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This topic comprises 5 pages: 1 2 3 4 5
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Author
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Topic: Cheap DVD Players - Be Careful Buying One
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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."
Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted 12-16-2007 03:52 PM
Yes, the HD-A2 has a S-Video output. I stated that earlier. That player is also limited to 1080i output. It also costs a lot more than $99 now. Many stores are charging more for that than the HD-A3 (if they still even have any A2 models in stock). The HD-A3 can be firmware upgraded for 1080p output, but it doesn't have the S-Video output.
I don't want to have to fart around with switching my TV and receiver between S-Video and composite connections. I like my Yamaha receiver alright, but when you tell the thing to switch the video signal over to basic composite it also only wants to play basic analog L/R signals for that source as well. I'm not doing without DD 5.1 and DTS 5.1.
If the $39 Phillips DVD player had included a S-Video connection I would have kept it instead of taking it back to Wal-Mart.
The $59 RCA DVD player had the physical connections I wanted, but didn't support DTS Output. I took that back to Sears.
Functions like playing DivX videos, MP3s, JPEG slide shows and all that stuff are fine. But it's stupid for the same DVD player to add in all those things and drop fundamental signal connection standards. IMHO, any DVD player (and HD quality player) should have composite, component and S-Video connectors for video and optical and coaxial connectors for digital audio. Making a player less compatible is going to equal fewer customers.
I'm sure lots of people have to replace old DVD players that have crapped out on them. Not everyone has a brand new HDMI-connectible setup, or even one with component video connections either. Lots of people have systems where S-Video is their main connection standard. It only makes sense to maximize compatibility with existing systems.
With regard to the HD-DVD and Blu-Ray players, I think more of these players would be getting sold if the companies making those players did a better job of supporting legacy DVD standards and actively marketing those items as a worthy standard DVD player replacement. They're not doing that right now.
quote: Chris Slycord
Why? The new player would be backwards compatible with DVD.
I can put the old CRT TV in another room and hook that DVD player up to it and a second satellite receiver. No need in throwing away both items if they both still work just fine.
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Frank Angel
Film God
Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 12-17-2007 06:07 AM
Pioneer has always been a quality product....when they worked. If they failed, you were screwed. I had one of the their very first Laserdick players. It worked beautifully....for six months, then it just stopped playing. I sent it for factory repair, first to an "authorized" factory service repair place. I should have known I was doomed when I saw they also repaired refridgerators. Surprise, they couldn't fix it. So I sent it to Pioneer's owned and operated central service repair, then in the swamps of NJ. They kept it for three months. They couldn't repair it. To say the least, I swore off Pioneer ever since, although I know it doesn't make scientific sense to make decisions on single experiences like that....but it sure is hard to ignore them.
How times have changed. For all you girly guys who are hemming and hawing over the cost of a $24 player vs. a $49 player and whether it has 10 outputs or 8....I bought my very first single disk Technics CD player which had nothing but Left and Right outputs and all the features of Play, Stop, Forward, Back, and Scan. I was THRILLED to get it on a big SALE!! at $850! Now than's MANLY purchasing!
BTW, does anyone still make large scale CD players -- didn't Sony make one that held like 200 CDs? I am finding I could use something like this more and more.
[ 12-17-2007, 10:39 AM: Message edited by: Frank Angel ]
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Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!
Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 12-17-2007 09:47 AM
Yes Frank, but your "opinions" tend to make the "Opinions are like assholes..." come true...then again, that is just my opinion.
As to Pioneer...they have had their ups and downs throughout the years. In the 1970s they made very good bang for the buck equipment. You could always do better than Pioneer but they often had more watts or more features in any given price range. They had their dogs, for sure. The CT-F900 cassette deck, which started the whole Floroscan craze had a lot going for it but the drive mechanism in it were very prone to failure (weak springs and bad clutch design)...Very few of them didn't fail except maybe the last generation. However that design did give birth to the rest that followed and they did notably better...ending in the CT-F1250...which I put head to head with a Nak Dragon and the Pioneer came out on top (limiting to Dolby-B).
The other products during that time were also decent enough for the price...be it receivers, amps or their HPM line of speakers.
Pioneer then went through a very dark era where their stuff was complete crap...very plasticy green face plates and such. This stuff was utter garbage. They seemed to have come through that I don't see that green stuff for sale much even on eBay.
As to laserdiscs...I have had my collection of them...VP1000, CLD-900, CLD-D701 and the DVL-700.
My CLD-900 did have an issue early in its life and I did take it to an authorized Pioneer service center. It was repaired promptly and in warranty and worked for many years thereafter...infact, it really only had problems later in life switching to CDs from LDs...on that unit, it used two different heads and it had to pivot the head/spindle. I think the microswitch didn't make good contact so it didn't register that it had attained the new position....anyway...one thing a proper LD service center had to have was an optical jig from Pioneer to service these units and I hear it cost the service center buckets of dough too.
The CLD-D701 had a sudden and premature death...I liked it the best, feature wise but when it died, DVDs had come out and I decided to just get the DVL-700 instead of repairing the CLD-D701 since the DVL would do both. I'm still using the DVL-700 for LDs to this day. For DVDs...a cheeseball Pioneer that has been doing just fine and in fact is putting up with my 2-year old hanging from the DVD draw when its open...I'm amazed it hasn't snapped off yet!
As for composite...all players will carry that one...it is the great common denomiator...and sadly enough, most people don't see why S-Vid is so much better (no chroma crawl). That said, I perfectly understand why S-Vid is one that is dropped in current units...most consumers just don't get the difference and as a connector, you couldn't design one to fall out easier...except for HDMI. Component for consumers is just too damn confusing...three cables and the "Y" terminal has a green color to it....makes no sense! In truth, component should have adopted that the "Y" terminal use a Yellow color to distinquish it from R, G, B. Plus, if you just connect the Y signal, you will get an image (B/W).
Steve
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Frank Dubrois
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 896
From: Cleveland, OH
Registered: Mar 2005
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posted 12-17-2007 10:12 AM
quote: Steve Guttag
Pioneer then went through a very dark era where their stuff was complete crap
That's an interesting statement.
quote: Mike Blakesley
Frank D, instead of just making stupid statements, why don't you back up your "opinion" on Pioneer with some facts and actual knowledge...like I did?
Ok...I made the mistake of buying a Pioneer amp, and it was crap. It blew up. I owned a Pioneer lasdisc player, the picture was sharp, for the 5 weeks that it worked. I owned a Pioneer DVD player, it skipped when playing CD's. I owned a Pioneer Elite amp and it had fantastic sound, never had an issue, sold it 2 years later and only lost $50.
quote: Mike Blakesley
Elite is just a fancier line for them
LOL.....again.
quote: Steve Guttag
Yes Frank, but your "opinions" tend to make the "Opinions are like assholes..." come true...then again, that is just my opinion.
F U too you arrogant bastard. That's my opinion.
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That actually proves that YOU don't know shit. Standard Pioneer amps and DVD players are C R A P! 
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