Nice design, full of features, great price

occassional DTS dropout, audio problems during fwd.

When I wanted to upgrade from my Panasonic A100, I looked long and hard. I considered Sony, Toshiba and another Panasonic. I had actually decided on the Sony when I walked into my local Best Buy. Then I saw the JVC. This was a model that had received nothing like the praise or complaints the others had in the various online HT forums. It almost didn't exist.

I looked at the features - it had everything I needed. Zoom, dd and dts compatible, component and s video out, nice looking menu screen (over and above the disc's menu) and it was priced about $50 less than the Sony.

I bought it.

Since then I have been really happy. I've never had a disc that wouldn't play. Once the player completely froze, but a quick unplug/replug fixed that.

The only problem I have on a consistant basis is a loud screech during fast fwd when the signal switches from dd or dts to stereo. This may be the dvd player, it may be my receiver. I know that it is annoying.

Thats why the overall rating is not 5.

Looks nice, nice standard features.

NOT reliable. Clumsy remote. Hard to use menus.

DO NOT BUY THIS PLAYER! Purchased this DVD player back in January only four months later the player stopped working. It could only play two out of thirty DVDs I owned. I sent it back to JVC for repair. Fortunately they promptly fixed and returned the unit after two weeks. They had reported that they had to realign the laser. After only two more months of use (only played about four movies since the repair) the DVD player stopped working again! I was so frustrated, I purchase another brand DVD player with no problems. I sent back the JVC player recently (which happen to sit in storage for awhile - almost in the trash) hope to see it soon so I can sell it! Please don't buy this player, there are other brands which are more reliable. I normally don't brand bash but after two bad instances I had to tell all the consumers.

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Excellent picture, sound, 5:1 ratio. Versetility for video outputs. Looks, ( like all the lights).

Remote, it does not support VCR. Unlit buttons.
No five free DVD's or rentals :(

First I have a Kenwood 2080 amp. Yamaha SW90 power sub woofer. Rated at 100 watts. I use monster cables gold tip. ($45.00 for two). One Canton passive sub woofer at 150 watts. I have Bose shelf speakers rated at 80 watts. And last JBL surround speakers, 60 watts. Ok there mixed & when I can afford to upgrade the rears, I will.
I use optical (digital) & s-video on a 32" RCA tv. It's important to mention ALL components involved. That way we can get a good piture of whats involed. Now, I have not had any where the amount of trouble as I have read. The matrix skiped on one chapter on the second time I played it. It corrected it's self the next day & never a problem since. I have Last action hero, US Marshel, Dracula ( Braums), Spawn, Assassins, Heat & a whole lot more & just no problems. They sound & looks great!
I hear a lot about Arlinton road, you know what...I hear about the same DVD on other players too. I can't help but wonder if there is a issue with that movie. Sadly, I have not had a chance to check out "DTS". I need to know if what is said, is true.
Dollar wise, I paid $300 at Best Buy. Just wish it was a bit cheaper.
The only reason I have been thinking about trading it back is because JVC discontinued there rebate Aug 29' 99. I missed it by six days. I wanted the five dvd's & thirteen rentals. I think I'll just keep what I got.
Over all, I would give it a 4.5. But, I don't have that choice below.

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none.

Great Picture Quality

Audio Drop-out, Disk Freezes

I purchased this product right after Christmas last year ('98). Considering the amount of usage (5 - 10 movies viewed per week, more than 100 titles total, rented and purchased), I have had relatively few problems. I have experienced some of the well-known problems such as audio drop-out and disks freezing up ("Babe" "Enemy of the State" and a couple of others, though no problems with the infamous "Cruel Intentions" DVD rented from Netflix). These "freezes" could only be resolved by unplugging the DVD player.

I have also had some menu problems with other DVDs ranging from minor ("The Matrix") to serious ("Forces of Nature", unable to access the special features, menu loops indefinitely). All of the disks in question played with no problems on my computer DVD-ROM drive, so I attribute the problem to the unit itself and not "bad" disks. I have not yet tried the "fix" listed on this site, though I may if I have any further problems.

All that being said, almost a year later, I would still purchase this DVD player again, given the currently available choices. My overall experience with JVC has always been good (we own a JVC Receiver, VCR, CD Player and TV). I have never dealt directly with JVC customer service, so I can't evaluate in that regard. The picture and sound quality of this unit, as well as ease of use and value for $, outweigh the few problems I've had.

Excellent sound and picture quality, the design and mechanics are resillient (made to last) and is packed with features that are actually usefull.

Had problems with only one disk (Arlington Rd)

As far as most of the other reviews I have read here, I think that the 501-BK is getting an unfair shake. I can understand that it is frustrating when you experience freezing or lock-up when trying to play a movie, but the important thing to remember is that not all DISKS are created equal! I am an avid movie watcher and have played about a hundred titles on my 501-BK and only one has caused me problems is Arlington Road. The Matrix played fine, as well as some of the other "Flagged" titles I have read about. The problem is with the regional coding on the discs. If you are experiencing a picture freeze after playing one of these titles, simply (1) power down (2)press open to remove the disc and power down again (3) simultaneously press the "on screen" and "title" buttons on the front of the player (not the remote) (4) while still holding the buttons unplug the player, then plug it back in after a couple secs (5) as you let go of the buttons, you will see JC3 Test on the front panel (the intro screen will be black, but the image of the disc/tray and arrow will appear). (6) When it does, press "enter" on the remote and the "resume" light will appear (7) Power down (8) When you turn it back on the player will be reset and you should be able to again play your "normal" discs, and quite possibly the discs that gave you trouble. Enjoy your JVC DVD player!

Excelent picture and sound...when it plays...

Won't play some discs. Will not access special features on some discs. "dies" after attempting to read some DVD tittles.

In a nut shell, I would have given this unit five stars just one month ago. Unfortunately, the saying, "only time will tell", applies here. All the bad atributes I've read in the reviews posted here are true. If only I knew about Audioreview.com before I blew $300.00, what seemed like a bargain for a great looking player at the time. Remember, it's what's inside that counts. That's a difficult rule to follow given a number of factors. Included in those factors...all the great things JVC has to boast about,
on their website in regards to their products.

Purchased Jan. 99. Have played a hundred titles and found ONE that had picture problems (pixellation at layer switch on Robocop Criterion Collection). Bought a Dolby Digital/DTS receiver (JVC RX888VBK) a couple weeks ago. So far, no problems with digital sound except weak center speaker levels. Note there is a setup option for "downmix" that will disable analog audio if used incorrectly. Good set of features, the "onscreen" menu is handy but I wish it had one button repeat fuctions. Remote buttons must be pressed deliberately and with authority to work correctly. Ditto the joystick. Picture quality is excellent. No complaints here.

This player is the best out there. After auditioning a sony, toshiba, and panasonic, I would have to say this is the best available for a reasonable price. It's a sexy looking piece of gear, and has tons of features.

I just want to discount some incorrect comments regarding this player. It does NOT support 24-bit/96KHz (Super Audio) decoding. Only 20/96 downsampling.
This player has some great features, including the best GUI I've seen yet. It lets you continue watching the movie in a window while making adjustments. However the player will not let you access the menu or special features on Lethal Weapon 4, crashing on any attempt.

If you don't care about 100% disc compatibility, coax digital out, 24/96 decoding. This is the player for you.

The 4 free movies pretty much suck, so trade what you don't like in (don't open them!),

Entry Level player, year introduced

Piece of JUNK... I'm losing respect for JVC

This player has turned into a worthless heap of metal right about after a year of use. Can now not make it through 20 MINUTES of playing.

At first, the player was fine, although not extremely high-powered. I didn't have any major complaints, and it even played stronger DVDs like the Matrix. Then I bought Terminator 2 and it freaked out and repeatedly froze up. I lent T2 to a friend, who played it fine, so it's not the DVD. I followed the EEPROM reset procedure, but it happened again, on a disc that has worked previously. Every time I reset the EEPROM it just gets worse.

If used after being turned off, it malfunctions after 30 minutes of play. If warm from any use or just left in idle, it's even less. The disc freezes, I get squeals from the noise, and "pixelation".

I've tried various DVD's, the EEPROM reset, and cleaning, with NO positive results. I will contact JVC, but based on these reviews expect no help. JVC will just lose one more customer here, unless they work to resolve this HUGE problem. Please contact me to join the class-action. One last thing--this guy below who "comments" that we should have known to do this EEPROM reset *before* using the unit is a moron. It is not even close to being mentioned in any manual or instruction for the unit, and we wouldn't even know about the procedure except for someone who somehow found an obscure link on the JVC website. And I'm supposed to "discover" all this *before* I use it?

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