5 comments about Sampo DVE-631CF DVD Player with CF Reader and Photo Playback.

1. I got my first DVD player as a Christmas gift 3 years ago. It was an overpriced sony - the run of the mill fodder type that just played DVD's. The fast forward was a bit querky and slow, and for the price my sister payed for it definatly not worth it.

   So, I gave her the sony back this Christmas and got myself a the Sampo DVE-631CF. Partly because I wanted something that would play my hundreds of my custom burned music CD's.

   I decided to get this model after reading many reviews on it online and a friends reccomendation.

   It played all my VCD's, SVCD's, XVCD's, DVD-R's, and DVD-rw's
   and my MP3's perfectly without a hitch! Couple that with a solod design - What more could you ask for!

   Ohh yea.. Compact Flash reader! I wonder why anyone never thought of this before! No more plugging my Canon Digital Camera into my TV, No I can just take my digital pics and preview them through my DVD player. Very cool feature indeed!

   To top it off the Sampo has an excellent FF/REW capabilities. I was able to due 20x FF without the picture jumping all over the place and skipping like my sony did at 4x FF.

   The one negative that I can find about this unit, albeit a small negative, would be the remote. Its comfortable and small
   but something about the button arangement just isnt doing it
   for me. :( But aside that its 100% PERFECT!

   All in all I'd have to say this Sampo DVD player is an excellent addition to system and it has found it self a permanant home along with the rest of my AV equipment.




2. Overall the DVD player is ok for the low end DVD player. Its picture quality is no match for the Sony or the Panasonic DVD player. The MP3 menu looks cheap, but it is easy to use. I got this DVD player for about six weeks and the LCD starts to have problem. Sometime while playing a movie or music CD, the LCD just automatically turns off for no reason. If you have a little extra cash then buy other popular brand, but if you don't have alot of money then you should consider this player!



3. I bought this unit for the jpeg compatibility. It will not play all of the files if you put more than 15-20 files in a folder! The last several photos won't show up on their menu!

   I have tried two of these players with the same results. I have sent a copy of one of my jpeg CDRs to SAMPO US tech support and they confirmed the problem but had no answer. They sent my CDR to Taiwan for evaluation a month ago but I"ve had no response so I'm sending my second unit back.

   If you want jpeg compatibility I suggest you wait until the major brands have it or you take your own CDR's to test before you buy.




4. The compact flash slot was the number one selling point for me on this player. My digital camera uses compact flash memory and I take lots of photos -- I love to use it when we have parties to show off photos I took only minutes ago. I have started to use mpg movies with it. I can put smaller movies on my CF-card and test them on the player before I burn them to a CD. So far all MPG Level 1 files work great.
   
   I also like that it plays mp3, mpg, vcd, and standard music cd's.
   
   My player malfunctioned after 4 months. I called the 1-800 number on the back of the player. It was late on a Saturday evening when I called. There was no one there to answer my call, but I was able to leave a voice mail. I got called back the following Monday -- I was given an RMA number and told it would take about 3 weeks. I shipped my player back and in a little less than 3 weeks I got it back - good as new. Excellent service from Sampo!
   
   With all the features of this player, I am a little worried that it will fail again, but it hasn't yet. Sampo is discontinuing this player, and as far I know they are not offering another with any type of memory chip slot.
   
   Pluses -- All the features and formats supported. Displays JPG's fast.
   Minuses -- Zoom function does not work on JPG's or MPG's ( sized to screen OK though ) Can not use Fast Forward or Reverse on MPG's ( need to make a VCD first ).



5. Go to this site and get everything you need for SAMPO :

   http://www.area450.com/

   A six stars website for SAMPO.

5 comments about Sony DVP-S330 DVD Player.

1. Sony products are garbage. A $200 player that breaks after 2 years, almost to the date, and costs $130-170 to repair is a joke. Sony should be ashamed of themselves.

   I have Pioneer and Toshiba equipment that I have been using for 10+ years, that has never needed anything. A DVD player that breaks after 100 uses is trash.




2. Once this DVD player starts indicating the error message C 13 00, you might as well throw it in the garbage. Sony's customer service and web site is useless to get any resolve on problems with their electronics.



3. This DVD player was a gift. One great feature of the s330, as an entry level DVD player, is its optical output. Except for the problems I'm about to describe, I have been very happy with this DVD player for over 4 years.

   This DVD player has consistently had problems with the soundtrack and video getting out of sync. It makes feature films look like poorly dubbedHong Kong Kung Fu films.

   I also frequently have difficulty getting the DVD player to synch up with my Sony AV receiver when they are both powered up using the DVD input button on the AV receiver.

   Finally, I also just lost the power supply in a lightning strike. Now this is not Sony's fault, obviously, but it caused me to do research, indicating that power-up problems are frequent.




4. Here is my advice to you who are thinking of purchasing this DVD player. The unit will work well for just over 1 year (365 days); beyond that, it's just a matter of time before you experience the "land of C 13:00". C 13:00 is the error message you will receive when the DVD player will no longer recognize a DVD-- clean, dirty, new, used, home made movie, or cinema DVD it will NOT read it! then you'll be stuck with a dust collector. This has been my experience. Sony doesn't mean quality like it once did. Don't believe me, search the net and see for yourself.
   J.D.



5. After owning this DVD player for less than two years, it started indicating the error message C 13 00. Sony's product quality has really gone down in the last five years. Save your money any buy from a different manufacturer

5 comments about Panasonic DVD-RP56 Progressive-Scan DVD Player.

1. WITH LITTLE USE THIS UNIT WENT FROM PAUSE MODE TO STOP AND THEN BEGAN TO DISPLAY AN H02 ERROR WHENEVER A NEW DISC IS INSERTED.

   VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH RESPONSE FROM PANASONIC.

   WILL HAVE TO TRY ANOTHER BRAND...




2. The picture quality is excellent for its price class, and I liked the way fast-slow foward/reverse works. However, after 2 yrs mine died. It would not eject the DVD. I would hear a rattling noise from the motor when I powered on the player, but the tray wouldn't budge. I couldn't pull the tray out, it froze in position. I had to open the player to retreive the DVD.

   My next DVD player will be non-Panasonic. I used to be a huge fan of Panasonic, but not anymore. A DVD player should last at least 5 years.




3. I recieved this DVD player in 12/2001 for a Christmas Gift. Everything has been mostly great up until 2 months ago. It was spectacular at playing DVDs and I also loved the MP3 playback capability and standard CD playback. For some reason, the player is now unable to play MP3 discs or standard CDs. It will play one or two songs and then seemingly get "hung up" at random places on the discs. Inserting a DVD cleaning disc into the unit resulted in an "HO5" error message, and these "HO" errors seem to be quite common here. While it will still play DVDs fine, I'm wondering if they are next on the list of non-playable items.
   This player lasted just shy of 3 years. I'm thinking of getting the Panasonic 5 CD/DVD changer unit with extended warranty. I think Panasonic relies on the guy or gal that plays CDs and DVDs only a few times a year, rather than someone like me who will play 5-10 a week, depending. Overall I'm happy, as the sound and picture are great, but would recommended getting extended service on these Panasonic items.



4. Panasonic - what a junk!. Don't touch with a 30 ft pole unless you want to pay more to repair stupid "H02" error than the cost of Panasonic. Stay away from Panasonic.



5. Purchased RP56 about 3 years ago for $120. It has operated w/o issue until today. Got the H02 error like everyone else. The player was subjected to moderate use (2 DVDs per week average)so, I was expecting it to run a few more years. I will avoid Panasonic DVD players. I think LG is their parent company, so I will be cautious with that brand as well.

No comments about Upconverting DVD Player.

No comments about Symphonic WF104 DVD Player.

5 comments about Oritron DVD 200 DVD Player.

1. with all of the different DVD players out there, it is hard to find which one to buy or for what type of player to look for. if you are a more astute movie fan, you will want THIS Oritron DVD 200! not only does it play U.S. DVD's, but it also plays ANY REGION DVD from any country -plus- VideoCD's (VCD) which usually only work on computers. with video quality that of [an expensive] system, you can't beat one of the best DVD players for 2002!



2. A total piece of junk--cheap inside and out. I received this as a gift, and am dreading my in-laws asking about it. It died precisely one day after the warranty expired. Very slow to crank up compared to others, frequent freezing, unresponsive remote control (you could get married and divorced waiting for it to respond to commands!) Poor picture quality with frequent waving and picture edge disintegration. Finally, it refused to give up a DVD, forcing me to take the cover off to retrieve it. Believe me, I have 2 other DVD players, and you can do much better for the price. Try Sony, Panasonic, and Toshiba. I'm sure you work hard for your disposable income; don't waste it on this. My Sony has been playing flawlessly since I bought it, and it is over 2 years old now, and really wasn't much more than this, and in fact, the prices have come down since I bought it. Nothing is a bargain if you are throwing it away right after the warranty expires.



3. Given the price the Oritron DVD-200 (and all his brothers) are a perfect buy, given that the work honestly, and give you the chance to change the region at will through the instructions you can find on the Net.

   Moreover, someday, somehow, we will discover the code to disable the Macrovision!




4. This is a great DVD player. It has everything you need, at a price you can't beat. It's such a good buy. It's easy to set up and easy to use. A great first DVD player for anyone who is thinking of getting a DVD player. I wouldn't use it on my HDTV home theater, but if you just want something simple that looks great, this is the one. It has good sound and picture for the price. Haven't had any problems with it, what can I say I love it. It was cool.

   Big Truck




5. My first DVD player was an Oritron. Keep in mind that this was several years ago and at that point, even low end DVD players were around $100. It worked for about 3 months before it started having serious issues with the sound. As in NO sound. It didn't matter what disc you used, no sound. The machine was exchanged for the exact same model (not my choice, mind you) and what a shock, after about 3 months, it started having the same problem. Go figure. Even unplugging the machine to reboot it didn't solve the issue. On the rare occasions you could get the sound to work, it was not in sync with the picture. Talk about irritating. There are so many decent players now that are at a really good price that there is absolutely NO reason to purchase this piece of junk. Don't waste your money because unless you enjoy the use of subtitles just so you know what is going on, this one isn't worth the effort. Not even worth one star.

5 comments about Gateway ADC-320 Connected DVD Player with Wireless 802.11g Card.

1. Although it is a great concept if it worked, I and others who have bought it have spent all of our time trying to get it fixed. Replaced wireless card, changed IP addresses, and found out it needed software update and now have to send it in because it freezes movies. Since it is past 15 days it is my dime to get it fixed even though it has never worked and I have been calling since day one. Anyway, you make the call, but I think it really needs more time in development - the price you pay for being an early adopter!



2. Lot of DVD players have the capability of playing MP3s, but having to burn to a CD isn't the most ideal for me since I don't want to have to burn before listening and I have such a varied taste in music. Having the ability to stream music from my PC where all of my MP3s are stored to my home stereo wirelessly made this unit almost worth it solely by itself. One is able to select albums, artists, or playlists. The on screen display is pretty basic and boring (i.e. a few colors with straight lines and square boxes).
   
   With recent firmware upgrades you can even have a picture slideshow (also streamed and one can specify the delay rate and this can occur while playing streaming MP3s).
   
   This unit is basically the same as the ADC-220 from gateway, except it has a newer 802.11g vs. 802.11b network card) -- this helps with the problems people experienced in the past since the bandwidth of 802.11g is about 5x as much as 802.11b (11mb vs 54mb) and 802.11g router/access points are very inexpensive nowadays.
   
   This unit is very similar to the GoVideo D2730 since they both use Digital5 as the PC client software. Current firmware is similar to the new standard for home networking UPnP, but I wasn't able to get MusicMatch's UPnP to work as of yet.
   
   The device supports PAL and NTSC TV formats, so taking advantage of one the of best un-documented and un-supported feature I can play DVDs from the UK (and other regions) that I couldn't on other DVD machines (SETR9). Of course this also plays videos downloaded from the internet or homemovies that are archived on your PC. UK's BBC is starting to provide arhived video that should be supported since this player supports MPEG 1/2/4 and others (Microsoft Media Center, AVI). I haven't used the microphone inputs, but this is a solid DVD performer with 5.1 surround with optical out, component video, etc.
   
   The only negatives are you can't fast forward PC based movies (you can forward to a time, but not like a standard DVD search where the screen speeds through while you watch, of course DVDs with this player search like any other on the market), the remote isn't as sleek as it should be (it's colorful and not very ergonomic -- looks like it was made for the Asian market).
   
   The ADC-320 is about a 1/3 less than the GoVideo one (plus Gateway's comes with the 802.11g card, I believe GoVideo's is a wired version -- they have a new D2740 which has 802.11g). The Philips Streamium looks pretty nice too and that's fully UPnP supportable, but Gateway is still half the price of that one, if not more. This is a solid deal and I am just as happy with it as I was when I bought it about 6 months ago.



3. I was interested in this product, but concerned that I couldn't find it on Gateway's web site. I called and asked support and was told it was "no longer being sold" on 21-Nov-04.



4. This player does more or less what it says it's supposed to do, but potential buyers should be aware that this is a "rebranded" product. That is, Gateway does not manufacture it (they don't manufacture anything but PC's as far as I know). It has now been "end of life'd", so the ones on sale are just what's left in the supply chain, no more new ones are being made and Gateway does not sell this item anymore. It has been abandonded by Gateway, so there will be no more software or firmware upgrades. They also don't have any more parts for it, so if you lose your remote control (as I did), it's impossible to get a new one. I can't imagine what a nightmare it would be to get service on it if it breaks.
   
   There are a number of drawbacks to all this, but in the end it's pretty cheap, and even if the "connected" part of it stops working at some point, it's a pretty good plain old DVD player, so if you're thinking of getting a player in the same price range, you may want to spend a few dollars more for the "connected" feature - even if something goes wrong with it, you still have a perfectly good DVD player and haven't lost much money.
   
   But good luck trying to get ANY service or support from Gateway - they just don't want to know about it.



5. Gateway is developing a reputation of selling "neat ideas" but quickly abandoning them. My neighbor bought a big screen TV from them and after inumerable service calls, sent it back and got a "real" TV from a "real" manufacturer.
   
   I got this item for Xmas -- unfortunately my wife was not told she needed to get the network adapter card as a seperate item. Now that I want to get the card so I can use it for more than the world's most expensive and least functional DVD player, I find I can not. I just got off of a chat with the Gateway sales rep and he told me to try eBay. Imagine that! What kind of support is that? Good grief, they sold the item, they should support it for a few years, at LEAST.
   
   I have 4 other Gateway computers in the house, including the laptop I'm typing this on. My neighbor has bought SIX of them, due to my suggestion that they are a good company. Now that she has had bad luck with the TV, I think she is also rethinking Gateway.
   
   I would give this product a ZERO star rating but this software does not permit it. All in all, I will avoid Gateway in the future. I can get hardware cheaper and since the Gateway brand no longer means qualty or support, why pay the premium.
   
   Avoid this product at all costs. It's a dead end. And, as another reviewer says, it both freezes while playing movies, and has a frequent seek problem -- if you click on "extras" or something it is likely to go into seek mode for many minutes before it stops and you have to shut it down to start over.
   
   Altogether a really bad product and, apparently now, company.

5 comments about Panasonic DVD-RV31K DVD Player, Black.

1. This is a great DVD player! Great sound and picture quality although I can not get it to play DVD+R movies. If any one can help with this problem let me know..



2. Great performance but only for a short time. Don't get me wrong, I loved this dvd player (when it worked). It had great features, crisp picture, and good control over the search and pause features. Yeah, there were some downsides to it that have already been mentioned through other reviews. For example, when listening to music or other media, it only shows things like "directory", "root file", and folder numbers. Makes it hard to browse...but I found this to be of little inconvenience. The main problem was that it broke within a year. Now I'm not unrealistic. I know that electronics wear out, but I also know that most last much longer that this. I'm not expecting it to last as long as my VCR, a JCPenny's brand we got during the 80's...but one year? What a rip-off. Just as others posters mentioned, I got the infamous "H02 Error" message and then nothing. Didn't even bother calling the company since the warranty was only 90 days. I already knew what I was going to be told. My advice...keep looking. With this many similar reviews, there must be a design flaw with this model somewhere and it's not gonna get fixed by a company whose only concern is the bottom line. Do some research 'cause when it comes to pricey electronics, you wanna hold out for a thoroughbred.



3. My Panasonic RV31K is five years old this month and after thousands of hours playing movies it works just as well today as when I first took it out of the box. Panasonic makes quality products and just like anything else mechanical you can get a lemon. If this player ever dies (cross my fingers) I will get another Panasonic. I choose mine after reading all of the reviews here and in epinions.com



4. I've owned this item for several years and have no complaints. Works great! Panasonic remains a highly reputable brand for electronics!!



5. Browsing my Amazon orders history I came across this item. I had forgotten we'd bought this from amazon. We got it in 2001 and it's still here, having survived 3 moves and hundreds of hours of usage. The picture quality is good, handles scratched netflix DVDs like a charm, and has never had any errors. It is also able to handle VCDs which our newest DVD player for the basement can not. Seems there was a lack of quality control based on the variety of reviews.

5 comments about Sony DVP-NS700P Progressive-Scan DVD Player.

1. My Sony DVP-NS700P worked very well until last week when the sound quit working, (still has a great picture!). I have only owned two progressive scan DVD players, the other was a Toshiba and I liked this one best. I would have given it a 5 star rating two weeks ago!



2. This product has unbelievable picture quality. It has easy to follow menu and commands. It is light and takes little space. It it priced well for a brand item. A must have for every
   Digi-Home Cinema.



3. I have high praises to give this unit.....very high praises. Compared to my last unit, this thing is a dream. My last player died within 6 months. According to the repairman, every component inside the player died so they gave me this model. Ive had it for 5 years and have been very pleased with its longevity. It's only been sent in for repair one time due to that sound issue that was mentioned in another review. Sound intermittently cuts out.(great picture though) Same for its cd audio function. The sound also cuts out on that. It needed a new laser in 2002. Since then, I havent had a problem. Considering the one time for repair, its a great machine. After all, nothing in this world is perfect. Highly recommended durable player.



4. Got this DVD player in the year 2001, I feel it's like a dinosaur with the new slimmer DVD players, new blu-ray technology, upconverting dvd players and all, but it has never given me any problems and it is now March 2007. Given it's age, it still comes equipped to read DTS audio and be a progressive player. Only problem is I don't know what I will do with this when I get my blu-ray or HD DVD player...I guess it can go in my bedroom...



5. As far as the viewing quality is concerned this DVD player is acceptable compared to other equipment that is likewise seven years old. However, my biggest pet peeve is the sluggish response times, especially if you are trying to eject or open the DVD player. It usually needs to be told twice what to do. I am very dissapointed in Sony. This is a major flaw and very frustrating.

5 comments about Samsung DVD-V3650 Progressive Scan DVD/VCR Combo.

1. tuner works fine, but will not pass through a useable signal to tv when the unit is on (ie, recording one show on vcr tuner, watching another on tv), though the signal is fine if the unit is turned off. Some sort of interferance, I guess. Really nasty, noisy and unwatchable.

   Can't play tapes taped on this unit on other vcr's (two high end Hitachi's)even though they play prerecorded video fine - well, ok, the tapes will play but the picture is very bad with a line of sparkles six inches wide through it, and you have to double the sound volume from normal tv listening to hear it, and then it hisses. Also, the audio flutctuates in volume from word to word.
   Also seems to be a short of some kind in the "video in" connection in the vcr (no, it ain't my cable, i checked)because moving the unit no matter how slightly can go from signal to no signal and back again.

   I put one star because there is no minus star rating.

   Samsung does answer thier phones after the usual voicemail jail, and two customer service reps told me it sounded like I had a defective unit, then passed me over to a tech who tried to convince me there was no problem, blaming it on my other vcr's (they play other tapes fine, including prerecorded, why not from this vcr ?)to my cable connection (hmm, works fine with my other vcr's and tvs)to everything he could possibly think of and then finally admitted he couldn't figure out what was wrong.

   The only bright spot in this whole experience is Amazon's return policy. I think. First time I've used it.




2. It took me a while to make up my mind about this unit. In general, I've had good luck with Samsung products (printer, cell phone) so I thought I'd give the DVD-3650 a try. I wanted to add DVD capability to my family room system, but didn't want to add another box. So this unit went in, and the VCR I was using went to the bedroom.

   At first, I liked the unit overall; I'm fine with the remote; the buttons aren't too small for me, and I have big hands. The picture on the DVD is as good as necessary for a 30" TV. The VCR picture with pre-recorded tapes is OK. I like the access to manual tracking adjustment on the remote. And I haven't had any functional problems with it (over 3 months).

   But little things bug me. I use VHS index search a lot, since I make compilations of several kids films on one tape to reduce bulk on trips. On the Samsung, you have to go deep into the menus to get to index search, instead of it being directly on the remote. When you finally do get to it via the menu, it is only available as introscan fwd or rev; you can't set it to search, for example, two indexes forward and start playing. Plus, it only searches at about 8x playback speed, so it's not much faster than just using scan during playback and searching manually. Its a totally lame implementation of what should be a standard feature.

   Other minor quibbles; two vertical ribs on the VCR tape door that are apparently for aesthetics make it HARDER to insert a tape correctly. Not a big deal for an adult, perhaps, but a major frustration for a 4 year old, and there is NO good reason for them to be there. When the remote is in the VCR mode, the mute button becomes the VCR audio input select button. Since I use the VCR tuner for watching TV on a regular basis, this is a pain; I have to switch the remote back to TV function, press mute; press it again when the commercial is over, then press VCR again if I want to channel surf. And how often does the average person want to switch the audio input on a VCR anyway? Ever? THAT is something that should be in a menu.

   Also, not a problem for me, but could be for many purchasers are the very limited number of TV brands controllable via the remote, far fewer than most other multibrand remotes I've seen. It would be a good idea to download the manual from the Samsung site to make sure your TV is listed before purchasing if you want to use this feature.

   More significantly, I've recently discovered the VCR seems to be abnormally sensitive to anti-copy schemes; tapes I made from a DVD on another VCR using a Sima video stabilizer that play perfectly on that and every other VCR I own, have horizontal purple stripes on the Samsung.

   All in all, if it played copied tapes properly, I'd be willing to put up with its other weaknesses. But as it is, even though I'm now stuck with it (didn't discover that problem until after Amazon's return time limit expired), I regret this purchase.




3. I am disappointed in the unit. It was advertised to have VCD playback ability. It will not even recognize any VCD's at all. I give it 2 stars only because the progressive component output is a feature I was after too. It is a very quirky unit though. When using the progressive DVD output you are only able to program or view the VCR menu from the DVD component output even though the VCR is only output on composite or RF modulated outputs. Big dissapointment for a Samsung product. Had counted on it playing back VCD's so now it is only good for a guest bedroom.



4. I'm glad I didn't listen to most of the reviews here. If you are just a normal person who isn't expecting to get a $600 Combo Unit for this price, you'll love it.

   I purchased a Panasonic Home Theatre system 3 years ago and have had nothing but problems with it. It got so bad, in fact, that we needed to buy a new DVD player because the Panasonic would only recognize ANY DVD about 25% of the time.

   Enter the Samsung DVD-V3650. We had an old Phillips/Mag VCR which had its nasty quirks, too. It made sense to get one unit.

   I don't care much for the Samsung DVD-V3650's color. But that's not the important thing. I digress. We thought our TV was giving us "Wavy refresh rate things" going up and down our screen, but found with the new Samsung DVD-V3650 we no longer had them.

   I like the fact that it has digital audio out jacks (optical and component). When I record a show, I like that I have a 30 second FFW button. I like that I can record and watch a DVD at the same time. Easy set up, yet pretty thorough.

   We are very happy with this Samsung. My first with this company.




5. This is one of the worst purchases I have ever made. From day one DVD's froze and skipped. I thought it was poor quality rentals so I started buying my own DVD's. Brand new DVD's would not play all the way through on the first viewing. Spend the extra money and buy a better product, this is a waste of money.