AUSSIES - which player do you recommend

[scottb721]

My Philips DVD718 is old and isn't playing all my DVD-Rs so I'm in the market for a new standalone.

What do you recommend ?
Prefer something with WMA playbaack.

[pyscrow]

My Philips DVD718 is old and isn't playing all my DVD-Rs so I'm in the market for a new standalone.

What do you recommend ?
Prefer something with WMA playbaack.

Go to any of the cheap joints IE Makro, Crazy Clarks etc etc and get yourself an $80 unit, they pretty much play any media.
Unless you are looking for a "home theatre" system with the 5.1 surround setup etc etc, its not worth paying any more.

I am intrigued though - WMA? what have you got in wma format you would want to play on a DVD player? (Dont answer that if it warez!) Cant say I have ever noticed a player advertised as supporting wma, mp3 yes.

[scottb721]

I don't use MP3 for my music on the PC. I've copied my CD's to the PC with WMP and as such it's all in WMA format. I want to be able to make compilation CDs and play them without having to fire up the PC.
I know the Digitrex play WMA but I'm not sure of any others.

As long as it has optical or coaxial digital out then 5.1 shouldn't be a problem.

[thor300]

Dont you have quality brands in aussie-land? Get a Pioneer, they should be available world wide and plays wma (from the DVD players list: 24 pioneer players supports d.WMA ) and will give you a decent picture quality and they are impressive when it comes to playing most kinds of media.
Pyscrow, am not surprised you havent heard of any dvd players with wma support, anyone who can state that its not worth buying a decent dvd player cant know much about DVD players. Name one noname $80aus player that can compare to a medium priced original brand in picture quality and got service and parts readily available, then i would consider nonames also. What kind of cars do noname supporters drive? Ssangyoung, Kia and Lada?

[scottb721]

Hi Thor. Thankyou for the suggestion.
Considering you are in Norway you got the aussie market pegged re the $80 price for no-name brands.
Do the cheaper players actually have a lower picture quality ?

[thor300]

I dont think you see a difference in picture quality between a noname and for example the Pioneer DV360, but the models aboce should render a noticeable better picture on a good tv. I have a noname VCD player, the picture quality difference is like night and day compared to the Pioneer DV444, and its not just details in some scenes, also when connected to our LowGrade (LG) 21 inch tv the difference was enormous. It doesnt help that a player "play everything you throw at it" if it doesnt do it well.

I once read a thread where one of the mods here commented on his Apex players (sold in Aussieland under another name), cant find it now but generally most of the Apex' was not so very good in picture quality. Nonames are getting better, but that doesnt mean the big well known brands stop improving their products.

About the $80 thing, i just read it in pyscrows post and used that as a "specific" example Never been to Aussie, just got a friend there who send card every xmas, thats all...

[arrived03]

pioneer all the way in the cheap range , they are not fussy on media , will play ritek , princo & even longtens without braking a sweat.

[crusty]

Pioneer DV-466 plays everything very solid machine you can get it at harvey norman for about 160-200 bucks.

[scottb721]

Pioneer defintely looks good. Even the 266.
3yr wrnty to boot.

Can these only play back 1 folder of JPegs at a time or can it play multiple folders in one action ?

Thanks

[scottb721]

After speaking with Pioneer it seems the DV266 is the way to go.

It can be operated completely from the front panel but has a smaller display screen whereas the 466 has a bigger display but less buttons.
Other than the 266 being cheaper that's the only difference.

[arrived03]

crusty , if that is a picture of you i would love to take you to dinner.

[scottb721]

arrived03 - What, doesn't my shade of blue turn you on ?

TIC

[arrived03]

sorry matey , you remind me of my ex

[scottb721]

Ended up getting a DV-270S , newer version of the 266.
JB HiFi are the only people selling it.
Absolute pearler!

[curlyween]

I bought a DV-266 from JB Hi-Fi 3 months ago, so I can play DVD-RW (for testing movies before burning to -R). Plays MP3, WMA JPG's etc.
Works a treat! Great picture quality. Menu buttons on front panel definitely a bonus. Very happy for $179.

[scottb721]

The extensive Audio and Video set-up features are good as well.
I like that it can play a whole CD of mp3/wma/jpeg files located in subfolders in one hit and I don't have to choose each folder one at a time.

[miron]

Dont you have quality brands in aussie-land?

yes we do. they are just more expensive than they should be

anyone who can state that its not worth buying a decent dvd player cant know much about DVD players.

you are confusing noname with not decent. in the same token i could state that anyone who is willing to buy a brand name obviously has more money than brains. but i would be wrong. it all depends on what you need the dvd for. i have a dvd i bought for $30 USD. it is progressive, component out, dts out optical and multi everything (which most brand names are not). i use it as a portable on family trips.

Name one noname $80aus player that can compare to a medium priced original brand in picture quality and got service and parts readily available

i wish service and parts were a factor. more often than not the auth. repair center is in the boondocks. they charge you for inspection and the repair is more than half the cost of the player, even if you buy a brand name. if you want to send it back you need an RMA and pay for postage and keep the receipt (WTF wants to do that ???) and live without it for weeks. if it an $80 player just chuck it and get the same one for $60

then i would consider nonames also. What kind of cars do noname supporters drive? Ssangyoung, Kia and Lada?

don't know. what do you drive? a car whose marketing team sucked you in to shell out your hard earned money for something that it is at its core 100 year old technology, a menace to the env. and lost its value by 1/3 as soon as you drove it off the lot?

to each his own Thor. criticize the appliance all you want but realize that to most, a dvd player is not a reflection of their personality.

[arrived03]

well spoken miron , all i can say thor is i'm saying what he's saying.

[scottb721]

To each his own.
I was happy to pay $180 for a Pioneer with 3yr warnty instead of a Digitrex for $100 with only 1yr.

[pyscrow]

Dont you have quality brands in aussie-land? Get a Pioneer, they should be available world wide and plays wma (from the DVD players list: 24 pioneer players supports d.WMA ) and will give you a decent picture quality and they are impressive when it comes to playing most kinds of media.
Pyscrow, am not surprised you havent heard of any dvd players with wma support, anyone who can state that its not worth buying a decent dvd player cant know much about DVD players. Name one noname $80aus player that can compare to a medium priced original brand in picture quality and got service and parts readily available, then i would consider nonames also. What kind of cars do noname supporters drive? Ssangyoung, Kia and Lada?

Actually I've got 5 DVD players, one superexpensive pioneer home theatre system, which is connected to my 76cm wide screen, and 4 others connected to standard 4x3 TV's - 2 medium price (LG and Sanyo) and 2 generic elcheapo's. (One of the elcheapo's is also connected to the wide screen so I can replay my "time shifted" digital TV caps on re writeable media)

In my opinion the El cheapo's give as good a picture display as any of the others, and play everything, the rest will play DVDr- ok, although the superexpensive unit does choke occassionally.

The medium price units : one plays DVDrw + and -, the other will only play +.


So in my experience paying for brand names is like standing in a cold shower ripping up hundred dollars bills - not my idea of fun, and does not serve much purpose!


But each to there own.

[thor300]

LoL, DVD players and reflections of personality, what does that have to do with buying decent quality? Good that you guys are happy with your nonames, im not happy with mine. But how could you know you got shit when you got nothing to compare it to?
About my car, since you ask, i have Volvo coz they are reliable and easy to own and easily available parts. My car in Philippines is a Mitsubishi, because there Volvo parts is not available, same with other euro-cars. Makes sense to me, but probably not to Miron. Both brands are decent quality and good comfort, if you understand those terms.