very solid all around

loud during playback before being fixed

This is the first DVD player I've had, and I'm fairly satisfied with it - at this point. Right out of the box, though, I was a little ticked off; I'm running mine into a Sony STR-DA555ES, and even when the receiver was _jacked_, I could still hear quite clearly the whir of the disc spinning inside the player. I read some of these other reviews and after reading others say that they found their units loud during playback, I thought that I might want to see if I could get the unsettling (and distracting) whir removed. Unfortunately, by the time I got my act together to do something about it, it was more than 30 days after I had bought it, so I had to take it into an authorized service center to have them take a look at it. Turns out that they did a little re-sottering of something inside, and now it's silent during playback, which I'm very happy about. However, I do find it somewhat disconcerting that so many people (relatively speaking) have had the same whirring problem. It's not a problem with all 530Ds - my friend has one that has never been loud - but it does seem to be a recurring trend in too many.

Anyway - now that it's fixed, no complaints at all (besides the dings and scratches in the finish that were part of the "repair" process). BUT - I shouldn't have had to take a brand new unit in to be fixed.

Good remote, Menu, Picture Quality

Having Problem with DTS, lip sync

Currently I am having problem with the DTS sound. I tried playing both DTC cd and DTS dvd and both gives me same type of distortion although my receiver (Yamaha 1105) detects DTS bitstream but I guess there are some problems in the sound packets (serial data). I am using optical connection so, I do not expect interference. My firmware revision is 1.8 or so. Have anyone seen this problem or is it this particular player that I have? I would appreciate your suggestions and advice.

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Panasonic A120

Great picture,sound,features for price,

A little small to fit well under reciever in a cabinet

This player, as long as you are able to make sure the firmware version is 2.4, is a steal. It works very well with my Sony reciever unit which is connected to the DVD unit with fiber optics. I have both brand new DVDs (Independence Day S.E.,Green Mile, and 13th Warrior) and classics (Terminator2, Star Trek Generations) and no visible lip sync problems or pauses of the frame. In fact it has been flawless. If you are able to still find this unit on sale (I got mine from Sears, Display for about $200) it is a good investment. It is more than capable of playing brand new DVDs as well as older versions without any problems. Sony even is sending me the new promotional offers that were outdated in my box since this is last years model that Sears wanted to get rid of. By the way, this site is a life saver. Thanks for the heads up with the lip sync and Firm ware problems. On that note, Sony will be able to tell you what Firmware version you have based upon your serialnumber if you call them. They will also fix and upgrade it for you. GREAT UNIT!!!!

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Toshiba, and Computer based DVDs,Sony surround A/V system

decodes dts and dd as good as any

no signal light for dts

i have all high end audio (denon,klipsh,b&w)and this unit fit my set up perfect.

Great Picture, Great Sound,has almost everything as a 560d

Have to stop player to adjust the sound fields, remote control cannot be programmed for cable box.

Only paid $199.00 @ Sears only a floor sample but work great. Great Digital Quality on the enhanced surround mode. I am waiting on the delivery of my Sony STR-DE845 receiver so I can connect the DVD to it. Video Direct had the receiver on sale for $299 but it was on backorder.
The DVD does studder a little bit from video compression on some DVDs but it is hardly noticable.

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none, first DVD

Great picture, DD, DTS, component video out, coax and optical audio out

not progressive scan

I used this player for 11 months without lip-synch or other problems except a tiny dropout every few hundred tracks or so, even though I had a "bad" serial number and archaic firmware (1.7 or something)
I was tempted to leave well-enough alone when it finally went out of synch while watching Mallrats, so I took it in to my local Sony repair shop, where they kept it 2 weeks, replaced the firmware chip along with 3 other parts and returned to me today for no charge. It appears to be working flawlessly and it's now got firmware version 2.6
While it was in the shop, I got a new Sony KP-53HS10 RPTV, and with this DVDP and using the 16:9 squeeze, I'm looking at almost HD quality now.
Since I got this player when it was a new model, I paid top dollar ($400) At well under $300 now, it is an exceptional value.
It's probably not a great time to spend a lot on a DVDP, so I would recommend this player very highly at its current going rate.
I'm tempted to knock off a point either for value because of what I paid, or because of the repair, but I won't, because that's not the price somebody somebody would pay now and since I was satisfied overall with the performance even before the warranty-covered repairs.

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Sony DVP-S330D

picture, sound

poor reliability, 90 day warranty

Initially, this was a good unit -- excellent sound, picture, etc. However, after about 6 months of use, I began having intermittent problems with the sound cutting out. After 9 months, I lost all sound completely. Assuming I had a 12 month warranty on the unit, I took to my local retailer to learn that it has only a 90 day warranty. 90 DAYS!!! My $19.00 blender from Wal-Mart has a longer warranty than that. I truly expected more for my $400 and from a company like Sony.

very good picture quality with vivid colors

reduced screen size from upper and lower level bands

I am using the Sony DVD player model S 530D with a Sony Wega TV model KV-36FV15. I experience black bands at both the upper and lower levels of the TV screen when viewing movies using the 530D player. I have gone into the DVD screen setup mode and adjusted the aspect ratio of the TV. there are three selections: 4:3 letter box, 4.3 pan scan and 16.9/4.3 wide mode. I can get some reduction in the band width using doing aspect ratios, but I cannot eliminate the bands completely. Is there a way to get a full screen view? I would appreciate any input to my problem.

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none

Easy to setup, connection simple, easy remote to use

No jog dial on the remote

This is an excellent DVD player for the price. I had the lip sync problem, brought it back to where I bought it and it was fixed within a week. Since then there have been no problems since. The decoder worked great with my 5.1 ready Aiwa system. I have since upgraded to a Kenwood DD reciever and it has better seperation than a the one in the player, but the player's decoder still does a great job. I would recommend this.

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none

great video, get sound, Dolby Digital 5.1 Decoder

hmmmmm....can't think of any now.

I've had this for a few weeks and have played the Matrix and Austin Powers with no lip-synch problems. 2.3 rev w/serial number that is not suspect. Absolutely stunning picture in play mode, slow mode, step mode and fast forward scan. Not a hint of noise.

It wasn't until AFTER I bought it that I found this site and read all the news. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was rated #1 by consumers reports. I pulled out my back issues and there it was- #1.

I have the dobly channels plugged into my Aiwa shelf system with 5.1 inputs and the entire room wired (when I built it) with the surround sound system. The Aiwa NSX is about 299 Watts total output. After using the system for a week I really needed to put the finish touches on my system and ordered a KLH 8080 subwoofer from 800.com (2 day delivery. My living room/kithen (40'x 20' with inverted tray 12 foot ceilings) now ROCKS! My wife came home after I hooked up the sub-woofer and said she was moving out!

My only complaint is I wish I paid the price some of you paid rather than the $379 at Best Buy.