super vhs output, component output, and regular rca jack out. Excellent sound on all sources!!! The component out may not seem important now but toshibas new tvs support it and I think it will catch on with other brands. By the way component out is a better form of super vhs. Excellent picture.

noisey startup, no eject button from remote. Also you have to set your sound preference each time the player is used, mine defaults to pro logic everytime.

I really like this player. It has all the video and sound options available right now. I own about 20 discs and about half are dual layer and I have NEVER had the player lock up. I think the other people had old firmware. I also have tried cdrs and cdrws and they both worked fine. For the price you can get online I think this player is a no brainer.

Similar Products Used:

panasonic A120

Very noce and crisp picture. Sound is phenominal. VCD and audio cd is also very good.

Loading mechanism a little noisy.

I bought this unit too from an online auction bid.com for 400 bucks canadian...not bad. It has more features than the panasonic DVD120 and pioneer414.

Similar Products Used:

none

This is just an update from my lasy rview, sorry it ook me so long to get back to it, but i kinda forgot abotu this review until i recentally started reciving many emails about the disc. I did infact recive the firmware upgrade disc in the mail a few days after i called, it just got lost at my campus post office (go figure), once i had the disc in hand i droped it in my machine and five mins later i had a perfecly running DVD player, it freezes no more, ive ran just about every type of DVD on it with no probs, including games like Dragons Lair, and super packed ones like T2:Ultimate Ed. Now i highly reccomend this player, as im sure its price has dropped much more, and also its counter part the dvd950 is great too, its alsmot exact same thing as 940 but has built in surround sound decoding for about the price the 940 was last year. Hope this was helpful if you have anymore questions feel free to email me.

Great value and features for the money

remote control not as simple as older models

So far the audio and video performance has been spectacular. It contains two digital outputs, component out, two analag audio outputs as well. This machine for $299 is a bargain.

Similar Products Used:

pioneer 414, philips 815 , yamaha 7000

excelent video quality and above average sound quality

none

everyone out here,please stop whining !!!!...I sent mine for the upgrade to the regional service center in pensylvania on a monday, and on friday i was already enjoying it. It's perfect now. even my freinds sony 530 had to be upgraded !!! it could happen to any company !..the player is an excelent value...also as someone mentioned in the previous posting, mine does not default to pro-logic ! it's always on "all" bitsteam.

clean audio, very sharp picture

layer freeze out of the box, lack of customer support

This is an excellent dvd player once it is fixed. Saying that however what is the point in getting a DVD player that you have to send in for factory service once it comes out of the box.

As for the comment below "everyone out here,please stop whining !!!! even my freinds sony 530 had to be upgraded !!!
"
I have two comments regarding that :

1. Sony openly admitted there was a problem. Philips do not when you call or email them about it.

2. You could bring the Sony in for service directly to the dealer or they would cover the cost of shipping. With the Phillips you have to send it in for factory service paying for the shipping yourself.

The point here is not that there was a problem, but the way in which Philips is handling it, which is sub par to say the least.

Similar Products Used:

toshiba 1200

Picture Quality

Freezes Up

While I think the picture quality is excellent, the freeze-up problem is extremely irritating. It has occurred on almost half of the movies that I have played so far. I have emailed Philips questioning what is being done to fix the problem and have been ignored. They obviously know that they have a problem and aren't willing to offer a solution.

I find the problem irritating enough to recommend that you don't buy the 940AT. With the lack of commitment to customer satisfaction demonstrated by Philips, I would question whether or not it would be appropriate to buy any of their products. If I had to make the choice again, it wouldn't be Philips.

[I read some of the earlier reviews on this site and thought that they must be exaggerating the freeze-up problem, but they weren't.]

Similar Products Used:

None

excellent picture, sound quality

light weight construction, user malevolent remote control

must be a lucky one, only one problem in 6 months with frame freeze-ups reported by other reviewers (stalled on the scene selection menu in Starship Troopers - perhaps a scratch on a rental disc?)Anyway, for the $200 mail order price I am not complaining - this is a decent entry level unit, great DVD picture and sound quality on conventional CDs that is much sharper than my 10 year old NAD player - just a hint of digital grain and edginess on strings and vocals; hooked up the Toslink output to a Cal Audio Sigma II DAC (last year's model at a closeout price of $300 from a local dealer, NOT the current 24/96 upgrade)- great improvement, the Sigma DAC tube stage dulls the glare and rounds out the sound images - can't process DVD sound but I can run that through the regular audio output for movies. For $500 total I got a great improvement in the sound of my CD collection plus DVD viewing until the next generation 24/96 audio formats get sorted out - meanwhile, anybody out there have any experience with this unit as a CD transport for upsampling DACs like the MSB Link, Bel Canto or Birdland units?

average this out out to 3+ stars (5 for picture, 4+ for sound, 2- for chintzy construction, slow-responding controls and aggrevating remote)

rest of system - Apt Holman preamp & Bryston 2B-LP amp, Monitor Audio speakers, generic Monster Cable wiring, Panasonic 27" TV monitor

Nice picture and sound

freeze, not user upgradeable

I sent my unit to fix the freeze problem. After 3 months and many phone calls, they sent me a refund check of $192 !! They could not fix the freezing problem and they are not willing to give me a newer model. I will think twice before I buy their product in the future.

Good Picture. Plays CD-R and RW.

Slow loading and unloading of media. Noisy little sucker. Irritating delay when button is pressed before mechanisms react.

I bought the Philips DVD-940 primarily to facilitate direct digital connection to my Sony MDS-JB930 (MD Deck)for recording of CDs to MD. I was immediately disappointed with the sound of the Philips DVD-940 when playing CDs, but figured I needed a DVD player for movies. I am not a frequent movie watcher but, what the heck. It does have a good, clear picture and I have only viewed three movies on the unit- Blazing Saddles; A Night at the Roxbury; and, The Thomas Crown Affair. When playing The Thomas Crown Affair, it "freezes" as other reviewers have described. I have not looked into this at all as I rarely watch movies but I feel a little foolish that I simply dismissed this as normal for the unit/movie since it does it precisely at a point that one might think it intentional in the menu of the movie.
Hence my enlightenment courtesy of this web site.

Anyway... I was steered clear of the Sony by the "chain store salesman" because the Sony did not play CD-Rs or RWs and he suggested the Philips over the Pioneer which does play CD-Rs and RWs.

To conclude: I have experienced the Sony and the sound is much better than the Philips. The picture is comparable.
Same with the Pioneer. If you must play CD-Rs and RWs the Pioneer is a better choice than the Philips. If not, I recommend a Sony.

Similar Products Used:

Sony DVD-S530
Pioneer DVD (model?)