Basic DVD Player (Philips DVD 729)

Member Name: cyberem78

Product:	Philips DVD 729
Date:	02/02/09 (154 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very easy to use.

Disadvantages: Remote Control is small and some buttons look the same.

As far as current media technology is concerned, this basic DVD player is probably a little old fashioned nowadays. It is the most basic of players with no recording features or in-built freeview. It is just a simple player that can hook up to both a television set and an audio stereo player. It can also be connected to any AV reciever or VHS machine. Due to the player's simple to use features I would suggest that this is an ideal player for a teenager or older child to use in their bedroom.

I have owned this player for several years now. It was the first DVD player I ever bought and I purchased it after reading good reviews about it. I paid around £65 on Amazon but I imagine it is much cheaper now. I used it at first downstairs on my main television set and hooked up to a freeview box but once I upgraded my equipment to a DVD recorder I moved this model upstairs and connnected it to a portable television. It works equally well with the smaller television set.

The player is quite slim, standing just over 1 1/2 inches high. It measures 17 by 12 inches and I find the size is just right for fitting into spaces and for setting it alongside my other electronic equipment. Visually it is quite nice to look at. I have a silver model but it also comes in black. The front display has a thick chunk of shiny plastic where a digital status appears during use. To the far left is the stand by button and on the far right is the open/close CD turntable button. The play, pause and stop buttons are on the right hand side of the player. It is very easy to see the buttons. They are marked both on the button with a symbol and near the button with a word.

There is one CD disc tray. If there is no disc inside the machine when you switch it on then this opens immediately when you press the open/close button. If there is already a disc inside when you switch it on the machine reads the CD and attempts to load it. The word 'Load' appears flashing on the display front. You may not open the disc tray until the word stops flashing. I find this process very brief however.

A remote control is provided with the player which is a small, fiddley dull grey model. The main buttons (play, pause, stop etc) are located in the centre of the controller and can sometimes be difficult to see as they look the same as several other buttons. The remote allows options such as altering the picture with a ZOOM control, adding subtitles (on selected DVDs), alter the audio track and to run an A-B repeat loop. You can also access the system menu with this remote, being able to change the quality of the audio and picture. It has a camera angle change button for use with special feature DVDs.

The player is designated as Region 2, meaning DVDs must be marked R2, R0 or ALL to be able to play but I have found that mine also plays some region 1 DVDs. It can also play CDs and Mp3 CDs and display photo discs. On some discs after loading a menu will be displayed on the screen. On photo discs you can rotate photos, zoom in, display thumbnails, flip pictures and scan them by different effects.

It is very easy to set up and use the DVD player. It has one scart socket in the back as well as coxial, video and optical leads. The instruction manual shows pictures of how to connect each cord and it is very easy to understand.

I have never had any problems with this model and feel that the Philips brand name is very trustworthy. I have since chosen to upgrade most of my electronic equpiment with Philips products as I have enjoyed using this model so much! I would say that this is a great starter DVD for a young person.

For more information about Philips products go to their website:

http://www.philips.com

Summary: A basic DVD player by Philips.

Processing/Quality:
Reliability:
Ease of use:
Installation:
Picture quality:
Features: