Get one while you can (Sony DVP S 725)

Member Name: rezabelady

Product:	Sony DVP S 725
Date:	02/12/00 (841 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: See review... ; It's A Sony!

Disadvantages: maybe slightly out of some budget ranges; maybe not around for much longer :(

If you don't have a Sony 725, then you might have to move quickly -

From what i've heard recently, there is the chance that Sony might stop making them quite soon. Some say this isn't true as it is still regarded as a current range Sony player because of the differences with the 735, but i have seen the 725 become harder and harder to come by since the 735 was launched.

Even if production is to continue for a little while longer - why wait til the last minute?! - this is an awesome player, which you will find hard to match in the 300-500 GBP price range or any other for that matter.

If you forget the suberb picture (incorporates a 2 level Digital Noise Reduction and Video Equalizer) and sound (integrated Dolby Digital and MPEG multichannel decoders, digital out) quality for a moment, you will find the range of features on offer are also more than sufficient to meet any dvd enthusiasts needs (some might say there are too many options!). They include - Bookmark function (to remember your favourite points from your dvds); Picture memory (change the start-up and stop background to your favourite image from one of your dvds); Parental control (obvious really); Disc, Title, Chapter and Angle viewer (for easy navigation via seeing the start frame from each of the available on the disc). There a few 'gimmicky' features which you might not be too interested in (who needs strobe playback?!), but there are also some very useful additions such as VES (virtual enhanced surround) - for people who want a surround effect, although they might not have a surround sound system; and the ability to configure the brightness/contrast/colour settings of the output where other players do not always provide it. Operation is generally by the Navigation shuttle control on the remote, which in general is very intuitive and easy to use, but sometimes it can be slightly fiddly (onscreen navigation is a lot simpler than the 735 with it's little sy
mbols instead of words, though!). There are other nice features, but these are the ones which really stick out and help to place this machine above the crowd.

Design is maybe not so good as the newer range of Sony dvd players - but i feel that it does grow on you, but at the end of the day it is the functionality which matters the most (the inclusion of a headphone plug on the front was nice, as well as a good range of connections on the back).

Another nice thing about this machine (for many people interested in multiregion dvd) - is that any 725 with an auto-switching or manual modification to allow playback of non-region 2 dvds will not be affected by RCE (regional coding enhanced), the improved region coding system recently unveiled by Warner (but currently only implemented on The Patriot and 'shock!' Thomas and the Magic Railroad) - well, all you Thomas the Tank Engine fans can rest at ease (although it is available in region 2 now), because of the way the 725 interigates dvds to check region, you will have no problems at all with RCE titles.

Most importantly of all though, of course, is the picture and sound - but i can definitely assure you that you will not be disappointed (i watch my dvd's on a 10 foot screen using a video projector, and it is absolutely awesome - there are variations between titles, though, according to the quality of the dvd itself - but if you have any doubts, just check out Toy Story 2 or another of the Disney/Pixar CGI animations) - there were problems with lip-synch with older firmware that used to be supplied, but this is nowhere to be seen if you have a recent or new machine, and if you do buy a second-hand machine, you can simply upgrade the firmware in order to solve the problem.


At the moment, you should be able to pick up a region 2 725 for as little as 300 pounds or about 350 for a multiregion modified unit - a fantastic price for a fantastic dvd player.


ps - Not
particularly useful apart from to find out the firmware version used if your having problems (unlikely ;)), but i thought i'd add this for any other 725 owners - to access the Sony 725 service menu:

With the machine on standby mode and without a disc inserted, on the remote press Title, then Clear, then Power-on (The firmware version is at the bottom of the screen that will appear). Simply turn the power off to exit.

btw - DO NOT mess around with any of the options unless you know what your doing!

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