Page 1 of advice - best dvd player

this may be a very opinion orientated question but....

i have a samsung 709
it is multiregion hacked etc
ive had it for a year or so now

in recent months, several dvds that i rent or buy play very badly
by that i mean skipping huge chunks or freezing for short/long periods

this includes dvds from all regions and they are mainly newer recently released dvds

(example... crouching tiger , hollow man , 6th day , charlies angels , austin powers 2)

it has become so annoying that i MUST buy a new player

i want to know what is the best most reliable player for £200-300

i have seen: Sony DVP-NS400BLK Multi-Region DVD player
for £279
is this a good player??

i have also seen: Sony DVP-S735D Multi-Region DVD player
for £430
this is more than i ideally want to spend but am willing if it is perfect

if i could get some advice on which player i should buy that will play all dvds without freezing or skipping for £200-300

thankyou

This item was edited on Saturday, 23rd June 2001, 19:09

well i been through 3 players in as many weeks... first i had the minato G1 from tescos.. was a brill machine for the price,, does everything,,, all cdr/cdrw plus mp3 even for just 109 quid... was good quality picture and sound to,, dts out... but even though i was happy with it i took it back cause so many ppl had said the wharfdalre M5 was better.. well let me tell u,, it aint,, its a bag of s***e.. every disc i played skipped nearly all the way through.. and any rental discs! jesus they were unwatchable... films also had pulsing throughout. on the whole it was useless... so it went back also.. and today i decided to go for the aiwa 370 from richer sounds for 199 quid.. i aint seen a bad word against it yet... but it was a close call between that and the pioneer 535 at the same oprice, but the bloke said the aiwa was better for the money..so there u go... aiwa or pioneer.. both 200 quid.. both gettin good reviews.. problem solved.. :0)
Cheers.... Chivalry

Will the minato play RCE R1 discs?

If so it may get purchased.

What do you think of these:
Philips 701
LG 3200

Thanx!

Hi,
I`m on my second DVD in one and a half years. It`s also a Pioneer. The reason for the change - this one is a Home Theatre In a Box - Those with everything you need to enjoy DD 5.1, DTS, Am/FM etc. So, it saves me lots of space but nothing on the quality arena.
As with my previous DV 414 it has superior image quality, I specially like the Cinema Mode. Sound quality is amazing, with 5 speakers plus a sub that shakes the room.
I`ve seen DVDs from other brands at mmany friend`s and from my viewing experiences I can recommend only one brand - Pioneer. All No wonder I`m on my second.
Good luck,
José Azevedo

yer the minato will play rce as the region hack lets u specify what region u wish to put the player to,... so RCE doesnt see it as a multi region player.. :0) its a bargain for 109 quid
Chivalry

The simple answer is that all DVD players *when working properly* should play all discs without skipping or freezing. I`ve had my own Samsung 709 for over two years now, and I haven`t experienced any problems whatsoever with the discs you mention.

One thing that`s often said of the 709, though, is that it`s quite prone to overheating (resulting in skipping) and would benefit from being moved to a cool, well-ventilated place. I would try this before thinking about a new player.


Mike

I agree with Mike, your problems sound excessive, if they do continue after Mikes advice i would take it back form where you bought it no matter how old and see if they can help you before splashing out on a new player.

ps. As for sony dvd players, there are better players for less money imo
ie pioneer, or the new toshiba210

This item was edited on Sunday, 24th June 2001, 20:09

thanks for all responses

i thought it may be overheating but surely if that were the case , the skipping and freezing would happen on all dvds i watch and not just the more recent ones??

also i recently won a samsung 511
i knew this was equivalent to an updated version of the 709
i tried it out with some of the metioned problem dvds and still got the same probs???

surely the reason why this happens is due to both players being very cheap budget models and therefore not as good as a £3-400 model???

i have a sony 735d and its the bees knees,although i agree with other comments in this thread about better for the money.pioneer players are excellent,whilst tosh players simply have the best picture at any price.
sony players seem to concentrate heavily on features you really dont need-dolby and dts decoders etc,but they are very slick and well built-at a price thats never right unfortunately!
whatever you do,DONT rule out the minato g1,being a tesco employee ive had first hand viewing and i must say that im very impressed for the money,mp3,dts,cdr/rw,multi region,rce compatible and curiously for the price,even supports high definition cd(hdcd).c`mon,for £109 it`d be cheeky to complain.
but i do strongly suggest audiotioning a few players b4 parting with your hard earned,its all well and good us dvd addicts giving you advice,but ultimately its your own eyes,ears,and wallet that dictates your purchase after all.
try these

sony ns300
pioneer 535
minato g1
tosh sd210e(very smart)

all of these should be considered,if it was me id be heading straight down toshiba alley!
best o`luck

westy