We are not one of those families you would consider as "living on the cutting edge of technology." Actually, we own more major items that are over a hundred years old than major items made in the past ten years. And yet, thanks to Hubby's brother (the one my mother-in-law calls My Son the Doctor), we've got an Aiwa DVD Player.

Well, it took us a while to find out if we were blessed or cursed with My Son the Doctor's gift. After finally dragging everything out of the box and strewing it across the living room, I discovered that installation was not going to be an easy task. We have our television and VCR connected through the cable converter, which leaves no room on the cable converter or the television for the DVD player. And you can't run a DVD player through a VCR; it's set up to NOT work if you try to do that. The helpful guy at the Aiwa support desk said it was to prevent pirates from mass-producing VHS tapes from DVDs. Off to Radio Shack for something called a RF Modulator. (Note to any Aiwa people reading this: it woulda been really nice if you mentioned the RF Modulator thing really prominently on the first page of the directions.) After some attempts at introducting the RF Modulator to the VCR, DVD, TV, and cable box, I was off on my second Radio Shack run for more coaxial cable. (Note to any RF Modulator folks reading this: it woulda been really nice if there were two coaxial cables in the RF Modulator box instead of one.) One ardorous, 6-hour, well-THIS-was-a-wasted-afternoon later, the DVD was talking to the TV, the cable, and the RF Modulator (but not the VCR because it's not allowed, but the VCR was talking to everyone else) and we could finally enjoy the fruits of my labors.

The Aiwa DVD Player is easy to use in most movie-watching situations: pop in the DVD and press Play. It gets tricker if there's a menu screen before the movie, since sometimes the tab order on the menus doesn't make sense with the buttons on the DVD remote. If you've got one of those disks with extra features and/or you're searching for Easter Eggs, you'll want to get to know those remote buttons really well, but be prepared for a bit of a learning curve.

The sound and picture quality of the DVDs we've bought or rented have been much better than their poorer VHS cousins. However, much of the sound/picture quality depends on your television, so your mileage may vary.

Pausing a DVD mid-viewing couldn't be simpler: press pause. Go pop popcorn, answer nature's call, do what you want - unlike a VCR, it won't click off after a mere six minutes. You might, however, "bookmark" your scene before walking away since, unlike a VCR, if you exceed the pause period (about a half hour) the DVD will not be sitting there at exactly the spot you left off. Using the bookmark means you can tab through the scene bookmarks created by the DVD manufacturer until you get to where you want to be.

The Aiwa DVD Player also plays CDs, and just as easily and with as good quality as it plays DVDs. Again, sound quality depends upon your television speakers, but I don't have a Home Theater System with Ultra Fancy Expensive Speakers and I'm satisfied with the sound quality from playing CDs on the Aiwa DVD Player.

Yeah, installation's a b*tch, but once it's hooked up, you'll be sitting on your couch watching movies like you're in the theater, but in your undies and without the noisy teenagers sitting behind you or old man in a hat sitting in front of you. Just don't make the same mistake I did. Label the wires and where they go before disassembling for a move, instead of thinking "Oh, I'll remember where everything goes when I get to the new place."



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For those who absolutely, positively think an electronics review is unacceptable without them, the stats are listed below.

Aiwa XD DV370 DVD Player

Customer Support: 1-800-BUY-AIWA

Manufacturer's website and product details
http://www.us.aiwa.com/

No animals were harmed in the writing of this review, and my cats thoroughly enjoyed playing with the box and styrofoam packaging while ignoring all the curse words I shouted while trying to connect the DVD player to everything else.


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This review is the fourteenth installment of "Around My House in 28 Days," my response to the challenge leveled by amykhar. The challenge is to post one review every day for the whole month of February. Well, at least it's a short month. I'm starting at my door and going counter-clockwise around the house, reviewing whatever's in sight (and on this site). So far it's been the bathroom, then the kitchen, now the living room...



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Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): gift