Follow up review to my old one.
I just got my unit back from the 3rd party repair center. First off It took 2.5 months to get the unit back. I had to call hitachi a few times to get the parts escalated.
Well the Skipping /Hiccups seem to have been fixed. However I seem to have a new problem, It seem that when I use the DTS feature the timming seems to be off by a second. it works on some but now all. I think I have to tweak the settings somewhere. But if I'm unsuccessful then I think I'm going to raise a little Hell with Hitachi.

Other then that the DVD plays my MP3's still, and so far so good on all options.

DD Decoder and many other features not found at this same price point.

Reliability issues on first system.

I purchased this Hitachi DVD player on the basis that it offered the most bang for the buck. I have had good previous experience with Hitachi products so I felt that the value that was included in this player was matched by none. From the day I bought it seemed to have some lip sync issues on some but not all discs (Fight Club the worst). This intermitent problem left me thinking that it was maybe just me. Although when the system began to make a rubbing sound when the disc was playing it was time to take it back.
When I returned it I explained the problems to the Saleperson at the shop and he immediately went to the back and brought me out a new one. The service from Oakville Sight and Sound was second to none, although it did leave me a little suspicious. The new player has operated flawlessly so I hope that the first bunch were a bad batch.

Business-like and uncomplex interface and menu system, excellent S-video picture, steps to Pro-Logic very well, impecciable build quality for price

Secondary remote buttons are entirely too small, Eject button on remote too easially pushed if dropped, will not read CD-R/RW SKIPPING

I don't know what all these people are saying about the built in Dolby Digital decoding and MP3 playing capalilities of this player. Mine posseses neither, and two other store display models would not. Maybe the US model is diffirent from the Canadian/Euro one, as it seems that I am the only American here.

Anyway, I picked up this one on a speical deal at the price of the old model when I discovered that the Phillips DVD711 I had just purchased did not have build in DD decoding. (BTW: Run far far away from Phillips' sorry excuses) This is a replacement for my former Sony 550 which was, in its time, the highest end DVD player on the market. Aside from 5.1 channel output, this model matches or suprasses the Sony in every way. The overall quality far surprasses anything in it's price bracket, even matching some higher-end models. It works quite well in my system below:

Phillips/Maganvox 61" Projection TV
JVC RX-7000V Receiver
JVC XL-FZ158 CD-Changer
Hitachi DVD-P505-U
Hitachi Hi-Fi VCR (bought with DVD-player)
Speakers:
2x Yamaha NS-A1738 (Main Speakers)
1x Yamaha NS-Ac143 (Center Speaker)
2x Yamaha NS-A528 (Surrounds)
2x JBL GSUB-10 (Subwoofers)


Overall the build quality, sound, and picture are unsuprassed for the price.

Similar Products Used:

Phillips DVD711 (Sorry Peice of Junk), Sony 550 (Great player)

Plays everything. Easy to set it as a multiregion.

Used to skip.

I want to thank Mike for giving me the URL to TheIronDuke, and of course TheIronDuke himself.

This player used to skip here and there on the actual movies and terrible on additional bonus material. When i first found out about the firmware updates i downloaded the one that would make my player multiregion. Even though my model is the 505U (USA) and not the 505E (EUROPE) model i downloaded it anyway and installed it.
Let me tell you something, it just fixed EVERYTHING!!!!
Not only it became a multiregion player but the skipping went away.
You can say i am a happy camper!!!

Thanks once again Mike.

DTS OUT, AC-3 Decoder, Component-out, CDR, CDRW, MP3 playback

Maybe the remote.....

This is a great machine that I have not had any problems using. I work in the audio-video industry, and have seen some good and bad machines. I was set to purchase the Pioneer DV333, but when I found out that the Hitachi was able to play MP3 discs, I bought it right away. But I don't know how long these will last.... I heard that Hitachi was being forced to take the MP3 decoder out of the machines.....

The machine plays every disc flawlessly (i.e. THE MATRX and ID4 SPECIAL EDITION), and I would recommend it to everyone to purchase it even at the MSRP of C$499.
Most places will give you a deal if you ask, but it is a great machine.... considering the price I paid (dealer cost of C$375 + tax), it was a great deal.....

Component out is a must now, and the DTS out is a great help with discs like JAWS, and with more DTS disc coming out, a DTS out is required....

I'm using a Yamaha RXV795a with a built AC3 & DTS decoders, as well as a whole Mission speaker package (702e,700, 70c2, 70asa) and it works great all together.

The only thing I don't like about it is the EJECT button on the remote. The last thing you want to do is accidently hit the EJECT button with the glass door on your TV closed, and possibly ruin the loading tray.

Overall, one of the best machines I've seen out there.
Enjoy it!!!

Excellent sound and picture quality

None so far

I've been researching DVD players for a few weeks and I ended up purchasing the Hitachi DVP 505U. The Toshiba SD2200 was a close runner up but there were a few negative reviews that I just couldn't seem to get past. The Hitachi model is newer and I thought I would give it a try.

So far.....WOW! I now understand why people are trading in their VHS movies. The sound is amazing! You feel like your in the scenes right along side the actors. I'm sure our fairly new stereo system helps with this effect too. The picture is so crisp that you can pick up on the tinniest of details (like the time on somebody watch).

I have no complaints so far. I've only watched "The Deep Blue Sea", "The Ninth Gate", and "House on Haunted Hill" (we're big on action thrillers). Can't wait to upgrade my "Matrix" VHS and see what everyone's talking about.

I'm not disappointed with this purchase, although it seems I paid much more than most people who purchased the same model. Oh well!

Similar Products Used:

This was our first DVD player

Plays everything, and does it well.

Remote can be nicer. MP3 menu is very crude.

Flexility was a big factor for me in the selection. This unit offers an excellent value for the buck. Paid $439 Canadian. Fantastic unit.

When I see products like that on the market; I renew my hopes that this world still have some companies with the spark on creativeness. Well done. Thank you Hitachi.

Similar Products Used:

This is the first one I owened, but played with others before (Toshiba, Apex, Sony, Pioneer)

Multiple formats: MP3, CDR, CDRW, etc

Video skipping, audio problems, frame freezing, remote.

From day one this player would skip, freeze and have serious audio track difficulties. I brought it back the same week and brought some DVD's with me. The display model in the store did the exact same thing. Used the same disc on a Sony unit and had no problems.

The worst thing about this unit is the DVD quality, it plays CDR's flawlessly and MP3 too...but the main reason I bought it was to watch DVD's and it is very poor at that.

Can anyone recommend a good mid-range unit that plays CDR CDRW (I will forget about playing MP3's for now)

Similar Products Used:

First Player

Plays SVCD, VCD, CD, MP3

Does not play DVD without skipping

This unit has all the features we were looking for. It reads and plays CD-R and CD-RW flawlessly. However, when playing DVDs, the audio and video has a tendancy to hiccup. It is very noticeable when using the audio commentary feature of DVDs; the video will skip about every 6 minutes! I called Hitachi Tech support and they recommended that I send the unit to a local authorized repair center to have the laser optic realigned. However, my 30-day moneyback guarantee is about to expire, so I will probably return this unit back to the vendor I purchased it from. Can anyone recommend a unit that has all the extra features of the DVP-505U AND be able to play DVDs?

Similar Products Used:

First DVD Player