A nice little black number for more than the ladies (Sony DVP SR100B)

Member Name: blissman70

Product:	Sony DVP SR100B
Date:	30/07/09 (185 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to use, quick to set up and value for money

Disadvantages: none to speak of

A few months back my daughters DVD player decided to start messing up a little, by this I mean that it suddenly began to decide which DVDs it wanted to play and those that it didn't, although it would often change its mind after each attempt to load the discs.
Anyway, as my kids love nothing more than to settle down at bed time in front of one of their favourite shows or blast out some horrific music whilst watching a music video, I was under pressure to replace the now temperamental DVD player.
So, after a quick search on the web, hunting for a half decent, and hopefully not to expensive, DVD player I came across this Sony DVP, which, according to what I was reading about it, could handle the many formats which my kids wanted, nay, needed, to have.
During my search I found the same DVD player being sold at several different shops, both on line and on the high street, with a few quite similar price tags...
* £39.19 from Tesco
* £35.00 from amazon
* £39.99 from Argos.

So, as I had promised to replace the 'dodgy' DVD player as soon as possible I decided to go for the Argos option, basically as it is the closest store to my home, and off I went to collect it.
When I got it home I plugged it in and connected the Scart lead, which is not supplied with the unit, into the back of the television and the back of the Sony DVD player.
The television screen burst into life as the two machines connected, the on screen instructions asking me which language I wanted, what screen ratio I desired and some other rather simple questions, each being answered by pressing the 'enter' button.

That was it, the DVD player was now set up and running so my kids could watch their favourite movies/music and I could have a bit of piece and quiet.

** THE TECHNICAL BITS ...

* This DVD player is capable of playing many formats, including...
CD / CD-R / CD-RW / DVD / DVD-R / DVD-R DL / DVD-RW / DVD+R / DVD+R DL / DVD+RW / VCD / SVCD
* DivX playback and can easily cope with MP3 and JPEG playback formats
* 192kHz/24-bit Audio D/A converter and 108MHz/12- bit Video D/A converter.
* A 'scart' socket.
* A digital audio output
* High definition multimedia interface.
* Parental control (using a four digit code)
* Power Consumption of 10 W.

**NOT SO TECHNICAL BITS...

The main unit has four buttons on the top front, they are 'power' 'stop' 'play' and 'eject'
The remote control unit has various buttons which allow you to fully control the DVD playability.

You can also connect the DVD player remote to your television by using the supplied codes given in the instruction manual, which allows you to adjust the volume of your television, turn the television on or of and also change the input source of the television. (but do keep a note of the code number as you will have to input it every time you replace the batteries of the remote).

** NOTE:
Sadly, this little black box has no built in hard drive

** SETTING UP...

This is the easy bit as this little unit more or less sets itself up. Once you've plugged the 'Scart' lead into both television and DVD player and you've found the correct 'input', you simply press enter on the remote and this will start the quick set-up.
Then it is a simple matter of following the on screen instructions, such as the language, screen size and audio/video output, and hey presto, you'll soon be watching your favourite DVDs.

** IN CONCLUSION...

I have gone through several DVD players over my time of different shapes and sizes, (and some crazy prices too), so when I first browsed this I wasn't expecting a fantastic player with all the mod-cons, but when I got it home I was pleasantly surprised when I had it up and running.
It is a nice little black number, being approximately 320 by 210 by 32mm and weighing in at just over a kg, which sits very neatly by the side of the television without looking hideously out of place at all, in fact, with it's minimal buttons being lying neatly along the top front of the unit, it does look like it would sit happily in the 'poshest' room in your house.

It was so easy to set up, the player actually doing the job for me as I pressed the odd button whilst browsing through the thin, easy to understand instruction manual.
So with in a few minutes I had successfully connected the two devices and was then able to play a DVD, plus, with the help of the codes in the manual, I was also able to connect the remote to the television, thus allowing to do little things like adjust the volume via the DVD remote.
As for the price, well, there maybe some cheaper DVD players on the market but many of those look either too bulky or as sturdy as a china vase in an earthquake, so the money you'd save buying the cheaper modal would probably be wasted in a matter of months.

It gives a good picture, although this does depend a lot on the television and the DVD you are watching, but this player is faultless when playing a disc, never failing to load a disc, including many music videos I have downloaded from on-line or recorded off the television on a DVD recorder. So when it states that it can play a wide range of formats and it doesn't lie about it one bit, believe me I have tried the lot and it does play DVD+/- , DVD-R/RW, video CD-R/RW, in fact, as the saying goes, 'it does what it says on the tin'.

** NOTE: I have not tried the DivX format as yet so I can not comment on it, but when I do I will up date this review.

The remote control may be a little on the bulky side, although I have seen bigger, but it is well laid out and easily understandable, in fact both my kids soon had the hang of the many buttons with in a matter of minutes.

What more can I say about this cheap and cheerful DVD player..? It does everything that it is meant to do... play DVDs that is... with that little extra punch of being able to play other formats as well. It is of a good size, thus looking the part and fitting comfortably into most rooms of you home without imposing itself and it is so simple to use that a granny with two eye patches and a sprained wrist could get the hang of it in no time at all.


** Downsides to this unit, (although they're not really worth mentioning)

* No eject button on remote
* Reverts back to beginning if stopped during play.
* No built in hard drive

In all, if you can get one of these units for a around the price I got it, (£40.00), then go for it as you will not be disappointed, but do search around as you may be able to get a cheaper deal.

Summary: Watch your DVDs in style and at a good price

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