The best dvd player. Buying a DVD player: what to look for? Frequently Asked Questions Before Buying

The best dvd player. Buying a DVD player: what to look for? Frequently Asked Questions Before Buying
12.05.2020

Buying a DVD-player (Digital Versatile Disc - Digital Versatile Disc) today does not cause much difficulty. Coming to any store household appliances, your choice will be offered a wide range of models that this store needs to sell faster, so you can buy a DVD player, but will it meet the tasks that you want to load it to its fullest. Is this the big question?
Therefore MirSovetov in the article will consider the most important aspects of choosing a DVD player.

What connectors are used to connect a DVD to a TV

Connectors are divided into two types: video and audio. Each type can transmit both digital and analog signals. Using the digital inputs/outputs you can get the best performance from watching movies, as there are restrictions on video signal transmission when transmitting analog signals, and there are no such restrictions for digital signals. Therefore, using the digital interface, you can watch DVDs at the maximum resolution of the TV screen.
First, let's look at issues related to video signal transmission. Here the question arises - what kind of TV will you use in conjunction with a DVD player? If you have either a plasma panel, then be sure to check that the TV and DVD player have an HDMI connector - this is a digital interface that can transmit digital and analog signals. If not, then although make sure you have a DVI interface - this is also a digital interface that only transmits digital signal. It is thanks to these two digital interfaces that you can enjoy maximum quality from watching movies on a DVD player. If you want to "pump" your TV to the LCD, then the recommendations from MirSovetov, previously set out in the article "".

If you have a CRT TV, then you can connect a DVD player to it using a standard set of analog signals: S-Video, composite (Composite, VHS), component (Component, VHS) and SCART.
Advice from MirSovetov: MirSovetov recommends using a component or S-Video interface to connect a CRT TV and a DVD player.
The peculiarity of these interfaces is as follows. Using the tulip component interface, the signal is divided into three color components with gradation of each color component according to the image brightness - RGB red (R), green (G) and blue (B), that is, it can be used to transmit a high definition signal (1080i format). The S-Video interface also uses color division with gradation of brightness, as it has a four-pin connector.
We figured out the video signals, now let's focus on the audio. To perceive the audio signal, you can use the following methods.
First, if you have acoustic system included with the home theater system, then you can receive an audio signal that complies with the Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1 standard. This means that 1 speaker is allocated to the center channel, 2 speakers each to the front channels (left and right) and rear channels (left and right), and 1 channel to the subwoofer. To receive audio in this format, you will need to purchase an AV receiver or AV amplifier.
Secondly, if you have a modern music center, you can use its acoustics.
AND last way DVD connections player to a TV is to directly connect the output (output) of the DVD audio channel to the input (input) of the TV. In this case, the sound quality will be limited by the power of the TV speakers. The diagram for connecting a DVD to a TV is shown below.

Playable formats

When choosing a DVD player, pay special attention to the formats (video and audio) that it can play. One of the old truths applies here - the more DVD formats it plays, the better. Here are the formats that a DVD player must support:
  1. Reading DVD discs (you can see their types and sizes in the article “How to choose the right PC”) - in fact, this is what it is intended for.
  2. Reading regular CDs. They can record audio files in MP3 format or CDs that are read on music centers - this is the WAV or WMA format. DivX encoded movies are also recorded on laser CDs.
    Advice. When choosing a DVD player, make sure that it supports the DivX version 6.0 format, otherwise you may not see modern films encoded in this format.
  3. Reading JPEG images. As you may have guessed, using this standard you can view pictures from a digital camera or photo albums recorded on a CD or .
    Advice from MirSovetov: To pair a digital camera, the DVD player must have a USB connector. Devices such as Bluetooth or infrared can also be used for this purpose. It is desirable that the DVD player has ports for reading SD (Secure Digital), MMC (Multimedia Card), MS (Memory stick), SM (Smart Media), XD (Extreme Digital), CF (Compact Flash), MD (Micro Drive), MS pro (Memory stick pro) and Magicstor memory cards. It doesn't matter if these ports are not there, because they can be on an LCD TV or.
  4. Audio formats that the DVD player needs to recognize is DolbyDigital (DD 5.1) or DTS - with these formats you can create surround "sound around".

Varieties of DVD players

  1. DVD player (player)– Directly only allows you to watch movies or play music.
  2. DVD changer- does everything the same as a DVD player, but at the same time allows you to load several discs into the changer and watch all the movies recorded on them without getting up from the couch. However, there are natural needs, for example, to have a snack, in which you still have to get up from your usual place. At this point, you can change the disk.
  3. DVD+VHS is a DVD player and VCR in one package. Convenient and practical. However, the age of videocassettes is gradually ending. The author's opinion - I have never had a VCR or video player, I was fine with going to movie premieres in cinemas or watching them on a computer, so I think that DVD + VHS is an unreasonable waste of money.
  4. DVD recorder– allows you to re-record discs or ongoing TV programs through the use of a built-in hard drive, that is, you have the opportunity to re-record your favorite movies. Recording time is limited by the size of the hard drive (on average, about 30 hours of video, 3,000 hours of music, and 20,000 photos). Ask the manager-consultant about the dimensions of the hard disk. Also, recording can be carried out on discs, similar to how recording was previously done on video cassettes. The disadvantage is that the recording time on a disc is limited, so you run the risk of not completely recording long films.
    Advice from MirSovetov: A trip to the cinema by a family of 3 will cost from 200 to 500 rubles, depending on the time of the session and location in the cinema. And if you take this film in video rental (the price is about 25 rubles), then the purchase of a DVD player will soon be economically justified, and if it can still be re-recorded ...
    Disadvantage: you can not watch movie premieres, the law is the law, films usually appear at the box office after their premieres in cinemas.
  5. DVD receiver– practically only without acoustics (contains a built-in AV receiver). The disadvantage of such a device is that the sound power is limited by the power of the built-in AV receiver, that is, it cannot be increased.

Problems related to the operation of the DVD player

When using a DVD player, the following trouble may occur - it will stop reading CDs or DVDs. In this case, do not rush to run to service center, MirSovetov, recommends that you do the following: When buying a DVD player, look at its design, whether it will fit in with your interior or whether it will match the color of your TV.
And most importantly, before you go to the hardware store, decide for yourself what features a DVD player should have. I'll help you a little:
  • What formats should the DVD player play?
  • Do you need to record movies and TV shows?
  • do you need a CD changer?
  • what memory cards does it read?
  • does the DVD player have a karaoke function, is it necessary or not - it's up to you?
Happy purchase.

First, let's define terminology. As a rule, DVD players are called players, and although there is no clear definition of the differences between these two terms, many experts prefer to call these devices players. However, let's not be boring and take the word "player" as a basis, since it is more commonly heard and understood. And having accepted this rule, let's start, perhaps.

Tell me, who doesn't like fast driving? Especially if on the Mercedes and along the autobahn, and not on the village road of the “1950 model”, broken by all the trends of the times. That's probably how it was worth starting a story about DVD players about three years ago, stipulating, of course, the fact that the autobahn is a symbol of good devices from leading (preferably Japanese) manufacturers, and the country road is the players of Chinese manufacturers. However, today the world of DVD players is not as black and white as it might seem at first glance. The fact is that it is rapidly changing, and today we already have more than two or three dozen electronics manufacturers high class, and already seven or eight, or already a hundred, who can know for sure. With the development of the element base, previously expensive audio and video digital-to-analog converter chips have become much more affordable for most small electronics manufacturers, and as a result, today none of them put DACs with poor performance on DVD players. realizing that appearance, the design and construction of devices mean no less (and often more) to the buyer than the parameters of the electronic base, small (read Chinese), manufacturers began to pay more attention to them, and today their player cases simply shine with high-quality materials and finishes. What, after all, distinguishes "advanced" Chinese from "true" brands, and how to distinguish a model and device in quality from a similar low-quality one? Now let's try to figure it out.

Suppose you are a real fan of cinema art, you have a keen sense of music and understand it, and you need quality sound and video. Leaving aside the other components of a good home theater, such as visualization and acoustics, here are some basic tips for choosing a quality DVD player. Even if you are indifferent to video, buying just a CD player today does not make sense, even for a music lover and audiophile. The DVD era brought "all-format" DVD players with superb sound quality to the world. Today DVD players are known to "read" everything that is round, flat and has a hole in the center - that is, discs, and therefore not being able to view video too is simply stupid.

DVD players can be speculatively divided into three main groups: players under $200, players over $500, and home theaters in one box. At the same time, they fall into all groups as devices famous brands, and the full "but name". The only question is the ratio. For example, having prepared $500 and knowing what you want from the player, you are more likely to buy a good device, since in this group you will find more reputable manufacturing companies and more good devices. Conversely, if you spend only $200 on a player, you will be less likely to buy good equipment. The cinema in one box, which has always been perceived as a cheap technical “trick”, is now more popular than ever with leading manufacturers.

For many, the question arises of what to do if the good old VCR has already outlived its usefulness and sent to a well-deserved rest, but you need to record your favorite TV show. This is where DVD recorders come in handy. In fact, these are ordinary players with recording functions on DVD discs or built-in HDD. Prices for these models start at around $200. Thanks to different compression ratios, one DVD can contain from 60 minutes to several hours of video (of course, with different quality). Most devices of this class are a tribute to fans of sports and television series, as they help to record their favorite program in the absence of the owner, and subsequently "dump" the video file to disk. You probably have the impression that the author only raises questions without giving answers to them, but now we finally come to real advice.

Study in the store, and preferably through the Internet, all the parameters of your potential player. Based on this, decide whether you need such a device and for such money. It makes sense to pay attention to:

  1. Video and audio DAC parameters: We have already said a little about digital-to-analog converters, but if we talk in numbers, today a video DAC must have a sampling rate of at least 108 MHz with a 12-bit resolution, and an audio DAC with a sampling rate of at least 192 kHz with a 24-bit resolution.
  2. Supported formats: minimum required - CD-Audio; DVD video; MPEG4; MP3; WMA; DivX codec in versions 3.11 to 6.0; JPEG; the preferred ones are DVD-Audio and/or Super Audio CD. The fact is that the presence of these formats of a multichannel audio signal is a kind of guarantee of the quality of the player, since in order to support these formats, the manufacturer needs to install additional, sometimes quite expensive chips on the players to control such audio streams.
  3. Connectors. Actually, there are “only” two types of connectors on DVD players - video and audio, and two types - analog and digital, but in order to watch movies or listen to music, today you need to at least understand a little about the types of connectors. Without these "tulips" and "scarts" it is impossible to transmit the signal from your DVD player to that visualization or amplifier that, after all, shows us the movie and reproduces the sound.

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Let's start with the video connectors:
  • Composite - analog connector in the form of one "tulip" or in the technical terminology RCA. This type of connector is always yellow. This interface is called composite because the components of brightness and color are mixed in it.
  • S-Video - analog, with a four-pin miniDIN socket. This interface allows you to achieve better video transmission quality, since the luminance and chrominance components are separated here. By the way, the letter S in the name does not mean Super at all. S - Separate (separate).
  • SCART - analog in the form of a 21-pin rectangular socket. This interface is the most versatile - both video and control signals are transmitted through it. An interesting feature is that with SCART you can send a signal to any other analog interface.
  • Component connector - three RCA connectors in red, blue and green. The interface allows you to get a very high quality picture. The component transmits the highest possible quality for an analog signal and is used to transmit a high-definition signal up to 1080i, i.e. interlaced, however high definition 1080 progressive scan is not supported.
  • HDMI is a digital video interface that has received more and more development lately. It transmits both audio and video, both in standard and high-definition resolution, up to 1080p, that is, with the highest possible clarity today.
Audio connectors:
  • Coaxial - digital interface. It has an RCA connector and an orange color.
  • Optical - digital interface. Theoretically, it allows you to achieve the highest quality, however, in practice this is obtained only on the most expensive models.
  • 2.0 - analog standard, we all know the stereo connector on two tulips, red and white.
  • 5.1 - analog (six RCA connectors), which receives an already decoded Dolby Digital or DTS signal.

If a DVD player does not have HDMI, this is an indicator of its “hardware cheapness”, and I, for example, would not buy such a player today, but on the other hand, HDMI is definitely not needed in a country house, in a student dormitory, or in a kitchen.

Now, after studying the releases of manufacturers and sellers, after you have selected several devices that best suit you in terms of their characteristics, go to the store and look at them live. This is necessary in order to understand how much you like the design, because you have to live with it for a long time. Eliminate what you definitely don't like.

To choose, you will have to create yourself test disk, which will contain the most famous and favorite works for you. It is desirable that the disc contains many formats at once, which the manufacturer claims. If you are unable to create such a disc, bring several discs or media to the store at once. For example, photos taken on a memory card (in the event that a DVD player has a card reader, and this is no longer a rarity).

Now, after you have chosen several models, start choosing by sound and image. Alas, I must upset you right away: in order not to be mistaken, you need to look through a huge number of not only your chosen devices, but also others, just to have an idea how DVD players can generally show. And here is another tip: it’s better to ask a specialist who really understands this technique, then you don’t have to waste time searching good sound or pictures, they will just tell you.

Increasingly, conventional VCRs that can play video cassettes have been replaced by modern DVD players. With the huge proliferation of DVD-Video discs, it became clear that consumers would be forced to purchase DVD player. What to be guided by when choosing this equipment? The answer is in the following paragraphs of the manual.

The most important parameter that distinguishes most of the DVD players available on the market is the ability to read video and audio formats, the more it can play, the better for the user. If we are talking about formats, a good DVD player should read discs written in the following standards:

  • DVD Video (the most common standard),
  • VCD and SVCD (relatively low quality videos recorded on CD),
  • DivX and Xvid (highly compressed video in reduced volume),
  • WMV and AVI (quality comparable to DviX format).

In addition to the ability to play videos, the device often allows you to view photos in JPG format. You should also pay attention to the fact that the DVD player supports Various types media such as: CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD+R DL, DVD-R DL. Today they are the most common.

When it comes to sound formats, they differ in quality and capabilities. A DVD player can emit sound as an integral part of a movie, or completely independently, so it can be an alternative to a stereo system. The quality of the sound that the speakers produce depends on the audio formats that the DVD player can play. Standard formats sound recordings:

  • CD Audio (the most common stereo format, high quality);
  • DVD Audio (provides surround sound);
  • MP3, WMA formats, CD-Audio (take up little space, but have lower quality);
  • SACD (combination of properties of Audio CD and DVD Audio);
  • HDCD (a little popular sound standard, CD Audio extension);
  • Dolby Digital (a popular multi-channel audio standard used in movies);
  • Dolby True HD (Dolby Digital scan, very high quality surround sound);
  • Dolby Digital Plus(improved Dolby Digital);
  • DTS (high quality sound);
  • DTS-HD (DTS development).

Note! In order to properly use all of these standards, there is a need to purchase related equipment for the DVD player, that is, a multi-channel amplifier device.

When buying a DVD player, you must know from the very beginning where we will place it. It is worth noting that this equipment should be located at least 10-20 cm from the walls. Thanks to this, the device will have guaranteed good ventilation, which will prevent it from overheating.

DVD players have various sizes depending on the model and manufacturer, however, usually the height is from 3 to 15 cm, the width is in the range of 15-50 cm, and the length is 15-40 cm. To date, the most popular are those devices that have a retractable carriage from the front, although there are players that can work in a vertical and horizontal position. Thanks to this, you can place them in any chosen place. There are also small portable players that are equipped with a screen. They are the perfect solution for on the go.

Additional features are another important feature that can influence your choice of the right DVD player. Features include:

  • the function of scrolling the image and searching for fragments;
  • choice of viewing angle;
  • choice of image format;
  • child lock;
  • menu in Russian;
  • TV Virtual Surround (imitation of spatial sound using the speakers built into the TV);
  • USB input (allows playback of movies from a usb memory card, such as a flash drive);
  • HDMI input (allows you to transfer digital video and audio to TV);
  • subtitles (the player is able to support subtitles in TXT format).

Each model of DVD player may have slightly different connectors, thanks to which it will be possible to connect a TV, receiver, speakers and other devices to it. Connectors differ in purpose, signal quality, and maximum resolution. It must be said that the choice of suitable connectors in the DVD player is necessary for the simplest operations.

For specific compounds, the resolution of the image is slightly different. Image quality can be listed as: 480i, 480p, 576i, 576p, 720p (HD Ready), 1080i (HD) and 1080p (Full HD). The higher the value, the more natural better quality Images.

  1. The letter "p" stands for progressive scanning, i.e. odd and even lines are displayed at the same time, thus achieving the best image quality. There can be no question of stripes on the screen if this image resolution is applied. It is more dynamic and detailed, provided that the TV also supports this function.
  2. In turn, the letter "i" - the image is split, i.e. even and odd are displayed alternately, which can cause image flicker and quality degradation for objects moving vertically.

The DVD player can be equipped with connectors such as:

  • Scart output (Euro - analog connector, found in any player and TV, the quality of the image and sound transmitted by them is not high);
  • component output (Component Video - better image quality than Euro connectors);
  • HDMI output (digital connector for lossless signal transmission);
  • S-Video output;
  • composite output / RCA (one tulip);
  • output optical and coaxial (fiber-optical);
  • audio line output (used to transmit stereo sound to speakers);
  • USB connector;
  • 5.1 or 7.1 output (providing surround sound);
  • headphone output.

Note! When buying a player, it is very often necessary to purchase the appropriate cables.

Popular DVD Player Manufacturers and Their Products

There are a lot of companies that have DVD players in their assortment. Reputable brands in this area include: Philips, Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba, Pioneer, Yamaha, Samsung, etc. If you can't allocate too much money to buy a DVD player, you can purchase models for about $50-100:

  • Samsung DVD-P191;
  • Toshiba SD 190 EKE;
  • Sony DVP-NS 318 and LG DVX390.

A good choice, which, however, will entail the need to spend from 100 to 300 USD. there will be players:

  • Philips DVP 3260;
  • Sony NS 36;
  • Yamaha DVD-S661;
  • Samsung DVD-V6800;
  • Panasonic S33;
  • LG DVX 490.

The most expensive and at the same time the most the best players that cost over $300 are:

  • Yamaha DVD-S663;
  • Yamaha DVD-S663;
  • JVC SR-DVM 700;
  • Teac DV-3800;
  • Denon DVD-1940.

One of the most expensive DVD players currently available on the market is the Marantz UD7007, which costs upwards of $1,000.

Frequently Asked Questions Before Buying

Do you want your player to be able to present slideshows?

If yes, then you must purchase a DVD player that supports JPG files. Thus, you can view photos on your TV without any problems.

Will you watch movies downloaded from the Internet on a DVD player?

Video from the Internet is usually in AVI, DivX or Xvid format. Therefore, it is necessary to choose a DVD that will be able to read such formats. It would be nice if the equipment also had a reading function text files, thanks to which Russian subtitles are displayed on the TV screen.

Do you want your DVD player to be mobile?

If your goal is to move the DVD player from place to place, or you need to take it on a trip, it is advisable to choose a model with a screen, but better buy a laptop :).

Conclusion

The picture and sound quality we get from DVD is very high, so it's no surprise that DVD has driven VCRs out of the market. This is the natural order of things. When buying a DVD player, you need to pay attention first of all to the file saving formats that it is able to read. The more video and audio formats available for reading, the better.

When choosing a DVD player, first of all, you need to decide what you are looking for - what is cheaper, or what are you dreaming about? By the way, in order to dot the e, let's decide in advance - "which is cheaper" in this case is not the worst option. The fact is that many of the “bells and whistles” inherent in expensive models may turn out to be completely useless to you. Why pay more for something you'll never need?

The main thing to focus on when choosing is to try to purchase models of well-known brands - JVC, LG, Panasonic, Philips, Sharp, Sony, Toshiba. All of them value their reputation, and even cheap models produced by firms that have proven themselves in the market have enough high quality. And secondly, it is better to make a purchase in a large store, where they will check the goods, give you warranty cards, put stamps in them, and within two weeks after the purchase they can exchange a faulty device.
But before heading to the store, decide what player you are going there for. If you came unprepared, hoping to get all the information from the seller, get ready for the fact that a stream of incomprehensible technical terms will fall on you, and as a result, the most expensive model will be offered. Or you will be advised to read the instructions written in English, Japanese, German, French or even Polish (if you're lucky, then in Russian), which also contains enough abstruse technical phrases. So let's do a little technical educational program.

What is DVD?

The abbreviation DVD stands for Digital Versatile Disc, which means Digital Versatile Disc. This is the younger brother of the compact disc (CD), it appeared in the 90s of the last century. Due to the use of a laser with a shorter wavelength for recording, a DVD holds 7 times more information than a CD, which made it possible to place several full-length films recorded in a special compressed DVD-video format with high-quality sound on such a disc.


Both CDs and DVDs are just storage media that can contain both music and images, and just any data. To read and play recorded information, you must have a device capable of supporting the recording format. There are several such formats.

AudioCD is the very first music format for which CDs were created.
MP3 is a music format that allows you to store up to 12 hours of music on one CD.
WMA is practically the same as MP3.
DivX is a format that allows you to burn video to CD. One disc holds an hour and a half movie. This format came from the world of computers. If your player supports this format, you can "spin" computer discs with movies on it, which are cheaper than DVDs, however, and the quality is worse on them.
VideoCD is an old video format. One full-length film is placed on two discs, although the quality is comparable to an analog video cassette (VHS).
JPEG is a format for static images - photographs. drawings that can be burned to CD or DVD. If the DVD player given format supports, you will be able to view photos recorded on a disc from a computer on it.
Support for all these formats does not greatly increase the cost of a DVD player, but it makes it more versatile in operation. And then the “bells and whistles” already begin, the need for which you can think about.
Karaoke - no need to comment. If guests often come to you and there is a desire to hold home contests such as "Become a Star", the flag, as they say, is in your hands.
DD 5.1 is the abbreviation for DolbyDigital technology. This is a spatial sound format that allows you to feel like sitting in a movie theater. Addition 5.1 means that five small speakers and one large speaker are connected to the system to achieve this effect.
DVD changer - the principle is the same as that of a conventional CD changer. You can make a selection of discs, and the player will change them by itself. If, say, "Seventeen Moments of Spring" are recorded moment by moment on one disc, you can watch the entire series without getting up from the couch.
DVD+VHS VCR- DVD player and video recorder in one bottle. Allows you to rewrite DVD to video cassette, has all the functions of a VCR, both devices are controlled by one remote control. A useful thing if you have a lot of videos on different media.
DVD Receiver - DVD player, AV decoder, radio and multi-channel power amplifier in one box. If you choose to join satellite television, and at the same time arrange a home theater, it will be a good solution.
DVD Recorder - A DVD player with the ability to record to a disc. Like a VCR, it can be programmed to record a movie or program of interest. With it, you can transfer your home collection of video cassettes to more compact and durable DVDs.
Portable DVD player. There are also portable DVD players with a built-in monitor and a screen size of 7 to 12 inches. You can take it with you in the car, to the country, on vacation or on a business trip.


If you have a simple TV with a screen size of less than 21 inches and you are not going to part with it yet, then you should not buy an overly fancy DVD player. You will not be able to take advantage of all the features of an expensive new thing.

How to connect a DVD player to a TV?

Depending on the TV available (or expected in the future), pay attention to how the DVD player will be connected to it - the quality of playback depends on this. As you know, the image and sound on DVD are recorded in one of the digital formats, so the best quality will be obtained if the signal remains digital right up to the screen. However, this is possible only on liquid crystal and plasma panels, since the cathode ray tube (kinescope) is controlled only by an analog signal. If someone else does not know what the advantage of a digital signal is, I will briefly explain. An analog signal carries information through its magnitude: the greater the signal voltage, the higher the brightness of the dot on the screen, the lower the voltage, respectively, the darker dot. At the same time, noise, interference, non-linear distortion amplifying elements do not have the best effect on picture quality. In a digital signal, all information is encrypted with a binary code, so it is not afraid of any noise or interference.

If the TV and DVD player are equipped with an HDMI connector, this is very cool, such an interface is capable of transmitting digital and analog signals. If there is no HDMI, then make sure that there is at least DVI - this is an interface that transmits only a digital signal. It is these two interfaces that are capable of transmitting the clearest picture so that you can enjoy watching a high-quality DVD movie.


To transmit an analog signal (to a TV with a CRT screen), SCART, component, composite and S-video connectors are used. In terms of image quality, the component interface should be preferred. There, the signal is divided into separate components by brightness and color. The S-Video (Separate Video) interface also separates the video signal into a luminance signal with clock pulses and a chrominance signal. The SCART interface does the same, its advantage is that when connecting a DVD player, you can get by with one cord. Composite cable is less preferred, despite its compactness and the fact that it also allows you to get by with one wire. The fact is that in this case there is a mixed signal along one wire, which leads to a loss in image quality.


And one more feature should be considered when purchasing a DVD player. The point is that in the world of DVD the entire globe is conditionally divided into 6 regional zones. Russia belongs to the 5th zone. If your uncle from America sent you a disc intended for viewing in another regional zone, it will not be read on your player. To prevent this from happening, you must either immediately purchase a multi-zone player, or take other measures to remove regional protection.

Now you are theoretically savvy enough, you can go to the store. And happy viewing!

In the modern world, there are many DVD players with a wide variety of characteristics for every taste. It is not surprising, because thanks to such devices, it became possible to enjoy high-definition films without sacrificing anything, except for buying a player. But how to do right choice when purchasing a player?

Types of DVD players

Before heading to the store for the player, it is worth considering the existing varieties of devices and determine exactly what is needed. This will save you from wasting Money for unnecessary extras. Types of devices directly depend on the needs of the user:

  1. For watching movies and listening to music.

A multifunctional DVD changer (Changer - switch) is ideal. The changer is a device that allows you to play not only information from one disc, but two or even more. Thus, if the movie is boring or you just want to listen to music, and there are only CDs nearby, then the changer will fully satisfy the needs of its owner.

Since a DVD changer can play not only DVDs, but also CDs, there is no point in a separate device for listening to music.

Such a player can switch between DVD and CD discs in a matter of seconds, and in terms of playback quality (music and video equally) is in no way inferior to analogues.

  1. DVD/VCR

Each of us had a huge collection of standard cassettes for a video player. If you do not want to switch to DVD or feel sorry for saying goodbye to your collection, then the DVD / VCR player will fully satisfy even such desires.

Such two-in-one format players allow you to enjoy both new movies on DVD, and nostalgic, reviewing the good old movies on cassettes. This is done thanks to two connectors: for disks and standard cassettes.

But what if you want to keep up with technological progress, but old films are our everything? No difficulties will arise, because there is a burning DVD player, identical to the one described above, but with the function of writing to a disc. That is, while playing a movie from a cassette, with one click of a button, the recording of the image on the disc starts (it is advisable to pull out the purchased Blue-ray and use empty disk so as not to overwrite the finished one again).

Thus, you can fully preserve your favorite movies by simply changing the storage media from the cassette to reliable DVD discs with excellent playback quality. It may seem that this does not make much sense, because all old films already exist on DVD. And this is true, but if there are over a hundred cassettes, it is much easier to re-record them personally than to buy from scratch. Or in the case when there are some of your personal videos on the cassettes.

Moreover, the cost for 100 DVDs with movies will be much higher than buying one DVD writer. Even with the need to buy a hundred blank discs.

  1. For TV high definition (HDTV).

It may happen that the resolution of a movie on a DVD is 720p (1280 x 720 pixels), but the TV supports 1080p (1920 x 1080 pixels) or higher. For such situations, special DVD-players have been created with the ability to convert the frequency of the video signal. This means that the picture is artificially stretched to the maximum possible size, despite the lower resolution of the film itself.

There is only one downside to of this type players: the image size will increase, but the quality will not. However, when you want to show the video a large number people, and quality will be second on the list of priorities - this is a very good idea.

However, it is much more profitable to buy a Blue-ray DVD player. This player can play high-definition movies without delay or other difficulties, which will ideally be broadcast on HDTV.

  1. For traveling.

The solution is a portable DVD player. They are compact, light in weight and do their job remarkably well. Yes, the image quality and resolution will be at the level of a standard TV set of the last decade, but on long trips, on vacation and just to brighten up boredom in transport, this will not be important.

Specifications

Now that we have decided on the required type of equipment, we should carefully understand the details of each specific model. From indicators different characteristics will directly depend on what you can expect from a DVD player:

  1. Audio/video formats.

The vast majority of modern players perfectly "understand" the main file formats:

  • flac;
  • mpeg;
  • wma etc.

However, it is still worth paying attention to the list of supported formats. If only 4-5 items are listed, it may be more correct to bypass such a device model.

  1. Connection type.

Knowledgeable users have long known that the best image quality is achieved with digital connection. Therefore, it is important not to use adapters and prevent signal conversion, for example, from analog to digital (and vice versa).

If the TV does not support a connector for connecting a DVD player, you can buy a more suitable model or purchase adapters that are sold in abundance at every turn. However, it must be remembered that this will significantly reduce the quality of the signal. You may not notice it, but it really will happen. Moreover, than bigger screen TV, the more "clumsiness", blurring, artifacts and interference will be present.

  1. Scaling.

A useful feature when watching movies on a DVD player. It allows you to zoom in on the image or a certain part of it in order to examine in more detail some features of the scene. Also, this function is used to remove annoying black bars at the top and bottom of the screen, sacrificing a slight loss of image on the right and left.

Remember that scaling increases the resolution of the video, therefore the quality will become worse (more blurry). However, if the player supports a resolution of 1080 p, and viewing is carried out at 480 p, then such a movie can be zoomed in as much as twice - there will be no loss of quality (due to scaling, the picture is cut off, but the enlarged part is compared with the supported quality).

This is just one additional function in the player. In most modern models, there are much more of them and the most diverse direction. From reading memory cards to Wi-Fi and even having karaoke. Yes, now you can sing directly into the DVD player, and he will also appreciate the level of singing.

  1. Scan.

There are two types of sweep:

  • interlaced;
  • progressive.

In the first case, the image is formed in two approaches: each even line, and then each odd one. Another thing is the modern version - progressive scanning, which performs the same process of forming a picture, but only in one pass. Due to this, the player's response to commands (pause, stop, etc.) increases, the video starts faster, and in general the image looks better.

Progressive is better than interlaced, but requires twice the amount of hardware available. Therefore, if your TV does not support the conditions for progressive scanning (480p and connection via component cable), it is better to use an interlaced player.

  1. Remote controller remote control(PDU).

Comfort when interacting with a DVD player is key criterion selection. Therefore, much attention should be paid to the PDU:

  • bright buttons (help to find an accidentally lost remote and just look beautiful, pleasing the owner's eye);
  • clear labels above the buttons;
  • small size of the remote control;
  • combination of functions different buttons in one, etc.

All this is important to get the most out of watching movies and enjoy the convenience of use.

And a few more useful tips regarding the criteria by which to select a DVD player model are provided in this video.

Popular Models

How do users exchange opinions about the operation of a particular DVD player? With the help of reviews, of course The top rated player models in 2018, according to positive reviews:

  • DVP-SR760H from Sony (4,000 rubles);
  • MDV-842U from Mystery (2,200 rubles);
  • DVP457SI from BBK (1,100 rubles).

And their characteristics can be described as follows:

  • support for Blue-ray quality, CD, DVD discs;
  • card reader;
  • the ability to use USB-drives;
  • the most common video formats, including H.264, AVCHD, MKV;
  • karaoke;
  • support for 4K resolution (3840 x 2160);
  • Wi-Fi and Internet.

It may seem strange that each of the presented models has an identical set of characteristics, but an in-depth study of the instruction manual will show that there are still minor differences.

Yes, for a simple user they will be exactly “insignificant”, therefore, first of all, you need to look at the main indicators of the device. And the mentioned models provide an impressive set of features that will fully satisfy even the highest requirements for a DVD player.

If the buyer wishes to inquire about each of the characteristics of the player before purchasing, the seller will provide detailed instructions for each model. The number of pages, which sometimes exceeds a hundred.

Having decided on a set of functions, having studied the characteristics and types of the device, it is important not to forget to combine the capabilities of your TV with the requirements for the operation of a DVD player. After that, you can safely go, choose your favorite model and enjoy the purchase while watching your favorite movie.

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