6. What to look for in a DVD player
The DVD player reads the image and sound data off your DVD disc and sends it to your AV Receiver or screen. DVD players can also play your music CDs and a welter of other disc formats (like your picture discs, MP3 music discs and more)
Image Quality
Picture quality is governed by the power of the video processing on-board: more grunt equals better picture quality. Most DVD players produce a decent picture on an ordinary TV but hook them up to a projector or high-end plasma or LCD and the differences will really start to show. You'll see a noticeable difference in detail, contrast, colour and the appearance of digital artifacts (those annoying jagged edges).
The moral of the story? If you're investing in real quality projection or TV gear you'll need a decent DVD player to realise your system's true potential.
Progressive scan: most DVD players have progressive scan on-board which delivers a superior picture on screens capable of displaying it. Recommended.
Sound Quality: Only relevant if the movie soundtrack is being played directly from the DVD player through your TV speakers. If your DVD player is part of a home theatre system, the AV receiver is responsible for the sound.
CD music replay: Yes, DVD players do play CDs and numerous other disc formats too, so can your DVD player double as your CD player too? Yes…and no. Your average DVD player is never doing to do as good a job of CD replay as a dedicated CD player. Of course there are exceptions: higher end DVD players receive critical acclaim for their musical virtuosity. And it depends on your system and your expectations. A high end system will be more revealing of a DVD player that just 'aint cutting the musical mustard, but ultimately it's up to you to decide whether the sound you hear from your DVD player when it's spinning your favourite CDs is good enough.
Universal players: When they were launched DVD-A and SACD were touted as the next big thing in music formats, offering superior audio and video from a DVD disc. Thing is they could only be played on compatible players called universal players. But this is just a history lesson because both formats have since bitten the dust due to lack of interest. Beta anyone? Moral of the story: unless you already have an extensive collection of DVD-A and SACD titles you'll probably have little use for a universal player.
Feature count: Don't buy a DVD player based on its feature count. Get one with a great picture, solid build and the features you'll use.
Connections: Image quality is affected by the cable used to connect your DVD player to the TV or projector. This is particularly so if you are connecting to a larger plasma or LCD panel. Make sure the DVD player you buy has the connections that not only match your TV but also that allow for better quality cable. Look for a player that has component connections and definitely the new digital HDMi connection if your screen supports that. See our cables section for more on this.
DVD recorders
All the benefits of a DVD player but with hard disk storage on-board so you can record TV, store music and more? Yes, that's partly true but the rules for DVD players still apply: if you've invested in a quality TV or projector, a DVD recorder probably won't deliver the picture quality you demand. Similarly it won't win any prizes for CD replay. But for recording off TV there's nothing better