Progressive scan video, internal DD & DTS decoding, I also like the jog/shuttle wheel on the remote.

Everything else about the remote (I have a Philips Pronto so the remote isn't really an issue).

I decided on this unit over other prog-scan players because of the 5.1 output and on-board DTS decoding. I am mating this with my Outlaw 1050 receiver and the only way to get 6.1 surround with DTS encoded material is to decode at the DVD player and use the Outlaw's 5.1 direct (analog) inputs. So far this has been a good match.

As far as video is concerned, I am very happy with this unit. It is mated to my NEC VT540 XGA projector displaying on a 7.1' wide 16:9 gray screen. There is a scene in Gladiator just before the final fight between Maximus and Comodus where the camera pans across the coliseum. The rose petals on the ground look horrible through my trusty Toshiba 2109. I love my 2109 - it has served me very well since I bought it. However, it is a non-prog player - the difference in this scene is night and day. The rose pedals now look like, well, rose pedals.

Have not yet tried the DVD Audio - this is just a bonus as far as I'm concerned. (I ordered Blue Man Group's "Audio" DVD-A title. Should be here today.)

At the price this thing is a steal. I highly recommend this unit for anyone in the market for a sub $1K player.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba 5109, Pioneer 434

This is an update on my February review. Mine does not have the quality control problems several others have experience. I have now looked at it for a considerable time and using component out. Great picture. Tips for those who do experience problems: the remote does sometimes fail to control the unit, give it air to breathe by raising it up on spacers and or place a metal objects on top to drain away some of the heat. If progressive video has lines or flaws that come and go, change the type of processing to SMART. This causes very good switching between film and video in the same film. Or use film OR video if you clearly know the content of the disc. The other modes get tricked out when a film also has video in it or was edited using video machines 15 Minutes is such a film. If the machine acts up, turn it off, pull the power cord and leave it sit overnight. Many of these new computer chip controlled gadgets get their brains scrambled, and need to have all power removed to reset themselved.

Loses it mind once in while. See above

Good bang for the buck, especially since the price is now down to $300 or less.

Progrssive output, DVD audio

At this juncture potential problems in progrssive mode.

i just purchased a Hitachi 43 inch rear projection digital
ready television and wanted to see for myself in my own home
the benefits of progrssive 480P output to a difital monitor.
So far I am not unhappy with the picture although I can say
that I have read reviews of other progressive players suggesting that 480P is "almost indistinguisable" from a true 1080I HDTV source. I do not see this as being true.
480P is a little cleaner with better color saturation and overall is better than 480I but it aint 1080i. Most 1080i
demos I have seen are immediately recognizable as the creme
de la creme of pictures. Anyway I have noted some problems
with the JVC in only two days of usage concerning its progressive output. I am trying to determine if the problems are incompatibility between the player and certain DVD releases or an actual hardware problem. when playing Galdiator in progressive mode in any of the five progressive
options outlined iin the owners manual I noted several instances where the movie blacked out for a few seconds or more and then cleared up. The audio continued clearly and pristine during these blackouts. The first occurred just
as the movies menu selection screen is about to come up. The
black out lasted about three seconds and then cleared up.
In chapter 11 "Battle in chains" a quick blacout occurred
just before Russell Crowe and his fellow gladiators enter the arena. The quick segment where a hapless gladiator gets
cracked in the skull with a flying ball and chain wielded by
a very large mean looking opponent is blacked out. The audio
remains and one can clearly hear the ball cracking the skull. You miss the actual video of the moment. This did not occur when switching to 480i. In 480i mode the movie was
flawless with no problems of any kind. I am not trashing this player at this time but I am keeping my options open.
Has anyone else experienced this type of issue with Gladiator or any other movies with this player?

Similar Products Used:

Sony and Pioneer non progressive players

OK Picture and lot of feature.

Too many Picture Mode to choose..

Good M/C, lot of features. This is my first progress DVD, I link it up with a Toshiba 56" wide screen TW56X81. Too many picture mode to choose and I just don't have time to try and error. I set it in Auto mode and it looks fine.

Similar Products Used:

Panasonic 310 DVD

Nice picture, cheap price (paid $440cdn), nice zoom

remote is real bad, DVD-A and CD playback very weak. Manual badly written

Friend bought one a feel months back. I was impress with the look of the intrelaced picture and zoom on the unit (he doesnt have PScan TV). Didnt try DVD-A since friend not into music. So when I got my Sony 53HS30 I went shopping for a new DVD. DVD-A would be a bonus. Dint really need one since the DRC in the Sony does a really good job on 480i stuff from my older Toshi DVD. But just had to get a new DVD to go with new TV. Bought the 721BK (black model). Got really good price. Hooked everything up and sat down to do some watching and listening. Well at 1st was impress with picture, real snap to picture. On further investigation, it seems the JCV's whites are boosted a bit. In the Eagle's DVD, Walsh's white shirt was just a uniform white, no ribs were visible except on very closeups (see ribs in the shirt on my old Toshi (480i scaled to 960i by the Sony)and new Pana DVD (480P)players). The picture was pleasent enuf, even thought not 100% dead on. Verified using VE after TV was set up. I could have live with the picture.

Now the downer. The unit sounds OK playing DVD's but just didnt sound good with CD's and DVD-A's. The CD's sounded just like CD's played on most mid price DVD players, loosy. What was a surprise was how DVD-A's sounded. No top end, as if the unit rolled off the top. The demo JVC included just sounded real bad(not good), went out and bought a couple of DVD-A's and it was a little better but not overwelming. Thought DVD-A was crap, heard SACD before and it sounded much better. Then I borrowed a Panasonic RP91D-K and boy its head and shoulder's above the JVC in the audio. The 91D played CD's as well as my CD player, maybe even better. DVD-A sounded alot better, no rolled highs, open sounding, what I would have expected. Return the JVC and kept the Panasonic. Good value for what I paid but not for me.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba, Sony, Panasonic and Denon Prog Scan DVD's

dvd audio, ease of use, progressive scan.

remote has small buttons.

i am still trying to find the "bugs" that a few of my fellow reviewers have found, but to no avail, i just cant. is this to say that the jvc is perfect?, no!, its there first dvd-audio player, so naturally people are going to find problems, example:the first release of dvd players.

on to the important stuff, audio wise this player is great, the channel separation is near-perfect (granted your using good surround equipment) and two-channel is awesome!!, listening to "core" by the stone temple pilots was a vast improvement over c.d. even when played on a high end c.d. player. the bass, mids, and treble were stunning!!!, and as far as what people say about sacd, well i dont see where the superiority lies in sacd, in two channel the dvd audio more than holds its own against the sacd. the only problem that i see that people will complain is in the software itself. some other dvd audios i have purchased do have 2-channel has an option in there menu, even though they clearly state its available on the disc. but as with c.d. the dvd-audio format will take some time to be perfected, but as far as im concerned, this is a fine player for the price!!, and the picture is equal to anything ive seen in its price range. so if you are looking for a good intro dvd audio player, try the jvc, you wont be dissapointed!!

Similar Products Used:

panasonic, sony.

Nice looking exterior, DVD-Audio(!!), progressive scan output (real, unlike Pioneer DV-434), user friendly on-screen display.

The pan and scan feature will not display Gladiator in a full screen on my conventional aspect ratio Mitsubishi projection TV--but that could be common to all players

While maybe not as sharp-looking as the Sony Wega unit, you can find this unit at a very comparable price to it because dealers are really overcharging for the Sony. But this is a good thing because the JVC adds features unheard of in this price range--DVD-Audio and REAL progressive scan. The picture quality between the Sony and JVC were really indistinguishable by eye (test discs may reveal differences, but who watches test discs). Same goes for the audio. So, the difference really boils down to features and build quality. The JVC trounces the Sony on features and the build quality seems rather good. Thus, I have no problem reccomending this unit to anyone willing to spend the higher than average sum of $500 for a DVD player.

Similar Products Used:

Sony DVP-S570

Picture qulaity in progressive scan, DVD-audio

Tendency for digital artifacts, stumbles at times

I've been experimenting with this player for three weeks now. The picture in progressive scan in superior to everything else I've seen except the SONY 9000ES. I've been using a KV32-XBR400 as my monitor. The progressive scan is slightly superior to the built line doubler in the TV.There is slight tendency towards motion artifacts with the JVC that I've noticed after it has been on for while. I've also noticed that it stumbles occaisionally with layer changes. I have been using a SONY DVD-P330 and it seems to handle these better (albeit in interlaced format). This is definitely a player for someone with a digital direct view or rear projection TV. If you have an analog TV there may be better values in DVD players.The audio quality in very, very good. I've tried the demo disc that came with the player and purchased the "Jazz At the Movies" DVD-sudio disc. By the way, DVD-audio software is hard to come by. Most music store clerks gave me blank stares and sent my to the movie section. I did find software at TOWER, after three clerks told me they didn't have any. Anyhow the two I heard are both impressive but to my ears (and within the limitations of the digital processing of my SONY TA-E9000ES preamp) DVD-audio is not as striking as SACD. I also have tried the JVC with a DAD (digital audio disc, strictly 2-channel 96/24 affair), John Faddis "Remembrances". This was actually more impressive. The highs, cymbals and such, sounded quite realistic without any glare. The 723 is a good value at this price. I don't know how it will hold up over the long hual. However, the combination of a very good progressive scan player and DVD-audio at the approximately $600 price point is most attractive. I think I'll keep her!

Similar Products Used:

SONY DVD-P7000, SONY DVD-P330, Pioneer DV-434

Pregressive Scan, DVD-Audio, bass management, attractive, available, video quality

Confusing remote, confusing setup, some DVD's have difficulty playing, middle quality audio.

A lot of player for the buck--especially since it has progressive scan and DVD-Audio. I and others have had difficulty with video on some DVDs. DVD-Audio is good quality, but falls short of being excellent quality. I feel JVC took a $300 DVD player and added progressive scan and DVD-Audio, and doubled the price.

Similar Products Used:

Panasonic A7, Sony 560, and Sony 300.

Progressive Scan capability, High bit sampling rate, dvd-audio.

remote

Awesome Picture. I did not encounter problems with any dvd disks I've played including the "Gladiator" on any setting. The video capability of this player is just outstanding!!! The remote needs some getting used to.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba