Page 1 of Here it is again ;-) Which DVD player!

Ok, I know this has been asked a million times but hay I guess it`s my turn ;-)
Anyway, I`ve been reading the forums trying to decide which (budget) DVD player I should get and I guess the choices left for me are:

Aiwa 370
Scan SC-2000
Encore 470
Mico (A9...something or another)

And maybe some others I`ve missed. The problem is from what I`ve read is that there`s no clear winner in which one to choose coz each one has it`s problems or features missing that the others have.

I`m tempted to get an Aiwa but the main problem is that it has no on-board Dolby decoder. Also doesn`t play SVCD (are SVCD any good and can this be solved with a firmware update or whatever?) Oh and the Microvision can`t be switched off (in fact what is Microvision - is it just so that you can record DVD`s onto VHS?)

The Mico seemed like a good option until I saw the remote control - dunno why but I want a DVD with a decent remote - these one`s are just awkward to use and just plain crap (apparently there`s a new version with a better remote - is this true?)

Same with the Encore but I`ve read the picture quality is bad. Is it really that bad or are you guys just a fanatical bunch?

The Scan (or Manhatten, Logix) seems to be in the same league as the Mico and Encore but dont have the on-board decoder.

So basically it`s between the Aiwa, Encore, Mico and the Scan (or similar makes). The Aiwa seems to be better quality all round than the others but the others (Encore and Mico especially) seem to have more features.

If anyone can offer honest comments and answers to these questions preferebly with first hand experience (and without unfounded comments) I`d be very gratefull.

Oh just to make it clear, I`m after the most featured, best quality DVD player for under £200. I`m not interested in joining some Aiwa or Toshiba fan club so please leave out the useless comments about which DVD player rocks, just unbiased comments is the order of the day - if that`s at all possible amongst the factions that roam these forums ;-) (I swear some of you guys must be employees of these companies!)

Thanks,

007.

And here it is again the AIWA370, simple job done, go on go and buy it!

I own a top range sony DVD player but if some one put 200 notes in my hand and told me to buy the best player for that money , I would get on my bike and go to comet and buy the AIWA.

I spent some time checking it out and it is good, also they are selling like hot cakes.

This item was edited on Tuesday, 2nd January 2001, 14:04

And that`s exactly what I`ve done! ;-)

Except I didn`t ride a bike but drove instead! Anyway it was the last one in comet so I thought ah what the hell, might as well get it now! I`m gonna check it out in a few minutes so it better be as good as you guys say it is ;-) Seriously though, hats off to Jimbo for at least pointing out the bad points along with the good ones of the aiwa in his web site, most people try and make you believe "their" (like they own the company) make of DVD player is perfect!

It`s just a shame it doesn`t have an on-board DD decoder and doesn`t play SVCDs or have macrovision disabled but I guess you cant have everything!

Anyway just a few quick questions:
1) What is macrovision? Is it just so you can`t copy DVD`s onto VHS?
2) What other highstreet retailers stock the Aiwa370 apart from comet?
3) What do the Aiwa370 upgrades/patches come as if there are any and how do you apply them?

Thanks,

007.

The only reason to have Macrovision is for copy protection.

Stop reading here if you don`t want ot get bored..... else......

Macrovision is the name of a company who developed and patented a way of screwing up a video signal such that it plays on a TV but knackers a VCR trying to record it. I won`t go into boring details on how it does it, but in very basic terms, the TV works using a kind-of averaging method of locking onto several parts of the signal including things like brightness, colour and line syncs. The VCR samples many or these things much more instantaneously. The Macrovision system temporarily alters some of the details of the signal so that if you look at the average it is not changed (much) but if you look at some particular points in time then they may appear different. There are a number of changes (or processes as Macrovison call them) & each one designed to attack a different bit of the signal processing.

The net effect is that most VCRs on the market will be caught by at least one of the applied processes. With a Macrovision protected video tape then the signal is embedded into the tape and has to be `removed` by some processing system in order to recover the original signal.

With DVD players, the Macrovision signal is not present on the DVD picture but is actually generated by a chip inside the DVD player (like it is in TV digi-boxes). Each one of the Macrovison processes has some parameters and the DVD disk just contains these parameters. In order for the DVD player to become `VCR friendly` then the Macrovision generator needs to be disabled or bypassed. This is achieved, if possible, in either hardware or software depending on the machine.

If it can be disabled in software then this is probably pretty simple (like a remote hack), if it is not, then it will depend entirely on how the chipset is put together as the generator may well be embedded deep inside another chip.

How`s that for boring nitty gritty?

Phew! im glad we didnt ask about luminance and decoder circiuts!

Donald bullock are you out there!

>>"1) What is macrovision? Is it just so you can`t copy DVD`s onto VHS?"

Basically, yes, it`s a copy protection system, but it interferes with some kinds of projection TV`s.

>>"2) What other highstreet retailers stock the Aiwa370 apart from comet?"

None that I know of, but there are a few "on line" retailers

>>"3) What do the Aiwa370 upgrades/patches come as if there are any and how do you apply them?"

Gawd knows, but they`re probably the same as the LG and need a special "Jig" board to do.

oh, and before I forget.....




AIWA 370 (officially) ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(and join the damn club! lol)

Well I`ve tried out the Aiwa 370, not bad, nice looking and constructed box, however there are a few things that seem a bit annoying (I`m testing it with the Matrix).

Firstly the fact that almost anything you do to interrupt the flow of the movie, results in you having to start from the beginning (ok maybe that`s a bit harsh - basically you can`t power off and power on and continue where you left off - can this be solved with a firmware update?).

The picture quality doesn`t seem all that great but I think this is to do with how I`ve set it up which leeds me onto my next question.

I`m using a scart cable (I think it`s a cheap one!) does this necessarily mean it`s RGB? What`s the best way to connect it up - via a scart cable or through the s-video? I`m pretty unclear about this whole business so if anyone can explain that would be great.

Finally, I have a good TV Nicam Stereo with Dolby Surround, Pro logic etc but it`s not widescreen. Again I don`t really know much about this area but I get the border`s on the top and bottom whether I play it in 16:9, 4:3 (letterbox or the other one - both of these have massive borders).
The 16:9 mode is just about acceptable but is there any way of getting rid of or reducing the borders without buying a new TV?
The wierd thing is the borders seem bigger with the AIWA than when I played it on a MICO A980.
Also there is a button on the TV remote that streches the display to fit the screen but it looks strange (everyones taller!) and on the AIWA there`s still a small border whereas on the MICO there was none.

Any help gratefully appreciated.

Thanks.

>>"Firstly the fact that almost anything you do to interrupt the flow of the movie, results in you having to start from the beginning (ok maybe that`s a bit harsh - basically you can`t power off and power on and continue where you left off - can this be solved with a firmware update?)."

Posted many times before, "Resume from power off" is a missing Bookmark style function, but with 100x search speed, who needs it? :o)

>>"I`m using a scart cable (I think it`s a cheap one!) does this necessarily mean it`s RGB? What`s the best way to connect it up - via a scart cable or through the s-video? I`m pretty unclear about this whole business so if anyone can explain that would be great."

Remove and look at the scart plug. Does it have 21 or 9 pins?
(9 pin = composite, 21 pin fully wired and RGB capable)
SCART on "Component" or "RGB" is best, but SVideo is stunning too!

>>"Again I don`t really know much about this area but I get the border`s on the top and bottom whether I play it in 16:9, 4:3 (letterbox or the other one - both of these have massive borders).
The 16:9 mode is just about acceptable but is there any way of getting rid of or reducing the borders without buying a new TV?"

Nope, the DISC determines the size of the picture, but the Aiwa does send the signal for Widescreen TV`s on "Auto" mode to go full screen.
If it`s a widescreen disc, then bars will be visible.


>>"The wierd thing is the borders seem bigger with the AIWA than when I played it on a MICO A980.
Also there is a button on the TV remote that streches the display to fit the screen but it looks strange (everyones taller!) and on the AIWA there`s still a small border whereas on the MICO there was none."

Got me on this one. They should be the same. Are you using the same disc? There`s a few different "Ratios" for widescreen, and some wont fill even a widescreen set`s picture area.

Hope that`s helped at least a little! :o)

AIWA 370 (officially) ROCKS!!!!!

Thanks Jimbo, thats cleared a few things up.

The SCART has 21 pins so I guess it`s RGB capable; probably best if I get a better quality cable. Do I need to connect the two audio leeds as well? Or is this all handled through the SCART cable?

Do you reckon that the ability to play SVCD`s or a bookmark feature could be added via a firmware update?

Is it worth investing in a widescreen TV, do you like get borders on the sides when watching normal TV?

Thanks.

Bang Bang Bang... Thats head against the wall LOL

Max