A Slim Line That Stacks Up
Written: Jan 29 '04
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Pros: Stylish Slim Line with Multi-Format Capabilities
Cons: Other Units Now Don't Cost As Much
The Bottom Line: This unit will suffice many users, but again, you can normally find one at a lower price that will do the same thing.
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| vandalz's Full Review: JVC XV-N55 DVD Player |
When you say JVC the first thought that crosses through my mind is audio, not video. JVC has been around since 1927, but I have never really put them in the category of a true video competitor. Needless to say, I should rethink that.
JVC has shown some muscle this time with the release of the XV-N55SL. This DVD player is JVC’s smallest unit and to boast they added some pure style to this unit. This unit is completely silver, with chrome buttons, and a blue illuminated DVD tray that can be dimmed upon command. Reminds me of the Fast and the Furious.
I first purchased this unit for my ex and her family when they asked me to find them a good unit for a decent price. They liked watching many different formats including VCD, so I had to locate one to cover all formats. I ran across this unit, and immediately knew this would take care of them. I gave it to my ex and her family immediately took it and hooked it up. They called me later, and said that they loved it; it was everything they needed. So I earned my brownie points that day – That was a joke by the way.
Then I found out that my grandparents were looking for a DVD player, and I informed them that I knew of a DVD player that would be perfect for them, so they sent me out as well. I returned to hook up the player, and before I could even set it up my grandmother was already commenting on the unit being so nice looking. I hooked it up in a matter of minutes using the supplied RCA (Red, White, and Yellow) hookup cables. Then I plugged the unit it and turned it on. I immediately went into the setup menu to make it as painless for my grandparents as possible. Navigation was amazingly easy; pint-and-click operation.
I have used this unit a few times, but the few times that I have used it, I have enjoyed it. Normally, all I have to do is load the DVD and wait for the main menu to pop up, and then press play. After that everything is good to go. I will have to admit that there are many DVD players out there, and now for less, but at the time $99 was good for the unit.
Video Quality
The video quality on this DVD is not extraordinary, but I have never had the opportunity to test out the progressive scan feature for this unit. There are some instances of line flicker, but I have yet to notice any stray or pixelated artifacts appearing on the screen. I have noticed in Zoom mode that the images do become a little distorted and pixelated, but not a huge noticeable different. Although something like that would cause me to complain throughout the whole movie, my grandparents never notice it, so I’m not telling them.
Format Support
As mentioned before this unit covers the spectrum. It has support for DVD, DVD-R, DVD+RW, DVD-RW, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, SVCD, VCD, WMA, MP3, and JPEG formats. I have only used DVD’s and CD’s in this unit, but my ex has used VCD, SVCD, and DVD-R in this unit and there haven’t been any problems at all.
Input / Output
The XV-N55SL does have enough and outputs to satisfy most, but not everyone on the block. The list of outputs includes Coaxial Digital, Optical Digital, Component, S-Video, and an Analog A/V RCA. There aren’t any inputs on this unit, but who needs inputs on a DVD player that doesn’t record?
Setup
Like I said before, setup is a breeze. Take the unit out of the box, plug in the included RCA cables, and turn the unit on. You have one menu you have to go through before use, and from there it is a matter of point-and-click. I don’t believe I spend over five minutes setting this unit up.
Extra Features worth a Mention
The unit does have a pseudo surround capability, but it doesn’t do anything more than mess up the sound. The frequencies seem like they shift and the voices become altered when music is playing. I don’t recommend turning this on unless you like that garbled type of sound.
When watching a DVD that is double layered, and the unit is switching between the two layers, there is a momentary lapse between them. The switch is less than a second, and seems more like a brain fart than anything else. If you were to blink when it was switching, you would never even see it.
The remote is also illuminated, so at night when you hit the buttons they do glow, and only for a few seconds. That way you don’t have some glowing object on the table distracting you, but you can easily locate the buttons in the dark if necessary.
Warranty
This unit comes with a 1 Year Parts / 90 Day Labor Manufacturers Limited Warranty against Manufacturers Defects Only!. If they can prove that you did something to cause the unit to fail, then you’re out of luck, and hit with a large labor fee.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 99.99
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vandalz
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Location: Pascagoula, MS
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About Me:
Freelance programmer finishing up a project shortly. Watch for updates!
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