Panasonic DMP-BD10AK 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This player will start the movie from where you stopped it or even if you power it off unlike other players where if you press stop or power off will go back to the very beginning. Excellent picture and menu controls. Comes with 5 Blu-Ray Discs in the box and you also can mail a rebate form in for 5 more discs.

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Oppo DV-981HD Universal DVD Player with HDMI, 1080p Up-Converting, DivX & SACD Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Unbelievalbe picture quality like all other reviewers are saying. Changing the player to Region 0 (all region) is easy: 1. Press Setup on remote control to access the setup page, 2.Enter 9210 on the remote 3.A service menu will pop up, 4. Select a region: 0- 6 in region code. 0 is all-region. Press Setup on remote again to exit. It should play all region and PAL discs. Hope that helps.
(added 12/18/07)
I've been using this player for a year now and I still LOVE it. My friend gave me a DVD with several movies in AVI and an XVid formats. Typically, I would have to watch these movies on my PC. I was pretty psyched to find that Oppo will play the files. When I popped in the disc, I see a blue menu with all the files. The player decodes each selected file and it had no problem playing 3 out of the 4 AVI files. For some reason, one of the AVI files won't play. The XVid file played fine. The quality of these compressed AVI files, as you can imagine, isn't great. But depending on the source of the AVI file, the output quality to a 46" HDTV is almost as good as a DVD and much better than VCD or VCR quality.

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The DV-981HD is the latest incarnation in Oppo's highly aclaimed line of upconverting DVD players. It offers an HDMI interface (HDMI Specification 1.1), with HD upconversion ouput resolutions of 720p, 1080i, and full 1080p. This is Oppo's most full-featured player yet, and as such, it's not a DVD player for people with regular analogue sets. While the DV-981HD doesn't offer component output, and doesn't output standard or native resolution, it does represent one of the best (if not the best) upconverting DVD players out there, and it's perfect for people with HDTVs up to full 1080p who aren't ready to jump on the HD DVD or Blu-ray bandwagen. In addition to excellent upconversion, the DV-981HD offers playback of a whole host of formats including DVD-Audio, Super Audio CS (SACD), Audio CDs, HDCD, WMA, Kodak Picture CDs, all version of DivX including DivX6, as well as Xvid, .SRT, .SMI, .IDX, and .SUB file formats.
Audio Features The DV-981HD outputs audio in stereo or in 5.1 channel surround, either via HDMI, or through the included 5.1 analogue outputs. Other connections include S-Video out, and digital coaxial and optical audio outs. It features 24-bit, 192 kHz high resolution audio D/A converters, supportsvirtual surround in six settings, and has built-in equalizer, channel trim, and channel delay functions.
Farudgja DCDi Technology Rather than trying to build their own upconversion technology for this machine, the Oppo DV-981HD the DCDi Faruja technology from Genesis Microchips. In addition to upscaling a DVD's native 720x480 interlaced video to 480p, 720p, 1080i, or 1080p, Farudja technology also detects content that has gone through 3:2 pull down to convert film content to NTSC for video, and recreates the original frames by blending the fields back together. It then processes for any edit mistakes and reconstrucs an accurate signal, producing an image free of motion artifacts. The unique DCDi algorithm can also identify moving edges within an image and adjust interpolation at a pixel level to create smooth edges for on-screen objects, eliminating the jaggy edges that commonly result from other upconversion techniques. Farudja processing also uses a proprietary "TruLife Enhancement" technology to identify transitions in the image considered to be details such as skin texture, freckles or hair, and enhance those to bring more detail in an image to life on the screen. This approach avoids image artefacts common with the peaking filter approach used by other systems for detail enhancement. The Farudja system uses temporal filtering for noise reduction, and can achieve 6 to 10 dB of Noise reduction without introducing artefacts or losing sharpness in the image.
Connections:
HDMI - High Definition Multimedia Interface: 1
Analog Stereo Audio (Mixed 2-Channel Left/Right): 1 group (2 connectors)
Analog 5.1 Channel Audio: 1 group (6 connectors)
S/PDIF (IEC-958) Coaxial Digital Audio: 1
S/PDIF (IEC-958) Optical Digital Audio: 1
Composite Video: 1
S-Video: 1
No Component Video (YPbPr/YCbCr) on the DV-981HD model. This model is designed for use with a display device with HDMI or DVI digital video input.

Compared with Other Oppo DVD player models At the time of this writing, Oppo also has the DV-970HD upconverting player, and their originalOPD971H model. Of these three models, the DV-981HD is the only that upconverts to full 1080p, the other models offer upconversion to 720p or 1080i only. Both the DV-981HD and the DV-970HD offer Super Audio CD (SACD) playback, the OPDV971H does not. The other major difference to consider is that the DV-981HD and the OPDV971H both use Farudja processing for video upconversion. The DV-970HD uses a different upconversion system that may not be as full featured as the Farudja. For this reason Oppo recommends the DV-981HD, or the OPDV971H for use with larger screen HDTVs 50 inches or greater, while the DV-970HD is only recommended for HDTVs smaller than 50-inches. Oppo recommends the DV-970HD for use with external video processors or scalers, and suggests careful calibration of both the DV-981HD and the OPDV971H when used with DLP HDTVs. Both of these players are good for use with DLP HDTVs, but for the best picture, some setup time is required. For disply with a DVI input on your HDTV, an HDMI-DVI adapter is required with both the DV-981HD and the DV-970HD models.
What's in the Box Oppo DV-981HD upconveting DVD player, a High-quality certified HDMI cable with gold-plated HDMI connectors, Remote control with "glow in the dark" keypad (batteries included), Stereo audio cable, Composite video cable, and User manual and warranty information.

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Universal HDTV Cable Connection Kit - 8 Cables for Audio & Video for any HDTV, Home Theater & More - HDMI, DVI, S-Video, Component, Toslink Review

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(More customer reviews)You get a variety of cable connections in this package for such a decent price.

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Denon DVD-2930CI Progressive Scan DVD/DVDA/SACD Player with Realta Reon VX-50 HQV Processing Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Do NOT buy these I bought 2 and I have had so many problems with them it is unbelievable. You would think that for the price Denon would make a great DVD player. I have the same problems the person that replaced the logic board had on both of my players. These skip scenes, lock up, go to blue screens, stop playing the DVD for no reason etc etc. Lock up so the only way to fix it is to completely unplug the unit. I have had both in the repair shop so many times I have a 3 inch folder with repair invoices. I have own them for 2 years now and have only played 15 DVD movies completely. Since they lock up so much I never make it through the movie. I have given up on them. Denon is no help refuse to repair etc. BTW, a friend bought their Blu-Ray version and after 6 months he is having the same problems. I wish I would have had the chance to talk in out of it.

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Toshiba SD-6000 1080p Upconverting DVD Player Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I lucked out and bought the player brand new from one of the major national electronics dealers for $32. At this price, I consider this a steal.
However, if you pay $80 for a DVD player, I would not buy this one. The image is good. I also have a Sony 5-disk changer DVD player that "only" puts out 1080i, and the Toshiba puts out 1080P. I prefer the Sony's image quality. The reality is that a good DVD player is going to get you to 480P. Anything over that is really pointless. My Sony DVD player has lots of image settings that you can tweak (black levels, etc). The Toshiba effectively has none (except for widescreen modes).
Also, the Toshiba does not "remember" where you are when watching a DVD and you turn the power off. It just starts over. My Sony (and mother's cheapo JVC) both have memory features, which is VERY nice.
The response time is OK by my standards. It actually responds significantly faster than my Sony DVD player. It isn't instant, but it is fast enough for my purposes.
The front panel of the player has minimal buttons. It looks nice, but you I like to be able to switch audio modes, fast forward, and rewind just in case I don't have the remote handy. Also, the blue light surrounding the tray looks cool for about 10 seconds, and then it gets old. If you are somewhat picky about your home theater lighting, you might want to avoid this player for that reason alone.
I have a Toshiba TV (which I love), so I am happy with my purchase. One remote and one HDMI cable does the trick. For the price I paid, it was a deal. The picture does look nice. But if you are going to spend $80 on a player, I would look elsewhere (Sony, etc).

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PTC DigiView HDMI 1.3 4-Port Switch w/Remote & 6ft Gold Cable Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Some people may think this item is defective because of the way it works. Let me explain.
To be able to switch from port 1 thru 4, every port has to sence a signal going to it. Example. I have my PC, PS3, & cable tv box plugged into ports 1,2,3.
If my PC is off, port#1 will not sence a signal,& it cant be selected until I boot my PC. My PS3 is on port#2 & will also not be senced allowing me to switch to it if the PS3 is off. My cable TV box has an always active HDMI port even though the box is off, Port#3 can always be selected. This confuses alot of people,& they think the switch is defective. It's not. If I turn on my PC & PS3, all ports are now sencing a signal going to them, allowing you to switch to any port 1,2, 0r 3.
I'm very happy with this item. Use the cable that comes with it. Do not buy cheep cables for something else otherwise you will see pixel specs & or noise lines on your screen, & you will think something is wrong. Yes, cheep cables have cheep insulation & will create signal noise lines on your screen. It happend to me cuz I used a cheep cable at first to hook up my PC with HDMI out on my graphics card.
As soon as I used the cable that cable that came with it, I could see the difference in the thickness in the cable insulation. Noise lines on my monitor are gone.

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Toshiba HD-A3 720p/1080i HD DVD Player Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Pros:
Fantastic picture
Great price
1080i/ 720p output great for 720p HDTV's
Fast startup time
Slim design of the unit
Adequate remote
Some reviews of other Toshiba HD players have stated that you can't pause the movie, and come back to it later but I have not found this to be the case. As long as you leave the unit on, you can pause the movie as long as you want and resume it when you want to.
Plays DVD+R discs with no problem even though this is not a stated feature.
Cons:
no 1080p output- not an issue for me since I have a 720p TV.
Haven't come across any.

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The Toshiba HD-A3 HD DVD Player allows everyone into the HD DVD game with a very affordable price tag. Don't let the price fool you, however; it offers many features and an excellent build quality.
A Refined, Slimmer Look The HD-A3's refined design--with rounded edges, a slim chassis, and a high-gloss black face plate, standing less than two-and-a-half inches tall--looks sleek and elegant in your home theater system without taking up too much real estate.
Outstanding PerformanceAll of Toshiba's HD DVD players support the enhanced features of the HD DVD format, including picture-in-picture video, audio commentary, and Web-enabled network capabilities. With an Ethernet port, the HD-A3 can connect to the Internet for firmware updates to keep the player up to date on new features, and to support the growing number of HD DVD titles with interactive online features and bonus content.
The HD-A3 features an HDMI interface that carries both a video and an audio signal in one cable for the highest quality and convenience. The A3 outputs video at 720p and 1080i for a detailed and sharp image. The HD-A3 has progressive scan capability, which means it eliminates the scan-lines of interlaced video and produces a clean image with no motion distortion and artifacts.
Sparkling Surround Sound The HD-A3's built-in circuitry processes the multi-channel decoding of Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS, and DTS-HD (core only).
Plays a Variety of Formats The HD-A3 is backward-compatible with your DVD collection: It can play and upconvert DVDs to the HD resolution that is being output. It can also play DVD-R/W, DVD-R, DVD-VR, CD, CD-R, and CD-RW formats, so you don't need extra players taking up space.
The HD-A3 is backed by a limited 1-year warranty.
What's in the Box HD-A3 HD DVD player, remote control, and power cable.

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Toshiba HD-A30 1080p HD DVD Player Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I didn't buy this from Amazon, but since reviews of the player are scarce, I thought I'd share some thoughts.
A few short months ago I bought the Xbox add-on to try the HD-DVD waters, and have been nothing but impressed, so when my standard DVD player died (my 7th one in 8 years, I'm a very heavy DVD watcher), I decided to invest in a player that will (hopefully) last (I also purchased a 4 year warranty this time).
The player itself is beautiful, both in appearance and on screen (watching on 1080p Samsung LCD). Picture quality of HD-DVD is, as expected, superb, and DVD upscaling is the best I have ever seen (easily destroying my 1 year old Sony).
A very few negatives. Boot times are still a bit slow, it takes about 40 seconds before the HD-DVD logo appears on screen, with another 20 seconds to load the disc, it's around 60 seconds total from power on to actually start watching the disc. Discs also don't resume play, which is odd as it seems to be a feature. If you don't power off the unit and stop a disc, it will resume where you left off, but if you power off the player, it restarts from the beginning, very odd, but Toshiba could easily fix in a firmware update.
All in all I am very, very pleased, the unit feels sold, looks amazing on your shelf and features some of the best video quality I have ever seen. The few, "problems" don't really bother me, but I wanted to mention them as it could turn off some people. Thanks for reading!

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The Toshiba HD-A30 HD DVD Player stands less than two-and-a-half inches tall but packs a long list of cutting edge features. The HD-A30 sells at a very reasonable price but has top-end features such as support for 1080p/24-frame video and HDMI-CEC compatibility.
A Refined, Slimmer Look The HD-A30's refined design--with rounded edges, a slim chassis, and a high-gloss black face plate--looks sleek and elegant in your home theater system without taking up too much real estate.
Outstanding Performance All of Toshiba's HD DVD players support the enhanced features of the HD DVD format, including picture-in-picture video, audio commentary, and Web-enabled network capabilities. With an Ethernet port, the A30 can connect to the Internet for firmware updates to keep the player up to date on new features, and to support the growing number of HD DVD titles with interactive online features and bonus content.
The HD-A30 uses the latest HDMI 1.3 interface to connect to your HD television, providing large bandwidth to eliminate any data bottlenecks and to support new technologies for the utmost in viewing experience. The HD-A30 can output video at 1080p, the highest resolution available, and includes support for 24-frame video, which maintains the native 24-frames-per-second rate of films, thereby delivering an experience more similar to one in theaters.
If you have a large collection of standard definition DVDs, the HD-A30 will upconvert them to near-HD quality for display on your HD television. Progressive scan output means the scan-lines of interlaced video are eliminated and the result is a clean image that has no motion distortion or artifacts. In addition to 1080p, the HD-A30 also outputs at 720p and 1080i if desired.
Sparkling Surround Sound The HD-A30 supports most surround sound audio standards, with built-in decoding for Dolby TrueHD 5.1ch, Dolby Digital Plus 5.1ch, DTS 5.1, and DTS HD (core only).
One-Touch Convenience You can use the CE-Link (HDMI-CEC) to connect the HD-A30 with other CEC-capable devices for unsurpassed simplicity and convenience. For example, if the HD-A35 is connected to a compatible HDTV, you can turn on both the HD DVD player and the TV and start playing a movie with a single touch of a button on the remote.
The HD-A30 is backed by a limited 1-year warranty.
What's in the Box HD-A30 HD DVD player, remote control, and power cable.

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Sony HDR-UX10 4MP DVD High Definition Handycam Camcorder with 15x Optical Zoom Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Excellent HD cam at a low price,
- it's a SONY,
- the video quality is very very good, 1080i! FULL HD, crystal clear.
- the 5.1 channels mic records amazing sound.
- the menus are easy to use, if you dont get it: use the "easy" button, it sets up the cam and you're good to go.
- the photos are very good taken thanks to the "Steadyshot" feature and the integrated flash. You can take photos at any time during video recording.
- the "night shot" func. really works.
- it fits in your hand perfectly and it has a good weight, not too light nor heavy.
- transfers to PC are easy and fast. just connect the usb, it's software detects it and download the videos, once it's done you can watch the videos on Windows media player, if you have any issue doing so, just google: "ffdshow" and download this codecs pack, so your pc can play almost any kind video out there.
- If you have a PS3, just plug the memory stick and play the vids.
- The photos can be transferred without using the sony software just copy/paste.
Opportunity:
-The Slow motion feature could be better, you won't get good video quality using this function, it's helpful if you just need to observe something in slowmo but not if you want to make an artistic video or something like that. What i do is take the regular video on HD and slow it down with Windows Movie Maker ;P (You can speed it up too)
This a very good HD camcorder for the price; you can't go wrong with SONY.
Edit: here is the link to the actual codecs you may need to play the videos with Windows Media Player,

[...]
Just install them and you're good to go.


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Experience the world of high definition video with the HDR-UX10. Hybrid recording technology lets you choose your recording format -- DVD or removable Memory Stick PRO Duo media. The ClearVid CMOS sensor (with Exmor technology) and BIONZ image processor captures detailed Full HD 1920 x 1080 video, as well as 4 megapixel still photos. Super SteadyShot optical image stabilization helps ensure clear images; while Face Detection technology helps everyone put their best face forward. You can use the Dual Record Mode to capture still images and video at the same time, and even capture a lifelike audio experience with built-in zoom microphone with Dolby Digital 5.1 channel surround sound.

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Sylvania NB500SL9 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player with HDMI Cable Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Sylvania has produced a real winner in this Blu-Ray player! I hooked it up to a 42inch HDTV using the high speed HDMI cable that came with it (a big plus in itself). I connected the audio to my receiver using the coaxial digital output. I turned it on and waited a bit less than a minute for it to power up. I anxiously inserted my first blu-ray disk. It started playing perfectly a about 30 seconds later. The picture and sound are completely outstanding. This could not have been any easier!
I ran it through it's paces doing various tests (I'm an engineer at heart). Jumping backward and forward between titles was quick and flawless. Pausing and then resuming play was equally flawless. I stopped it and restarted it. It gives you the option to playback from the beginning or to resume where you left off. I chose resume and was very quickly watching it where it left off. Perfect!
Even though it worked perfectly right out of the box, I was curious to check out the menu system. Without even looking at the instructions I found the the setup menu to be very easy and intuitive. I didn't make any changes since the defaults were all what I would have chosen anyway.
Next, I wanted to try playing back a regular DVD. This unit upscales to 1080p. To my surprise, the picture I saw was actually very close to looking like blu-ray! Wow! This is going to make me want to play a lot of my regular DVDs again. Nevertheless, I'm sure I'll always want to watch my favorites using Blu-Ray when I have that option.
Finally, I tried playing back a DVD I recorded myself. Again, it played perfectly with no problem at all. Then, I tried a CD and found it to play perfectly. I also tried a CDROM that has jpeg images on it and that too worked showing the images as a slide show and giving me the ability to choose to view a specific image, or to quickly jump between them.
This is really a great bargain for the price. About the only thing it doesn't do that I would have wanted is to playback mp3 files. But that isn't really a big deal since I have other ways of playing them.
I absolutely recommend this player - 2 big thumbs up!


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Enjoy a whole new world of Blu-ray technology. Upgrade your entertainment experience at your home. Enjoy a new phase of high definition pictures and Bonus View Features.

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Par-a-digm HDMI Cable 1 meter 3 feet HDMI Category 2 Certified to ver. 1.4 Supports all 1080p devices - Perfect for Blu-Ray, Sony Playstation and X Box Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I followed other reviews that said a cheaper hdmi works just as good as the expensive ones. The picture I get with this cable is not as good as my previous monster cables.
This is'nt the cheapest cable on the market so I wouldnt suggest this cable for anyone who doesnt care about picture quality.


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Sony BDU-X10S - Disk drive - BD-ROM - 2x - Serial ATA - internal - 5.25" Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)While building myself a computer recently, I decided to install a Blu-Ray drive. I decided to go with Sony because of the amazing Blu-Ray output quality I have seen from my PS3. The BDU-X10S is a fantastic player; the biggest turn-on for me was the reasonable cost of the player. It does everything upscale home theater Blu-Ray players can do, but for much less. I am running this player on Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit, and as with all Vistas, the media player does not read Blu-Ray. You will have to download software in order to view Blu-Ray discs; I am using WinDVD 9 ($99), and the setup has turned out to be phenomenal. If you are looking for a Blu-Ray player for your PC, the Sony BDU-X10S is the way to go.
Pros: awesome 1080p resolution we have come to expect from Sony, easy installation, reasonably priced, good warranty.
Cons: software required in order to view Blu-Ray movies.


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Toshiba HD-A35 1080p HD DVD Player Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)When I first hooked this up, I thought I was going to have the same problem I had with my HD-A2 player-it wouldn't boot up. However, this player booted up just fine and I am very impressed with the picture. The sound on Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby True HD soundtracks is terrific when played through my Onkyo 805 receiver. I do have a quibble with the Dolby True HD on some discs, though. I put in one and every time I went to a different track or tracked forward, there was about a minute that the picture was silent. I found that the set up on the machine was very easy and the instruction manual is well written and informative. The remote is the same as the one for my HD-A2, so if I lose this one, I can use the other one. The machine is smaller than the HD-A2 and is very easy to move around. It's quite light, but feels sturdy when you pick it up. All in all this is an attractive unit, performs very well, and will blow your ears off when it kicks in full tilt on a good sound track. Can't wait to watch 300 on it. 300 and The Bourne Identity both are included in the package.

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The Toshiba HD-A35 HD DVD Player stands less than two-and-a-half inches tall but packs a long list of cutting edge features that will help you get the most out of your home theater system. With support for 1080p/24-frame video, Deep Color, and HDMI pass-through audio, this player makes it possible to achieve a viewing experience that's as much like being in a theater as you can get without going to one.
A Refined, Slimmer Look The HD-A35's refined design--with rounded edges, a slim chassis, and a high-gloss black face plate--looks sleek and elegant in your home theater system without taking up too much real estate.
Outstanding PerformanceAll of Toshiba's HD DVD players support the enhanced features of the HD DVD format, including picture-in-picture video, audio commentary, and Web-enabled network capabilities. With an Ethernet port, the A35 can connect to the Internet for firmware updates to keep the player up to date on new features, and to support the growing number of HD DVD titles with interactive online features and bonus content.
The HD-A35 uses the latest HDMI 1.3 interface to connect to your HD television, providing large bandwidth to eliminate any data bottlenecks and to support new technologies for the utmost in viewing experience. The HD-A35 can output video at 1080p, the highest resolution available, and includes support for 24-frame video, which maintains the native 24-frames-per-second rate of films, thereby delivering an experience more similar to one in theaters. It also supports Deep Color, a new standard that breaks through the 8-bit color depth limitation of existing HD video and allows a wider range of color than ever before.
Of course, the HD-A35 upconverts from other resolutions so all your standard-definition DVDs display in near-HD quality on your HD television. In addition to 1080p, the HD-A35 also outputs at 720p and 1080i if desired.
High-Definition Audio Audiophiles rejoice! The A35 has HDMI pass-through audio: The audio signal can bypass the HD DVD player's internal audio processor and feed directly into an A/V receiver. The HD-A35 can output 5.1 channel analog audio and, with HDMITM, High Bit Rate Audio (up to 7.1 channels).With a capable receiver, the lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio standards are then decoded externally and audiophiles will be rewarded with the highest fidelity surround sound possible, adding a new dimension of enjoyment to the home theater experience. The HD-A35 also supports other surround sound audio standards including Dolby Digital Plus, DTS 5.1, and DTS HD (core only).
One-Touch Convenience You can use the CE-Link (HDMI-CEC) to connect the HD-A35 with other CEC-capable devices for unsurpassed simplicity and convenience. For example, if the HD-A35 is connected to a compatible HDTV, you can turn on both the HD DVD player and the TV and start playing a movie with a single touch of a button on the remote.
The HD-A35 is backed by a limited 1-year warranty.
What's in the Box HD-A35 HD DVD player, remote control, and power cable.

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Philips DVP3962 - DVD player - upscaling Review

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(More customer reviews)I didn't buy this from a store, or online. My brother brought his over and offered to sale it to me for a few extra bucks. I really didn't want to buy another player. I had bought so many in the past 2 years, trying to find one that could be made into a region free player to play my DVDs from Japan, United Kingdom and Germany. This player is able to be made region free (check videohelp.com for Philips DVP3962) in a few short seconds! I'm so happy now that I don't have to keep pulling out my portable player to play my non-region 1 DVDs!

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Panasonic Viera TH-50PX80U 50-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is my first HD TV purchase ever, so I made sure to do my homework. I spent days researching brands, plasmas v. LCDs, 720p v. 1080p resolutions, and 42" v. 50" screens. Friends and family kept telling me, "Get a LCD. Get a 1080p."
The fact is after combing through review after review from consumers and professional critics alike, it became evident that Panasonic is leading the way with plasma technology, and the years-old issues with these TVs (burn-in, heat, glare) are all but resolved. In fact, plasmas offer smoother motion, deeper blacks and wider viewing angles than their LCD rivals.
Screen size and resolution, I found, go hand-in-hand. The rule of thumb: 50" or less in screen size is not worth the extra $$ for 1080p. The increase in resolution only really becomes appreciable with screen sizes over 50". Too, one can only truly take advantage of 1080p with a Blu-ray DVD player. HD channels are sent at lower resolutions, though obviously much better than standard 480i.
Armed with this knowledge, I set out to find the best 50" plasma 720p I could find that fit within my budget. Sony and Pioneer were out. The next tier included Samsung, Toshiba, and Panasonic. The latter won hands down.
Whether I am watching DirectTV HD or my standard DVD player, the picture quality is nothing short of amazing. I love the anti-reflective coating on the screen; works beautifully in our well-lit room and does not mute the colors. It took a minute for my two year-old to get over Scooby-Doo outsizing him, but he's hooked now.
The one minor complaint I see in other reviews is bass distortion with the speakers. I do not use the "bass boost" function and have not noticed anything but clean sound. In fact, speech, music, and effects sound quite good and balanced. Most will use surround sound for movies anyway, I suspect. The only thing that peeves me is the digital audio out. It only supports 2 channel stereo to a receiver.
In closing, I believe this is the best value you will find for a top quality product in this category. Get one, and you won't just watch TV, you'll experience it.


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Panasonic VIERA 50" 720p Plasma HDTV

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Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD Player Review

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(More customer reviews)Many reviews on this wonderful DVD player already, so let me just bullet a few points I feel worthy.
1. Ease of installation. HDMI cable (not supplied) and the digital audio (not included) I had the audio and bought the HDMI for this player. The installation took about 10 minutes from start to set up to playing dvds. Awesome. On HDMI.. don't waste money (unless you are money bags) on expensive cables. A nice 20 dollar HDMI cable will do fine. Digital is Digital. Only the quality of the connector is in question and if you get a reliable cable, no need for the big money scams.
2. Upgrades. Easily done by lan connection or by ordering the disk from Toshiba for free. Nice.
3. Startup time is about 30 seconds. It has to load up the operating system. After that, it's just the same as any other DVD player. Don't let the nay sayers bug you on this topic. The start up time is just when you first turn it on. Not for each DVD insertion.
4. The upscaling on this is very good. I have a Sony Grand Wega and the normal DVDs now look better to my experienced eye than they did previously on my very nice Sony DVD player.
5. HD-DVD. Get the BBS HD version of the BBS series Planet Earth. Let this be your first HD you watch and let your mind be washed over in beauty. On movies.. I would research before you buy. From what I have seen.. I have a big DVD collection (over 1000) and I double dipped to get a couple HD versions right away. (meaning HD copies of dvds I already had) and there was not much if any difference. What I have found is that the greedy companies are just porting/copying movies from regular dvd over to the HD format. Like any other scanning.. it just depends on how it was done. HD doesn't mean it's really going to be better. Check out DVD reviews first before spending the extra money. I actually have one HD dvd that doesn't look as good as the regular DVD version. I was pretty stunned at having payed 25 bucks for the HD version and if I remember correctly.. 9 bucks for the DVD version. Oh well.
6. Overall impression of the Toshiba player is awesome for me. It's sleek looking in my rack and very easy to intall and to use.

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Toshiba HD-A2 HD-DVD Player with HDMI output.

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Philips BDP9000 Blu-Ray Disc Player Review

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(More customer reviews)URGENT UPDATE: INSTALL SAMSUNG 1.9 Driver to the Philips Player To Fix Problems!!!
It's Feb 2009 and this Blu Ray player was having trouble with certain new Blu Ray releases . . . they wouldn't play, etc. I was told this unit would be useless soon and Philips was not updating firmware. I searched and found this thread [...] and it suggested installing the Samsung Driver . . . I was skeptical at first, but was about to scrap this thing . . . so I installed the SAMSUNG 1.9 Driver update . . . IT WORKED!!!!!!!Previous Review Below
Like the reviewer below, I also have the Toshiba HD2 Model for HD DVD. I am using both of these units on a Mitsubishi 55" 1080i HDTV. Using the Impact Component Video Switcher with Optical Audio connections I have been extremely pleased with this product so far. Why would anyone spend more for a Blu Ray Player? At some point I think the details of the output specs don't live up to the cost paid. This unit however, exceeds expectations given the current price point of other Blu Ray Players. Bottomline . . . I feel I made an excellent choice buying both this unit and the Toshiba HD2 HD DVD players rather than spending MORE money for just a Panasonic or Sony Blu Ray player.

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The Philips BDP9000 DVD player is the first model from Philips that plays high-definition Blu-ray Discs, which takes advantage of today's flat-screen HDTVs by playing content at native 720p or 1080i video resolutions. The clarity and full-color spectrum of the vibrant video produced from Blu-ray movie discs, which provide five times the resolution of standard DVD movie discs is absolutely amazing. The Philips BDP9000 also offers backward compatibility for DVD movie and CD audio discs, and has an upconverting function that brings your favorite DVDs to near HD quality through the HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface) output. The player includes one (HDMI) output, which provides uncompressed multi-channel digital audio, digital High Definition video delivered via a single cable (720p/1080p). High-definition signals up to 1080i are also available through the component video output for Bluray discs (standard DVD's are output 480p through component video). Note that viewing high-definition Blu-ray Disc content requires an HDTV or HD-ready TV. The user-friendly graphic interface includes a full-color, hi-def animated menu, with features such as advanced subtitle functions, video scene search and pop-ups--which provide informative tidbits and are embedded in Blu-ray Disc contents. The unique 10-in-2 multi-format memory card slot displays 3-megapixel and larger images. It's compatible with Secure Digital (SD), MultiMedia (MMC), CompactFlash, MicroDrive, XD Picture Card, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Duo Pro, Memory Stick Pro, RS MMC, and Mini SD. Other technical features include: Up to 1080p (1920 x 1080p) output through HDMI digital outputSelectable 1080p/1080i/720p video upconversion of DVD's through HDMIBD-RE, BD-ROM, DVD ROM, DVD RAM, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, CD-ROM, CD-R/RW playback compatibleMPEG2, VC-1, H.264, HD JPEG decoding12-bit/192MhZ video D/A converter; 24-bit/192KHz audio D/A converter The BDP9000 provides a full range of audio decoding, including Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby DTS, and MP3. It has stereo outputs as well as coaxial and optical digital audio outputs for 5.1-channel home theater surround sound. It offers the following video output connection options: HDMI: 1Component Video: 1S-Video: 1Composite AV (RCA): 1 Blu-ray Disc Format The next-generation Blu-ray optical disc format was created by a group of the world's top consumer electronics companies, including Philips and Sony. This format was intended to meet the demand for playing and recording high-definition content, which far surpasses the video quality DVD can handle. With remarkable high quality video and crisp audio clarity, Blu-ray also offers increased storage capacity--up to 25 GB of content on a single-sided disc and enough space for two hours of high-definition movies or recorded content. (This is over five times the 4.7 GB of data a standard single-sided DVD disc can store.) The name Blu-ray is derived from the blue-violet laser the player uses to read and write to the disc. Tech Talk HDMI: is a lossless, uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface to link any audio/video source (such as a set-top box, DVD player, or AV receiver) with your TV--all over a single cable. HDMI supports standard, enhanced or high definition video, plus multi-channel digital audio on a single cable. It supports all ATSC formats--standard (SDTV), enhanced (EDTV), and high (HDTV). Component video: (also called Y/Pb/Pr) features a three-jack video input, which provides separate connections for luminance or "black and white" (Y), blue color difference (PB) and red color difference (PR). This results in increased bandwidth for color information, resulting in a more accurate picture with clearer color reproduction and less bleeding than you would get with S-Video or composite (RCA yellow video plug) connections. You will need a separate RCA left/right audio cable for sound or you can use a digital connection like "digital coaxial" or "optical". High Definition Formats: The most common high-def (HD) video format is 1080i, which displays video at 1080 vertical by 1920 horizontal pixels. The "i" means that it is interlaced (interlaced means the screen scans the odd-numbered video lines first, then the even-numbered lines).The 1080p format has the same pixel resolution as 1080i, but it is a progressive scan format and thus has a constant vertical resolution of 1080 lines. The "p" denotes that it is progressive scan, meaning that all video lines are filled at the same time.Another high-def (HD) video format is 720p, which displays video at 720 vertical by 1280 horizontal pixels.It displays the same way as as 1080p except at a lower resolution. What's in the Box Blu-ray DVD player, remote control (multibrand for TVs; comes with batteries), printed operating instructions.

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