New DVD player suggestion

[Dan Schafer]

Hi all
I'm about to purchase a new replacement DVD player that is now over 10 years old by JVC. What particular make & model currently on the market is best? I have been trying to play some poorer quality mass produced 8 hour discs that simply won't track too well on my old machine (or not at all). Even some of the better quality discs play real dark, poor luminance. I don't want a cheap-O player and just want a few suggestions what to look for. I have a Best Buy gift card I need to use. Thanks in advance

[Eric H]

At this point I wouldn't mess with a DVD player, most of them built today are cheap and junky.

You can get a Blu ray player for less than $100 now and it's backwards compatible with DVD's.

I would stick to the majors like Sony or Panasonic, maybe Samsung.
Many of the Videophile crowd like the Oppo brand but they are fairly pricy and I don't think BB has them.

If you really want just a DVD player then I'd hit the Thrifts, lots of late model players showing up for less than $25. Be sure to get a Progressive Scan model, though most of them are these days.
There are even some Blu ray players showing up at Thrifts, I would avoid them unless they are really new, the old ones are very slow.

[Dan Schafer]

I didn't know there was a difference between a blue ray & DVD player. I don't know what a blue ray is but as long as it plays DVDs I don't care. Thanks for the 2 cents!

[Eric H]

Blu ray is High Definition (1080p) but it will play standard DVD's.
If you are using an older TV just be sure the player has an r.f. output or Composite (Yellow RCA jack) or Component (Red, Green & Blue RCA jacks + R&L Audio) whichever your set supports.

What type of TV are you using (4:3, 16:9?) and how old is it?

[dewdude]

If you have a high definition tv, then you'll want a Blu-Ray player soely on the purpose that it will do a much better job of upconverting the video. Plus most of them support Netflix streaming.

I bought an LG for $89. Blu-Ray output is clear and sharp, dvd playback looks stunning on my flat panel (not an easy task), and Netflix streaming is fun.

Even if you have an older non HDTV, like mentioned, mmost DVD players are cheaply made with everything going toward Blu-Ray. If you plan on upgrading the TV, you can jump ahead, get a player and maybe a couple blu-rays.

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by dewdude

If you have a high definition tv, then you'll want a Blu-Ray player soely on the purpose that it will do a much better job of upconverting the video. Plus most of them support Netflix streaming.

I bought an LG for $89. Blu-Ray output is clear and sharp, dvd playback looks stunning on my flat panel (not an easy task), and Netflix streaming is fun.

Even if you have an older non HDTV, like mentioned, mmost DVD players are cheaply made with everything going toward Blu-Ray. If you plan on upgrading the TV, you can jump ahead, get a player and maybe a couple blu-rays.

I finally replaced my Memorex MVD-2042 standard DVD player three days ago with an LG Blu-ray similar to the one you have, the reason being that I already have a flat screen TV and wanted a DVD player that could take advantage of the higher resolution FPs are capable of. My experiences with the LG player are identical to yours--great picture on my 19" flat screen, and I swear the image is sharper and clearer than the output from my old DVD. Every disk in my DVD collection (all standard DVDs, no Blu-rays yet), at least the ones I've played so far, looks better than it ever did under the former standard. Must be the up-conversion feature built in to all Blu-ray players.


I haven't tested my LG player's Internet capabilities yet, because I don't think I have the correct cables. A composite video cable was included with the player, but nothing for the ethernet connection. What type of cable is required to connect a so-called "smart" Blu-ray player to the Internet, solely for the purpose of watching streaming video?

[old_tv_nut]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

What type of cable is required to connect a so-called "smart" Blu-ray player to the Internet, solely for the purpose of watching streaming video?

Requires the same connection as a computer.

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by old_tv_nut

Requires the same connection as a computer.

Thanks much for the info.

I am also wondering why the instruction manual for my Blu-ray player (on a DVD rather than a printed book -- LG must be going green) cautions -- nay, warns -- against connecting a telephone cable directly to the ethernet port. Can this connection damage the player, or will it simply not work, producing little more than a blank screen?

[ChrisW6ATV]

I suspect the ~48 volts from the phone line could damage the network circuit on the player.

[Eric H]

In theory a Phone plug shouldn't fit in an Ethernet connector anyway, however it is smaller so there's a chance someone would do it and just happen to make the connection to the voltage.

Some players are wireless capable (or at least the Roku is) but otherwise you just need a Cat 5 cable to connect the player to the Router.

[old_tv_nut]

Originally Posted by ChrisW6ATV

I suspect the ~48 volts from the phone line could damage the network circuit on the player.

yep - ring voltage can fry things

[andy]

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[Eric H]

Originally Posted by andy

It's now illegal to manufacture a Blu Ray player with a component output, just HDMI and composite (I think S-video is allowed, but often omitted). There are devices that can convert HDMI into component, but they are also illegal, so not available from reputable sources.

I guess I should hang on to the first generation Sony I have since it has Component, but it's slower than a Yugo with two dead cylinders.

It really shouldn't matter much for use on a vintage set since they don't really have have the resolution to tell the difference.

[snelson903]

i can tell you what not to buy , my son on my birthday wanted to get me a real nice dvd/vhs player and record to dvd from vhs. he went to bestbuy and overpaid almost 300.00 for a sony player ,that turned out be the biggest peace of #$%^$ i ever owned sometimes you can watch a movie and make it to the end if your lucky without it skipping freezing , but if you rented two movie's for the night to watch no way skip/freeze/skip/freeze .

[andy]

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