Buy it - but read this first!
Written: Apr 02 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Convenient Sort method for DVDs
Cons: User interface needs a little work
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| goutlaw's Full Review: Sony DVP-CX850D Multi-disc DVD Player |
Generally speaking I have usually had good luck with Sony Products but the Sony DVP-CX850D is not quite ready for "prime time." When I say that I am referring to the user interface more than anything else. The audio and video output quality for this system is excellent. I have my system hooked up to a 55" Toshiba television and it looks and sounds awesome.
The one thing that still needs work on this system is the on-screen user interface. First, let me explain to everyone that setup is "a lot like work." You have to load each disk into the system (we had over 170 DVDs when we purchased it back in November, 1999.) Before you even consider purchasing this player make sure you have a PS/2 compatible keyboard -- this is a great feature to have and is MUCH faster to enter the titles and choose genres than trying to hunt and peck at the on-screen virtual keyboard using the remote. It took about 4 hours to load all the DVDs and then key in each title using the keyboard -- be smart and before you actually hook this player up to your television on a permanent basis -- place it on the floor and hook the keyboard in and start typing -- otherwise you will end up trying to cradle the keyboard in your arm and type (at least you will if you have a big screen television like ours and you set the player on top of it).
Luckily, I read the manual completely and decided to do the typing work BEFORE I actually set it up in it's eventual permanent position (on top of the Big Screen.) When I originally purchased it I thought that it would read the DVD information in automatically but it appears that very few titles are set up for the Sony method of "self-titling" -- only 3 of the 170+ DVDs automatically displayed a title. Also, the titles it displayed were not always the name of the actual DVD; for example, "Hackers" was titled "Ian Something." -- another problem with this self titling concept was that you could not edit the discs it read automatically to correct it. (-- but this is minor considering it only mis-titled one DVD out of 170+ total.)
Still, after this initial frustration was accepted and we got it all hooked up and running we truly love the convenience of having every DVD available at the touch of a button --- no more getting out of the "Lazy Boy" to find a movie on the book shelf to watch. We just click our way to nightly entertainment now from the comfort of our chairs. Also, as a "pat on the back for Sony" you can sort your discs by title, genre, type (DVD or CD), and number which makes it easy to find what you are looking for quickly. Overall, I recommend the Sony DVP-CX850D for it's convenience, killer sound, and picture quality. If they could just speed up the interface for faster display and ease of set up I would rate it as a 5 out of 5.
I have 3 set up tips for you to consider if you decide to buy this 200 Disc Changer - (1) leave the first 10 disc slots empty so if you rent or borrow DVDs you can quickly put them right in the front, otherwise they can get "lost" in all the other discs if you don't enter the title information right away. (2) Divide all your DVDs by genre (Sony's genre - see manual) and then alphabetize each genre before you place them in the player. (3) Leave some blank slots between each genre for adding new DVDs as your library of titles grow.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
goutlaw
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Member: Greg Outlaw
Location: Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
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