Up Your DVD's!
Written: Feb 25 '08
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Pros: Easy to use. Good picture, versatile outputs, low cost.
Cons: Remote very small, can't open or close tray with it.
The Bottom Line: Great way to take your first steps into better DVD viewing. Depending on your television, this might be all you need for several years.
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| Jaynrand's Full Review: Philips DVP3960 DVD Player |
Remember videos? Remember VCR's? You probably have several of those tapes around, and you may even be watching some of them on your new HDTV! What drove video back into the closet? DVD, of course. Now manufacturers and producers are in another format battle. Today Blu-Ray seems to be winning over HD DVD. Tomorrow, who knows?
I was afraid to buy a DVD player that was compatible with only one of the new technologies until the big boys fight it out, but I wanted to get the optimum viewing experience from the DVD's I do own.
About a year ago, I finally came into the 21st century and purchased an HDTV - a 37" Polaroid LCD model that I am enjoying very much. Of course the HD cable broadcasts I am seeing made my DVD's look a little ragged. After talking to friends and reading here at Epinions, I decided I would buy an UP-Convert DVD player that would play my DVD's at 1080 i. I'm still not quite sure what all that means, something to do with resolution, but I wanted to see what I was paying for.
Treading carefully into dangerous waters, I decided to visit my local Wal-Mart. There I found a few choices, and finally settled on the Philips DVP 3960. I did not want to get the RCA model next to it because of a terrible experience with an RCA DVD player a couple of years ago. BUT of course, I had had some problems with Philips products, too. So I crossed my fingers and brought it home.
Small, with some nice brushed silver-like detailing, the unit looks fine. The instruction book is informative. There is a "quick set-up" guide that will get you going within a few minutes.
IF you are buying the unit to use as an "up-convert" player, you will need to purchase an HDMI cord. The cords that come with it are the regular red/white/yellow ones. It's a bit shy on outputs, but then again, it costs less than $50. You have one HDMI out (this handles audio and video), one CVBS out, one YPbPr out (this is the red, yellow, blue cord you are probably familiar with, not included), red/white audio out jacks, and a coaxial digital out. I used the HDMI with my newly purchased cord, but also ran my red/white audio cords to my home theatre surround system. All connections are well marked and explained in the booklet.
Using the YPbPr cables allows you to choose the progressive scan option if your television receiver is so equipped.
Set-up uses onscreen menus and is controlled via the small remote control. The buttons are small, and it might take some getting used to because of course nothing is where it was on my Panasonic DVD remote control. Using the book, I was able to set my picture preferences and my up-convert choice easily. I at first thought I would use the 1080 i setting alone, but I have found that using the "Automatic" setting actually gives me the best picture.
Make sure you match your settings to your television. And there you are!
Everything seems to work fine. I am a bit distressed to find that you cannot open or close the tray with the remote. That seems to be the only inconvenience so far. Otherwise, using the booklet as a reference, you will find yourself enjoying all kinds of DVD's in a bright new way. The system plays DVD's, CD's, CDR's, DVR's, I don't use JPEG or computer files on my television, but these are also playable according to the instructions.
Another great thing about this player, is that you can change the settings while you are watching a DVD. The menu doesn't take up the whole screen. You can see what the picture will look like before you clear the menu.
So, for less than $50, you can start watching your DVD's they way the rich folks do. And once the Big Boys stop fighting each other and settle on a format, you can move ahead and buy the technology that wins. Otherwise you will have either a stack of HD DVD's or Blu-Ray DVD's to join your videos in the closet.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 45.00
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Epinions.com ID:
Jaynrand
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Member: Jack Earles
Reviews written: 140
Trusted by: 20 members
About Me:
Indy actor and writer. Internet rules!
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