great sound and picture

like so many unfortunate souls, I have one that gave up the ghost!!!!

This Onkyo was great while it was working. It had perfect picture and sound, and at the time I thought the quality was top notch. I own many Onkyo products, and I even bought an Onkyo receiver for my dad a few years back. After four months of beuatiful playback, my player, like so many other 601's began to refuse to play any discs. I took it in for service three times, and still the damn thing doesn't work! I'll never buy another Onkyo product!!! Read all the stories of woe on this site, and steer clear of this wretched piece of crap!

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer, Toshiba

sturdy built, great picture & sound

Poor remote control.

If I have a chance to buy a DVD unit, I will not get this model again. It seems like a good deal but the cost of maintaining it is too high. I bought it from UBid in May but it broke down in less than 3 months. I had it fixed in New York. Now it runs ok but I do not know how long will it last. This unit sometimes can not read disc even though DVD have been loaded it. Loading a disc takes a while.Fast forward is fast (good). It works great when everything is working. sound coming out of it is excellent. Too bad, It is not a good design in fuction like disc mechanical rotation (too noisy).No shuffle function and it can not read discs from positions to 6 to 1.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba SD3109

Video, sound.

Everything else.

This is the only piece of equipment that I've ever bought that I regret buying. It does not play CD-R or CD-RW's, I didn't think this was a big deal, because I was not using it as a CD player, and my player already plays these disks. Then I thought it'd be nice if I could burn some video CD's, but alas, no playback! I hate the remote. This thing is a huge piece of crap. The buttons are too small, and they're all the same size and shape. You can't tell what does what in the dark because of this. It's also square, huge, and UGLY. It's white, yellow, and bluish purple! I figured that I'd replace the remote with my receiver or TV remote, but the Onkyo DVD codes they have won't control my player! I can't even get rid of the damn thing! The player itself is loud playing and changing disks. It skimps on functionality, hell, a friend of mine bought a player for nearly half the price that does more at the same time I bought this! I should have done more research, but I figured that in this price range, from a company like Onkyo, I couldn't go wrong! What a mistake.

Similar Products Used:

None

Good sound quality I guess, and picture

Spinning is loud, lousy remote, no random disc play

Wow, This unit has done nothing but make me mad about buying it. Was I stupid for not reading the reviews first. I thought it was a no brainer (How the fuck can they screw up a DVD Changer). No random disc play, terrible remote, and it's loud as hell. Late at night when I want to watch a movie you can hear the DVD spinning over the sound which you shouldn't be able to hear at all I believe for a DVD-player in this price range. This is ridiculous, and not what I have expected out of Onkyo. I love my Onkyo-787 receiver, but this DVD-601 is a piece of crap.

Similar Products Used:

Samsung and Panasonic DVD players

When it worked, I was very happy. Used it spaingly for the last 12 months and now it says that there is no disc. Of course, it is 1 month out of warranty and Circuit City says too bad (not their fault that I would not buy the overpriced warranty)

Does not work

It would be great if it would read CDs or DVDs. Can not enjoy if it does not work.

I unplugged overnight and it worked for 30 minutes.

I have owned Onkyo products for 25 years and have given my kids Onkyo receivers and CD players (3 kids).

My first receiver lasted 20 years!

Based on the other reviews I see, Onkyo should be well aware of the problems with this unit

Audio and video quality

The remote

I give this component very high marks for performance first of all. Excellent video reproduction, the enhanced black feature really enhances movie viewing, and the audio is fantastic. Initial examination upon removing the unit from the box gave the impression of a very solid build. The front panel controls have a solid feel and sound when pressed; continuing the feel of solidity. Along with that, the unit has a good weight to it. I did have to add "custom ventilation" to a beautiful entertainment cabinet to accomodate the unit's depth, but it's the second component I've had to do that for; my receiver required some additional trunk room as well. If you're looking for high performance audio, you're likely not always going to find diminuitive components. Setup was easy, plug it in, attach the S-video cable and the fiber optic cable then plug it in. The unit just barely fit, but looks very at home with the NAD and h/k components it accompanies.
As a weakness, the remote is the most glaring. That is why they created universal remotes. I have one that operates my whole theater system; (it was necessary since the h/k remote also left a little something to be desired--guess I'm not having a good year for remotes)
Other complaints I've heard such as random play had little consequence for me, my NAD player does it, but I never use the function anyway. Those who found the size to be a problem remember; quality audio does not come in the smallest packages.
Overall, I am extremely pleased. This unit delivers clear, full bodied warm sound when playing CDs, something my other DVD players did not do very well. Movie sound and video are both tremendous and a noticeable improvement over previous players.
The system as it stands is:
h/k AVR310
Onkyo DV-C601
NAD CD-513
B&W 'Rock Solid' front & rear
B&W center
JBL PB-12 sub

Similar Products Used:

First DVD changer.
NAD CD-513 CD changer
Philips single drawer DVD, Proscan PS8680Z (previous players)

Reliability, Quiet, Great

Cannot play CDRs and CDRWs. Not-progressive scan. Onkyo only offers 1 year parts and labor warranty.

I have owned this product for over 1 1/2 years, and I have never had a problem with it. I highly recommend it to those who are looking for a DVD/CD changer as long as they know it cannot play CDRs and CDRWs. I just got a HDTV monitor so I'm going to have to upgrade to a progressive scan DVD. Unfortuntately, Onkyo's new progressive scan model includes audio decoding and is high-end /high priced.

Excellent picture and sound quality
Top notch build
Quite operation
Coax and optical digital outs

The remote SUCKS!!!!!!
The remote SUCKS!!!!!!
The remote SUCKS!!!!!!

Overall the DV-C601 is a superb unit. The player has the Toshiba platform, customized slightly for Onkyo. This means excellent picture quality (in terms of color, resolution, and clarity.) The build quality is top notch (which is typical of everything Onkyo builds.) I've owned this player for a lttle over a year, and I've had zero!!! problems with my player. Since I am a movie fanatic, I really enjoy the three step variable zoom.
My major complaint is the f***ing remote-it's not backlit, the keys are way to small, and the remote is not logically laid out. Even after a year I still have to periodically turn on the lights during the movie, just to find a specific button-ARGHHH!!!! Shame on Onkyo for such a crappy remote!!!!! My other major beef is that this unit does not play CD-R's or CD-RW's. In all fairness though, most DVD players don't. All in all this is the best DVD player out there in it's class, and is the player I have been the most satisfied with out of the several I have owned. I do have to deduct a star for the lousey remote.
All audio components of good or better quality should come with fully backlit, logically designed remotes!!!!

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba, Sony, Pioneer

Features, Picture and Sound Quality.

Will not play CD-R

This is the 3rd DVD player that I've owned. As my DVD collection grew the desire for the convienence of a changer coupled with the rapid fall in prices lead me to this unit. As others have noted, this is a deep unit and required re-arrangement of my audio equipment to accommodate the space it requires.

The unit appears to be solidly constructed and is well equipped with connections for audio/video options. This unit provides an excellent picture and I have experianced none of the problems that others have encountered with movies like The Matrix and Terminator 2.

The most pleasant suprise was the audio quality of this unit. It is nearly as good as my Adcom Changer and better than my old Harmon Kardon FL8550. The only problem is that it will no play any of my CD-R discs. This is not a big issue as I can play them in my CD changer.

There are a few quirks with this unit like its lack of a random play feature or that it stops after the end of each CD/DVD, but for the price of this unit and its features, its hard to beat.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer DV525, Panasonic A300

Overall fit and finish, clean appearance, outstanding audio and video quality

Can't play dual layer DVD's or CDR's; hangs up frequently; too deep for entertainment center due to 6-disk carousel chassis design

Purchased the brand new Integra version of this player (the newly released DPC 6.1). I wanted a DVD player with CD-audio capabilities that were acceptable. This player blew away my expectations in that regard. Furthermore, like most Onkyo products, its fit and finish are impeccable. The zoom features were also nice. However, it's fate has been sealed; I'm returning it to the dealer tomorrow.

There are two serious problems and two minor issues:

SERIOUS PROBLEMS:
1.) It constantly pauses/skips frames on all DVD media. Needless to say, it's very embarassing when I try to show off my new player to someone that bought their unit at Wal-Mart and it chokes!!!
2.) It won't play dual layer DVD's (e.g. Special Edition of Terminator 2). It freezes every 10 minutes or so. (Note: This was true for multiple new, dust-free, scratch-free, dual layer discs.) In fact, you have to stop the player, eject the disc and reload it in order to get the player to recognize the presence of the DVD itself. (Note: To avoid further embarassment, I use my cheap (and reliable) Sony when I am entertaining guests.) Furthermore, the salespeople who sold me the unit swear that the DVD's must be scratched or flawed. "It can't be the player." Well, there are two problems with that logic. One, the cheap Sony works just fine on the same discs. Two, if you plan to rent (vs. buy) DVD's, the player must be robust enough to handle very mild scratches. What good is better sound and picture quality if you have to get up all the time and restart the movie?

MINOR ISSUES:
1.) It is a BIG player. It's too deep. In fact, it won't fit in my entertainment center. I can no longer close the cabinet doors.
2.) For the most part, it does not play CD-R's. Therefore, it doesn't work well as a CD-changer for parties. This eliminates one of the major incentives to buy a DVD-changer in the first place.

Therefore, what I am going to do is keep using my cheap Sony DVD unit (e.g. DVP-S360) for DVD's and buy a Denon CD Changer (e.g. DCM-370) for the Rec. Room. This solution will allow me to play most DVD's, all CD-R's, meet my CD audio quality requirements, and I won't feel bad scrapping the cheap DVD player when a far superior model comes out in 6 months. I thought the DPC 6.1 would be just such a player...I was wrong...

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha DVD-C900 (big bucks, but a piece of $h!# for most DVD's); Sony DVP-S360 (el cheapo, but very reliable)