Got what I paid for....Toshiba DVD-P

[robert393]

Wifey has been bugging me to get a DVD-P for the 65" HD Mits in the bedroom. I have been planning on waiting for High Def DVD so I could upgrade the Panisonic RP-91 (very good DVD-P) from the HT and move it to the bedroom.

Well, I decided I would get a cheapie DVD-P as a "stop-gap" measure. As cheap as they are now, I fugured I would consider it a "disposable" product while waiting for HD DVD.

Enter BB. I get the Toshiba SD-3980 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007RB1WM/104-7665209-9790349?v=glance&n=172282) for $49. 1st unit the tray wouldn't open. Returned it for the 2nd unit which I got no video. Returned it and doubled the cost and got a Sony. It works perfectly!

Moral of the story. I got exactly what I paid for with the cheapo Toshiba for $49! It cost me more in time and gas going back & forth to BB, and the agravation of boxing & unboxing, standing in return lines, multiple "trouble shooting" cables & hook-ups, and frustration with myself for thinking I would actually get a quality DVD-P for $49! That decision cost me about 4hrs of wasted time & agravation.

Whew! Now I feel better!

Robert

[JD06]

I feel ya. Except I ordered my yamaha reciever off the internet because the price was cheaper. Well got it today... Doesnt work worth a .... Keeps turning off and on and back on. Cant do anything with it. At least they gave me a 30 day money back

[L.J.]

I bought a cheapo sanyo from walmart about 2 years ago for my kid's playroom. nothing but problems with that sucker after about 3 months of use. freezing up, disc tray getting stuck, you name it. took it out and put in a JVC I purchased 6 years ago and no problems since. you do get what you pay for.

[caniac]

FWIW, my wife bought a cheapo Kawasaki from Target a couple years ago. It's so badly made and cheap looking that I want to throw it out, but that stupid thing plays any disc you put in it and has never had so much as a freeze-up.

[edtyct]

Robert,

You should have spent $80 more for the Toshiba 588A.

Ed

[robert393]

Robert,

You should have spent $80 more for the Toshiba 588A.

EdEd, I bet you are refering to the Pioneer DV-588A (not Toshiba). Good suggestion, but It (Pioneer 588A) is not what I needed at this point. Just an inexpensive DVD-Video player only. Remember, this player is for the bedroom, which has no AVR, or surround.

Although the price & features (combo DVD-V, DVD-A, SACD) are great, when I upgrade my RP-91 (DVD-V, DVD-A, no SACD), in my HT, I will get a reference piece for the DVD-A & SACD (something along the lines of Pioneer Elite DV-45A (http://windowsatoz.com.com/Pioneer_DV_588A/4505-6463_7-31419429-5.html?tag=toc) or Denon DVD-955S (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/B00065HLTC/ref=dp_nav_1/104-7665209-9790349?%5Fencoding=UTF8&n=172282&s=electronics)).

Thanks for the input & info!
Robert

[edtyct]

Right, Pioneer was what I meant. SACD/DVD-A capability aside, once you go below $100, at least, you risk other things not being quite right. Obviously build quality could be an issue, but MPEG decoding and signal processing (if progressive is what you want) can get really dicey, too, especially on a screen as large as 65". The video playing field has certainly gone close to level at this late stage in DVD's existence, but, as you said in your first post, you get what you pay for when you go beneath the threshold of safety. There may be diamonds in the rough that don't disintegrate when you turn them on and even play different formats without a hitch, but how well they present the content is still an issue. Even at a list of $200 to $300, you may get a player that appears to perform flawlessly in all relevant respects, but if you put it side by side with one that sells for $100 to $200 more, you're liable to witness that elusive quality that separates the bigger boys from the kids. DVD players are a little like cars in that you can't go into a dealership and say "I want a Lexus without anything that doesn't contribute to the ride, pure and simple." The answer just might be that any cheap car without at least some of the comfort and convenience perks of the Lexus isn't going to provide anything like the ride of the Lexus either.

Hey, I'm not trying to spend your money. If you can get a satisfactory (to some extent, a relative value) player for less than $100, I'm all for it. But these are some of the issues involved.

Ed

[robert393]

Right, Pioneer was what I meant. SACD/DVD-A capability aside, once you go below $100, at least, you risk other things not being quite right. Obviously build quality could be an issue, but MPEG decoding and signal processing (if progressive is what you want) can get really dicey, too, especially on a screen as large as 65". The video playing field has certainly gone close to level at this late stage in DVD's existence, but, as you said in your first post, you get what you pay for when you go beneath the threshold of safety. There may be diamonds in the rough that don't disintegrate when you turn them on and even play different formats without a hitch, but how well they present the content is still an issue. Even at a list of $200 to $300, you may get a player that appears to perform flawlessly in all relevant respects, but if you put it side by side with one that sells for $100 to $200 more, you're liable to witness that elusive quality that separates the bigger boys from the kids. DVD players are a little like cars in that you can't go into a dealership and say "I want a Lexus without anything that doesn't contribute to the ride, pure and simple." The answer just might be that any cheap car without at least some of the comfort and convenience perks of the Lexus isn't going to provide anything like the ride of the Lexus either.

Hey, I'm not trying to spend your money. If you can get a satisfactory (to some extent, a relative value) player for less than $100, I'm all for it. But these are some of the issues involved.

EdI absolutely agree! Your comments are the essence of my original post. I knew better than to try the "cheapo" route, and I paid the price for my cheapness.

To move forward a bit. This DVD-P I bought yesterday (DVP-NS50P (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/B00080FPRU/ref=dp_nav_2/104-7665209-9790349?%5Fencoding=UTF8&n=172282&s=electronics)) looks & performs at a VERY high level. I put a DVD-R (http://www.moviefreak.com/dvd/uvw/wrongturn_a.htm) in to test and set-up the player. The PQ was astonishing. I went through the setup menu, and turned down the lights, and watched the movie! I really couldn't believe just how good the PQ was. No flicker, no pause when it changed layers. Flawless PQ. So, I guess I got lucky, because this player fits-the-bill!

Robert

[Eric Z]

Great points, Robert and Ed!

Positive note about el cheapo DVD players:

I bought my brother a $49 Minitek 3 years ago- yep, 3 years ago- $49 was pretty darn cheap back then. The thing has been working like a charm since- even when his kids jam the tray in before it even has an opportunity to close on it's own.

Two years ago, we bought my Mom a no namer at Best Buy for $29 and we've had no problems with it at all.

Moral to the story- I agree that your odds of getting an inferior product increases once you get below $100, but the majority work perfectly fine.

Robert- Does the P in DVD-P you write stand for progressive? Just wondering.

[Eric Z]

Ed- Why do you speak so highly of the Pioneer 588A? Just wondering because I'm in the market for a new player (nothing fancy) and came across the 588A for $100 at my local shop.

Thanks.
Eric

[robert393]

Robert- Does the P in DVD-P you write stand for progressive? Just wondering. "P" is a general term, simply for "player". As opposed to, DVD-V (Video), and DVD-A (Audio).

Hope that helps........
Robert

[robert393]

Ed- Why do you speak so highly of the Pioneer 588A? Just wondering because I'm in the market for a new player (nothing fancy) and came across the 588A for $100 at my local shop.

Thanks.
Eric Eric, not to keep Ed from replying, but to put in my .02 cents worth. I did not know of the 588A (http://reviews.cnet.com/Pioneer_DV_588A/4505-6463_7-31419429-2.html?tag=sub) until Ed mentioned it. I am not in the market for a combo (DVD-A & SACD) DVD-P.

But, the limited research I did on it suggest it would be an excellent entry level player! Pretty hard to beat it at that price point verses features. Here's the way I see it:

The good: Does EVERYTHING. I mean DVD-A, SACD, Divx, reads all "burns"/formats, sleek design, good reviews. Really inexpensive ($100!) too.

The bad: It does none of the features at an extremely high level. It is certainly not "reference" piece of equipment. Think of it as a Swiss Army Knife. Yes, it has a knife, scissors, even a bottle opener. It works great as a "jack-of-all-trades". But, does it do any of those things at a really high level?

Bottom Line: If you are on a budget or just new to HT this is a great piece to have. Versatile, and more than adequate for most users. But, if you are trying to match this piece with a high end HT, you may or may not be satisfied with it's performance. But let's face it, for the money even if you didn't like it, you could use it for a spare bedroom or other room!

I apologize in advance for pre-empting Ed. I'm curious to see his opinion!

Robert

[Eric Z]

Makes sense- thanks, Robert. I have decent equipment in my HT set-ups, but never really had a decent DVD player. The current DVD-P in my living room set-up is an older Sony (6 years old) that I really like, but it doesn't play all of the formats. I think I got it for $300 back then and it seems to be built quite well. The player in my family room is my brother's old JVC- it barely does the job because the thing is starting to sound as loud as a lawn mower.

I can definitely afford more than $100 or $200, but not sure if it's worth it. What do you think the pricepoint is for going from entry level to mid-level in DVD-Ps? Is it just the pic quality that improves? What I might do then is put the $100 I was going to spend on a cheap "temporary" player into a better middle of the road unit.

Any input is appreciated.

Thanks.
Eric

[westcott]

I think you will find this site helpful in determining what will work best for you in your price range, should you decide to upgrade in the future.

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=all

Please bear in mind that the reviews are generally only video based. You will have to audition any component you are considering for SACD or DVD Audio.

Personally, I would not get a combo player unless I was flush with money. The new HD video formats for video will probably dictate the next HD audio solution.

Happy Holidays!!!!

[Eric Z]

wow, a lot of stuff on that site, westcott. thanks!

[PDK]

On cheapo DVD players... I think I got a gem with the Philips DVP642. I got mine for $43 shipped from Amazon and this thing is really amazing for the price. Granted, I only use it for downloaded mpg video from a daily British TV program and it works great for that. It does seem to take a while to load and my Denon DVD2200 has superior performance (but was considerably more expensive).

The Philips offers great convenience and decent performance for the money. It is currently the hacker's favorite DVD player. Plays those downloaded movies. DVD, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/+RW, CD, CD-R/RW, VCD, SVCD, MP3-CD, MPEG-4, Picture-CD and DivX 3.11/4.x/5.x, AVI. 4x video upsampling enhances all outputs. Also plays JPEG, mpg, Xvid, PAL DVDs, PAL Divx, KVCD, SRT. You can just dump these files on a DVD and it will start playing them. No need to specially format the disk. It also has Progressive scan. I feel a little silly having it in with the rest of my gear, but hey, it works!