Surprises Galore! A DVD Player that delivers! Even for This Aged Amateur!

Sony DVP-NS575P CD/DVD Player

Note: The "/S" at the end of the official Model Number of this product seems to indicate the color of the case. Ours is Silver, the only other choice is black. We would have preferred black but our new TV is silver. So, AOK.

THE PROBLEM!

Concerns about my failing vision galvanized us to upgrade our TV; it was that or discard our Video Collection. So, right in the midst of installing the new TV, our year and a half old Sony DVD Player began to act up; something we did not need. Nice timing, I must say. All that huffing and puffing about the "Miracle" of 16 x 9, 25 new DVD Titles to watch and...! The problem seemed to be a defective power switch; the machine did not "GO" when the button was pushed. And it had trapped our copy of "Sound of Music". What made it easy to discard was the lack of features that became available for less money in just that 18 month stretch. There were a dozen players on the shelf at Best Buy, Sony was represented by a 5 DVD Changer/Player and the single disc model that is the subject of this review.

DETAILS

Please forgive the mood; this is, after all, a mere commodity, similar to a Razor Blade. We all have the right to expect it to work, that it will not stop working, and will not cause changes in one's blood pressure.

I will try to be brief. This new machine is very sleek, the 'Silver' (i.e. Aluminum) does not clash with its black siblings, it is very light and VERY thin (2.7" Hi by 17" Wide by 9.3" deep). Weight, 4.33 Lbs (I think this is overstating it - but it IS lightweight.)

The front panel is simplistic, obvious items include: Power Button, Disc Tray, Digital Display Panel, Open/Close, Pause, Stop buttons, Previous/Next Buttons and an Indicator light for Progressive Signal monitoring. My wife is fussy about color clash but accepted the compromise with good grace.

WHAT'S IN THE BOX?

42 Button Remote Control with 2 AA Alkaline (?) Batteries
(Remote Color is, unaccountably, Black!)
A/V Cable, Yellow/Red/White, 6'length.
User Manual, 76 pages, 5.25" x 8.25" lightweight paper.
Limited Warranty Statement: 90 Days Labor, One Year Parts.
(Chagrined by the short life of the predecessor machine, I bought a two year extension from the store. I expect much more use from this one.)

WHAT WILL IT DO?

WILL Play 9 different types of CD.
Will NOT play 9 different types of CD
MAY play some of 3 types (PHOTO CDs/CD-Rs/CD-Rws) if the CD format is not just so. Honestly, 'standarditis' will be the death of us all.

Also, Region Codes are important, if a DVD region code is NOT "1", it will not play. Region 1 is the United States, presumably including territories of same but don't bet on it.

CONNECTIONS - CONNECTIONS - CONNECTIONS

Here is where you will begin to wonder where all of the money is going. Granted, the player is a marvel of technology if the user can get its signals out of it. Here is how it can be done.

One the back panel is a Collection of 8 ports for attaching things to the player (or Vice-Versa). All connections are "OUTBOUND". That is, the other end of each thing connected to the DVD player must have a destination. OK, you can hate my tone/mood/attitude but Sony spent 8 pages on this basic subject, I kid you not. So, PAY ATTENTION

(1)POWER CORD (IN) - Not removable. Do NOT connect before attaching other stuff to the other ports. When in use, the POWER CORD should be attached to a 120v Receptacle, preferably one on a Surge Protector.

(2,3,4) COMPONENT VIDEO OUT - 3 RCA type Jacks accept 3 RCA Plugs, bundled in a flat cable. Length, variable. The shorter the better (and less expensive. Best Buy wanted $34 for a 12' Version. That was the "Brand X" model, too.

If your TV has Component Video Input Ports, then this set of ports has a use. Otherwise, it will be a terrific waste of money. These three ports are color coded to help you get it right. Color components, Red, Yellow and Blue, can be mixed to create any shade desired. Here, you must be satisfied that Y is Green, Pb is Blue, and Pr is Red. I know, there seems to be a conflict here - just accept it. Please note: THESE THREE WIRES WILL NOT TRANSMIT THE AUDIO SIGNALS. Read on.

(5) S-VIDEO (aka Super-VIDEO)

This port combines the color signals from the DVD Player in some way, counting the plug, there are 5 wires in these cables. Don't ask. I only know that this method of connection is superior (we are assured) to the ordinary Yellow RCA Video Plug we all remember so fondly. Physically, I really like S-Video. Electronically, I have my doubts. Sadly, this method also DOES NOT TRANSMIT AUDIO SIGNALS. Oh, YEAH, these cables are VERY EXPENSIVE. Read on:

(6) DIGITAL OUT

Everyone on Planet Earth, except me and about 3 more idiots, knows that this means DIGITAL AUDIO OUT. Instead of the old friend, ANALOG, we get a digital signal that can be as complex as the incredible sets of sound we hear on a Music CD. This port can send more than one channel of music, or, even 4, 5, or 7 or _________ (insert favorite geek identity) channels.

This port is complementary to the high technology (Aaaagh, I used the term) video signals now available. Including Component and S-Video.

Furthermore - OPTICAL Cable can do much the same type of justice to the DVD Sound Output. This type of connection is NOT included on the DVP-NS575P DVD Player. I presume that a better model of DVD Player is available but don't break your neck looking for one. Those Cables are VERY, VERY Expensive! If you have doubts, just visit your supplier (Radio Shack, Best Buy, Fry's, Thrifty Drug) and take note of what IS in stock - Yep, Optical Cables by the dozen. There seems to be some consumer resistance to this latest form of pricey piracy.

Just what is this Optical stuff? well, look at your Cable, Antenna, Sattelite cable and take note of the round cord coming from it into your home theatre. That ain't it, that is only despised "COAXIAL" cable. The other stuff is what the phone company wants you to hook up to your PC Modem.

For some reason, I have trouble knowing that the DIGITAL OUT is merely COAXIAL CABLE. I can only say "Whaaaaat?

(7) LINE OUT (VIDEO)

Here is the tried and true Yellow RCA Cable we all know and trust. To accompany this obsolete transmission technology (Aaaaagh!, I can't help it..) Sony provided: read on

(8 & 9) LINE OUT L/R (AUDIO)

A friend of all of us, here is the familiar Red and White (or Black) Audio cable output. It may help, even cheer you up, to note that Yellow/Red/White cables are available everywhere and cost CHEAP.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE?

Yes. Back there near the cluster of ports, is a very small slide switch. This is called "NORMAL/PROGRESSIVE". It exists because not all of us own a "PROGRESSIVE" device such as a TV. Normal is the old 1950's sweep that drew lines on those old TV Tube Sets we learned to love. The 17K sweep signal was audible and used to drive me nuts, until I joined the Navy and blew the heck out of my ears trying to hit something with their M-1 Rifle. The program was created on the TV Screen by drawing it faster than the eye could see. For 1950's reasons, the sweep (cursor?) drew every other (Odd) line (remember them?) then drew the missing (Even) ones. Thencely onward to the next frame. Today, we can draw every line in the process of creating one frame. We call this ability PROGRESSIVE. This nomenclature was probably chosen because it only took a half century to deliver this improvement to us.


WHAT I CAN DO WITH IT?

Implying (but not guaranteeing) that YOU, too, can do things like this as well.

I could turn it on. The switch is long and narrow and gives off a satisfying click when pushed.

I was able to Punch the "Open Button", insert "The Music Man" and punch the "Close" Button. It worked; that is, the movie titles appeared and so did the film. The signal was sharp and very nice to look at on our old 27" Tube TV; sensational when displayed on our new projection TV.

SURPRISES

I had worried myself sick over what to do with all those digital photo images I was collecting. I could have erased them, as Howard_Creech assured me he does. But, the potential to do mischief prevented me from doing that. I thought it was reasonable to expect the DVD to display these images but no dice. I tried Card Readers, it was fun getting those images up where we could see them. However, I read somewhere in the DVP-NS575P User Manual, something about JPG images.

So, I found a CD-R my son had prepared for us that contained images from their recent trip through the American Southwest. I viewed them on our PC and they were nice to see. It's a bit confining, huddling around a 17" (Diagonal) PC Monitor but we were satisfied. Son Vince had semed chagrined when I told him our DVD Player did not recognize his CD but he never told us why. Time passed and so did our miserable excuse for a player.

I loaded up our new toy and waited. And waited, and waited some more. Then: WE WERE QUITE LITERALLY ASTONISHED as a fantastic program began to play. He had mixed Sound and Video together and it was SENSATIONAL. I called him right then and told him what had happened. He was happy. We tried some CD-RW discs I had created as backups for when the PC Hard Drive failed and those worked as well (without sound, of course - the helpful player even told us so.)

I think that this DVD Player recognized TIF images as well. Incredible. Sony seemed to have hidden this ability under a hat - they were nonchalant about the most important feature and we didn't even have a clue that it was included in the bundle - all for $88 or so!

COMMENT

So, now we have Component Video and other stuff to admire. Our new TV has 8 inputs, including one that requires a $100+ cable. That TV also displays something called, well, "TV". That is the signal from our Satellite Box via Coaxial Cable to the TV. That means "F" type connectors in use for half a century, I think. Scorned and despised as the worst quality video connector, I have compared the "F" Cable connection to the new S-Video Cable signal I have just installed. Alas, I have to confess that I cannot discern a bit of difference in picture quality between them!

Hmmm! What else do you suppose we have been "sold" on as being so darned great for us? I can wait for HDTV, but have not a bit of trouble imagining deodorant or foot powder commercials in 16 x 9! Har-de-Har-Har!

Try one of these DVD Players and Enjoy!