An overview of inexpensive players.....
Dive into DVD with the first $200 players
BY MIKE LANGBERG
Mercury News Computing Editor
DVD, to borrow a much over-worked phrase from Martha Stewart, is a good thing.
And here's an even better thing: You can now get a no-excuses DVD player for under $200.
This holiday season, DVD is perhaps the hottest category in consumer electronics. Manufacturers expect to beat their goal, already raised once during the year, of selling 3 million players in 1999.
Hollywood is also helping. All the major studios are now releasing movies on DVD, and many video stores rent DVDs.
This flurry of activity is pushing DVD (Digital Video Disc) beyond the realm of early-adopter home electronics geeks with more money than sense.
I looked at the least-expensive DVD player on the market -- the Konka KD-1800U, selling for as little as $149 -- and I'm pleased to report it delivers picture and sound quality comparable to competing models that sell for two to three times the price.
If you've missed my previous columns cheering for DVD, here's a quick three-point review of why DVD towers above videotape:
Picture and sound. Thanks to the miracle of digital compression, DVD players deliver far more picture information than videocassettes. The result is a much brighter, cleaner picture -- especially noticeable on large-screen TVs. DVDs also deliver full Dolby Digital sound, capable of recreating all the subtlety and drama of movie-theater audio if you invest in surround-sound speakers -- light years ahead of the mere analog stereo coming out of VCRs.
Special features. Because DVD players can access any point on a disc instantly, studios can offer a menu of extra features. Many DVD movies come with ``making of' documentaries, cast biographies and even subtitles and audio tracks in other languages.
Convenience and durability. DVDs are the same shape and size as CDs, making them far easier than videotapes to stack on a shelf. And DVDs should prove to be far more durable than videotapes, which can stretch or break with repeated viewing.
The biggest problem with DVD, until the past few months, was hardware cost. When DVD was introduced to the United States 1in 1997, the least expensive player cost $500. But one of the most wonderful things about digital technology is that almost all devices get cheaper to manufacture over time.
DVD players are moving especially fast down the price curve, with the first models under $300 arriving late last year. And now at least four companies have pushed through the $200 barrier:
Konka (408) 367-6148; www.konkausa.com), a large Chinese manufacturer makes its first entry into the United States through a subsidiary in San Jose, with the 1800U selling for as little as $149.
Oritron (800-726-3801; www.oritron.com), a manufacturer based in Hong Kong and distributing in the United States through its St. Louis-based Koss Electronics subsidiary, offers the DVD100 as low as $169.
Philips (800-531-0039; www.philipsusa.com), a Dutch electronics firm, has the DVD825 as little as $199.
Thomson Consumer Electronics (800-311-9263; www.rca.com), a French company that sells under the RCA, GE and ProScan names from U.S. headquarters in Indianapolis, sells the General Electric 1105P at about $199.
None of these models is widely distributed, so they may be hard to find in stores and may, in some instances, sell for more than the prices I've listed here. I should also emphasize what may seem an obvious point: DVD players don't record; they only play movies on disc. You'll still need a VCR if you want to tape your favorite TV shows or make copies of family events captured with a camcorder.
None of the other DVD manufacturers, meanwhile, is standing still. All the majors -- including Panasonic, Pioneer, Sony and Toshiba -- now have DVD players at $299 or less, which wasn't true a year ago.
To evaluate this trend, I borrowed a Konka DVD player and conducted an unscientific test at home.
I plugged the Konka unit into my home theater system using an S-Video cable, which delivers a better signal than the standard ``RCA jack,' the yellow plug that looks like the red and white plugs used for audio.
My home theater already includes a year-old Toshiba DVD player, which I bought for $500, connected to my 32-inch Sony Wega television through component video, a clutch of three cables that outperforms even S-Video.
I next obtained two copies of ``Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me,' newly released on DVD. I set each player to start the movie at the same moment, switching back and forth between the Konka and Toshiba DVD players using the remote control for my home theater receiver.
Squinting as hard as I could, I failed to discern any significant difference between the picture as I watched Dr. Evil and Mini-Me battle the dentally challenged Austin Powers. Nor could I detect any difference on the audio side: Both players delivered flawless Dolby Digital surround sound.
I also spent some time watching ``The Matrix,' a science-fiction thriller that has failed to work in some DVD players. And I listened to a music CD, a trick all DVD players should handle. The Konka performed both tasks without a hitch.
My only complaint was minor: The Konka player has a default setting that causes subtitles to be displayed whenever you start a movie. Disabling this feature, although possible, isn't clearly explained in the poorly written instruction manual.
An example from this English-as-a-second-language document: ``The incorrect using of batteries will lead to the danger of battery liquid leakage or battery bombing.' Wow. Kind of gives a whole new meaning to the concept of domestic terrorism.
Because Konka is new to the U.S. market, I can't say how their products stack up in reliability. However, the company provides a warranty that's typical for consumer electronics: 90 days for parts and labor, and one year for parts only.
I didn't check out the sub-$200 DVD players from Oritron, Philips and Thomson, so I don't know if they would match Konka's commendable video and audio performance.
But I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Konka 1800U to someone on a tight budget eager to experience the new medium of DVD.
There are sacrifices, of course, at the low end. The Konka player doesn't have component video output, which I still think it worthwhile for anyone who's invested in an expensive big-screen TV with component video input. More expensive DVD players come with other features you may or may not find useful, such as a universal remote that can control a TV set and cable box, or a jog shuttle dial for moving slowly back and forth through scenes you want to study in detail.
Total couch potatoes can even get DVD changers that hold three to five discs -- although I figure your health is imminent danger if you can't stand up every two hours to put a different movie in the machine.
And some people don't need DVD at all. If you're only using the speakers built into your TV set and the screen is smaller than 27 inches, you won't get much benefit from DVD, other than viewing the special features unavailable on videotape.
But for anyone who's made the leap to home theater -- loosely defined as a big-screen TV with a surround-sound speaker system -- DVD is a one-way ticket to better movie watching. You'll never want to go back to the fuzzy picture and tepid sound of videotape. |
