Info and forum posts by 'AndyR'

This user hasn't used our main site yet, so has no main account at present.

Joined on: Wednesday, 14th November 2001, 11:50, Last used: Monday, 1st August 2005, 13:03

Access Level: Mostly Harmless

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This user has posted a total of 15 messages. On average, since joining, this user has posted 0 messages a day, or 0.01 messages a week. In the last 30 days, this user has posted 0 messages, which is on average 0 messages a day.

Recent Messages Posted:

Pioneer DV444 - rubbish at MP3s?

Someone`s just given me a CD with a whole load of MP3s burned on it, so I thought I`d try it in my DV444 - never tried this before. Some play OK, others have drop-outs or strange crackles in various places, and some won`t play at all.
It`s not a big deal, as it`s not something I`ll be doing on a regular basis, but is this a fault with my DVD player, or is this common? Does the quality of the CD or the MP3 coding format make a diiference?

RE: search-company.com always pops up when I search on Google - Help!

You can find CWS Shredder at:

www.merijn.org/cwschronicles.html

RE: Anyone living in Reading...?

I`ve lived in Reading for a while now.

1) Commuting can be a bit of a drag. At least from Reading the trains are regular (`cos it`s on the main line) and it`s a fairly short journey (25-30 mins), but be prepared to stand up because more often than not the trains are full when they get to Reading.

2) University area (Earley) is nice, but good rented accomodation is at a premium. "Cemetary Junction" (AKA Newtown) will be cheaper, but is a bit run down, and has a "reputation". Ditto West Reading (Oxford Road). Sput2001`s friend is right - further out (Caversham, Tilehurst) may not necessarily be cheaper (but might be bigger/more salubrious).

Bus service isn`t bad at peak hours (depending on where you are) and at least you avoid the extortion of town centre parking, especially in the station itself.

3) Why so interested in Pizza Express? I think the Reading example is OK (i.e. better than Pizza Hut). The new(ish) Oracle centre has lots of franchised eateries (Chili`s, Old Orleans, Yellow River, McD`s) if that`s your thing.

Hope this helps.

RE: Opinions on these things from Argos?

Interesting...my dad has a "magic eye" system (not sure which one) to transmit Sky to the bedroom. I bought him a DVD player for xmas and was shocked to discover how bad his picture was when I set this up (and that he wan`t using scart for Skybox to TV connection). I hadn`t thought of the transmitter degrading the picture. I`ll have to check this out next time.
Are the auto-switching Scart boxes any good? It`s bit of a pain rummaging round the back of the telly to switch connections!

RE: downloading stuff from a cd on my computer to t68i using usb data cable?help

Brian,
I`ve got a T68i myself - I haven`t researched this fully but I believe transferring via a cable is fairly limited. It seems mainly designed to synch your contacts.
On the other hand, if you have a PC with an infra-red port (or presumably Bluetooth), you can just send the file straight to the `phone with no other software required. I do this all the time from my laptop at work. USB infra-red port?
You might want to check out www.esato.com as well - I think there`s a 3rd party utility somewhere that lets you copy ringtones and logos via cable. Their help forum is quite good as well.
Cheers,
Robbo.

Worst layer change?

Saw Sum of all Fears R2 recently, and had a good laugh at how badly the layer change has been integrated into the film (then I remembered I`d bought the damn thing!)
Anyone seen any really bad layer changes?

RE: Pioneer PDV-10 Volume problem.

I think this a "feature" of many DVD players (Pioneers in particular). I have the same problem with my 444.

Pioneer DV444 sound "issues"

I have a Pioneer DV444 (obviously) connected to my ageing Sony TV (via RGB SCART). I`m impressed with the picture quality of the DV444, but I have one two problems with sound:

(i) Sound output from the DVD player is very low (I know this problem has been aired before on this forum)
(ii) When I switch the DVD TruSurround feature on, speech volume drops even lower on most (but not all) scenes
(iii) I get sound distortion on some DVDs (e.g. the amphitheatre scene in Ronin). The best way I can describe this is that it`s similar to recording on audio tape (remember that?) with the recording level set too high.

Am I missing something in the audio setup? I`ve tried playing with most of the settings, but none seem to make any noticeable difference. Do I just need a TV that`s more up-to-date?

RE: Is the Pioneer DV-444 the machine to buy?

AndyPandy:
You`re correct, I am listening to the TV output via Scart.

This is my first DVD player, so I`ve nothing to compare it with. Don`t get me wrong - these are only minor quibbles with a very good machine, and they`re fixable:

(i) Layer change - live with it!
(ii) Sound level - turn up the volume
(iii) Clean your disks

They certainly wouldn`t stop me buying the same machine again.

RE: Is the Pioneer DV-444 the machine to buy?

Had mine for a couple of months now - not tried any R1 disks yet, but the only problems I`ve come across are:
(i) Noticeable pause at layer change
(ii) Sound output level a bit low compared to VCR, TV
(iii) Doesn`t like fingerprints on the disk (skips/ejects disk etc)

Picture quality is consistently excellent though..

RE: DVD PLAYER HELP?

For the Philips:
As I understand it, you can use the standard remote to change regions, but this will only work a finite number of times (up to 25?), after which your player will "lock" in the selected region.
You can make it multi-region permanently if you have a "learning" remote (as manufactured by One4All) with a "magic" key. These remotes can be programmed to send the correct infra-red code to unlock the player. The standard remote cannot generate this code.

Hope this helps...

RE: Opinions please

If you want it in black, you`d better go for the 444 - 545 only comes in silver (according to Pioneer UK Customer Relations).

Does Pioneer`s DV-545 have a zoom facility?

Tried Pioneer`s brochure from their website, but no info. on zoom capability on any of their DVD players (even the DV-646, which I believe has this facility).

Do Comet know something?

Just looked at the Comet website - the Toshiba SD210E isn`t on their DVD player list anymore - it`s been replaced by an "SD105E" (the SD110E is still there).
What`s going on?

Newbie alert! Toshiba or Philips?

Looking to buy my 1st DVD player - all the reviews say the Tosh 210E is the dog`s, but:
(i) Not sure about the looks
(ii) Heard it can be a bit noisy

Anyone tried the Philips DVD712? Reviews seem a bit thin on the ground, but I quite like this machine `cos I`ve got a One4All remote to hack it with!