Small, portable DVD players

[holly]

I'm in a "no boyfriends at work" mode so I want to be able to carry my own rig: 2 little DVD players, a SIMA videoboard, and a projector. Maybe some of those little LCD monitors from www.MP3PLAYERSTORE.com. I'm deliberately leaving the computer and DV cam at home to minimize liability (theft, damage) and to develop a unique style that uses highest quality video. Since I make my own footage and have a DVD burner, I think this rig will work for me.

I just bought a KOSS DVP2161 DVD player off Amazon.com at a special discount price of $101.83. Another special allowed for free s/h.

Here's what I like about it:
* a-b loop -- sometimes the a-b loop is seamless without a pause, but not always....
* track/chapter loop, all loop
* outputs composite, S-video, and component !!!
* plays DVD, DVD-R, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, VCD, MP3, and JPEG(?)
* 4 levels of FForward, 4 levels of FRewind, 4 levels of zoom with the ability to move the zoomed area around the screen. (some zooms are pixel smoothed, but some aren't).
* size = 8.25" x 6.25" x 1.5"

Here's what I don't like about it:
# Dependant on remote for most functions
# Region 1 only (American), has Macrovision (but I burn my own DVDs anyway)
# HUGE wallwart power supply
# on screen display for almost all functions, grrr

It's small and light enough to fit in my bag and carry at all times, but at that price It's not a huge loss if it gets broken or stolen.

What I'm wondering is if anyone has bought one of the little import DVD players like the ones on www.MP3PLAYERSTORE.com, and what they think about it. Anyone know of other small portable DVD players? Any suggestions to this rig?

Thanks
Holly

[LEVLHED]

I know the ones @ MP3Playerstore are the ones that Dave has @ Audiovisualizers.com...errr...well he has the link/affiliate program through..I know he has a few of the items from there and has a favorable opinion on them... http://www.audiovisualizers.com/ad_server/mp3_ad.html
I would hope that if anyone here bought anything from MP3PlayerStore.com that they would go there through the link @ Dave's site so he can get some $$! If you don't already know, trust me, Dave DESERVES it :)

[holly]

I wouldn't disagree. I was going to get the NextBase bundled with the little 5.6" LCD monitor, but I found the KOSS cheaper first. I suspect the Chinese players are region-free and possibly kill the Macrovision -- or could with a "firmware update". Prices just dropped on the MP3PlayerStore site. Still want those little monitors. I remember Dave mentioning he had the A/V Baby (?) in a forum post, but I think that's "just" a VCD player.... Ooh, maybe he could say how those players are.

I know VCD is MPEG1 (320x240) and too blocky when projected for my taste. Might as well be using the computer. Anybody know how SVCD looks and whether it's MPEG2 or suped-up MPEG1? Most of the VJ albums and singles for sale at Radley Marx's www.electronica-optica.com are in VCD or SVCD. While most imports from Japan are on DVD.

[elbows]

http://www.vcdhelp.com/svcd

Its Mpeg2. Theres loads of specs on that page along with samples of different formats you can download.

[murph]

svcd is mpeg2, 480x480. Nicer than vcd, but not as nice as DVD. Dave says on his site that he also has the dvd player with the usb cable, and the monitor with the tv tuner, and he likes them both. DVD player is region free, kills macrovision, etc - dunno about on-screen crap, we should ask him about it. (that's a definite killer)

I'm also looking for good LCDs. I've got a couple and they're absolute crap, to the point where I can't tell if I'm luma keying or mixing, and the image distorts on bass hits. Dave recommends the one with the tv tuner at mp3playerstore.com, anybody have any specifics on these? Look good? I'm hoping to replace the pro 9" JVC monitor I have. It looks great, but it's way too heavy.

[KillingFrenzy]

I bought the AV baby and LCD combo.

My advice is to jump up to that portable DVD.

One of the things that sucks about the AV baby is that most of the actions have to be accessed using the remote, and anything tricky like looping or slow motion has an ONSCREEN display you can't get rid of. Not sure about the DVD player, but I'm hoping it wouldn't do that.
The AV baby is actually a nice little MP3 player, and I can't really complain about it, but I'd say the extra money for a DVD player would be well worth the money. I find VCD's to be generally worse then VHS to deal with. DVDs are great.

The LCD worked great for about 10 gigs, then I dropped it (what, me clumsy?) and it still was working, but then went all white at an event. The thing doesn't come with an AC setup, so I had to go to RadioShack (bad idea) and get one. The ensuing half-assed electrical taping I did on the junction is probably what led to me fritzing it out. I've been to lazy to fix it. I noticed they've added some other monitors since then, so my advice would be to give them a ring, and see if you can get them to throw in an AC converter instead of the car kit they give you. I'd probably shell out for the slightly better LCD as well.

Note: This isn't really a complaint, since they have good prices and delivered quite promptly. My clutziness and bad wiring aren't their fault.

[skyvat]

I bought an LCD from MP3playerstore. Mine did come with an AC adapter so maybe you didn't get a complete package. It failed on my second use even with the proper power supply. The MP3playerstore did replace it and the new unit seems to be working fine. I think the image is better than I expected for the price, but it's a flimsy thing you get what you pay for. After the reasonable job on customer satisfaction, I placed an order for one of the BenQ DVD players. I hope there's no onscreen icons - I'll post my findings here when I get it.

Daniel

[holly]

Ooh! Ooh! That's probably the LCD I want to buy! Did you get the 5.6" video-only monitor or the 6" screen with speakers?

Let us know when you get the BenQ and how long they took to ship it, ok?

[skyvat]

I have the 5.6 LCD - it does actually have an audio and video in. After the above problems it seems the new unit has some as well. It carries the audio/video/ and the DC power all on one breakout cable but there's a short in the video connector, which looks pretty questionable to begin with. On any other unit you could just swap the cable for any standard rca, but in this case they made some proprietary cable, and done a bad job of it. Not to blame MP3playerstore as they probably did not make these units, but based on having 2 of these so far they are falling far short of expectations in reliability.

Well that said, the BenQ should be arriving very soon. Hopefully before Wednesday because I have a gig on Thursday.:eek:

[murph]

I think the 5.6" you got is the next generation of the 5.6" "classic" ones I have. They have a little tail coming out with power, mono audio, and video connectors. Mine look like ass, I can't tell if I'm fading or keying most of the time, and they distort in high-noise places, does yours sound like the same? Dave recommends the 6" one, which I'd love to hear a review of, as I'm thinking about buying it with the BenQ DVD player. (which I'd also love to see a review of) Not that I don't trust Dave, but I'd like to see a review that's a bit more complete than "I have one, works great." Maybe dave himself can write something more complete, mentioning things like OSD and track change/looping smoothness.

[AudioVisualizers]

I don't have it in front of me because I'm still unpacking from my recent move, but, I think I have the 5.6" one too. I forget the model # exactly, but it's something like the xx88. As you say, it has a little tail coming out with power, mono audio, and video connectors.

I'm not as happy with the image quality as I had been with a CRT, but I can accept that when I consider that the main reason I have the LCD is portability, and it's not there to provide an alternative to a monitor, it's there to provide a quick preview so I know what source is coming from where, etc - I always can see the big screen(s) output from the projector(s) so I know how it actually looks - yes it would be nice if the contrast/brightness wasn't so klonky on some signal sources, but hey for $99 - I think that's what it costs right? - I'm not complaining.

Also, you say that it's been a little dodgy in high noise/vibration environments - hmm, mine's been great...never broken or anything like that either - and yes, it does come with an adapter, if someone didn't get one, it was surely a mistake, call and ask for a replacement, MP3PlayerStore seems to be ontop of customer service as you say.

As for the BenQ portable DVD unit - well, ok I'm gonna admit that I haven't fully put it through it's paces - I've only used it for a few shows as of yet - mostly because I don't have much content on VCD or DVD - although that's starting to change, now that I'm fooling around with one of our next contest prizes. Anyway, one note on the VCD side of things - for last weekends show I brought several VCD's and a few DVD's - and sure I know DVD has better rez/image/compression quality, etc...but from previewing the VCD's at home prior to my show - versus seeing them on the projector's output - I noticed that at the show they seemed to be lacking contrast and were not quite as vibrant as I had rememered...all the DVD(R)s were looking awesome...so I shunned away from using much of the VCD content, as I was unhappy with how it looked...

But the BenQ is a pretty decent player - and they ship fast - I think express shipping is standard - I got mine 48 hours after I requested it - One thing that some might not like about the BenQ, much like the AV_Baby, is that the majority of it's functionality is strictly accessable from the remote - alas - and it's also in chinese - so you have to study the manual, and fool around with it for a while before you can remember what's what - that aside - it provides a wealth of features.

The loop fuction unfortunately leaves something to be desired - why in heaven's name couldn't they throw a bit of buffer vram in these things - like they do for vibrations/bumps to allow continuous music in CD walkmans? - alas, the loop function pauses briefly for a noticeable "visual hiccup" as it tracks back to the start point of the loop on the disc. I still like it though, if you find a good point - maybe you can make that jump - go to the beat - ;)

umm what else...probably lots more about the BenQ - but like I said I've got more testing to do...so I'll update this thread later unless someone else who owns one wants to chip in...

a couple of quick things:
-yes, it has macro-vision disable and is fully region free
-yes, it has usb dvd-rom capabilities, but only drivers for pc at this time
-no, it does not run on batteries, you need AC
-yes, it has composite video and svideo out, and digital audio out.
-umm.....yes I just woke up....

[murph]

Awesome, thanks dave, that's what we were looking for!

I think I'm actually considering the NextBase now, just because all the basic controls are on the unit and it looks a bit more solid... Any idea what these are like?

Also like the Panasonic PV55, but it's way expensive, and I don't think it'll even play DVD-R or VCD.

Also, I think pretty much all DVD players have a small pause when tracking back to the beginning of a disc, my nice JVC unit that I'm replacing certainly does, just wondering if it's more than about 1-2 seconds.

[murph]

As far as LCDs go, if I'm looking for something to replace a 9" pro broadcast JVC monitor, does anyone know anything worth checking out? I don't need it to be 9", 5-6" is fine, I just want something with good image quality that's small and light. Willing to pay $100-300 to get it.

[LEVLHED]

dude, I told yuh...look into Sony PSOne LCDs!

[murph]

ok, my story... A while back I'd heard about the PSOne LCDs, and that the GameVue ones sold on ebay were equivalent. So I bought a gamevue, but the sucker didn't come with a power supply! So I finally got a power supply from the shack, 7.5v @ 2 Amps. No go, wouldn't power up. So I figured it was DOA. After talking with another person last night I went to target and got the sony branded PSOne lcd. This one actually had a power supply, but didn't have a composite connection, for that I'd need to buy another proprietary cable. (lame) So, just for kicks, I tried the sony power supply on the GameVue monitor. By golly, it works! Turns out the GameVue needs 7.5v @ 3 Amps, but damn, it looks great! MUCH better than the old 5.6" ones I'd had. So now I'm gonna return the PSOne lcd to target and get a proper power supply for the GameVue, and I'm in business!

Now to think about a DVD player to match it with...

[murph]

and on other awesome hardware (though not thread) related news, the repair shop called about my 2500 lumen projector. Turns out it's fine! Just needs a new case! They said it's actually got better alignment than some new ones they've seen! The bulb is ok, the optics are ok, the mainboard is ok! After an 8 foot drop the only thing broken was the casing! So instead of $2500 I'm looking at like $250. Way cool.

[skyvat]

Hey it's a little after the fact but I just got my BenQ today. I second most of the observations that Dave has. I have tested the USB mode on my mac with OSX. It can't read it, but device manager recognizes it as a miniDVD-ROM, so at least there's hope that if drivers come, it will work.

The A-B repeat glitch is pretty jarring, though the track repeat seems quite smooth, so for looping entire tracks it could work well. Text does show up on the screen for commands, I haven't found a way to switch that off. But most disappear after a moment - and "chapter repeat" or "A-B repeat" don't show up every time you head back to frame 00:00.

Bottom line is that the player should be great for me. I do most shows solo on laptop, and sometimes I need an extra element to add to the mix or a loop to cover me while I crash and restart. I think these "hybrid" setups are a neat way to go.

[murph]

Well I just ordered a NextBase player, I'll review it when I get it.

[skyvat]

Murph -

Did you get the NextBase yet? How do you like it?

[murph]

got the nextbase, performed with it on sat... It works, but I'll be returning it in favor of a benQ, here's why: it's sensitive to the thump thump of a club, and either slows down or freezes and has pixelly artifacts when getting too much vibration. It also freaks out for a bit when the vcd tells it to track back to the beginning of the disc. I also noticed poor quality while watching "Dune" last night at my house, though it may have been linked to some settings I was messing with on the projector, haven't had time to investigate.

According to dave the BenQ will do the simple function of playing a dvd/vcd without the remote, which is all I need, and according to the site the anti-shock protection is good, so I'm going to exchange them and I'll do a review of the BenQ as well.

I wish I had the money for those nice panasonic or toshiba dvd players with the lcd screens, though dunno about the vcd/cvd/svcd compatibility on those.

[burstingfist]

Originally posted by murph
... So I figured it was DOA. After talking with another person last night I went to target and got the sony branded PSOne lcd. This one actually had a power supply, but didn't have a composite connection, for that I'd need to buy another proprietary cable. (lame) ...

Just as a side note, all you need is a $2.99 1/8" to RCA adapter to use the Composite video input on these. It is called the "A/V input" on the back. One of the channels is video, and the other is audio. Or you can buy the $30 multimedia PS1 connector, but That is not necessary.

[murph]

Originally posted by burstingfist


Just as a side note, all you need is a $2.99 1/8" to RCA adapter to use the Composite video input on these. It is called the "A/V input" on the back. One of the channels is video, and the other is audio. Or you can buy the $30 multimedia PS1 connector, but That is not necessary.

hahahhahahaha, that's hilarious, those greedy sony bastards...

[MoRpH]

Hehehehe... did you expecct anything less from them :nod: :cool:

[skyvat]

Murph - thanks for the words on Nextbase. I was actually looking at it and wondering if it wouldn't be better for me than the BenQ - because of the onboard controls. I used the BenQ last week doing visuals for a LOUD rock show and had no skipping problems - I hope you find the same. I even got the glitchy A-B repeat to work for me, by using a black frame as my outpoint no one could notice the freeze.

I guess my one problem with VCD players in making VCDs! Converting them in Toast takes forever. Have any discussions taken place about best time-to-quality ratios?

Thanks -
Dan

[murph]

if you want easy to make vcds, look no further than the terapin. It's an external hardware box that records VCDs in realtime like a VCR records to vhs, and looks really good for VCD. (essentially the same as VHS, but not DVD quality) $240 new on ebay.

[brain]

hello there,

i know there is a review for the terapin and the psone display...

but i really would appreciate detailled reviews (company, type...) at VJC on all the displays or players you people have worked with - even if they are crap! help other people to save money and nerves - make your bad experiences useful :)

maybe there is even someone out there who has enough overview yet to write a technical article on these topics.

thx brain

[videotechno]

spotted this one on circuitcity.com - APX PD100 - it's a portable DVD player with screen by Apex

"Was $299.99, Now $279.99, Save $20! FREE SHIPPING!

Hit the road with this portable DVD player and enjoy movies and music on the go. The lightweight design has a built-in 5.8" LCD screen that makes it easy to see your favorite movies just about anywhere, anytime. The built-in speaker lets others listen in, or you can plug in headphones to listen without disturbing others. Compatible with DVD, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, and even MP3, this versatile unit can keep you entertained for hours!"

[end circuit city commercial]

---

okay, now i've got a question for holly & for anyone else burning their own content onto DVDs...

do you use a standalone burner? or, is it all computer-based, using an internal burner? an external firewire burner? or--maybe just post the brand/model # & i'll check it/them out.

here's my dilemna: i do a bunch of stuff with miniDV, and dig the resolution... but i'd also like quicker access to specific clips, and the ability to loop them couldn't hurt either. if you know the music well, and they stick to the setlist, mixing from a DV camera works pretty well. re-cueing or swapping tapes around can get annoying quickly though...

i've messed around with VCDs a bit, but it doesn't appear that burning DVDs would be much more painful* than VCDs. (*aside from the financial pain caused by the initial purchase of the burner...)

so... any thoughts or DVD burner buyers advice? or maybe answer via a brief review in the hardware review zone [if you'd rather not clutter the thread].

---

anyone else out there mess around with a nuon DVD player and VLM2? if you have no idea what i'm talking about... feel free to ignore me! >:O) anywho, it can make for a spiffy 2nd or 3rd source if you steer clear of the random modes. some of the effects are WAY too colorful, but there are ways around it... if only there was a way to hack the VLM2 into using a line-in... heard that could be done with the old atari jaguar version of VLM, but since i'm really rambling now i'd better retire...

-rick

[videotechno]

oh yeah--doesn't look like the Apex portable has an S-out--seems to be the case of several players w/LCD screen.

walmart has some even cheaper models--made by "initial"--no experience with that particular brand though [i've got a home player by apex that's worked fine for the past couple years].

[yawn]

[murph]

no idea, I wouldn't use those as they don't support vcd or svcd, but give it a shot... if they're at local stores, you can easily return them if they suck. (but not before reviewing them for the site!)

Also, try ebay, around that price I think you can get better brand name models used.

[LEVLHED]

I would guess that even though it doesn't SAY it supports VCD, it probably does. A general rule of thumb is, if it says it plays MP3s, then it prolly plays VCDs too....

[videotechno]

i've got a "home" DVD player that apex put out a couple years back. it does mp3 & VCD & reportedly was quite hackable [region-wise, etc.]--although i never messed with the hack-ness though.

from the apex site, it looks like the pd100 works with SVCDs. no mention of VCDs--not even in the PDF manual. [i'd assume that if it likes SVCDs, that it's very likely to also do VCDs. whereas the other way around would be more if-fy.]

haven't found a review online yet...

anyone use a pioneer DVR-A04? who's making their own DVDs out there?

[sulleleven]

-no, it does not run on batteries, you need AC

ugh. was hoping I could use rechargeable batteries so I can beneifit from benq gem during my 2 hour commute to manhatten.

tougher decision now. think I will still try it out unless anyone knows of a cheap one that takes batteries...?

[sulleleven]

anyone know of a good Portable Battery Pack that can power up these dvd player sthat dont take batteries?

[sulleleven]

How about the Energizer ER-DVD Universal DVD Battery/Charger?
Pretty slick. only 2llbs! But will it work? hmm.

ENERGIZER (http://www.energizerbatteries.com/productdetail.asp?device=DVD&prodcode=13567)


Energizer ER-DVD Universal DVD Battery/Charger (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00006JM74/qid=1039573888/sr=8-23/ref=sr_8_23/104-0292962-8147178?v=glance&s=photo&n=507846)

[sulleleven]

I got my benq and have issues with it.

I am pretty sure it causes skips on my dvds.

every dvd automatically uses the closed captioning and it seems that unless the dvd itself has a menu option to turn it off, it cannot be disabled. this sucks.

Its bigger then I thought. The inputs are in odd places.

picture quality is ok but not great.

remote control sucks. might be a weak battery (though it was not inserted in remote so should be fresh).

overall I am not happy. Primarily, this caption problem is killing me. anyone have this problem?

sull11

[vjTranceKoder]

I hate to harp on the quality of Sony DVD products, but it's hard not to seeing so many of you buying crappy DVD players from REALLY crappy merchandisers (www.mp3playerstore.com to be specific) and then being SOL when it comes to returning the units or using them for performance. As far as i have seen, there is no DVD player out there with the portability we demand as VJ's that doesn't have SOME unwanted feature. But luckly we can get 'around' these 'problems' with little effort (ie OSD's, A/B repeat 'gap', remote only access, etc).

Here is my suggestion. Buy a Sony DVP-PQ1. I have not had the time to sit and give a fully fleshed out review on it yet, but thought i'd post this in the meantime. Yes Sony has it's bad sides (proprietary!!!) but this unit in particular is VERY nice for our needs as VJ's. Bought mine for $107 USD total NEW.

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start;sid=YfL8IqCWDOP8Ip66XN_2Ke-af4QOb4h_EEI=?ProductID=UTsKC0%2eNz8EAAADyJusSfMvD

As you can see, odd shape, but very light and portable. Even has holes on bottom to carry unit by, not to mention a 40 disc memory preference and costomizable faceplate! and, even though remote activates OSD, what QUALITY player doesn't? The inputs and outputs are placed conveniently on the side of the unit and it can be tilted in order to have easier access for inserting/removing discs. Bottons on unit include standard play/pause/frwd chapter/bkwd chapter and power.

The main reason i choose Sony is the chips they use to decompress DVD. Apex, Sampo, BenQ and the like have the worst decompression algos i've ever seen (unless you LIKE pixels in your movies!) so go with Sony, or some other major brand if you don't want to sacrifice output quality. Pawn shops are our friends:nod:

This is the best portable DVD player in its class for a VJ's live rig IMHO:)
PS to all you SVCD and VCD fans out there, sorry, no play:sad:

[holly]

PS to all you SVCD and VCD fans out there, sorry, no play
What about DVD-R? Sonys are just about the only players that don't play dvd-r.

Without VCD or DVD-R it's not useful for VJing at all. Maybe for taking blockbuster rentals to Grandma's....:p

[LEVLHED]

from the link:
"You will enjoy the playback of CD-R/CD-RWs, DVD-R/DVD+RWs, DVD-RWs (Video Mode), and MP3s."

[charlielangridge]

Does anybody have an idea how long things from mp3playerstore.com take to ship to the UK. I it says 2-5 days on the site, but is this a reliable figure?

[vjTranceKoder]

good luck. This company is by far the worst i've dealt with yet.

BEWARE: mp3playerstore =

bad customer service.
bad information.
no interest in customer needs or satisfaction.
15% 'restocking fee' plus YOU pay shipping to Canada if you're NOT happy.

I know it took too long to get my crappy product.

Good luck charlie:scared:

know that i wish you the best!

[murph]

Originally posted by vjTranceKoder

PS to all you SVCD and VCD fans out there, sorry, no play:sad:

kinda defeats the point! Do you have a dvd burner trancekoder?

I agree about mp3playerstore.com, their service is terrible, but so far the BenQ is the best reasonably priced portable dvd (and vcd/svcd) player I've found. The Phillips from target is a close second except for the size. The sony also looks a bit large for my use.

Some day we'll have it all... Hopefully sooner than later...

[vjTranceKoder]

broad statement to say this is the best portable DVD player in its class for a VJ's live rig, but to me it's perfect. True, doesn't play SVCD or VCD but yes I do have access to a set top DVD burner so again, for me it's perfect. Although i can foresee a problem playing other's content if it's on VCD/SVCD (jam sessions/set switch etc.)

Also i'm VERY picky about decompression algo's used in DVD player technology. Reasoning: I hate pixels (When they're not supposed 2b there!)

So please don't take my comment as set in stone. We all have different configurations and goals and it's usually in flux.

....But if your all DVD-R, get this player (unless you find a better one, of course :nod: )

Peace and love to the whole community!

[holly]

Plus, you can cut out a photo of yer cat and slip it into the flip-up lid as inspiration!:p

Yay, Pixel-free on DeeVeeDee!

[Morninglight]

Bit old thread to kick up but I just got to reply :)

I just bought an Nextbase MDV4 portable DVD player in a set with a 5" TFT with build in TV, prob never use it but hey.. it's in there so I can watch TV while VJing ;)

it just eats every videocd/dvd I throw at it:

CD
CD-R
CD-RW
DVD
DVD-R
DVD-RW
DVD+R
DVD+RW
VCD
SVCD


and all of that in a 12v powered (220v adapter included) 20x15x3cm box with composite, S-video and optical out :)

I'm going to use the screen as monitor hooked onto my videomixer... or watch a dvd on long trips :)

[loboy]

I have a nextbase mdv1 and was wondering about the LOGO option.

In the Setup mode under PREFERENCES there is an option called LOGO, you can set it to either ORIG or CUSTOM, my question is whether you can set a custom logo(like a .jpg or something) or not. Choosing custom leaves a blank screen.

Just wondering if anyone has messed with this.

[Morninglight]

my MDV4 shows jpg so I think you can replace the logo in the flashrom with a custom jpg.

but how

:confused:

[brain]

after a long search and correspondence with several companys, here is the only portable player that i've found where OSD can be turned off:

http://www.pioneer-eur.com/eur/product_detail.jsp?product_id=439&taxonomy_id=62-84

it's a pioneer and NOT cheap. but i think it delivers high-quality picture and should be reliable. has ANYONE ever used this? any review highly appreciated. there is also the same model with 7" TFT, but its insanely expensive...

[sleepytom]

all pioneer players that i've seen can fully turn off OSD - they are more expensive than the cheap / crap generic far east ones but the image quality is much better and they play all types of disk well (unlike the sony jobs)

[holly]

Pioneer PVD-20:
http://www.pioneer-eur.com/images/products/dvdplayer/pioneer/1014228632239pdv_20_1_detailpage.jpg

Woah! At US$250 that's a steep price to pay just for the option of turning off OSD. I agree that Pioneers are great players, but OUCH!

[sleepytom]

its myth that the more expensive players are not better than the cheap ones - go to a shop and compare the video output quality between a benq/kiss/ross/dross cheapy and a pioneer - you'll be suprised at the diffrence in decompression quality

you'll also notice that the pioneer is a LOT smaller than the far east generic players and is made of metal!
$250 usd is cheap anyway - in the uk they cost ?300!!!

[brain]

and in germany the cheapest offer is 480 euros !!
they are robbing us over here :mad:

[holly]

Was information lost on this thread? Or is there another very similar thread about portable DVD players...?