Small Footprint, BIG Movies
Written: Nov 05 '02 (Updated Nov 11 '02)
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Pros: Small compact design and portability
Cons: Lack of display on the unit
The Bottom Line: If you have limited space, budget and like innovative designs, this might be the DVD-Player for you.
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| cnelzie's Full Review: Sony DVP-PQ1 Portable DVD Player without Screen |
Granted the purchase of this DVD-player is the first stand-alone DVD-player that I have owned. Overall, I am quite satisfied with the features and compact design that this unit provides to me.
For one thing, I really dislike clutter and would prefer to have rather unique appearing designs for the electronics in my home. This DVD-Player fits both of those options quite well for me. Not only does it have a small footprint, its design will look nice sitting next to a console game system. (Which is something that I never thought I would be interested in buying, until my wife and I played around with one at a store display.)
Anyway, without having to read the instructions, (I know, I am probably the worst when it comes to reading directions.) the system was exceptionally easy to setup and get to play a DVD. In fact, all you need to do is put a DVD into the unit, close the lid and turn it on. The DVD will start up right away and take you into the menu screen, or whatever other opening screens it is set to show you.
The remote control they pack with the unit is very functional and easy to understand. It also has a unique appearance to it that matches the player itself.
I was simply blown away by the crystal clarity that came to life on the TV screen as before, I had only watched DVD movies on a computer screen or at a friend's home. In both cases the image didn't look anywhere near as crisp as it did here with this DVD-Player and the Sony WEGA Trinitron that I own.
The unit only came with RCA connectors even though it does have an S-Video jack on the side. I figure that Sony is of the impression that most of the buyers of this player will be connecting it to a less expensive TV that doesn't have an S-Video connector. So, they figured, "Why bother packing a S-video cable?" Which is okay with me as the image is superb, but I am starting to get quite interested in seeing what it will look like with an S-Video cable...
One thing this unit was designed for is portability, which is part of what sold me on the unit. I have a few friends that live some distance away and we have movie nights that alternate at each other's homes. It makes it nice to be able to carry along a very small DVD-Player that is designed in a more rugged fashion then the El-Cheapo 69 dollar DVD-players you can pick up at discount retailers. In fact, it also feels more rugged then many of the more expensive DVD-Players out there.
A few things that I find disenchanting about the unit is the listed 40-disc memory (From the store description) , that I haven't found on the unit. It could be buried somewhere in the instruction manual though. The auto-resume feature is also quite nice, but it would be far superior if it was able to resume play after the unit is shut off, or when that particular DVD is removed and then later returned to the unit.
While it wasn't listed as a feature, the system is also able to play Video CDs, which is a somewhat decent feature to have, even though there aren't to many of those available these days. It also states that it will play MP3 Music, which is a nice but rather silly feature if you ask me.
Why is it silly to me? Well, for one, I plan on wiring my whole house for a computer network, I also plan on having a multimedia PC connected to my television set and have the sound going straight into my reciever. All of my music resides on a server that I have in the basement, which allows me to play thousands of songs without having to change any discs.
Don't get me wrong though, for many people being able to play up to 10 FULL albums as MP3s on one single CD-R/RW disc in this unit can be a great boon.
This DVD-Player is great for someone like me, or for a Dorm-room dweller that has limited space and needs a rugged device.
UPDATE
After reading a few other reviews on this same DVD-Player I came across a statement mentioning how there is a barely noticeable pause as the player moves to a deeper layer in the DVD movie. Well, I can say that until I had read that, I hadn't even noticed that once. After reading that statement, I have been subconsciously looking for that pause and I have started to notice it.
Of course, it is a testament to the people that put these DVD films together for us to watch, they do an excellent job of making the pauses occur at the best times that they can in a film. If they didn't then I would be quite unhappy with the performance of this player, as they pause is typically a full second and a half.
Could you imagine having that pause occur in the midst of a HUGE explosion? It would be unbearable and would be something that would seriously knock the DVD release of a motion picture.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 129
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Epinions.com ID:
cnelzie
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Member: Robert
Location: Madison Heights, MI
Reviews written: 13
Trusted by: 3 members
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