Sony DVP-S530D DVD Player With Built-In Dolby Digital Decoder
Written: Feb 08 '01 (Updated Aug 07 '02)
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Pros: Great picture and sound, features and price, nice looks and remote
Cons: No zoom, design defect that causes 'C 13:00' error code
The Bottom Line: Unfortunately, I cannot recommend S530D since they seem to die after 1-1.5 years because the micro-fuse on the circuit board becomes blown...
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| dkozin's Full Review: Sony DVP-S530D DVD Player |
The best part about the Sony DVP-S530D DVD player with a Dolby Digital Decoder built-in is the fact that it can be bought for less then $270 – some stores sell it for $225.
The player looks very nice. In addition to the features of Sony DVP-S360, it has a built-in Dolby Digital Decoder, microphone jack with a volume control. The front panel has a jog/shuttle control to allow you control the playback speed.
The remote control allows you to control different brands of TVs and receivers. It looks nice and has intuitive button layout.
As virtually all SONY DVD players, S530D has an impressive array of inputs on the back panel: 2 S-Video outputs, 2 composite video out, component video out, 5.1 analog audio out, 2 analog stereo (L/R) audio outs, digital coaxial and optical outs (Dolby Digital and DTS compatible). The front panel features a headphone jack with a volume control and a Dolby Digital 5.1 channel analog output.
The S530D plays DVD-Video, Video CD and CD-Audio and supports DVD-Text and CD-Text. Among playback features are frame-by-frame advance, SmoothScan and SmoothSlow (three speeds for high-speed and two speeds for low-speed search in both directions – 1/5x, 1/10x, 2x, 10x, 30x) – made possible by the 32-bit RISC processor. The repeat mode, shuffle (random play) and programmed viewing are available.
Other (standard for modern DVD players) functions are also present, including parental control, “resume”, Virtual Enhanced Surround Sound (simulates surround sound using a pair of speakers). I never use this feature – when you don’t have a real surround sound speaker system, I would use the standard 2-speaker stereo setup. And, of course, buy a real surround system.
The S530D has a screensaver (the name is self-explanatory – it preserves your TV screen during periods of inactivity), audio level meter and video bit-rate meter. Of course other standard DVD features are available (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.). Unfortunately, there is no zoom mode.
The picture and sound are, not surprisingly, excellent. The detail level is high even in dark areas. The player has a component video out you can use to connect it to big-screen TVs that has the component input.
The player comes with an RCA-type composite video/analog audio cable, and an S-Video cable, which is a better way to connect the player to your TV. It also comes with an S-Link cable, which is Sony’s interface you can use to connect to other SONY A/V equipment (like JVC’s CompuLink).
Unfortunately, I cannot recommend S530D since they seem to die after 1-1.5 years because the micro-fuse on the circuit board becomes blown and the player displays the infamous 'C 13:00' error code. Fixing it takes some serious cash outlay or researching the web, getting thin pliers, a screwdriver and lots of patience.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 230
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Epinions.com ID:
dkozin
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 in Electronics |
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Location: California
Reviews written: 839
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About Me:
I love to push buttons on electronic (audio and video) equipment. It makes me happy.
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