Flawed, but still very good
Written: Mar 11 '02 (Updated Mar 11 '02)
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Pros: Picture and sound quality; NTSC/PAL conversion; Aspect ratio conversion on DVD
Cons: CD play control too basic; audio can get out-of-sync on VCDs; problems require firmware update
The Bottom Line: You'll grow to love it for its picture and sound quality against all the odds.
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| flying_lip's Full Review: Philips DVDQ50AT DVD Player |
1ST IMPRESSION
The first thing I noticed out of the box was the weight, or the lack of it. Despite the metal casing, it is a very light unit - I can grip it and carry it in one hand. It has nonetheless a very solid construction.
SETUP
This is fairly easy, with instructions in the user manual accompanied by diagrams, but explanation to features/functions/settings are pretty much limited to one/two liners. The unit comes with basic cabling, and no optical cables, but there is an output jack for one.
USE
The motorised mechanism is very quiet during use. All the controls are on the remote. None of the keys are illuminated, so you can't see the buttons in the dark, but at least some of them are of different shape so you can at least feel your way through.
I bought the machine because I heard so many praises about the chip, and it doesn't disappoint, neither does its 24bit/96kHz audio DAC. The picture and audio are both very crisp and sharp. To make full use of Progressive output, you'll need a compatible TV, so if your TV doesn't belong to this category, I understand there is a Q30 on its way (identical to Q50 except no Progressive output).
Other features include Aspect ratio conversion between 16:9, 4:3 letterbox, and 4:3 panscan; NTSC/PAL conversion: NTSC format DVD to PAL output, but not vice versa; 5 discs resume (very common these days); playback in zoom (see later). However, audio CD playback control is very limited, and it has no track/CD repeat. This I perceive as one of its major shortcomings.
This machine is not without its problems. Luckily, firmware updates downloaded from Internet (requires you to burn onto a CD to load the update) solves almost all major flaws. I've heard the updates also enabled playback whilst in zoom, although I didn't notice if my unit wasn't doing that before the update. The unit previously was supposed to pause the picture when zooming.
Flaw #1: video freeze
Video freezes suddenly. Apart from a few freezes that are due to layer change, the majority are not. Fixed by firmware update (latest version at the time of writing: 4.15i).
Flaw #2: off-centred picture
I haven't experienced this, but some have reported it. Fixed by firmware.
Flaw #3: scrambled VCD menu
If the VCD has a menu selection - similar to DVD, the menu will appear as scrambled image and not readable. Fixed by firmware.
Flaw #4: out-of-sync VCD video/audio
A few people reported this behaviour in which the audio lags behind the action in video - can be resync by scanning forwards/backwards, then return to where one left off. Not yet fixed by firmware.
CONCLUSION
I've had my Q50 since September 2001, and the picture quality is more than enough to compensate for the long term problems listed above. I highly recommend updating to the latest firmware if your unit is experiencing the same.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 400
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Epinions.com ID:
flying_lip
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Location: Hongkong
Reviews written: 21
Trusted by: 1 member
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