NON

Reliability, poor customer service...Do not buy this or any other JVC product !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I purchased this product just over a year ago.
It worked fine for the first 3-4 months..then..it started to lock up on me (would not respond). My mistake was not taking it in for service right then and there. It would lock up on me about every third time and I would literally have to pull out my entertainment center to disconnect the power to it so it would re-set itself. This has been going on since, then last week I turned it on and the dvd drawer would open about an inch then shut and repeat this non- stop, again I have to disconnect it to get it to stop.
I finally said enough and took it to Goodguys (where I bought it) and they wanted to charge me close to $200. to fix it. I only paid $399. for the unit so now I am stuck with a (not repaired) piece of SH_T !!!! I will never buy a JVC product nor do I recommend anyone else to. Nor will I ever shop at GOODGUYS ever again for selling such CRAP!
By the way, if anyone in managment at Goodguys reads this, I am a very big consumer of electronic (thousands a year) ...so it IS a loss to your company.

Its no longer in my HT setup

It used to be

See post below.

Well, I've been told by the service tech that the problem is the "optical block". Luckily, I'm still under warranty. The damn thing has a manufactured stamp of "May 1999" on the back and I sent it in in April.

Question: Will the new block permanently solve the problem? Or will the new one also only work for a few months then crash?

I put a memo out to 100 people in our office warning them not to buy JVC. I also trash it to my HT loving friends. Too bad I still have their TV.

If JVC at least admitted to the defect, I wouldn't be mad. Instead, they make it sound like a problem unique to my unit. What a bunch of BS!!!

Similar Products Used:

Real Player, fisher price wall projection system, animated flip books

Good picture and sound quality. Intuitive interface (and all buttons from remote mirrored on unit!)

Reliability. Inability to read some Sony Music DVD titles.
Also, doesn't always pick up 5.1 by default and reverts to pro-logic on some titles.

I don't really have any problems with the remote, like some users, so count me out of that arguement. I DO however have qualms with the reliability of this product.

This product has a 90 LABOR and 1 year parts warranty. TWO DAYS before the warranty was set to expire on the LABOR portion of the warranty, the unit dies. Any disc that that is insrted reports "No Disc." We take it to an authorized JVC dealer who says the optical reader is DOA. Not what I like to hear on a unit that is ONLY 3 months old!

Overall, the unit has performed well over these last 3 months -- before it's sudden death. I have 13 DVD's that have all played without a problem, and have rented numerous more (2 a week for three months). The picture quality has been good, and the sound is good. However I CANNOT recommend this unit because of the relaibility problem I have had, and after reading the other reviews, I think there is a definte pattern.

One other things to note: ANY Sony Music DVD (Including Mariah Carey "Ones" -- don't ask) WILL NOT PLAY. It takes the disc and then immiediatly spits it out. No message to let one know what is wrong! My Pioneer DVD player accepts it without a problem, as has my friends Sony. the discs are not defective, the player is! Way to go JVC!

Another thing to remember, if you value customer support -JVC Phone and Web support is NON-EXISTENT. I WILL NEVER buy ANOTHER JVC PRODUCT AGAIN!

You don't know how upset it makes me to give a one-star rating. I usually pride myself in doing my homework on my hifi purchases. Learn from me, please -- Stay Away from JVC!

Similar Products Used:

Panasonic and Pioneer DVD players. Used friends Sony DVD player.

Multiple features
Friendly Price

Poor Customer Service
Enter on Joystick barely responds
Unit dies just outside of warranty
No digital coax out
Will not read some CD-Rs or CD-RWs

DO NOT BUY THIS LEMON!!! This unit is designed to rip you off. Your screen will freeze eventually. Your remote joystick will never press enter on the first try. Your unit will eventually not read many new DVDs or CDs you just bought.

HERE IS JVC'S SCAM
Whether it is refurbished, new, or used, this unit will die just after the warranty deadline.

You will then visit the JVC Repair Center in your area.

An estimate just to look at one of their own products costs $25.

After 1-2 weeks of review, the repair center will then alert you of your need for a new "optical assembly". This part costs $250 alone. Labor costs an additional $100. (cost to repair $350, price you paid to purchase unit $300, What a strange coincidence that it costs more to repair it than to buy a new one.)

However, if you don't like the estimate, they will return the unit for the price of the estimate $25. This part was particularly bothersome for 3 reasons.
1)you need to trust that their estimate is valid so that you don't feel like you just gave up on a $300 player
2) if you take the unit back you need to hope that they don't screw anything else up or take or replace your parts with inferior ones.
3) if you do leave it with them, and the damage is valid, you need to hope that it doesn't hit the market again as a refurbished product that will end up with the same problems (ask my best friend)

I bought the unit which worked great for several months. He bought a refurb based on my review. A month after he bought his, my unit started skipping. 6 months after he bought his, after the refurb warranty expired, his unit had the same trouble freezing on several new DVDs. When he talked to the repairman at JVC, he was told the optical assemble was broken but he should bring it in to be sure. Why would anybody asked to be paid $25 to give the same damage report? Because if they didn't, they wouldn't get to either take your $25, or your unit.

It is no coincidence there are so many bad reviews here. You don't blame the record for a broken record player. You don't blame the consumer for being cheated out of his money.

My first major purchase ever was a JVC boombox. But I will never buy JVC again.

My other audio components were a Kenwood VR-309 DTS receiver w/5.1 speakers, and a 27" Sony Television.

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Creative Labs 8X Encore PC-DVD

i bought the jvc 501 about 6 months ago. the remote is does not work the way it should (problems with enter button). other than that i have had no problems with it. i have it hooked up to a mitsubishi 35" TV. (the tv has an annoying hum-----if anyone can help me fix this please email me joharv@ptd.net). i was running the sound through a cheap kenwood pro-logic receiver. but i have a new jvc 888 on order.

i may re-evaluate this review after my new receiver shows up.

Overall, a very nice machine, especially for fans of JVC's CompuLink system.

Failure of JVC to include EEPROM reset information in the manual.

JVC makes fairly good stuff, though certainly not audiophile level. But this DVD player works well and has enough bells and whistles to satisfy a movie buff.

Sadly, JVC failed to tell users that the machine may periodically need to be reset, possibly after attempting to play a bad disc (scratched, poorly manufactured, or regional encoding problems).

The reset procedure is fairly simple, and others in this section explain it. For those who don't make it through all of these reviews, the quick answer is at

http://www.jvcservice.com/custrel/XV501reset.htm

If you have to do this reset, remember you will also have to reset your preferences, because this unit defaults to PCM audio instead of Dolby Digital.


Although now superseded by later models, the 501 is a good machine, and if you find it on a clearance shelf, go for it!

Good price for the features. Looks good.

Locks up, pic and sound messes up. Clumsy remote.

Always like JVC products but this leaves me questioning them. Is there a good dvd player that don't have probs? I'm just disappointed with this model. I can't even finish a movie without it messin up! I tried the reset EEPROM trick ...it didn't work. Now I have to send it in to see if they can fix it. I hope so.

Similar Products Used:

None

All the extra features, picture quality is ok

Way too may gliches!! freeze-ups, inconsistance, very poor customer service from JVC

Purchased the thing about a year ago and immediately took it back and was given a brand new unit. Never the less the new unit performed poorly! I have heard Horror stories from several other users of this product and the general consensus is that this thing is better left at the store!! Regretfully the unit sits on my TV stand waiting to embarrase me in front of friends and family. My advice, go with a brand that maybe offers less features but gives you flawless, reliable performance. C'mon JVC!! get your act together...Im sure you'll lose lots of points and respect on this one!

Great picture and sound

Occasional freezups

This DVD player is my first. I think the picture and
sound quality are outstanding. I did have problems with
pixilation and freezups and even one disk shut down the
DVD player. I used the reset feature (as posted here) to
get things going again. I sent the unit in for a chipset
upgrade (parts under warrantee, I had to pay for the labor),
and it took about 7 weeks to get it back. This did not make
me happy! The service center stated that there was a problem
getting parts. I've had it back for about a month now and
have not had a single freezup or any pixilation at all. I
have my dvd player connected to jvc 1028 receiver, and
infinity (rs3, cc3, bu120) speakers and the system shakes
the house! I have the Eagles "Hell Freezes Over" DTS audio
disk and it plays with no problems. I've NEVER heard such
great quality sound. I would consider buying JVC again
especially if they have a progressive scan player. I am
VERY disappointed in the service delays.

If anyone is having problems with their unit, I suggest
getting the chipset upgrade. Money well spent.

Similar Products Used:

None

Good menus. Lots of features. Picture quality and sound are weel above average

Anybody that owns it knows the unit freezes when playing back discs with special functions. The enter button on the remote is also flaky. JVC customer service does not want to recognize the problem. They will tell you it is a bad disc even though it worked on EVERY other machine at the Best Buy.

DO NOT BUY THIS UNIT. SEE MY EMAIL (UNANSWERED) TO JVC CUSTOMER RELATIONS BELOW
I discovered a flaw with this model DVD player. It will lock-up when I attempt to access some special features. Currently this only happened on still pictures available on the "The Evil Dead:Collector's Edition".

The error is exhibited by clicking Bonus Material.Still Picture Gallery.Begin Tour. The first picture will show then the controls freeze. The power and eject buttons will not even work. The only way to regain control is to unplug the unit for a few seconds. Other functions of the DVD seem to work fine.

To ensure this was not random to my player, I tried several machines at the Best Buy, Fayetteville, NC where I purchased the player in June 99. Adam, salesman, assisted me with the test. The disc performed flawlessly on Sony, Toshiba, and Pioneer players. However it continued to vex the JVC product. To ensure that this was not just a bad disc, I even tried a different disc of the same title. Once again the XV-501 failed. It reasons that this is a defect with the JVC player.

Now, I truly have enjoyed JVC products for many years. In fact my entire home theater system is anchored around your products. I have your TV, two VCR's, and a camcorder. My next move is to get your Receiver this Christmas. This is the first time that any JVC equipment has not performed up to par and I hope that you will take care to handle this situation quickly.

Since, I am beyond the 30 day return period at Best Buy, my next recourse is for JVC to replace the unit or repair it.

Similar Products Used:

Several Sony and RCA DVD players.