This review is for the Sony N700P Progressive DVD player. I used this player for a week with my Panasonic 36HX41 HDTV. The color was too green, picture was too soft (even with the edge sharpenss on the DVD at its highest level), and the 3:2 pull-down was worse than the 3:2 pull down that is built into the Panasonic TV. There was so much pixelation and jaggedness in the image when outputing in progressive mode, that I had to switch it to interlaced and and the TV do the progressive line/frame doubling. The remote that comes with it is also a bad design. My friend that has the Sony 570 DVD player and the remote that comes with it is much better.

I returned the 700P for the Pioneer DV-37 ($700). The picture quality for the Pioneer DVD player is much better. The color looks more natural, the image is not as soft, and the progressive scan in the DV-37 does a much better job than the Sony. There is also many adjustments that you can make to picture settings in the Pioneer that are unavaliable in the Sony. The remote that comes with the DV-37 is also easier to use and has more functions.

Excellent picture, sound, and surround sound effects; easy to hook up.

None that I've found yet.

After reviewing DVD product reviews on the AudioReview and Epinion websites, I purchased the SonyDVP-NS400D DVD player for $218.00 at Circuit City on 12/26/01. It was easy to hook up and provides an outstanding picture as well as sound. I connected it to my 8 year old Sony STR-D665 Stereo Receiver with Surround Sound and get the best surround sound effects at home that I've ever experienced. My Stereo Receiver and 4 year old Philips 32" television are not digital so I don't know what digital affects I might be missing.

Great picture, lots of connection options.

Remote only allows volume for Receiver OR TV, not both.

This is my first DVD player. The price was fair, so I figured 'What the hell...'.

Anyway, thus far no problems. I haven't experienced the skipping issue mentioned from others. I always wipe off the DVDs first anyway. I have a few of my own, but I have rented several.

The setup options are extensive, but I cannot utilize all of them yet because my receiver does not have the 5.1 inputs. That is coming soon. The picture quality is awesome...my TV has an S-video connect on it. I am sure that most DVD players have a great picture as opposed to VCRs. Overall, a great value.

Similar Products Used:

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the pictrue and sound just all of it

none yet

it's sony[sony is back}with another one[sony is the best}

Very smooth, easy to operate. There's no noise from the DVD drive during operation and only minimal during loading.

none

Excellent machine. It plays all of the DVD's and CD's that I've got, including CD-R's, but doesn't play cheap Chinese copies of yet to be released films. It continues to be unsettling how little these machines weigh. Before you listen to the negative comments which some reviewers expound, check the machine out at a dealer (you can buy them cheaper online afterwards). And at less than $200 for the machine, including shipping, well...it's a good deal!

Similar Products Used:

Sony 560d 5-disc carousel (a good machine but noisy on rotation of the carousel), PC DVD player (not recommended!!)

Built-in Dolby Digital 5.1/THX decoder, ease of setup, well layed out remote, helpful on-screen menu, number of AV inputs/outputs (2 component, 2 S-Video, 2 RCA, co-ax and optical digital outs), super visuals and excellent sound.

No S-Video cable included (not a super big deal but still...), can't play MP3's.

Thought I'd put my two (Canadian) cents in after relying heavily on this site for past and future purchases. Thanks to everyone for posting in-depth, intelligent reviews.

I got the player for Christmas after doing quite a bit of research on DVD players in general and ones that have DD 5.1/THX decoders specifically. With respect to the last category, the only other manufacturer that I found who had a DVD player with a built-in decoder was Denon and for the price, I couldn't justify it.

That stated, my main reason for getting this player is for the decoder, as the receiver I have doesn't support DD 5.1 (I'm not much of a THX guy) and I'm not going to be purchasing a new one for a little while yet. Because I wanted the decoder in the DVD player, my choices were significantly limited, however I did look at other players in the same price range to see if the built-in decoder feature made this particular model worth buying. And for my specific situation and for the features the player has, I am not disappointed at all.

I have read a lot of horror stories of DVD's not playing in Sony (and other manufacturer's) players, or having the player itself crap out after a relatively short period of time. I have not experienced either of these issues. Granted, I have only used the player for less than a month, but with the rigorous testing (i.e. viewing) I have put it through, there have been no problems. I have both purchased DVD's and rented them, and all seem to play exceptionally well. The one suggestion that I would make is that you look at your rented DVD before playing it and clean it if it looks at all dirty. I have been using a silk eye glass cloth (and cleaning the DVD in wipes from the centre out to the edges, NOT in circles around disc) as a precaution, and whether it has helped or not, I have been able to play all the DVDs so far. As for the unit itself not working, this has been a non-issue so far. However, after reading all the user reviews of other players, I did opt for Sony's 2 year extended warranty for an extra $50.

With the TV that I'm using (2 yr old 27" JVC CRT) the picture quality has been exceptional. DVD's with computer generated animation like Shrek or Final Fantasy look particularly stunning. I have no concerns on this front. (As an aside, I would mention that you should look carefully on the DVD to see if it is double sided. My copy of The Fifth Element is, and being new to the whole DVD scene, I wasn't aware that DVD's were produced like that. One side of the disc is Wide Screen, and the other is Full Screen. As a result, I'm careful to not touch either side of the disc.)

The remote I think is especially well thought out. Many of the features that you can access on the Menu button are also included as individual buttons on the remote, such as Subtitles, Program type, and Camera angle. There are other buttons, like Instant Replay, that are pretty cool too.

I don't think it needs to be mentioned, but the sound to the speakers is phenominal. DD 5.1 is exceptional.

All in all, I am very happy with the NS400D, and would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone else who is looking for a DVD player with a built-decoder.

I'm rating this as a 4 ("Great deal") for Value, and a 4 ("Very good product") for the Overall Rating. The only reason why it isn't a 5 & 5 is that it wasn't a "Bargin, Giant Killer" (whatever that means) in terms of Value, and it isn't "Far better than I would have imagined" Overall. I think the Value Rating is more dependant on the store you buy at, and after doing a lot of comparison pricing, The Sony Style had the best value (which was a little suprising to me). As well, to get 5 stars Overall, this DVD player would have had to do things to a degree that I would have not thought possible. And although it performs very, VERY well, I think that the high quality video and audio (the 2 components that are generally looked upon as being the most important in a digital home theatre) are more functions of high end TVs, receivers and speakers.

Similar Products Used:

Panasonic, Denon

Video, sound, ease of use

None

I've never posted a review before but after reading these reviews I could not resist. My machine is new but I've used it extensively. NO PROBLEMS!!! It is a great player. Unless you have an HDTV, digital or a TV with R/G/B (component video) inputs you do not need a higher priced unit and would be throwing your money away. You would not be able to use the features of the higher priced DVD players. By the time I upgrade to HDTV (when the prices significantly drop and there is a greater availability of shows) there will be better DVD players at a cheaper price. To those individuals who have THIS problem and THAT problem, TRY READING THE OWNERS MANUAL! I know this is a unique concept to some people. The manual plainly states that though the unit will play CD-R and CD-RW, it WILL NOT play all of them, depending... Also, it states that there will be a delay when changing layers however, it should not be more than 1 second. DVDs also indicate a delay. One of the posts mentioned that they could not get the picture to go to full screen. Even if you selected the 4:3 Pan Scan the manual indicated that some DVDs will select the mode it wants and you cannot override it. As far as rental DVDs, lets be real. Scratches will cause skips. Check out the DVD before renting. I have a very expensive component stereo system and CDs will skip if damaged. Before I bought this player I spoke to many individuals at different stores regarding several models. I specifically asked about the reliability of the units and everyone I spoke with had never had any problems or returns of the 400D. There may be a better DVD player for the price but how many reviews can you read, trips to the stores can you make before you make a decision?

Similar Products Used:

N/A

Small, good picture, very configurable, quick access times, reasonable price

None that I have encountered

I bought this player in June of 2001 after my PS2 was choking on several scratched discs [I rent a lot] and I wanted the convenience of a real remote. I have has no skipping problems. The setup was painless and the picture quality is great [running component to a Sony 27FV16]. The audio is fine, it's digital so my receiver is responsible for that portion. My only real complaint is that as of this review [November 2001] there are better values out there. For a few dollars more you could get a progressive-scan capable player from Sony or Panasonic. If you don't need that you could just buy a NS300 for $40 less and it has most of the same parts [video D/A, etc]. The only real difference is the onboard decoder and ability to play CD-R and CD-RW discs [my reason for choosing this model].

4.5 overall rounded up, but at this moment there's better players within $50 of this one.

Similar Products Used:

Sony DVP S360, old Toshiba player

Price; good picture; slim design; it's not a Panasonic.

Very light; non-detachable power cord.

Having owned the problematic Panasonic 310, I was a bit worried when I began reading about skipping problems with the Sony. However, CC assured me that I could return the player for ANY reason within 30 days, so I did not hesitate to give this player a try when they also agreed to lower the price a bit (in keeping with Best Buy's price).

I made a point to play several, new double-layer discs (from start to finish) as soon as the Sony was unpacked. Though there is often a notable delay during the layer change, none of the discs triggered any problems in picture, sound, data access, or navigation.

Thus far I am pleased with the Sony 400D. The picture is superior to the Panasonic (which sold for nearly $500)--and with the Quick Setup menu I didn't even need the owner's manual to watch the first disc. I have not yet properly auditioned the unit as a CD player, so I won't comment on music performance.

For $219 this DVD player is a great buy, and a wise replacement for those who were left out to dry by Panasonic and now need a suitable replacement for a single-disc player with an on-board 5.1 decoder. If you have the option to return, there is little reason NOT to audition the Sony DVP-NS400D. I have no intention of returning mine.

Serial #1062696.

Similar Products Used:

Panasonic DVD-A310

OK picture quality.

lightness of unit, skipping.

Before I get into the specifics of this DVD player, there are a few things that I think need to be said.
First off, do not buy a DVD player and then complain about the poor sound quality on CD's. Purchase the best DVD player you can afford for the purpose of playing movies on it, and purchase a CD player for playing your CD's. I mean, you never asked your record player to play cassettes did you?
Don't get sucked in by purchasing a DVD player that also plays SACD's or CD-RW's. Players that attempt to do everything ALWAYS end up doing none of those things properly.
If you want good sound from your CD's, buy a CD player, and if at all possible buy a decent quality CD player- a good starting point is the Cambridge Audio D500 or D500SE. Sony doesn't make good CD players for the money.
Now, to the product. I used this player in my bedroom, but it skipped chapters quite often. I wouldn't recommend this unit. If you can afford it, the Sony NS700P is better value for your money. It costs almost double, but the added cost is directly put into improving the playback picture quality, not into making the player a multi-function SACD/CD/CD-RW player.