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Samsung BD-P1500/XEU - Blu-ray Disc Player

• Contents: Standard - DAC video converter: 10 bits / 108 MHz Screen resolution: 1920 x 1080p (HDMI) Cinema mode: 24 fps DVD upscaler: 1080p / Compatible Media - BD Video, BD-ROM, BD-Java DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, Audio CD, CD-R, CD-RW, AVCHD VC-1, MPEG2, MPEG4, MPEG4 AVC (H.264) / Integrated Audio Decoder - DAC audio converter: 24 bits / 192 KHz BD (HDMI 7.1 / RCA 5.1): Dolby Digital , DD True HD, DTS-HD, LPCM, Dual Decoding BD / DVD (HDMI 5.1 / RCA 5.1): Dolby Digital, DTS
• Integrated Audio Decoder - DAC audio converter: 24 bits / 192 KHz BD (HDMI 7.1 / RCA 5.1): Dolby Digital , DD True HD, DTS-HD, LPCM, Dual Decoding BD / DVD (HDMI 5.1 / RCA 5.1): Dolby Digital, DTS
• Video Out - HDMI (V1.3) socket Composite (C-inch) video output S-video output
• Included Accessories - Remote control, 2 batteries
• Dimensions (mm) - 430 x 147 x 350 mm

Blu-Ray does not limit you to Blu-Ray!, 2008-11-27
I have a 2-year old Sony NS3100ES receiver that plays every format and outputs stereo or 5.1 surround sound. The picture is clear and the sound is impeccable. Why would I go out and spend literally $300 to $1,000 for a player that plays Blu-Ray discs?

Samsung's BD-P1500 is sleek, compact and has so many more functions than other players. It will play regular DVD's, CD', SACD's, DVD-R, DVD-RW, home made DVD's and much more. The HDMI to HDMI cable is the best to use if your television has that port, as it carries the most data most efficiently (you can buy it here on Amazon). You can also connect to a regular TV or sound system with R/B/G cables (video) and R/W cables (audio). Whatever connection or system, it will play stereo to surround sound.

The entire world of Blu-Ray discs is another topic. They have a new optical disc format with over five and a half times the storage capacity of a standard DVD. This means you have more data and extras (like a storyboard guide at the bottom of the screen, display the title list, repeat play to specific points on the Blu-Ray disc, changing the camera angel of the movie, `bookmark' a specific scene spot and much more). There is also a LAN/Ethernet terminal output for updating software from Samsung (most electronic companies upgrade to improve quality over time).

The biggest selling point of all is the massive amount of data that can be played compared to regular DVD players. The picture is SO amazingly crisp (a Full 1080/24p True Cinema picture), I'd much rather prefer viewing a Blu-Ray disc over a regular DVD. The sound is crystal clear (Dolby TrueHD/DTS-HD), either in stereo, 5.1 or 7.1 (something I never thought could be improved upon with my Sony DVD player). Now at this price, you can have the new experience of Blu-Ray entertainment. It seems that prices do come down and quality does go up.

Note: Most of the on-line rental companies (Netflix, Blockbuster, etc.) have most of the Blu-Ray discs in stock!

Sony DVPNS708 DVD Player with 1080 Up-scaling - Silver

Sony DAV-DZ660 - 5.1 ch - Tallboy - Home Cinema System with Surround Sound - Black

• Content: Type - Home Cinema system with DVD player / Amplifier - S-Master 24 bit digital amplifier / Sound decoders - Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby Prologic II / CD player - No / DVD player - Yes / Compatible CD-R/RW - Yes / MP3 player - Yes / Other read media - DVD-R/ R/ R DL/ RW/-RW/ -RW (RV) Compatible with JPEG, DivX / Remote - Yes / Number of speakers - 5 / Subwoofer - Yes / Power - 5 x 142 W 140 W = 850W
• A/V features - FM/AM tuner with 30 presets RDS tuner Music and video mode / Inputs - 2 analogue audio inputs 1 optical audio input 1 coaxial aud input 1 mini jack (on front) 1 x USB / Outputs - 1 HDMI video output 1 headphones socket 2 scart sockets / Included accessories - RM-ADP022 remote control, microphone for automatic calibration / Manual - English
• Size (mm) - 430 x 66 x 385 for central unit 108 x 540 x 78 for front speakers 108 x 540 x 78 for rear speakers 265 x 93 x 71 for central speaker 205 x 325 x 325 for subwoofer
• Weight (g) - 4,200 for central unit 2,900 for front speakers 2,900 for rear speakers 700 for central speaker 5,200 for subwoofer
• Other - BRAVIA Sync function: synchronisation of BRAVIA Home Cinema system with just one touch of a button Automatic calibration of DCAC speakers to automatically adjust the speakers' settings, regardless of their position in the room Digital Media Port (DM Port) interface for Bluetooth (optional accessory required)

Stunning, 2008-06-22
I have had this surround sound system for approx. 1 week and I am extremely impressed with the sound quality. The base speaker produces really deep reverberating, spine tingling, sounds. Explosions can be felt physically. At the same time the centre speaker reproduces spoken words that are distinct and clearly audible no matter how much background noise there is. The other four speakers produce the surround sound effect and these also do the job admirably.

At the centre of the system is the up-scaling DVD player. This seems to work very well also (though I have rarely used this as most things I have watched have been played through a Play Station 3).

The system was very easy to set up and comes with a calibration microphone. For me this was essential as my room layout is not square and the rear left speaker is much closer than the rear right speaker. The setup facility worked flawlessly and adjusted the relative volumes of the speakers perfectly.

There are only two very minor criticisms' I could make. 1) I don't really like the layout of the remote control which seems cluttered. 2) the different input sources are given names that are not always accurate for instance my Play Station is connected via a digital optical cable which this system calls the TV for some reason.

Don't let these minor criticisms put you off though. I think the sound quality is just as good as being at the cinema hence why I am giving this product 5 stars.

Humax PVR9150T Humax PVR-9150T 160GB Twin Tuner upto 100 hours of recording. Replaces PVR9200

• 160GB Hard Disc Drive Recorder
• Upto 100 hours recording
• Twin Tuner
• Series record
• *Subject To Reception Confirmation

Simple, it just works!, 2008-11-01
I would echo the other positive reviews, this is a great hard drive recorder for a sensible price. The fan noise is noticeable when you are close, although I don't notice it now during normal viewing. I was impressed by how easy it was to record exactly what I wanted, at the touch of a button. The Humax turned-on, recorded everything perfectly and then went into low-power standby. Which is just how it should be!

Quality seems very good for the price, the unit feels sturdy, and well put together. A subtly designed case with no garish display means the Humax is unobtrusive. The manual is generally well-written and easy to understand, which makes a nice change.

The built-in games seem an odd inclusion (although fun for a while), and my control is oversensitive when changing channels and settings etc. so a light touch is needed otherwise you tend to over-shoot, but these are just minor niggles. When I have spare cash I am definitely going to buy this model for my parents too.

Samsung DVD-F1080W/XEU - HDMI Upscaling DVD Player - White

• Contents: Region - Zone 2 / Standard - PAL, NTSC / DivX/MPEG4 compatible - MP3, WMA, VCD, SVCD, JPEG, MPEG-4, DivX / Compatible Media - DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD R, DVD RW, CD, CD-R, CD-RW / Removable recording supports - No / Internal hard drive - No / Internal hard drive capacity (in GB) - - / Integrated Audio Decoder - None / Video Out - HDMI Video composite S-Video YUV / Audio Out - Coaxial audio / Scart Adapter - Yes
• Included Accessories - Remote control, audio/video cable
• Dimensions (mm) - 50.5 x 240 x 243 mm
• Weight (kg) - 1kg
• Other - 1080p (Full HD) upscaler Variable slow motion Parental control EZ VIEW: image adjustment according to format of TV screen Digital photo display "Repeat" function Image zoom Multilingual menu Viewing angle

A little belter!!! , 2008-09-28
I love the way it looks - smooth, glossy, dinky. I love the way it handles - nothing bulky, light touch required. And how easy to set up!!!

Am seriously impressed, and very glad I bought two!

My only complaint : these appear to be of the batch that you can't make multi-regional - ah well!

Toshiba SDP91SDKTB - 9" Portable DVD Player with Carry Case

• Screen - 9 inches (23 cm)
• DivX/MPEG4 compatible - Compatible with DivX
• Compatible media - Video & Audio DVD, Video CD, DVD-R, DVD-RW, Audio CD, CD-R and CD-RW + more
• Full 180 degree Swivel Screen

Chic portable player, 2008-08-24
First thing i would like to say is excellent delivery from amazon bought it tuesday morning recieved thursday lunch time,Now to the player i love it reason being it is so cool looking in piano black.it matches all my gadgets.The player it self is oakish,p.q is not bad but it is not good either.Why do all portable players sound like a battlefield when loading dvds.the sound from these players all ways sound tinny,but hooked up to other sound out put sources its ok.The reason have given it 5 stars because of the cool looks other than that it would have got 3 stars.

Philips PET716/05 - 7" Portable DVD Player

At least one intolerable flaw., 2008-05-29
I bought one of these from Richer Sounds in London.

Good points: whilst the screen is of low-resolution it's not as harsh or blocky as many similar screens on budget machines. The player handles the vast majority of DivX files without complaint, though it refuses to play HD files.

Bad points: I initially found it unbelievable that this player can't correctly play 4:3 (non-widescreen) DVDs - it will only play them at 16:9. Philips support then actually confirmed the fact: so if you have any 4:3 DVDs they will only play stretched out across widescreen, with everyone and everything looking fat. Note that this problem does not affect DivX playback: the LCD aspect ratio of DivX is selected according to the TV ratio chosen in the player setup.

A secondary problem with this player is that whilst it is capable of showing DivX subtitles, several functions on the remote tend to lead to the subtitles vanishing. Only re-loading the disc recovers them, but fast-forwarding to the point you were at in the footage risks them vanishing again. Final irritation: when you start play, the time elapsed is always superimposed on the screen. You have to press a button on the remote twice to clear the timing from the screen - which may seem trivial but rapidly becomes tiresome.

Conclusion: this hardware could have made a potentially good budget machine, but here is coupled with with firmware which Philips should be ashamed of. The 4:3 DVD fault is so limiting that I suspect a case could be argued that the model is not fit for the purpose for which it is sold.

LG - RHT398H - 250GB hard disc drive digital TV recorder and DVD recorder with 1080P up-scaling - Advanced time shift - pause and rewind live TV

• Contents: Region - Zone 2 / Standard - PAL I, B/G, I/I SECAM D/K, K1, SECAM L / DivX/MPEG4 compatible - Yes / Compatible Media - DVD-R/-RW, DVD R/ RW, DVD R Double couche, DVD-RAM, DVD Vidéo, VCD/SVCD, CD Audio, CD-R/RW Formats DivX, MP3 (TAG-ID3), WMA, JPEG / Removable recording supports - DVD-R/-RW, DVD R/ RW, dual-layer DVD R, DVD-RAM / Internal hard drive - Yes / Internal hard drive capacity (in GB) - 250 / Integrated Audio Decoder - Dolby Digital, DTS
• Video Out - 1 HDMI socket 1 YUV component video output / Audio Out - 1 RCA audio output 1 digital optical audio output 1 digital coaxial audio output / Scart Adapter - 2 / Included Accessories - Remote control / Manual - Information will soon be available
• Dimensions (mm) - 430 x 49 x 275
• Weight (kg) - 3.74
• Other - 1 USB 2.0 port DV (IEEE1394) input

Finally a box that works!!!, 2008-06-29
Ok this I will keep shortish,

I hunted high and low to get the right box and I could only find 1 but it was worth the search as it does the lot.

Weve had 3 digital boxes 2 HDD recorders countless dvd players with divx and USB support.... and I couldnt find one that did it all I had a philips dvd/hdd/divx/usb but it struggled to read discs and some divx files (plus wouldnt play mpg1 /vcd files form the hdd!) which 2 other philips players we have have no probs, also this had a analogue tuner only, I checked out a more expensive Toshiba but wouldnt allow copying of divx files on to the hdd and lacked a USB, so I looked at the samsung and most reviews slated them, so looked at Sony but doesnt allow play back of divx from the hdd... hmm then I found this box and I down loaded then manufactures manuals and it does the lot and more.. Ive tried it out no lock ups crashes the only thing I was worried about was region free but that can be done and works a treat, It has a file explorer to create folders and organise files on the hdd too, bonus.

It has USB (1.1), DVD recording, DV (i-link) for camcorder built in software to create your chapters and menus before your burn your home movies to DVD!, Digital Free View Tuner, Plays divx no problems, Mpeg1, Photos, copy them all from DVD/CD/USB to the HDD, Analogue tuner too which you can record from plus record from an external device via scart or phono, Audio dubing, editing and cropping recorded programs, burn them to DVD.... think thats it I found countless forum questions I want a box to do all this but most questions are either unanswered or replied I dont think there is a box that will do it all.... well now you know there is and the build quality for the software(which is the important bit now) is to match the best of them if not exceeds. ++++ Recommended

Panasonic DMR-EX88EB-K - 400GB HDD - DVD Recorder with Freeview

• Region - Zone 2
• Standard - B/G, L/L'
• DivX/MPEG4 compatible - Yes
• Compatible Media - DVD-Video, DVD-RAM, DVD-VR, DVD-R/DVD+R / DL JPEG, MP3, CD-DA, Video CD, SVCD
• Other - Audio input DV input Viera Link USB port 1080p upscaling Deep Colour Juke Box function

Panasonic DMREX88, 2008-11-14
Replaced my 6 year old Panasonic HS2 40GB HDD recorder ( Which is still a great piece of kit and reliable) with this one. Had it a week and absolutely love it. having had a Panny before then the layout of the controls and menu's were all very familiar which I think is great as its more an evolution from what worked fine rather than being a revolution. with that said even if you are new to Panasonic recorders you should be able to grasp their menus quicker than most others. What is an absolute dream for me over my earlier DVD recorder is the ability to record back to hard drive from the DVD disk ( previously available on the HS2 from RAM disks only ) I find the digital TV tuner very simple to operate, the ads on the left of the screen from the TV guide dont bother me at all and the ability to make almost one touch recordings by selecting the channel and programme from the Digital TV guide is another pleasure.
I could go on all day praising this machine but to sum up Im glad I stayed loyal to the brand and am really pleased to have upgraded to this new generation of recorder.

Samsung - DVD-1080P8 DVD Player

• Region - Zone 2
• Compatible Media - Video DVD, DVD Ram, DVD+/-R(W), CD-R(W), MP3, WMA, JPEG, MPEG-4, DivX
• Audio Out - Analogue 5.1 audio outputs Optical audio outputs Digital coaxial audio output
• Included Accessories - Remote control, two AA batteries, audio/video cable
• Other - Progressive Scan (PSO) 1080p Upscaler (Full HD) Parental control EZ-View: image format adjustment AnyNet+ (HDMI CEC) USB port

Samsung - DVD-1080P8 DVD Player , 2008-11-03
This is a lovely looking piece of kit. I am pretty sure it is the same as the one amazon are selling here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-DVD-1080P8-XEU-Upscaling-Player/dp/B0016J730E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1225725923&sr=1-2
Just cheaper!!

Just wanted to say that Pixmania sell it with a european plug and do send an adaptor with it. If you have single click buy on then you would not see this. I did not even see it when buying it without single click.
Pixmania were very good when the adaptor did not arrive with my DVD player and sent me one very soon after and also refunded my delivery fee too. All very nice personal touches like indiviual emails from the staff too.
Anyway on to the player itself. It plays fantastic quality images and is a very decent upscaling player for the price. I think it works just as well as the expensive models and for the price is an outstanding bargin. Sturdy build and looks real slick, if you have a samsung LCD TV then you know what I mean.

Also just so you know there are also plenty of places on the web where it explains how to unlock the player to become a multi region player. It did not take me long to find a guide.