DVD Players - Music and Hi-Fi

Samsung DVD-1080P9 DVD Player - Black

• HDMI output
• 1080p Upscaling
• USB with CD ripping
• DivX MP3 WMA JPEG MPEG4 DivX Playback
• -

Yes, Consider This One, 2010-01-16
I originally bought the cheaper Sumvision Upscaling DVD Player from Amazon. Impressive for the price but it died completely within 48 hours after a dramatic POP! Amazon's 30 day free return service is excellent by the way - they only offered a refund though so I had to look again at DVD Players.

The Samsung doesn't have the same specification as the cheaper Sumvision as it can't take SD Memory Cards and (as far as I can see so far) doesn't play compact formats of video files (via the USB port). It does play .AVI video files but I converted a 1 hour MP4 video file as an AVI format file and it became over 16GB! in size. My USB pen drive is only 8GB so I was out of luck.

The build quality is great, definately a step up on the Sumvision. Set up was VERY easy - I connected the HDMI cable (not supplied!) and it immediately set itself at 720p resolution to match my LG TV.

Please note that when using the HDMI input I am restricted toeither 4:3 or 16:9 screen ratios. This is quite frustrating when watching squarer screen ratio videos - via the SCART cable connection I can adjust the 'screen fill' from my TV to get a bigger picture - you can't do this when watching via HDMI! I suspect this would be the same with any DVD Player but our immediate reaction was to watch via the SCART connection and hence at lower resolution. For wide format DVDs there is less of an issue as long as you don't mind the black lines top and bottom.

Screen ratio aside, the HDMI picture quality is very good. In truth you have to flick between HDMI and the SCART input to notice the real difference but - it is better! Mind you the non-upscaled reproduction is pretty good too.

I copied a DVD on my PC (using DVD Shrink - which reduces the data size to squeeze it onto a standard DVD-R disc). It wouldn't run properly on the Sumvision - it ran, and looked great, on the Samsung. You would never know it was a size-reduced copy.

Others have commented on the dim display. Yes it is dim and could be an issue if you don't have reasonable eyesight. The Sumvision display was so bright it was very distracting so dimmer is better in my view - but, in truth, it is a tad on the Dark Side - still, it never harmed Darth Vader.

The box was light on 'extras'. You get phono leads for audio and vidio connection but no SCART or HDMI cable. You get a Quick Start leaflet which does what it says on the front page and you get a very small print manual. You may need this a little because I pressed a button on the remote and lost the picture (HDMI) and couldn't get it back again via the remote - had to go back into set-up and set 'HDMI' output again. Still havn't sussed why that button does it - havn't got the zapper to hand but the button was labelled something like 'video ses'.

So overall I can thoroughly reccommend this Upscaling DVD Player, it's quite wide (which was a surprise after the dinky Sumvision) but has a low profile. It all worked a treat out of the box and IS STILL WORKING 48 HOURS LATER! Hooray!

By the way, I couldn't get my SD card into the Sumvision slot and make it read, I slipped it in but it felt too hard to push it down fully and I was afraid of breaking something.

One very small quibble with the remote is that you have to lie it down flat, I like remotes that have a flat end so you can stand them up to take up less space - I do have rather a lot of them.

Hope this helps you decide.

Cheers

Mo

Toshiba Multi Region DVD Player with DivX and MP3 PLUS FREE Bluetooth Headset with every purchase

• DVD Player with DivX , MP3 , JPEG + more ...
• Hi Resolution Pal Progressive
• Region Free / Multi Region . Zone Free Plays American / European / Asian / African DVD's
• DVD, DVD-R/-RW, DVD+R/+RW, DVD-R DL, DVD+R DL, CD/ CD-R/-RW, VIDEO CD, SVCD, CD-DA
• MULTI REGION is only offered when you buy from HARROW ELECTRONICS

I wish I'd found this earlier, 2010-03-08
No problem whatsoever with my "no region" dvd's and the picture quality is so much clearer and sharper than my old dvd player. The service from the supplier is excellent and they keep you informed of your order's progress up until despatch then give you the details so you can track your order up until delivery. An excellent buy all round.

Toshiba SD390EKB Upscaling DVD Player

5 star, 2010-03-01
I am really pleased with this dvd player. For the price it has great picture and sound quality. What particularly appeals is that it has a simple visual display, no more distracting lights as my last panasonic did.

Sony DVPSR90B MIDI DVD Player

Bargain!, 2010-02-18
I wanted something that looks neat does what it says on the tin. This is perfect for what I wanted!

Samsung DVD-H1080 DVD Player - Black

Slick, Sleek and does what it says on the tin!!!, 2010-03-08
I bought this to replace a very cheap DVD + .avi player that would not play MP4s or many other codec based .avi's.
With this unit feels good quality and plays good quality and looks ACE.

Only criticisms are:
1 the USB is fiddly to get to, its at the back of the unit so changing USB sticks can be awkward.
2 the file names are truncated and therefore if you are watching a series of videos it isn't easy to find the next file.

Other than these 2 criticisms I am very happy with the player, it gets used everyday with no issues.

If you are looking for a good .avi and DVD player with HDMI out then look no further.

Philips DVP3360/05 1080p Upscaling DVD Player - Black

Multiregion tip works and this got Which? top review, 2010-02-28
Have just bought this - multiregion tip works brilliantly, fantastic picture (used HDMI connection lead). I bought this because it got Which? highest DVD player review as well. Surprisingly small and compact. Really recommend.

Toshiba SD590EKB Upscaling DVD Player with USB

Good quality and value for money, 2010-03-08
For the cheap price this DVD player is very good value for money. Upscaling image quality is excellent, though with a good quality LCD or plasma HD TV the TV itself can probably do the upscaling just as well. Menu system is simple but effective.

Pros:
- Excellent price.
- Good upscaling ability.
- USB port is very handy and plays media very well. Works great with an 8GB USB pen and probably portable hard drive.
- HD photo viewer displays hi-res photos brilliantly.

Cons:
- Build quality is only moderate, with a flimsy DVD tray.
- No auto-resume of DVDs after the unit is switched off and on.
- Very basic LED display on front of unit - displays only the chapter number!

Toshiba SD290EKB DVD Player

TOSHIBA SD290EKB DVD PLAYER BY B RUTTER LUTON BEDFORDSHIRE, 2010-02-22
BEEN REVIEWING THIS PLAYER FOR SOME TIME AND I LIKE THE LOOK OF IT LOOKING AT OTHER REVIEWS IT FAILS TO SEE WHY BEEN LOOKING FOR A PLAYER FOR MULTI REGION PLAYING FOR SOME TIME
I AM GLAD THIS PLAYS REGION 0 DVDS CAN NOW GET REGION 1 DVDS AND PLAY IT ON THIS MACHINE ALONG WITH ANY OTHERS THIS PLAYER IS GOING TO REPLACE THE DVD PLAYER IN MY TV THATS PACKED UP AND ITS THE
CHEAPEST PLAYER I SEEN IN ALONG TIME FOR UNDER £30 SOLD BY ANY COMPANY (I.E AMAZON) AND MADE BY A LEADER IN TV AND ELECTRONICAL ITEMS (I.E TOSHIBA) CANNOT WAIT TO GET IT. LETS HOPE ITS ALRIGHT

Sony DVP-PR30 Precision Drive Compact DVD Player - Black

• DVD Player
• 1 x Scart Socket
• Compact Design
• MP3, JPEG, DivX Playback
• DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW Play

Great litle machine, 2010-02-13
We wanted an inexpensive replacement for our old machine which had finally given up. As we haven't yet got a HD television there was little point in paying for an expensive Blu-ray machine and we didn't need to record as we have a BT box thing to do this. After quite a lot of online research we went for the Sony, to a large extent because of the small size. It looks much nicer than it does in the picture and it really is very small and neat. It was easy to set up and works well with both music and DVD. The picture quality has been very good and the buttons are easy and work well. I haven't yet tried discs we have recorded ourselves. My only very minor criticism is that while the middle 'doors' shiny finish looks great it does tend to attract the dust. It's small, sexy, does the job well, plays lots of formats and doesn't cost a lot. What more do you want?

Samsung BD-P1580 Blu-Ray Player - Black

• BD/DVD/-R/-RW/+R/+RW Playback
• Dolby Digital Plus/True HD/DTS
• BD Wise, Supports BD Live
• USB 2.0 and HDMI Ports
• 150mm x 350mm x 535mm

Brilliant System, 2010-03-05
The blu ray player is amazing, it is crystal clear and will play in 1080p. My only worry was when i first went to watch a blu ray it didnt play i tried about 5-6 discs. I then put in a dvd and that played and went back to trying a blu ray and they all worked....no problems since.

If you are however looking for a MULTI REGION dvd/blu ray player this one WILL NOT work, there are lots of codes out there to try and make this one multi region for dvd. Trust me NONE of them work. If your going to import Blu Ray films make sure they are Region A,B & C and then they will work fine.

The firmware updates download quite slowly aswell if you use the player itself, it has a USB port on the front of it so it is possible to download the update onto your PC and then add it to a flash drive and install that way which saves a lot of time.