Not bad for the $, but it fell short in too many areas for me.
Written: Dec 09 '01
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Pros: Inexpensive progressive scan DVD player with MP3 playback capability.
Cons: Remote control, audio quality, menu, and ease of use all suffer.
The Bottom Line: If you want a DVD player to hook to the stereo inputs of your 27" television, the DVD953 will suffice with a few remote control related frustrations.
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| sayer's Full Review: Philips DVD953AT DVD Player |
About six weeks ago my wife and I were at Costco and I happened across the DVD953 at the unbelievable price of $199. I had casually been seeking out DVD players with progressive scan and MP3 capabilities for a few months. This unit had both features and was cheap. Also, my wife was in a good mood, so I was able to convince her that we had to get it.
The unit is rather light and feels a bit cheap, but what can you expect for the money. I hooked it up, started playing around with it, and immediately found a few things that I didn't like:
1) The system menu navigation can be a bit confusing and the unit seems slow to respond to the remote control.
2) The remote is terrible. This is what caused me to eventually return the unit. There are no dedicated rewind and fast forward buttons. Instead, they are shared with the chapter skip buttons. A quick press will skip to the next chapter while holding the button down activates the rewind/fast forward action.
At first I thought it would be manageable, but the first time I tried to rewind and view a DVD scene over again turned out to be an unpleasant experience. I let go of the button too early because it didn't seem to be doing anything. Suddenly, I was sent to the beginning of the previous chapter.
You have to hold the button for an unnaturally long amount of time before it starts to rewind/fast forward. Once it does, it is only at 2x speed. If you want to increase the speed you must first release and then re-press and hold the button (for the long amount of time) again until you reach 4x. Now, another release and long press takes you to 16x, and then once more and you are at 100x. If at any time during this process you accidentally release the button too early, you find yourself at the beginning of the next chapter.
At least they could have made it so that if you continue to hold the button it would increase the speed after a couple of seconds without having to release and re-press the button first. After using remotes for years with dedicated rewind/fast forward buttons (not to mention jog/shuttle controls), this solution is clumsy and just plain not workable.
3) Audio quality is not up to par on this unit. I admit to being a bit of a reformed audio freak, but these days I find consumer grade products to be pretty good. I was overall disappointed by the DDM953's audio playback whether playing MP3 files or commercial audio CDs. The sound was harsh and thin, lacking in dynamic range and ambiance. I master my own music CDs and use my home theater setup as a test environment for the mixes I create in my studio. So, I am very familiar with how audio should sound in my home theater.
Due to the above issues, I never bothered to get out the Video Essentials test DVD to check out the unit's video capabilities. So, I can't really comment on the video performance of the DVD953.
I've returned the unit to Costco and have ordered the newly released Toshiba SD3750 from onecall.com.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 199
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Epinions.com ID:
sayer
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Reviews written: 1
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