This is all based on personal experience for the 750, and the forums for the info on the 750s
750 original had problems with R2 Jaws, Leon, and extras in LA Confidential. DTS output is apparently supported, but not officially.
I used to own this player until monday when I swapped it for...
750 newer model with firmware upgrade. This now officially supports DTS and has a DTS logo and light. The menus are slightly different with some icons and also the DTS logo on the bitstream output option. More importantly, it plays Jaws, Leon and LA Confidential bug free including the extras, and still has the multi region hack.
750s is the completely new model. Rumour has it that Wharf wanted to stick with the old chipset, but had no choice as Sony allegedly bought all the stock for PS2. The new chipset is a Zorin, and still supports DTS out. It also has 20x fast forward/reverse, new PAL settings to convert NTSC to run on older PAL tv`s, and has a better remote. It now has 2 scarts rather than 1, but 1 set of audio outputs rather than 2. Co-ax and optical digital outs are still included.
Nobody has tested it yet, so no news on bugs, although it reportedly plays Jaws etc fine. It is also multi region, but with a new hack.
So, what one to choose?
I swapped my original Wharf for the newer 750 (not the 750s), as I believe in `better the devil you know`. It is possible that the new chipset may have different bugs, and may also not be as good. If the rumours are true that Sony bought all the chips, the old Wharf must be pretty good! Also, the newer 750 plays all my disks bug-free.
The one area I don`t know about is seamlessly branching disks like the Abyss, where different chapters play according to the type of cut you see. People did report problems with these, but I don`t know what version of the old Wharf these were on. This may or may not be fixed on the new one, if it hasn`t been fixed on the newer versions of the 750 already.
Choice is up to you. Personally, I went for the updated 750 as I`m happy with it. However, if you have an older TV that needs PAL conversion for NTSC disks and are desperate for more fast forward options, the 750s is probably for you.
The 750s should be a great piece of kit judging on past experience, but as we`ve seen on these forums with other budget players, this is not always guaranteed. I definately don`t wish to scaremonger - I`m sure it will be a fantastic player for the price, but I need a player now and not in a couple of months time when the reviews are all out...
Anyway, your choice. What do all you other Wharfies out there think?
Phew!
