1 comments about Sony Blu-Ray Disc Player (BDP-S300).

1. 
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   After purchasing this player, I learned that there is NO hardware control over the oeprations of this player (or any of the SONY Blu-Ray players).
   
   Every button on it is COMPLETELY controlled by the operating system. There are some buttons to imitate DVD players, however, they are soft wired to the operating system. You must wait for the operating system to boot up before you have any control over the unit. Any control that you might ultimately have is completely dependent on SONY's firmware and software for the unit.
   
   Any control that you might ultimately have over this player IS COMPLETELY DEPENDENT UPON, AND, CONTROLLED BY, SONY'S firmware and software updates.
   
   SONY, therefore, has complete control over what you watch on this player, how you watch it, and, ultimately, how much you pay for what you want to watch.
   
   Sony's intentions with this "Blu-Ray" technology is clear to me. Blu-Ray technology is designed to accomplish two things, and, only two things;
   
   First, Blu-Ray technology is designed to give SONY (and Disney (Sony's partner in Blu-Ray) (together they control over 80% of the world's film copyrights)) absolute software control over anything and everything you view on Blu-Ray discs, how you view them, and, how much you pay for what you view.
   
   With absolute software control over the discs you watch on Blu-Ray devices, in Blu-Ray format, and SONY's tremendous market share of film copyrights, SONY can ultimately control all of your disc entertainment in your home, and, increase its charges for viewing discs at will. They simply do this by requiring you to update the firmware for the OS in the unit whenever they please.
   
   On the required updates, they can change all of the viewing privileges for your discs WHENEVER THEY WANT, AS MUCH AS THEY WANT, UNDER WHATEVER CONDITIONS and PRICING THEY WANT.
   
   I invite you to think about this for a minute. That means that SONY can program into their software and firmware an expiration date on the playability of your Blu-Ray discs (and anything else in Blu-Ray format).
   
   Although they are not doing it now, history shows that there is nothing to stop them from allowing discs you purchase to only play on their Blu-Ray devices for a limited period of time (from one showing to any number of showings). "History repeats itself . . . That's one of the things wrong with history." - Clarence Darrow
   
   Abosolute power corrupts absolutely. One would have to be very naive to think that SONY and DISNEY aren't going to use this technology to maximize their profits at the expense of consumers. With this player and Blu-Ray technology, you no longer have any "Rights" when you buy a disc, you have only "privileges" which are limited at Sony's whim.
   
   I have had this player for several months. Last night I had to use a stone chisel and a machine hammer to get a NETFLIX Blu-Ray disc out of it. $400 down the drain. I plan to sue Sony in small claims court for false advertising.
   
   They changed their Blu-Ray format so that any Blu-Ray disc manufactured after about April of 2008 ("Patton" for instance) will not play on this player without THEIR modifications to the unit's software and firmware. The result is that the unit "ate" the DVD last night.
   
   It attempted to load it, but, after several hours of "loading" appearing on my high resolution screen (in spectacular 1080i) I had to give up. I tried re-booting 7 or 8 times. The new (non-conforming disc) just sent the OS into an infinite "loading" loop. Without hardware to override the defective OS, the machine became absolutely useless.
   
   Without any hardware control to override the OS in cases of mistake, something as simple as wanting to terminate the loading process and retrieve the disc from the tray is impossible. To be able to send the disc back to NETFLIX I had to use tools to get the tray open to remove the DVD (ultimately destroying the unit).
   
   There is no question that the upscaling to 1080i is worth the time, effort and money.
   
   The increased definition (whether from Blu-Ray discs or upscalilng old DVDs) provides at least double the resolution of old players. It is like watching your DVDs all over again for the first time. So much more of the background details in the film appear at these high resolutions it is much more enjoyable.
   
   This machine was not designed with the consumer in mind. It was designed to accomodate a cheap operating system with little responsiveness to the user. It is also designed to give SONY a dominant share in high resolution DVDs. SONY will dominate with absolute control (through copyrights and licensing agreements) ANYTHING that uses Blu-Ray format.
   
   I regret spending the money on this machine. I should have just bought a Sony upscaling DVD player (about $80.00) and blown off the Blu-Ray. Blu-Ray doesn't offer a lot more than simple upscaling in the way of features and definition.
   
   The down side of having to purchase SONY's "privileges" instead of "rights" when shelling out $30+ for a Blu-Ray removes Blu-Ray from all of my entertainment. I instructed NETFLIX not to ship me anything more in Blu-Ray format and will NEVER purchase anything involving Blu-Ray again.
   
   
   Your tags: blu-ray, blu-ray disc players, blu-ray player, defective, unreliable

5 comments about JVC XVN650B DVD Video Player with Up-Conversion.

1. Please read update at end of review. Unit is defective after a week.
   
   I don't have a HD TV, so I'll just be reviewing the player in general. The unit loads DVDs faster than in some other units I've owned - in fact, I was impressed with the loading speed.
   
   It takes a little while to eject a disk, however, but luckily there is an eject button on the remote, so you'll have to get used to using it if you don't want to stand around at the machine waiting for the door to open. Waiting time isn't horrible, but I'm used to units that eject faster.
   
   The remote has all the bells and whistles, including a zoom feature and a numeric keypad.
   
   The only problem I've had with this unit is that it sometimes won't locate an episode or chapter on a disk and will revert to its splash screen (the screen that appears when you first turn it on). This tends to happen after using it non-stop for a long period of time. I don't know if the unit overheats or just gets tired. I am a marathon dvd watcher - I will watch the entire season of a TV show in one sitting (as I did this past weekend). There are 4 issues that could have affected the player: (1) the room was overly warm ; (2) the unit overheated; (3) the unit got "tired" or (4) the unit is defective. Each time, shutting the unit off for a short period of time "fixed" the problem, so I'm thinking there is something in the unit that may be overheating.
   
   The disk tray seems fragile. It's very thin. I suggest you use the eject button (either on the unit or the remote) to operate the disk tray unless you have a slow and gentle touch.
   
   The display on the unit is very unobtrusive. It's small and doesn't serve as a nightlite as the display on some units do.
   
   All-in-all, I'm happy with the unit. The picture on my old CRT TV (which I am planning to replace with a HDTV soon)is as good as it can be. I'm taking away 1 star for the flimsy disk tray and for the couple times the unit would not load an episode. If that problem becomes chronic, I will be back to edit my review further.
   
   OK..problem is now chronic. It is refusing to locate episodes any old time. I'm also getting disk errors. The unit is not hot; the room is not hot; I just turned it on so it's not "tired."
   
   Doesn't look like I'm allowed to change my star rating, but if I could, I'd bring it down to 2. I'm returning the item and asking for a replacement, just in case I just got a lemon.



2. .
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   Upon opening the unit the first thing you will notice is its small footprint and shallow depth.
   The width is a standard 17" wide so it should be on the very top of your other video hard ware due to the shallow depth.
   
   As others may have stated, the disk tray is made with very thin materials and is something that should be handled very carefully due to it's almost "to flexible" build.
   
   But getting past the 2 noted features we just pointed out let us move on the reasons we bought this unit!
   
   QUALITY VIDEO AND SOUND REPRODUCTION!!
   
   We only use the HDMI output for the obvious reason of the HDTV 1080i quality playback features this product can produce. The best resolution this model outputs is 1920 X 1080i via the HDMI connection on the back. Playback on our 50" wide plasma monitor is outstanding to say the least! Using a burned copy of "Transformers" with a very high compression method still provided near perfect replay and visual performance!
   
   Playback of the factory copy of "Transformers" showed us a flawless, perfect visual replay!
   The unit also has a menu setup for 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratio for viewing.
   
   Additional Black Level Expansion B.L.E. for allowing expanded grey scale settings of 0 IRE cut off and 7.5 IRE Cut off, making black level settings even more enhanced with your plasma's Black level settings. Nice feature.
   Menu setup is very straight forward and the G.U.I. takes very little time to use and feel comfortable with. The visual replay level from this unit deserves a 5 out of 5 for its top performing playback, true up-conversion ability's and stability on screen thru out the entire resolution spectrums.
   
   Moving on to the sound quality. Digital and Audio Sync is 100% accurate with no laps in synchronious replay!
   
   We only use the Digital Toslink output connection due to the higher sound replay and ability this model outputs! True Digital DTS, DOLBY 5.1 and in higher 96 kHz digital signals. Anyone who owns a quality full feature H.T.S. receiver with the upper band ability for playback is going to notice a big difference in sound play back!
   
   This model shoots out Dolby surround sound better than any other DVD player we have found on the market to date for the price paid! Clear, Powerful, and stunning sound quality! So we gave the unit a 5 out of 5 for sound playback as well.
   
   If you're looking to upgrade your DVD player for the benefits of HDMI 1080i playback and want to take advantage of the higher bandwidth on the sound spectrum as well, you won't go broke throwing down for this lightweight compact DVD player. The only features we wish it had come with... a 3 to 5 disk changer, and seeing the disk tray built a tad bit stronger than its current structure's design. JVC componant owners will also miss out on the lack of Compulink connectivity, as it is also not present on this model.
   
   If you can look beyond these small quirks, you won't be disappointed with what you do get from this very well priced player. Great video HDTV Play back and Fantastic DTS-DOLBY Sound reproduction! For the price its a "VERY" safe bet!
   
   Final Thoughts: Keep your power cords "AWAY" from any speaker wires and other input output cables. Learn the correct ways you can eliminate RFI noise in your H.T.S.
   Read the manual thru and thru and also take your time setting up this unit.
   
   SCC-AXION Studios Inc.



3. The DVD player produces very nice images and sound.
   
   My biggest gripe is the upconversion feature, 480p to 1080i,
   is enabled from the from panel. There is no way to set it from
   the remote. You can't set it permanently to 1080i from the setup
   menus either.
   
   For every movie you watch, you have to to stop motion, manually
   set it to 1080i from the front panel, and then resume playback.



4. Player skips on CDs. This includes MP3 CDs and brand new audio CDs. Only a 90 day warranty. Of course started doing this after 90 days...
   
   Video is fine.



5. This is a brand new christmas gift that is a piece of junk! Hangs up during any media you throw at it you name it DVD CD Mp3 new or old it does not matter. This thing will be sure and jump with any of them.
   I have never had so much trouble trying to explain that the player was messing up and I had not tried to use it for anything other that playing DVDs and CDs and had not had it for even a month. You would think that JVC would want to make a customer happy.I explained that I had recieved this as a Christmas gift and they said they would not even look at it unless I had a reciept.I tried to explain again that it was a gift and the person that purchased it lived across the country from me. They said sorry that is there policy. And told me to call a local repair shop to get it fixed.I am going to purchase another DVD player and place this one in the trash after I list it on ebay with a link to this review.

No comments about Sony DVP-FX820/R 8-Inch Portable DVD Player (Red) + Accessory Kit.

5 comments about Mustek PD77B Dual Unit 7-Inch Portable DVD Player with Bag & Battery.

1. I had purchased this item a few months ago and started having problems after the 90 day warranty. Go Figure! First it was the 12v wire that powers up both machines. One of the wires just stopped working. Then the player was unable to read the dvds. Finally the inside door broke when I pressed the button for it to open. I sent three e-mails and called the company twice only to receive not one response. This is a very poor product that comes with a very poor customer service. They do not value their customers. Total waste of money. I would suggest going with "Polaroid". My one son has one. Excellent Product and Excellent Customer Service!



2. Plays .avi files and the screen is very clear (both). Have never had a problem with the second screen as have read in other reviews. Product works very well, but is very fragile. Have had a month and have gone through 2 av connectors and one car power cord. The power cord for the van is JUST long enough to reach. That should be longer to make it more user friendly. Overall, happy with the purchase and it does what I wanted it to do.



3. I just purchased this DVD player yesterday at CompUSA, during their going out of business sale. Out of the box the screen read "no disc" on both players. Terrible. It also feels lightweight and cheaply made. WOuld NOT recommend this to anyone.



4. Had the same problem most others had. No disc and disc not avialable everytime I tried a dvd. Piece of junk!!!!



5. We bought this system last year for vacation. It is not installed in our car unless we are going on a long trip. Within the first few hours of use, one of the lines coming out of the car adapter quit working. Mustek sent a replacement, but it did not work on either side. At this point, we thought it might be the car, so we had it checked out. It turned out to be the cord. We then proceeded to buy a cord from Mustek, because they wouldn't send us another one. That cord worked for about five days. It shorted out on one side and then the other side shorted out a few days later. The cord are really cheaply made, and can't handle any stress-likes bumps in the highway. A few months later the cord that connects the two screens broke. So even though the screens still work, we have spent close to 100 dollars on replacement cords that don't work either. And last month,the door that covers the dvd player broke off. With enough duck tape, I think we can get it all to work again, but I would hope that these systems are meant to last longer that a year, especially when we are not using it more than twice a month. I don't know if all dvd systems are made this poorly, but I don't think I would buy this one again.

5 comments about Sony DVD/VCR Progressive Scan Combo Player SLV-D281P.

1. When deciding to purchase a dvd/vcr combo the only things that concern me is the picture quality,ease of operation and the price. This inexpensive easy to use unit has an excellent dvd and vcr picture playback quality that is probably second to none. Remember-This is a dvd player and not a dvd recorder. Also keep in mind that this unit does not have a built in tuner. This means that in order for the unit to function you will need a separate tuner(such as a cable box or satellite box) THAT HAS audio/video jack outputs along with a television THAT HAS audio/video jack inputs. I am sure that the unit being tunerless is what makes for a better picture.



2. I'm very happy with this player. We use it all day long. I bought it for my 3 year old daughter's room. Her tv is not hooked up to cable. We just use it for her to watch her videos and DVDs. She can watch Sesame Street tapes all day and we keep them playing. This machine is up to the task. Obviously, we haven't recorded on it, but the picture plays very clearly and the sound is great. Remote is easy to use as well. Wonderful seller. Fast shipping. Would recommend.



3. I really wish I'd read the user reviews of this product before purchasing, because nowhere in the the product description is it mentioned that there's no tuner. This means that it will only record what the TV or cable box is tuned to. Not good. I had to return the item shortly after hooking it up.



4. I agree with a previous reviewer..It's pretty ridiculous that you have to wait until you open the box to find out that this DVD/VCR Combo will not record videos on tape unless you have a cable box or satellite receiver....as usual, you get what you pay for...



5. While there is nothing exceptionally bad about Sony SLV-D281P DVD/VCR combo player, there is also nothing exceptionally good about this unit either. Like in the previous reviews, this is a player and not a recorder unless you are using the VCR side. VCR side still function as a recorder as always. There is also no tuner in this unit and thus, there is no cable input or output in this machine. I found that somewhat disappointing and real pain since I usually like to connect my cable to the VCR and then to the TV. Instead, all the connections are done with RCA cables but you have to buy an another set of RCA cables initially since Sony provides only one set of cables. This will allowed you hook up the RCA cables from the cable converter box to this unit. You still need to buy another set to connect this unit to your TV set. In case I forget, you have to buy another set of cables to connect the DVD player half to your TV. Of course, to connect the unit to the audio system will require more cables. This unit does not come with a DTS or DD decoder so your receiver better have one if you want sound separation. (Hopefully, you already have these cables from your previous usages. It should be noted that if your cable box do not have a RCA outlets, this unit will be totally useless for your needs.)
   
   Another minor complaint is that the function lights are pretty dimmed with this unit. At times, depending on the lighting around the unit, it can be difficult to see if this unit is on or off. The remote also appears to be bit on the weak side. Its range of angle appears to be pretty limited to direct on approach.
   
   On the other hand, it does the job it designed for pretty well. The VCR works fine and the progressive scan DVD provide good images for your standard DVD. I agreed with some of the previous reviewers that this unit is really geared toward a very basic and limited needs of the user. I can't see anyone who owned a real home entertainment system using this unit as their primary player.

No comments about LG DN788 1080i Upconverting DVD Player.

5 comments about Panasonic DMR-EZ37VS DVD-Recorder/VCR Combo with ATSC Tuner Silver.

1. Excellent device with amazing clarity. The only fault is the manual is short on detail in some areas while overly detailed on others.



2. I recently purchased this product from Amazon.com and received it promptly via their free shipping option. It was very easy to set up and after spending about 1 hour reading the instructions, I was ready to try recording with it.
   
   I instered a blank DVD + RW, and was prompted to format the disk which only took about 3 minutes. I then set several programs from my cable network to record. Upon returning home, I checked and all programs were recorded and when played back, were of very good quality. I used the 6 hour EP mode, as the directions indicated that using the 8 hour EP mode may result in poor sound quality.
   
   The recordings were erased after viewing and new programming was set to record. It did just what it was programmed for, and these recordings were also very good.
   
   I have tried the VCR recording mode also and have been quite happy with those recordings also.
   
   Since I am not hooked for digital cable or over the air programming, I have only used the analog tuner for recording.
   
   The only drawback is that it does NOT have an HDMI output, but neither does the TV I have it hooked to, so no big deal for me, but it may bother those who do have HDMI available on the TV.
   
   A GOOD VALUE FOR THE MONEY.



3. I was a little leary before I purchased because another review described recording as difficult, but it had the best reviews in the price range so I purchased anyway. The connection was really easy but I had to read the manual to be able to operate the player. One quick review though and I started converting my home videos to DVD. I rate it 4 stars for 2 reasons - the player is really loud and because it takes awhile to warm up. The manual does provide instructions for the latter but then the player requires extra power even when turned off. I still recommend for the price.



4. This product is like dial up internet it is slow. It warms up and turns off like an old pc..Even changing channels is a wait. It will not record DTV on VHS. You must use dvd-Ram disk to get full use of recording. DVD+RW works but you cannot set recording speed and leave it like VHS. You have to go into fuctions and program the managment each time you use it or it records in XP ( 1 hour only ). I have yet to get a full 6 hours of recording as promised, probably due to the formating of disk by the unit. Like most Panasonic operating instructions be prepared to call tech support. You need the remote to operate the machine. VHS works well on Analog broadcast. Except for being so slow the tuner is good for both Analog and DTV. It is claimed to have an instant on funtion with a warning that it uses more power and I would suspect cuts the life of the unit short.



5. I have this for over 6 months and it locks up when I use the remote to
   change channels too fast or other functions, I have to unplug it to get
   it back, and yes I have update the firmware. It takes over 3 seconds to
   change channels if you press the channel up/down too fast it locks up
   and you have to unplug to cycle the power. The analog tuner can not
   take a strong signal on channels 7 and 9, I had to put a 10db pad in.

5 comments about RCA DRC285 DVD Player with HD Upconversion.

1. An otherwise good DVD player but with very poor product quality. Looks and feels cheap. Died on me after watching just a few movies and right on the very first time I hooked it to my TV using the HDMI port. Returned it to the store for an exchange. The second unit died in the same way after watching a couple of movies as well. The first unit first showed black stripes across the screen and then after a while it froze and the screen was full of garbled image. Second unit died suddenly with the same garbled screen.
   
   It's a shame because the built-in USB port is really useful. You can view pictures and watch movies shot with a digital camera. You can also play music files from this port as well or convert an audio CD to MP3 files into any flash drive plugged in the USB port. This port was THE reason I originally chose this particular model over other upconverting models despite negative reviews I had read elsewhere.



2. Do not buy this DVD player!!! I bought this one based on the high review it got from Consumer Reports. The RCA DRC285 worked fine for about a month (daily use), and then suddenly started freezing up. The picture would be frozen in a garbled image, and then the machine would be completely unresponsive, and I had to unplug it / replug it in to get it to work again. Near the end it would freeze up after 5 minutes on any disc. The RCA was a great deal for a 1080p unconverting player ($50), and I definitely got what I paid for. Returned it and went with the Sony DVP-NS77H, which I haven't had any problems with.



3. Please don't be fooled into buying this. The first unit I got didn't play DVDs and my second quit working after 7 months. It would play a movie (DVD & USB) for 10 minutes and then crash and display garbage on the screen.



4. First off, I can attest to the good video and audio of the product WHILE IT WORKED. My first unit lasted about two months then started freezing and feeding horrible noise to my receiver. My second unit was used 5 times (yes, this is no exaggeration) and started to shift portions of the video horizontally while occasionally peppering the video with white snow. The bottom line is that this is a cheap, flimsy product. You can get NO RCA SUPPORT! The website states that if the product is still within warranty you have to send it back to the place of purchase. There is no firmware update available and it will be cheaper for me to cut my losses now and replace the unit with another brand at extra cost than to spend the gas money repeatedly. I will never buy another RCA product as the RCA logo is just slapped on a Thompson product. The same goes for Thompson and Audiovox.
   
   Do yourself a favor and don't buy this or another RCA product. If you do, which is your choice, keep your receipt as you will likely need it.



5. OK, I normally research my products before I buy them. Well, I was out buying a well-researched new TV and saw this on sale and figured, Why not? RCA has traditionally been a good brand. After bringing it home I saw all the bad reviews, but my unit played beautifully so I kept my fingers crossed - for about 3 weeks. Maybe lasted through 3 movies. Then it stopped recognizing discs.
   
   The Philips DVP59xx units are similar in features and price, but seem to stay alive a bit better than these RCA units.

No comments about Polaroid PDM-2727M Dual-Screen 7" Portable DVD Player.

5 comments about Sony DVP-NS90V HDMI/SACD 1080i Upscaling DVD Player.

1. A very good product for the price. Would storngly recommend as a 1080i
   solution to High Def.



2. Very satisfied!! Had it for two years and works flawlessly.
   Plays all formats dvd or cd.HDMI works like a charm ,user friendly remote,audio in all formats plus audio/video sync. mode up to 100 ms can be very useful.
   
   Annoyingly slow loading of discs but minor drawback compared to all the pro's of this machine. Definitely worth the money.



3. For me, this product was a great hedge: it was a very cost-effective and high-quality way of not choosing a side in the Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD standards war. I recently bought a 37" Samsung LCD TV (720p) and it was clear that I wasn't getting the full visual punch of HD with my old DVD player. The research I did said that if you have an LCD smaller than 50", you can't see a difference between 720p and 1080i; furthermore, Blu-Ray or HD-DVD are apparently only worth it above 50", so you also didn't need to lock yourself into a standard that could die in a couple years like Beta. An upscaling DVD (like this one) would work fine. And, I'm happy to say, it looks great. I use it for movies, and they are really clear (I sometime pause it just to see the great picture quality), and the sound is terrific, too. So, for ~$150, I'm getting the full HD value out of my new TV, and I'm not worried that one format will die and leave me holding the bag. This is a great choice for getting an HD picture and not bothering with the standards war.



4. I recently purchased the Sony DVP-NS90V to replace my "slow and clumsy" Toshiba HD-A1 (Blue-Ray won). This is a great player that accompanies my Sony KDL-40V2500 LCD TV very well. The picture is just as good if not better than the old Toshiba I had. I did not really notice any slow loading problems, but as you know, I was used to the Toshiba. The picture is awesome via the HDMI hook-up. I am very happy with the purchase made. Another great product from Sony.



5. I paid a bit more for this DVD player, but results have been well worth it! Picture quality is excellent and I like the pause feature--which really holds the scene until I'm ready to resume. Controls are relatively simple and everything works as promised. A friend bought one at my recommendation and is likewise very satisfied with it.