DVD Players

DVD Players

DVD players have spread rapidly in recent years and are available for the reasonable price of £50 for a DVD player that is sufficient for everyday use. The devices are usually connected via a SCART connection to the TV. But if you own an LCD or plasma television with HDMI input, you should consider going up to a DVD player with HDMI interface. Over HDMI, the high-resolution digital signals from DVDs can be played back on the TV without loss. Many current DVD players as well as playing DVDs can play video files on data CDs or conventional audio CDs. These devices are also known as multiplayers as they can read and print many file formats like MP3, JPG and DivX. Special SACD DVD players on the other hand concentrate on the playback of SACD, the successor format of the audio CD, which is in competition with the Audio DVD. Such players are often used as the central interface of a home theater system, which operates both the TV and the stereo. The DVD receivers operating in this market area include an additional tuner. But even the purists who want to use their DVD player really only with a television are facing a decision: Blu-ray players have already entered the market as the successor generation, which is considerably more powerful. The price is currently higher than DVDs though. Those traveling a lot, however, will probably resort to a different device. Portable DVD players serve those on the go who do not like to be without their DVD movies. An integrated multimedia display makes this possible - the entire device is very similar to a notebook, although the keyboard is replaced by a more intuitive, very simplified input medium.

Further Information

DVD players, unlike VCRs, offer a much better sound and picture quality although they can also be more expensive. A DVD player has more compact dimensions than a VHS player. DVDs also offer many additional options such as language selection, subtitles, interviews and trailers for the film as well as comments by the director or even music videos. These options can be freely choosen from the menu. The annoying forwarding to the right place is avoided thanks to chapter selection. Otherwise the DVD player offers all the benefits that we know from normal CDs: A virtually unlimited number of plays without losing quality and resistance to mechanical influences. Almost all DVD players can now connect via a standard RCA output to a stereo. The so-called 5.1 audio output for surround sound, which is required for the DVD player to be directly connected to an amplifier with 6-channel input, is not available on all machines. The DVD player can be considered as a replacement for a CD player, although you should bear in mind that not all DVD players can play burned CDs.

Importance of copy protection and "Regional Codes"

Most DVDs are copy protected, so that it is not so easily possible to reproduce them. Furthermore, both the DVDs and the DVD player itself are often equipped with a so called "Regional Code" (Regional Playback Control). This is to prevent media being played for example from the U.S. on a European device. This need is for the film industry as it is not possible to supply all cinemas in the world with multiple rolls of film simultaneously. This should ensure that the films on DVD are only available once all the cinemas of the world have used them. It also prevents the import from one country to another, since DVDs are often traded at very different prices. And last but not least it reduces the marketing risk when the marketing of a film is delayed. Meanwhile regional code free DVD players are available. There can sometimes be problems with playing certain regional DVDs. The Regional Code can sometimes be handled through special software or conversion of the hardware.

Standard Features

A remote control and the necessary cables to connect to the absolute standard equipment are included with a DVD player. Movies can be viewed in different languages or with different subtitles, provided the respective DVD offers these extras. The known functions from VCR, slow motion, fast forward, freeze frame are also standard. Since the DVD player is to replace both the VHS player and the CD player, most devices can also play audio CDs. The well-known functions of a CD player such as random play sequence (random), repetition (Repeat) or programmability of the playing sequence are also available with DVD players. Most DVD players have a safety device for children, with which unsuitable DVDs can be locked. If music is to be transferred without loss of sound to digital recorders such as MiniDisc or MP3 recorder, the DVD player needs a digital audio output. This is to ensure that the audio output is suitably designed for the recorder as an optical or electrical (coaxial) output. The ideal DVD player should be able to play all popular formats, i.e. DVD movies, audio CDs and also burned media. Many players are now also compatible with CD +R/RW, DVD +R/RW, DVD-Video, Video CDs, and CD-DA. Here again it must be decided which formats are personally relevant, because a good quality DVD player that can play many formats can cost more money.

Surround Formats: DVD with perfect sound

In relation to the surround format, there is confusion, because the multi-channel techniques differ only slightly from each other. In recent years, many advanced successor formats of the older analog Dolby Surround format have emerged that make it possible to encode multiple channels. While the older Dolby Surround format is a four-channel system, Dolby Digital supports six independent channels (6.1), the full frequency range can play from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. Three speakers are placed in front, (left, right and in the middle) while two effects speakers are positioned behind the spectators (right and left). Additionally serving channel 1 is a low-frequency bass rendition subwoofer. Multi-channel audio engineering which is based on Dolby digital is DTS (digital theatres of system). With this format, up to eight channels are supported. However, DTS 5.1, in which the sound is played on only five channels, is standard. The data is not compressed so much, which is why DTS is at least sonically superior to the Dolby Digital format. Older DVD players will not be able to play this format however, as the sound standard received a very late entry into the world of cinema. A third format is MPEG Surround, which is in several variations, using MPEG-1 to MPEG-7. Even the MP3 format is based on the MPEG-Audio format. MPEG-2 is the standardised format that enables not only videos but also the recording and playback of audio data in CD quality. It is characterized by a sophisticated compression technology, which will achieve the highest sound and picture quality.

This category contains tests on home cinema and stereo component, optical disc player, digital versatile disc player, home entertainment system, DVD Players, home cinema and stereo components, optical disc players, digital versatile disc players.