when video plays it does fantastic

The stupid thing only plays ceratian DVD's!

I am furious with this so-called DVD player! wouldn't the name imply that it actually plays the DVD's that you buy!
I am so sick and tired if returning DVD's that I buy because they won't play! when I called customer service about it, They said "Sorry, we can't help you we can only give you an address to write to" Address to write to!?
forget that! that's the last philips product I'll purchase!
If your reading this I would advise you to not make that mistake!

Similar Products Used:

RCA, Sony,

Features

Cant use the features

When I purchased this DVD player it was great, but when I
Tried to play any of the NEW DVDs,the player would just freeze untill I unplugged it from the wall. Philips/Magnavox
DID, I repeat DID repair the DVDs for free but now they have turned their backs on their own product and will not fix it!! A customer Rep by the name of "Victor H" said they will give me a "refurbished" dvd for $125.00 If send them my old DVD player!!! I can buy a NEW DVD player for that amount and have a 500.00 Broken one for a door stop!I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER Philips/Magnavox product again. Unless I need another door stop.

Similar Products Used:

TV

Does it matter???

Eats DVDs seems to be any DVD with DTS format on the disk

Same problems as many others on this site! Will not play and eats certain DVDs (at least until unplugged several times)!!!

Talked to Philips and will replace my unit for $129 which is more than I paid for my newest DVD player to replace the Philips piece of c__p.

Anyone thought about suing those bstrds!!!

Need I say I won't buy any Philips/Magnavox product again??!

Similar Products Used:

Zenith

Not really a review of the 850AT. I just wanted to thank John for the tip about the free upgrades. I have an 815AT, which I was expecting to have to replace, despite every feature I'm concerned with already being in the unit (and despite the fact that I would have to spend at least $200 to get a similar unit, minus zoom feature, etc.). I called the number John listed, and was told that the service center should be able to upgrade any Philips Magnavox model to the latest firmware, so I've just sent my 815 off. Now I can take the cash saved and put it toward the receiver upgrade I've been saving for.

i bought this on sale at Compusa for 299. it came with 2 dvds. for the price, it is feature packed. built in dolby digital, dts output, excellent controls of dolby digital parameters, all gold plated rca connectors, component/S/composite video outputs all present, universal remote, black level enhancement, zoom functions, remote locating beeps. i am using it with nak dd ready receiver, sony 32v tv, paradigm speakers- picture quality is great-no complaints- no audio or video problem so far. i think it is a second gen or early third generation player. i dont think there is a better deal out there right now.

nice picture and sound

won
won't play some disks, worthless jog shuttle

I also bought this from 800.com back in March for $400. The picture and the sound is very nice. However, there are several disks that this will not play. In addition to the ones mentioned before, Alien and the InsideDVD #3 will not play also. I think there maybe a couple more. The player will play CD-RW but will not play CD-R. I would have thought that it would be the other way around.

don't know

don't know

I just recieved shipment on my 850 player after winning a bid for the model 825 on eBay. I didnt feel like going through the hassle of returning it so I decided that I would just deal with it. I set it up to find it would not play the new dvd's I had. After doing some research, I found this site. I contacted Philips and ascertained the number of the service center in PA because that would be closest for me. They told me they do not do the upgrade anymore and I would have to contact customer service again. They then directed me to the main service center in Knoxville, Tenn. They said that they would do the fix for free so I sent it out. Hopefully it will cure the problem. I wanted to thank those who put the info on this site. It was a big help...well so far. I'll keep you posted.
P.S. I got some aftermarket remote, any suggestions?

Similar Products Used:

Philips tv's, cd rom's and writers.

Inexpensive alternative to Toshiba 3108

DVD incompatibility

I've enjoyed this player for over a year now, and it has served me well. The built in DD decoder works flawlessly, and the machine has held up well mechanically. It palys all the cdr's I have tried, by the way.

My biggest gripe is the recent string of incompatible dvds. For soem reason, in the last 2-3 months, I've discovered my 850AT will not play certain disks, usually less known, minor publisher disks (e.g., Kathy Smith Kickboxing, Beany and Cecil. Sarah Plain and Tall disk 2). These disks play fine on other machines.

The problem is Toshiba has a free firmware fix for these incompatiblities on the 3108. Of course, the 850AT is a rebadged 3108, but Philips is not offering to upgrade the firmware. No support whatsoever. If your looking to buy a dvd player, buy the latest generation machine, even if you can get an older machine at a better price. Its very frustrating to not be able to play certain dvds.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba 3108

I bought this unit about 2 months ago from 800.com. It was priced at $399, and I got 5 movies for free with it. Space Jam and Batman & Robin came free in the box. With their $50 in free movies I elected to get Air Force One, Blade, and Godzilla, which I think I ended up spending $1 each on. Not too shabby. 800.com shipped it all free 3-day Select UPS. It arrived on time, was packaged well, and was an overall joyous experience of letting go of $402 of my hard earned cash.
The unit itself has been flawless since I've had it. The video quality is nice, and the onboard decoder has a nice sound. I'm pairing the DVD850 with the Dolby Digital Ready receiver that came with my Kenwood HTB-201 kit. Poor man's Home Theater to the max! :)

The layout of the remote leaves a little to be desired, but has every fuction you could want on it. After getting used to it, i've found it to be a pleasant remote. Something along the lines of what comes with the JVC-501/701 players would be a little nicer IMO. The setup menu of the DVD850 is well laid out and easy to navigate. The only thing I wish is that I could change the levels of the center and surround channels from within the DVD850, but it's not possible. At least I haven't seen it. My receiver's cheapness is showing a little in this regard, since I cannot access it's center/surround level setup while the receiver is set to 6ch-DVD input. I'd like it if I could actually listen to the movie while I changed the levels. Oh well. Small gripe for the price i've paid for the total setup. :)

The most important feature I love about this unit is that I've NEVER had a problem with ANY title i've tried to play. I own about 35 DVDs now, and have rented most likely 60 since I've had the player, and never ONCE has any flaw been a fault of the player. One title, At First Sight, was locking up near the end of the movie. It turned out that the disc just needed a quick wipe with a CD wipe. All was fine. This is the single most important feature to me, and it has passed with flying colors. I really feel for the people posting to forums and newsgroups having problems with certain players and certain titles. I've seen zero artifacts, sound dropouts, sound syncing problems, or lockups that were fault of the player itself. Bravo to Philips for what seems to be a very title-compatible player. I feel that with the great audio/video quality, and the what seems to be unfaultering title compatibility so far, this is a damn good player.

Welp, I've gone on long enough. If you're looking for a player with a decoder onboard, I would have no problem recommending the Philips DVD850 from my experience with it. Now, I must go watch something. :)

Picture Quality, Ease of Use, CDR/CDR-W Compatibility

DTS support seems flakey

I like this player, but since it's my first, I haven't much to compare it to.

I've been using it for over 2 years and so far it's been great with one exception. While most of my DTS titles work without any trouble, I have one title that hangs when I attempt to access the DTS track. It's "The Ultimate DVD: Platinum Ed.". If I try to play a DTS Audio sample from the setup DVD the player hangs and has to be powered down and back up to get it working again. Upgrading the firmware didn't seem to help.

I thought it was the dvd for a long time until a friend recently setup his own DTS sound system. When I played the DVD on his Panasonic player the DTS tracks played flawlessly. If You are into DTS audio, I'd pass on this player and buy something a little newer.

Similar Products Used:

None