Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: "professional" DVD player?

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Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 03-12-2006, 02:10 PM:

Does anyone make a high-end DVD player that is specifically designed for "presentation" use (as opposed to home use)? Specifically, I'm looking for something that has the following features:

- NO on-screen display of any type (or at least the ability to turn all on-screen display information off)
- does NOT obey region codes (or can easily be made to not obey region codes)
- has ALL controls on the front panel (i.e. does not require a remote control to access menus, turn on subtitles, etc.)
- has excellent picture quality, component output, etc., preferably using BNC connectors
- plays all types of disks (DVD+/-R/RW, VCD, etc.)
- is well built, not plastic junk
- allows "unskippable" trailers, FBI warnings, etc. to be skipped
- will hold image in "pause" mode for an arbitrary amount of time (no auto-stop, no screensaver, etc.)

Nice-to-have features would include the following:

- balanced audio output
- some sort of "automation" interface to connect to external equipment

Does this sort of thing even exist? I've been showing way too many foreign DVDs lately and it usually turns out to be a very frustrating experience to try to put in a good show with standard consumer-grade equipment.

Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 03-12-2006, 04:13 PM:

Have you considered using a PC and some kind of software like AnyDVD. It would certainly take care of the region issue and FBI warnings etc. You could use a VGA-to-Component converter, and regular line-out from the PC's sound card.

Posted by Jeffry L. Johnson (Member # 453) on 03-12-2006, 04:40 PM:

No experience with this player. No idea if it's still available. Sky Scan makes Spice automation, which can be found in some planetariums and IMAX theaters.

Digital Video solutions
products

quote:
Pioneer DVD-V7400 DVD Player

Pioneer's DVD-V7400 is the top-of-the-line industrial DVD-Video player on the market today. Designed for applications that require reliability in rigorous operating environments, the DVD-V7400 is a significant improvement over conventional industrial-use models.

Key Features:
SPICE Automation compatible
Mulitiple Disc Formats
Video CD
CD-DA
DVD-Video
DVD Hybrid (Pioneer format, NTSC only)
Multiple Disc Media
CD-R
CD-RW
DVD-R
Outputs
Component video output on BNC terminals (Y, Cr, Cb)
Two composite video outputs (BNC/RCA)
S-Video
Stereo audio on two RCA jacks
Coaxial digital output (AC-3/PCM/MPEG/DTS) on one RCA jack

Posted by Aaron Garman (Member # 1653) on 03-12-2006, 04:46 PM:

Gosh we used those Pioneers all over the place at Best Buy. They ran all day, never broke from what I could remember.

AJG

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 03-12-2006, 07:59 PM:

The Pioneer 7400 is well known in the pro circles...it is NOT region free. Its claim to fame is that it is only half the width of the opening in a rack so two may be used side-by-side, they have a 45000 Hr mechanism so they do indeed run all day and night without hassle...BNC connectors for many of the outputs (not all though). It is also known as a Kiosk player.

The 7400 lacks many of the features you request though...it doesn't play every DVD under the sun and can be finiky. It will not output Component and Composite (in color) at the same time. It does not offer RS232 or Ethernet control. It is consumer level audio (-10dBV) on RCA or PCM via RCA S/PDIF output.

For a long time, we used the MaranatzPro PMD930 and everyone seemed to love that unit...it was region free and rarely needed the remote. Discs that wouldn't play on the Pioneer would play on the MarantzPro. Alas, it was discontinued in 2005. It was replaced by the DN-V300 (Denon, now that the company is called Denon and Marantz Pro). The DN-V300 is region free, RS232 controllable, has simultaneous outputs on Component, S and Composite. Audio is still consumer in analog or digital. It offers Progressive and Interlaced output. They claim that it can jump to the main Menu screen but I have not played with it enough to verify that one. DN-V300

I must admit the "ProSumer" level of DVD players really seem to lean towards the Consumer side...probably because the DVD really is a consumer medium. Kinda like trying to find a Pro VHS deck...they exist but top $1000...imagine paying $1200 for a VHS deck in a day when you can't give them away! No doubt there exists such DVD players too.

Posted by Joel N. Weber II (Member # 3530) on 03-28-2006, 11:05 AM:

If the purpose of the balanced outputs is to be able to run long audio cables, another option might be to run a long optical s/pdif cable, and use a separate s/pdif to analog converter such as the Creative Labs DDTS-100.