Great features, great price... (Samsung DVD 709)

Member Name: macmatt

Product:	Samsung DVD 709
Date:	26/09/00 (405 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Price, looks, features

Disadvantages: nothing really - it's brill!

You can pick up a Samsung 709 DVD player for as little as £149 now, but this price shouldn?t deceive you into thinking it?s a cheap machine that won?t be much good.

Firstly there?s its looks - a brushed metal look that, whilst won?t be to everyone?s taste, belies its price. It would look superb sitting under a TV in even the most style conscious home. As well as quality looks, it also has a quality feel about it. It feels like a more expensive player - the weight, build quality and simplicity all contribute.

As far as features go, it?s got everything you?d need for DVD viewing pleasure. It has a SCART (the big blocky plug thing, in case you didn?t know!)for high quality connection to your TV, or composite video and audio out (the three separate dangly plug things!) if you?d prefer. It also has a composite digital audio out for direct connection to a digital surround amp or digital recording deck like a minidisc.

Whilst it comes as Region 2 only (the regional encoding of DVDs is a subject that fills websites, but basically Region2=UK discs, Region1=US discs), if you want the ability to be able to play Region 1 DVDs to obtain new releases quicker or to be able to witter on endlessly in DVD forums about which version of a certain film is better, then with a little jiggery-pokery that doesn?t involve unscrewing anything, you can make the 709 multi-region.

Things like that don?t appear in the instructon manual, but this is where the popularity of the 709 comes in. There are many sites which cover all the ins and outs of this particular model so you?ll always be able to find someone to answer your questions.

I?ve heard that there is now a new model that will be replacing the 709 and whether it will be just as popular remains to be seen, but in the meantime, if you come across a Samsung 709 at a good price - go for it, you won?t be disappointed.

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