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Technology Stocks : C-Cube -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Raymund W who wrote (48183)	1/8/2000 5:17:00 PM
From: DiViT	Respond to of 50808

...the Konka did a lot better than playing the super-cool “Matrix” DVD than my super-duper Toshiba Tecra 8000 (which costs a whole lot more).... Divit: Interestingly enough the Konka and the Tecra both use a Cube Ziva chip... msnbc.com Konka's KD-1800U budget DVD/CD deck By Gary Krakow MSNBC Jan. 7 — It wasn't so long ago that I was telling you about these new-fangled DVD players. Great picture and sound coming from these little, CD-size disks. The first players were all in the $500+ category. Now, less than two years later, I'm able to say there's a brand new DVD player on the market that has a suggested retail price of $199. And, it's a pretty good machine. FIRST, SOME BACKGROUND. This $199 DVD deck is made by Konka. According to their websites, Konka is “The Most Famous Brand” and “The Best Selling Product” in China. They make home appliances and telecommunications products as well as consumer electronics. The 18800U is one of their first products to reach North America. Konka is also starting to import their TVs into the United States, including a digital-TV-ready monitor for $2,000 and a bargain-priced ($3,000) HDTV set. I'm betting that we'll be hearing a lot from Konka (and other manufacturers from China) in the years to come. ALL THE RIGHT CONNECTIONS Their DVD player is known as the KD-1800U. It's a solidly built device, which plays DVDs, Video CDs, S-Video CDs and Audio CDs. There's a composite video output (that means one RCA jack) and a S-Video output. There are left and right analog audio outputs (RCA jacks again) and PCM optical and coaxial digital outputs. The 1800U comes with an audio/video cable for connecting the box to a television with audio/video inputs. So far, pretty good for a bargain machine. The machine comes in a sliver enclosure, the size of most other DVD and CD players I've seen, 17.25 by 3 by nearly 15 inches (430 by 75 by 368 mm.) and weighs 12 pounds (5.6Kg). The remote control is on the large side (as are most DVD remote controllers). This one measures 8.6 by 2.7 by .6 inches and runs on two AA-batteries (included). Most of the buttons on the remote are duplicated on the DVD box. The 1800U allows you to fast search in either direction, up to 32-times normal speed. As for the other end of the spectrum, slow motion, down to one-sixteenth normal speed is available only in the forward direction. There's also a digital 2x “zoom” feature that lets you view a particular scene in a “close up” mode. Pretty neat for a bargain machine. HOW IT WORKS Advertisement Quick Gifts Books Music & Video Flowers Software Hardware More . . . Of course, the most important test for any DVD/CD player is how it actually looks and sounds. I can proudly report that the 1800U passes with flying colors. The Konka machine played every DVD and CD I could throw at it (or in it) with flying colors. All the controls worked exactly as advertised, and both the video and audio quality was right up there with machines costing a few hundred dollars more. As a matter of fact, the Konka did a lot better than playing the super-cool “Matrix” DVD than my super-duper Toshiba Tecra 8000 (which costs a whole lot more). The 1800U's picture quality was rock-solid and looked great on my trusty RCA 45-inch projection TV. I wasn't able to test the Video-CD or the karaoke modes due to a lack of suitable discs. But, audio-wise, the Konka never disappointed. Audio CDs were reproduced cleanly and quietly. CDs sounded good on the projection TV's speakers and on my component stereo system. On the whole, a pretty good showing for a bargain machine. ON THE OTHER HAND Unfortunately, not everything was picture perfect. First of all, switching back and forth between DVDs and audio CDs took a long time. Sometimes, it took the Konka 15-25 seconds to recognize what kind of disc was inserted and initialize playback. Sometimes, 25 seconds can feel like an eternity. Actually, until I tried to listen to audio CDs, the Konka took only 5-10 seconds to start playing DVDs. I believe something in the sensing circuitry needs tweaking. Once playback started (on any kind of disc) everything worked perfectly. Another annoying feature is button placement on the remote control. It takes some getting used to. There are lots of buttons, but some of them are in strange locations. Especially the scene skipping, fast-forward and reverse buttons, which are found on the upper left (just beneath the red power button). Not where you'd expect to find them. After playing a few discs you get used to them. But ergonomically, the Konka's remote loses a few points for odd design. Those two complaints aside, this is a good quality home DVD player at any price, and one heck of a deal at $199. It's also a pretty good audio-CD player. Neither of the faults I've found should keep you from trying the Konka for yourself. You'll be glad you did. As a matter of fact, this machine is so good, I can't wait to see what Konka's televisions — and especially their DTV and HDTV monitors — can do. There is a KD-1900U DVD player listed on their USA Web site. It's actually an 1800U with AC-3 audio outputs. There's also a KD-2000 on their international Web site. It boasts AC-3 audio and component video (for monitors) outputs. The 1900 and 2000 will be available in the next few months. Prices haven't been announced. So for now, you can be very happy with Konka's $199, KD-1800U DVD player. It's highly recommended.