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PLAYERS OF THE MONTH
MAKE/MODEL
BUSH DVD-2023, £99
All credit to Bush for daring to be different
and it has steadfastly refused to follow whatever the prevailing trends in DVD
design might happen to be. However, whilst all of its machines have been
competitively priced it has to be said that the performance of some models has
been fairly average. Getting the right blend of features and performance, at a
price people are prepared to pay is not easy but it looks like Bush has pulled
it off with the new DVD-2023. The first thing you notice is how small it is;
it’s getting on for half the size of an average DVD player, a bit like a fat
laptop computer in fact, and the price, at around £99 it’s getting close to
impulse buy territory, or to put it another way, about what you might spend on
a really good night out…
The feature list is quite sparse, there’s the
usual mixture of replay facilities and bog-standard audio, which is a good
thing incidentally as you can concentrate your budget on a decent surround
sound amplifier and speakers. It does have some handy extras, forward and
reverse slomo, like MP3 replay, there’s also a picture zoom and, unusually for
a budget machine, it can play both DVD-R and DVD+RW discs, so there should be
no future compatibility problems with recordable DVD. The remote is quite good
too with big and clearly labelled buttons and it comes with a SCART cable.
We’ve saved the best ‘till last, and that’s the fact that as far as we’re
aware, this model is being shipped set for all region replay. One word of
warning though, do check before you buy, this is an unofficial feature and can
easily disappear.
Picture performance is excellent, well above
the average for a budget player with crisp well-balanced contrast that reveals
plenty of detail in darker scenes. Colours look lifelike and we didn’t see any
processing errors or artefacts, even on our tricky test discs. Sound quality on
both DVD playback and when listening to audio CDs is also very good, noise
levels are well controlled and on movie soundtracks surround effects, even the
quiet ones, are sharply defined.
The 2023 looks like a very good deal indeed,
you could easily spend twice as much to get this kind of AV performance and
there are the added bonuses of all region replay and that very smart-looking
compact case.
Contact Bush 020 8787 3111
SPECS
Video output composite/S-Video/RGB
SCARTs 1
Audio output analogue mixed
stereo/coaxial/optical
5.1 decoders n/a
EXTRA FEATURES
All region replay, PAL/NTSC replay, MP3 replay, multi-speed replay,
2-stage picture zoom, SCART cable included
FOR
Excellent AV performance, compact size and very reasonable price
AGAINST
Titchy front panel controls, but we’re nit picking, it’s lovely really…
IS IT WORTH IT?
Yes, easily one of the best budget players seen so far this year
RATING
5/5
HITACHI DV-P325, £150
Hitachi has the distinction of being one of
only two A-brand manufacturers (the other one is Philips) that routinely markets
DVD players with hackable region locks. Of course it may have something to do
with the fact that it out-sources most of its budget and mid-range models but
that matters little, as performance is generally everything you’d expect from
the company. Unfortunately that very welcome spin-off feature seems to be
missing from Hitachi’s latest entry-level machine, the DV-P325, or at least, if
the region lock is hackable the code hasn’t surfaced yet.
Otherwise it is a very agreeable little player,
fairly basic when it comes to the feature list it does have MP3 replay, a zoom
facility and switchable black level (contrast) function. Picture quality is great, it copes well with
gloomy scenes and shadows and tricky colours, like flesh tones are accurately
rendered. No problems with audio quality either, movie soundtracks are lively
with loud and soft effects having plenty of impact and audio CD replay compares
well with mid-range hi-fi components.
The P325 is a very competent little player,
well built and fairly priced, shame about the region lock, though.
Contact: Hitachi 0345 581455, www.hitachitv.com
SPECS
Video output composite/S-Video/RGB
SCARTs 1
Audio output analogue mixed
stereo/coaxial/optical
5.1 decoders n/a
EXTRA FEATURES
Region 2, PAL/NTSC replay, MP3 replay, multi-speed replay, picture
zoom, 3D sound, picture control
FOR
AV performance, compact case and solid build quality
AGAINST
Huge remote, forward only slomo, no hack yet…
IS IT WORTH IT?
Yes, the Hitachi name inspires confidence, it works well and it looks
good
RATING
4/5
LG DV1000, £250
A combination DVD/VCR seems like a good idea on paper, it’s certainly
convenient but there is a price to be paid and that’s a lack of flexibility and
there is the increased chance that if something goes wrong you loose the lot.
The LG DV1000 also suffers from being quite basic in both departments, the VCR
section has NICAM sound and NTSC replay but apart from a set of AV input
sockets on the front that’s about it. The DVD player features are also fairly
thin on the ground, there’s MP3 replay and a 3D sound option but we’ve no
details of a hack code for the region lock (yet…) and there’s no S-Video
output, so you can’t get the best possible picture quality. On the plus side it
is very easy to set up and there’s an auto-installation for the VCR tuner.
VCR performance is so-so, okay for timeshifting but it’s borderline
home cinema. DVD picture playback is a better but still not great, it doesn’t
sound too bad though and again VCR audio is fairly average.
If you are really pushed for space and you just happen to want to buy a
VCR and DVD at the same time them maybe it’s worth considering but if you want
home cinema performance separates are still the best bet.
Contact LG Electronics 01753
50047, www.lge.co.uk
SPECS
Video output composite
SCARTs 2
Audio output analogue mixed stereo/coaxial
5.1 decoders n/a
EXTRA FEATURES
VCR: VHS LP/SP, NICAM stereo hi-fi, Video Plus+ with PDC, auto tuning,
NTSC replay, commercial skip
DVD: Region 2, PAL/NTSC replay, MP3 replay, multi-speed replay, picture
zoom, 3D sound
FOR
One box convenience, fair DVD performance
AGAINST
Very average VCR picture quality, no S-Video/RGB/optical bitstream
outputs
IS IT WORTH IT?
Not convinced… Not up to usual home cinema standards and you sacrifice
flexibility
RATING
3/5
SONY DAV-S400, £450
Based on the popular DAV-S300, this integrated DVD home cinema package
system is one of the easiest ways to get into multi-channel digital surround
without having to worry about amplifiers decoders and speakers. The main
difference between the S400 and its predecessor is the inclusion of SACD (Super
Audio CD) playback, which is a leading contender to replace CD though it’s
notable mainly for its home cinema facilities, which include a 4 x 40 watt and
1 x 100watt amplifier, matching speakers and a sub-woofer, Dolby Digital and
dts surround sound decoders plus a set of colour coded cables for effortless
connection and setup.
Unfortunately it hasn’t got an S-Video or RGB video output so you don’t
get the best possible picture quality, even so it’s still pretty good with
bright natural colours and plenty of detail. The small speakers lack the guts
to fill a large room but it still manages to sound quite good, and audio CD
replay is a cut above the average. Minus points include an awkward remote and
the uncharacteristically bland styling. Nevertheless, if you’re looking for an
easy route into digital surround with decent all round home cinema performance
but without sacrificing hi-fi performance quality it is definitely worth
considering.
Contact Sony 08705 111999, www.sony.co.uk
SPECS
Video output composite
SCARTs n/a
Audio output analogue mixed stereo/optical
5.1 decoders Dolby Digital/dts
EXTRA FEATURES
Region 2 PAL & NTSC replay, multi-speed trick play, 3D sound, 4 x
40 watt and 1 x 100 watt (sub woofer) amplifier,
FOR
Easy installation and setup, DVD performance
AGAINST
Awkward remote, slightly thin home cinema sound
IS IT WORTH IT?
Yes, if you prefer the convenience of a package system
RATING
4/5
YAMAHA DVD-S1200, £680
You can tell straight away that this big, black, butch-looking player
is both expensive, and a bit out of the ordinary. The headline feature, and the
main reason why you would be willing to shell out the thick end of seven
hundred quid is DVD-Audio replay. Like Super Audio CD (SACD) it’s being touted
as the replacement for audio CD, delivering high quality, multi-channel digital
sound. The jury is still out so buying one on the strength of its specialist
audio facilities might be a bit of a gamble.
Nevertheless, even if the format does go belly up you’d still be left
with a very capable DVD player, with built-in Dolby Digital and dts decoders
and a high-end audio CD player with all of the trimmings. It’s a little short
on frills but that’s to be expected on equipment of this nature, and the remote
is nothing to write home about – we’ve seen better ones on budget players – but
there’s no escaping the fact it’s a quality item. It’s built to last and it
really does look the part. The only downside is the high price but if you’re
into exotic audio formats you’ll know only too well that it comes with the territory.
Contact Yamaha, (01923) 233166 www.yamaha-audio.co.uk
SPECS
Video output composite/S-Video/RGB
SCARTs 2
Audio output analogue mixed
stereo/coaxial/optical
5.1 decoders DVD-Audio/Dolby Digital/dts
EXTRA FEATURES
Region 2 PAL & NTSC replay, DVD Audio replay, multi-speed trick
play
FOR
Top-notch DVD and audio CD performance, DVD-Audio might be a major
selling point for some
AGAINST
Pricey, cheapie remote with awkward controls
IS IT WORTH IT?
Possibly, if you like the sound of DVD-Audio and fancy a bit of a
gamble but a bit over qualified for everyday home cinema
RATING
4/5
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Ó R. Maybury 2002,
0708
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