Sony DVP-NS300B DVD Player Replaces S360, But Where Is CD-R, CD-RW Or MP3?
Written: May 31 '01 (Updated Jun 03 '01)
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Pros: Looks, picture quality, sound, 2 composite outs, remote
Cons: No CD-R/RW or MP3 playback, when RV31 has all this and more for same money
The Bottom Line: The Sony DVP-NS300 is a nice machine. It looks good, performs well and has good feature content for the price. However, I prefer ...
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| dkozin's Full Review: Sony DVP-NS300 DVD Player |
The Sony DVP-NS300B is a new Sony's entry-level DVD player, a replacement for well-known S360. You can get this model in two colors – silver (NS300S) and black (NS300B).
The looks changed slightly, and now you can get the player in silver color to match your other equipment, be it WEGA TV or other components.
Inputs
The NS300 has an S-Video output, component video out, 2 composite video outs, 2 sets of analog audio outs, both coaxial digital and optical digital audio outs (Dolby Digital and DTS compatible). The jacks are clearly marked.
Front Panel
The player’s front panel has buttons for basic functions plus buttons and joystick to control menus. There is even a “Display” button to activate OSD functions.
Picture Quality
The picture and sound quality are great. The picture does not loose detail even in dark areas. Even when connected through the composite out, the picture is very good, but S-Video and component out improve the edge definition and contrast. Using S-Video or component video connection allows you to avoid rainbow-like Moire patterns and other cross-luminance artifacts, which are usually introduced by the TV’s comb filter while processing the composite signal.
Remember, any S-Video cable will provide better picture than the best and most expensive composite video cable. And the player comes with A/V (composite video, analog stereo audio) cord with RCA jacks, but there is no S-Video cable in the box. If your TV has an S-Video input (or better yet, component input), the S-Video or component cable will improve the picture dramatically at a very small cost.
Features
The player plays DVD-Video, CD-Audio and Video CD, supports DVD-Text and CD-Text. Frame-by-frame, SmoothScan and SmoothSlow (three speeds for high-speed and two speeds for low-speed search in both directions) allow you to study your favorite movie fragments. It does not, however, play CD-R, CD-RW or MP3. To get CD-R/W playback, you have to buy more expensive NS400 (with built-in Dolby Digital decoder).
Note: Sony NS300S and NS300B can play some CD-RW discs, depending on the model of the CD-RW drive and settings that were used during recording. But they do not play all CD-RW discs.
The NS300 also features repeat mode (disc, A-B), shuffle (random play) and you can also program the order in which the tracks will be played (even for DVDs). A standard for modern DVD players "resume" function is also present along with advanced parental control, Digital Cinema Sound modes, Virtual Surround Sound (simulates surround sound using just 2 speakers, has 4 modes of operation). You can use both optical and coaxial out to transfer the DD or DTS sound digitally to your Dolby Digital or DTS decoder.
“Instant Replay” function allows you to see the previous 10 seconds of the program you are watching by pushing the “replay” button. The player also provides “resume” function even if the power is shut off – the playback will start from the point where you stopped, unless the disk was ejected.
The screensaver preserves your TV screen when idle for 15 minutes or more. The player also supports standard DVD features (soundtrack select, menu language select (English, Spanish, French, Portuguese), subtitle select, 4:3 and 16:9 support (4:3 pan and scan, 4:3 letterbox, 16:9 widescreen), multiple camera angles, etc.).
Virtual Surround Sound
The TV Virtual Surround Sound, when switched on, has 4 different settings: TVS Standard (creates several virtual rear speakers when your pair of stereo speakers is far from each other), TVS Night (suppresses very loud sounds), TVS Wide (should be used with speakers that are close to each other, creates several virtual rear surround speakers) and TVS Dynamic (the same as the previous one, but creates a single set of virtual rear surround speakers).
You can program the playback of up to 99 chapters, tracks or titles.
Remote Control
The remote control allows you to control different brands of TVs and receivers. And you can control menus from the front panel, so there is no need to use your remote every time you have to do something plus, if the remote gets lost, you will still be able to use your player.
Bottom Line
The Sony DVP-NS300 is a nice machine. It looks good, performs well and has good feature content for the price. However, I prefer Panasonic RV31, which costs the same, has more speeds, plays CD-R, CD-RW and MP3 and better reads scratched discs (but the remote control on this Sony is better).
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 199
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dkozin
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Location: California
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I love to push buttons on electronic (audio and video) equipment. It makes me happy.
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