Clean looks, ease of use

Noisy drive mechanism

I'd been looking at DVD players for the past couple of months and the 530 really stuck out as having the most bang for the buck. I've watched about ten movies on it now and haven't experienced any lip-synch type problems which other people have complained about. I do have the firmware version 2.4 which was supposed to fix any lip-synch problems. I have noticed a slight video pause in a couple of movies but I think that is from the player changing layers on the DVD.

One of the few complaints I do have about the player so far is the amount of noise the drive mechanism makes. It tends to only be audible during silent sections such when the DVD first begins but it's more than I'd like to hear from a component I spent this much money on. If it was mounted behind a glass door I'm sure it wouldn't be noticable but in an open cabinet it catches your attention.

Another small complaint I have is the layout of the remote. The buttons that are used the most (Enter, up/left/down/right, play, pause, etc.) are located near the bottom and within easy reach of your thumb. But the rest of the buttons are packed in to the middle and are of equal size and spacing which makes it hard to differentiate "Scan" from "TV/Video". It's a fairly large remote and I think Sony could have done a better job of laying it out.

These are just minor complaints and for the most part the player is well designed and easy to use. I just got the "Goldeneye" and "Eagles-Hell Freezes Over" DVD's today and they both look and sound awesome!

This is a good player for the money but if you're on a budget I wouldn't hesitate to go with the 330 instead, you just need a receiver with a Dolby Digital and DTS decoder then.

Great picture, dolby dig decoding, good build

none as of yet

My girlfriend bought me this dvd player for christmas and I must say I'm in love!! With the dvd player. I was planning on getting a Toshiba sd-3109 but I am very happy with this. I just bought a sony receiver also and the combination is perfect. This dvd player has more features than I need because I have the receiver to do the decoding but oh well. The picture and sound are incomparable to vhs. I wanted to watch some movies before I did a review and I had no problems whatsoever. The Matrix,Enemy of the State,Deep Blue Sea,Thomas Crown Affair,were all flawless!!! Very impressed with the product.5***** (just kidding honey)

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none

great picture with s-video

tracking problem with component video

I've had two of these now and they both lose tracking with component video. S-video is great but I paid $70 for component cables and this sucks. How hard can it be to get the picture to track with these component cables. By the way, if I tap the dvd player with my hand the picture tracks ok again. But with two players doing this I am leery of getting a third. Anybody else have this weird problem. I have no problem with lip sync like some other people but now I have this brand new problem with component video hook up. Is Sony a bunch of sadists or what?

Very Easy to use, Excellent Sound Quality, Excellent picture quality

none that i've found

This DVD Player is the BEST! It is VERY EASY to use. You dont have to go searching for the buttons when you want to do something, all the buttons are at all the right places. This dvd player has excellent picture quality, much better than vhs! , especially when connected using the SVHS cables, (it supports component but my tv doesnt have component inputs:( ) Excellent sound quality. THe sound quality on this player is even better than the sound quality on my pioneer laserdisc player(maybe because of the dual lens pickup)
Great player, Got it for like 340. I recommend any one in the market for a dvd player to pick this up.

Excellent picture and sound

Minor glitches

I like the picture and sound better than the Toshiba. I have the 2.3 version of firmware, but have noticed on several dvds that there have been small pauses. On American Pie there were two pauses in the middle of scenes (which may have ben layer switches). Other than that I think its an excellent product.

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Toshiba 2109

Easy setup, good remote, great picture and sound

Audio/video synch

I purchased this DVD Player in early Dec 99. It is in the "bad" set of serial numbers, and it has firmware version 2.010. After 28 hours of DVD watching I noticed the lip-synch problem once while watching Contact. Pausing or stopping the movie for a moment fixes the problem. It provides a good opportunity to refill a drink or relieve something else. Thus far, this is the only time this problem has occurred and I have watched Contact again to see if the synch problem would come back, it did not. I have contacted Sony about updating the firmware. There is a service center near me and they will get it out the same day if they get it to them in the morning, at no cost.
This is an outstanding player for the price ($320), and the features it includes. The surround sound (DD/DTS) through my system is first class. Forget about the movie theaters.

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Sony 36" TV, Onkyo reciever, Infinity speakers

A lot of options for the money

None

For less than 400$ you cant find a better DVD player.
For the the lipsync problem I have only noticed it ones on a cheap Onkyo Reciver. When I have tried the same movie on the Yamaha Rxv-2092 I didnt see the any lipsync problem.
I strongly recommend this DVD player.

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Toshiba 3108

5.1 Decoder, excellent picture, price

none

Sony retails the price for $400 but I got mine for $379 at Circuit City. It is the cheapest dvd player from Sony with a built in decoder. I have noticed no lip synch problems as my firmware version is 2.3. I bought the Matrix to go with it and it is an exhillerating experience. The sound outputs great on an AIWA Mini Home Theater system I bought with Pro Logic. Thanks to the 5.1 inputs I didn't have to buy a new system just a player with a decoder. The player is great, a definite buy for Christmas but beware for the listed serial numbers to look out for.

picture and sound

fast forward is choppy, slo-motion

This is my 1st DVD player and I am satisfied so far... though I have only watched one film. What I'm writing about is I'd like someone to email me if they know the answer to this. I know they are having the promo with Sony and other manufacturers concerning the "buy this player, get 5 movies free (Lost in Space, Lethal Weapon 2, etc.)". Well I didn't get the rebate for that in the box! I bought the player from JC Penney, who didn't advertise it, but I thought it was a Sony thing so I thought nothing of it. Now if it was 1 movie I wouldn't care but it's 5 so I'd like to get them if possible. If anyone knows about if the rebate is gotten at the store, in the box, etc. or if the rebate is only thru certain stores, PLEASE let me know. Thank you very much!!!

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I just bought the 530 last night and immediately notice the lip sync problem during Goldeneye. I corrected it by going to the beginning of the chapter and then going back to the scene. In fairness, I knew about the problem when I purchased the machine, but I have a Sony WEGA and a Sony receiver so I wanted to take full use of the S-link and remotes.
I previously owned the Toshiba 3109 and the Panasonic A120U. Both decent machines, but with questional build quality. The Panasonic has pixelization problems and the Toshiba's picture was spotty at best. Except for the less than frequent lip sync problem, the Sony is a steller performer. Great remote! Great picture. Great sound. Very intuitive menus. Intelligent manual. I have found that with the the exception of Sony telephones, they make quality products. And yes, I have a WEGA and do love it.

I know that this 530 will go back to the store, or will be fixed by Sony. I am willing to put up with the lip sync problem while they get their act together. But the advantages of this unit far outweigh the negatives. And the only negative is the lip sync problem. I would love to have a 7700, but the pocket says no! In my mind, the 550 was not worth the extra money considering that most of its extra features hold no true allure to me. This 530 is COOL. The virtual surround modes really do work, unlike the Panasonic 120. Also, it's great to have a built-in decoder if you want to save a few bucks down the line when purchasing a digital receiver.

In closing, I give the Sony 530 four speakers. It would have been five except for the lip sync problem. But I suggest you buy this unit if you have the patience to either return it for another when the lip sync problem is fixed, or if you want to take this in for service when the problem is solved. The benefits far outweigh the negatives. Also, cool blue neon light for Dolby Surround on the front panel! Yeah, I know, but there is still a lot of kid in all of us!