decent player in this price range.

Thanks for any help

[Fightguard]

At least a couple of members here have the Pioneer DV-656A. I know tomdkat has one, perhaps he'll chime in here and give you his impressions on it. $329 MSRP but it can readily be had for under $200. Progressive scan and DVD-Audio capable, seems like a good deal to me
Good Luck

[tomdkat]

What features in your Sony do you like and want in your next player? This summer, NEW DVD players should be offered so that might be a better time to buy.

Without knowing your requirements:

• Pioneer DV-656a
• Toshiba SD-4800
• Panasonic DVD-RP82
• Panasonic DVD-XP30
• Panasonic DVD-CP72
• Sony DVP-NS755V
• Sony DVP-NS725P

I have the Pioneer DV-656a, the Sony DVP-NS715P (model before the 725P), and the Panasonic DVD-XP30 at home now.

I'm gonna sell my Sony DVP-NS715P as the Pioneer and Panasonic produce a better picture, in my opinion.

Post your requirements and we can provide better recommendations.

Peace...

[LemJe]

Well, like I said I have a low end RCA 27' TV so I know I can only expect so much for picture quality. I have recently purchased a Yamaha HTR-5540 so I have become more interested in the sound quality. Though I still have sucky speakers and no sub woofer .
I was happy with the features on my Sony DVP-S330. But since it seems Sony has a problem with products not lasting to long I think I want to steer towards another brand.

Hope this helps some
Thanks for the advice so far

[tomdkat]

Originally posted by LemJe
I was happy with the features on my Sony DVP-S330. But since it seems Sony has a problem with products not lasting to long I think I want to steer towards another brand.

Ok, keep in mind I don't know what features the S330 has. Does it have a Zoom feature? Can it play DVD-Audio or SACD? Does it have coax AND toslink (optical) digital audio outputs? If so, which output do you use?
Does it have a "memory" feature that remembers where you left off (or can be programmed to remember) on any given DVD after you take it out and/or after turning the player off?

Does it play MP3 or WMA files?

Depending on what you want from your next player, the players I listed (minus the Sony players) will provide the features I mention and some others. The Pioneer doesn't have a Zoom feauture, but the Toshiba does. I can't speak about the picture quality of the Toshiba, but the Pioneer's picture quality is great. On my Toshiba 57HX81 the picture between the Panasonic DVD-XP30 and the Pioneer DV-656a are VERY close, with the edge going to the Panasonic (which is not surprising since it uses superior video components).

What are you looking for? ALL of the players listed can be found for $250 or less online. In most cases, <$200.

Peace...

[LemJe]

The Sony didn't have a zoom feature so I don't have much experience with it and it isn't high on my list of wants. It has an optical and coaxial digital audio output and I use coaxial. It does have a memory feature that starts the DVD at whereever you stopped watching. I definitly would like to find another player with that function. All I ever play on it is DVD's and CD's so anything more than that isnt to important to me.

Also I would perfer to buy at a brick and mortar store rather than online just because I havnt had the best experience with online stores.

I am also looking in to getting something Cinema Mode. The last thing I might be interested in is a 5 disc player if I can get a good player reasonbly priced but if not I have no problem getting a single disc player.

[videoworx]

Just to chime in here...when shopping for a DVD player, one of the most important features I usually look for is the quality of the remote (access to buttons, etc). Unless you have a universal remote you are comfotable with, the remote can make or break a player. This is probably the reason why I have stuck with Sony over the last 4 years, as I find their remotes more intuitive than any other brand. If remotes are important to you, go to an electronics store and play with them, see which one feels more comfortable, and are the buttons positioned logically.

and yes i know I could spend $40 and buy a universal remote that replaces any crappy remote, but that still adds $40 to the price of the player...

[Kimmo]

Why don't we make a sticky with everyone's favorite DVD player or something because this question gets asked a lot.

[tomdkat]

Originally posted by LemJe
The Sony didn't have a zoom feature so I don't have much experience with it and it isn't high on my list of wants. It has an optical and coaxial digital audio output and I use coaxial. It does have a memory feature that starts the DVD at whereever you stopped watching. I definitly would like to find another player with that function. All I ever play on it is DVD's and CD's so anything more than that isnt to important to me.

Also I would perfer to buy at a brick and mortar store rather than online just because I havnt had the best experience with online stores.

Thanks for the info. The Pioneer players are hard to find in B&M stores, so that's out. You don't want a Sony, so that's out. The Panasonics tend to have optical digital audio outputs only, so that's out.

Take a look at the Toshiba SD-4800 mentioned above or the Toshiba SD-3900. You should be able to find either of these players at Good Guys or Best Buy. MurDiddlyUrdler has the SD-4800 and can probably help you with questions about the video settings for the interlaced output.

Send him a PM and ask him about his SD-4800. If you buy in a B&M store, chances are you won't get "great" prices but if that works best for you, more power to ya!

Good luck!

Peace...

[tomdkat]

Originally posted by Kimmo
Why don't we make a sticky with everyone's favorite DVD player or something because this question gets asked a lot.

Thanks for the feedback. I'll discuss this with the other Hardware mods/admins and see what we can do.

Peace...

[MurDiddlyUrdler]

Originally posted by tomdkat
Take a look at the Toshiba SD-4800 mentioned above or the Toshiba SD-3900. You should be able to find either of these players at Good Guys or Best Buy. MurDiddlyUrdler has the SD-4800 and can probably help you with questions about the video settings for the interlaced output.

Send him a PM and ask him about his SD-4800.

Thanks for volunteering my services, tomdkat. Yes, I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have about the SD-4800. It's a really nice player. Has more features than any other player I've looked at in the same price range.

[tomdkat]

Originally posted by MurDiddlyUrdler
Thanks for volunteering my services, tomdkat.

Yeah, I know I should have talked to you first but I figured your enthusiasm about this player would have made it "ok" for me to go ahead and mention you as a reference...

Besides, I didn't mention your "advice price schedule" so there is plenty of room for you to negotiate that....

Peace...

[MurDiddlyUrdler]

Totally OK, tomdkat. No harm, no foul, no bad feelings. You've helped me out numerous times. I'm happy to help out others if they might think my knowledge is useful. You didn't need to ask for my permission because nobody needs permission to talk to me. I may not have an answer, but it doesn't hurt to ask me.