Don't Mess Around, Buy One (Sony DVP 525)

Member Name: Nibelung

Product:	Sony DVP 525
Date:	09/01/01 (328 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent picture. Own decoder.

Disadvantages: Not intended to play any form of recorded media

There is an urgency in my title which reflects the fact that this is now an old model, but still availible in places, probably at a knock-down price. The 525 lay at the "one-below-top-of-range" position, lacking some of the features of its bigger brother, but none of the picture quality, which in my book is what I care about.

It carries its own surround-sound decoder for Dolby Digital MPEG and DTS, and 6 phono outlets for those who like "spaghetti", but also single co-ax and optical digital outputs for those who don't.

I had mine "chipped" from new to play multi- region DVDs as my TV will play an NTSC source.

Picture quality is excellent, as is the sound through my Yamaha RX-V596RDS Digital Receiver.

Minor Niggles?

The book says it won't play any form of "recorded" disk, and the handbook even says so. This rules out CD "compilations" on CD-R's or RW's, and any VCD's made on CD-R's and RW's. But then, in the latter case, you were only going to bore us with your holiday video, weren't you?
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Revision 10/01/01 It turns out that, after perusal of http://www.vcdhelp.com/, which was a tip passed on to me by David Kaspar, it will play some makes of CD-R and CD-RW. This is certainly true of Traxdata CD-RW's because I made one to test. It won't play any of my existing CD-Rs. The search goes on.........
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Also, there is minor tendancy for lip-sync to slip ever so slightly, but only sometimes. This can be cleared by pausing and carrying on. This doesn't affect all disks, so I can only assume it's more likely peculiar to the software.

The remote is a typical Sony, with the ability to control a television (Sony only). Also it will control the master volume of a wide range of amplifiers, which is nice.

It suits me, Sir.

Summary: