8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
Best way to deal with growing DVD libraries
Date of Review: Mar 18, 2008
The Bottom Line: This is the best solution for a large library of disks. Recommended.
So, I started out with wall-mounted DVD racks. Then I moved on to floor standing racks. As my collection grew, eventually I ditched the cases and went to large folders to hold the disks. This worked really well, but after a while I found I could never find the disk I was looking for, and spent way too much of my life flipping through pages of disks.
And then I found this. For me, it has been absolutely terrific. I now have four of these inexpensive players holding 1600 discs. That's a lot of titles!
Each player (and remote) can be set to use one of three separate IR code sets, so you can use up to three of these players together in one system without worrying about them responding to commands sent to the others. They don't link together, so if you want to use three players, you'll need a receiver or switchbox with enough inputs to hook them all up as they act as separate DVD players.
They are really, really massive. I have a lot of space on my shelves, and they just barely fit. Check the measurements carefully and make sure you have a place to put it. A standard audio rack will probably not be big enough, unless you can put it on top of the rack. There is a bump that comes out of the left rear side of the player that houses the disc retrieval mechanism. So, the player is even deeper than it appears at first glance.
Also, after your player is loaded with disks, don't expect to move it again. A fully loaded player is a heavy thing, and shifting it around could cause the disks inside to dislodge. If that happens, you'll be opening it with a screwdriver to get the disks back in place. (Yep, I learned this one the hard way!)
I don't bother with the built-in disc explorer. Yes, you can enter in titles using a keyboard, and I did this at the beginning, but it just doesn't work very well for browsing through the titles. Mine never lost any of the information I entered in, but since I'm no longer using the player to keep track of that, I wouldn't really care if it did.
Instead, I use DVD Profiler software to keep track of the discs and their locations. It makes it easy to look for something to watch, and after I choose something it keeps track of where it is so I can watch it. This is a better solution than trying to use the changer to browse titles.
If you don't want to purchase software, a spreadsheet will work, and is still faster and easier than the built-in organizer. Plus, you can easily back up your title list when using software, which is a big advantage.
The one big flaw in this player is that it starts playing a disc when you first turn it on, every time. This doesn't sound like much, but it is very annoying.
To get around it, press Open while the player is off. It will turn on and open the door, and won't play the disk. You can then select the disk you want. This only works from the front panel, however.
To get around it from the remote, turn it on, wait about ten seconds, then press the disk explorer key. It will bring up the list of titles and stop playing the disk.
So, there are workarounds for the annoying things about the player. They are inexpensive, hold a lot of disks, and are a better solution to dealing with ever-growing DVD libraries than anything else.
Recommended.
Sean P. Logue, 2007
