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DVD Players

When DVD players first appeared on the market, there really wasn't much to consider when purchasing one. That's certainly not the case anymore. Today, the latest generation DVD players come equipped with many connection options, a wide range of features, and are capable of playing many movie and music formats. Whether you're buying your first DVD player, getting one for another room in your house, or upgrading your old one, this guide will teach you everything you need to know before making your purchase.

DVD players revolutionized movie watching at home. With unsurpassed picture quality, surround sound output and ease of use, it's no wonder DVDs overcame cassette tapes very quickly.

From the $50 entry-level to the $5000 top-of-the-line unit, DVD players come in many shapes and sizes. Of course, you should never choose a player based on its shape or size. So what are the differences between budget DVD players and their more expensive counterparts? In a nutshell, an inexpensive player will produce decent picture and sound, have limited connection options and few features. A better player will produce much better quality video and sound. It will provide you with many different outputs to connect to your home theatre and will have many key features.

Perhaps the first question to ask yourself when shopping for a new DVD player is - what room will this player be in? A budget or entry-level DVD player will do just fine for your bedroom or kitchen where it will be connected directly to your TV. Many budget players are very small, which makes them perfect for rooms where space is at a premium. On the other hand, if you're looking for a DVD player for the home theatre in your living room or basement you'll definitely want one that's better quality. When connecting your new DVD player to the TV and speaker system, you'll want to make sure that it has the best connections on the back to fit together with the rest of your setup.

Picture Quality

There are two ways a picture can be displayed on your TV screen: interlaced or progressive-scanning.

Interlaced-scanning divides the screen into horizontal lines (scan lines) and alternately refreshes the odd and even lines. Therefore it takes two passes to refresh each picture completely, at a rate of about 30 frames per second.

Progressive-scanning, the newer and far superior technology, refreshes the whole picture at once. The picture is refreshed twice as fast as an interlaced picture, at 60 times per second. This produces a virtually flicker-free picture that is much more vibrant and sharper than an interlaced picture.

In order to view a progressive-scan picture, both your TV and DVD player must have progressive scanning. Progressive scan TVs appeared on the market only a few years ago, so if your TV is older than five years it probably does not have it. Today, CRT, rear-projection, plasma and LCD-based television sets are all available in progressive scan versions.

Even if your television does not have progressive-scanning, it might be a good idea to purchase a DVD player that has it, since that price difference is typically small. That way you won't need to get a new DVD player when you upgrade your television in the future. A progressive-scan DVD player will work with a non-progressive scan television, but not in progressive-scan mode.

Video Connections

The type of connection used between your DVD player and your television also affects the quality of the picture. Using low quality video cables will not produce a very clear picture. Expensive cables on the other hand prove to be unnecessary for most setups. The latest audio video equipment comes with more connection choices than ever. Of course, you'll have to make sure that your television set or home theatre receiver has the same or compatible inputs/outputs as the DVD player you're planning to buy. Below we explain every video connection type you'll find on the back of today's DVD players.

Composite Video - the basic type (and lowest quality) of connection you will find on virtually all DVD players. The single analog connector is a big step up from the RF connector that you'll find on the back of older televisions and VCRs. If your television has an RF input only, you'll need to use a small inexpensive adapter to connect a DVD player to it.

S-video - perhaps the most commonly used connection between DVD players and television sets. Almost all DVD players come equipped with an S-video output, even entry-level units. The S-video connector splits the video signal into chrominance (colour) and luminance (brightness). The result is a substantially clearer image when compared to the composite video connector.

Component Video - the triple RCA-type connector splits the video signal even further into luminance and two-colour difference signals. This connection produces an unfiltered, uninterrupted image, with better resolution and greatly improved color saturation. Component video cables can be pricey, but even entry-level (brand name) ones will do a great job. In order to deliver a progressive-scan picture from your DVD player to your television, you have to use the component video connections (S-video and composite video do not deliver progressive-scan). Component video is the best way to go with today's equipment, since almost all components have these inputs/outputs.

Digital Video Interface (DVI) - a new 18-pin connector that supplies a one-way path for digital video signals from the source to the display. Since the DVI connector eliminates the digital-to-analog conversion that is required when a digital source has to pass through analog connections it has the potential to produce improved picture quality on DLP, plasma and LCD-based televisions. DVI connectors incorporate a copy-protection scheme called HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) that prevents DVI signals from being copied.

High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) - found on the latest generation DVD players and television sets, HDMI could become the connector of the future. Based on the DVI plug, the 19-pin HDMI connector carries a digital video signal together with stereo and mulit-channel digital sound as well as signals for integrated remote control and infrared repeater functions - all in one connector. The HDMI connector eliminates signal degradation and the clutter of cables. It is currently found only in higher-end audio video equipment, and is expected to reach mass-market electronics by the end of 2004.

Sound Quality

If you're connecting the DVD player directly to your television or a non-Dolby Digital receiver, you'll have to use the player's stereo analog outputs. The cable has two connectors: one for the left channel and one for the right channel.

However the DVD watching experience is really enhanced when you connect the DVD player to a 5.1 or better speaker system. DVD movies, just like music CDs, deliver digital sound to your receiver. Most DVD players are equipped with digital sound processors that decode the latest Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound formats (for an in-depth explanation of surround sound formats visit the Features section of our website at www.torontohifi.com). These formats offer five or more channels of audio plus an output for a subwoofer (known as LFE or Low Frequency Effect).

So if you are connecting the DVD player to a home theatre system with a Dolby Digital receiver or preamp/processor, you'll have to choose between three types of connectors found on the back of today's DVD players: multi-channel analog, coaxial, and fiber-optic. The best and easiest way to make the connection is to use the digital outputs - either coaxial or fiber-optic. Both these jacks use a single connector and will deliver the highest quality sound to your speakers. Many DVD players have multi-channel analog outputs, which are handy if you have an old "Dolby Digital-ready" receiver with matching inputs. But if you have a choice, digital is the way to go. Unfortunately many universal DVD players require that you make both the multi-channel analog and the digital connections to get the best sound from your movies and high-resolution music CDs (DVD-Audio and SACDs).

DVD Recorders and Universal DVD Players

The latest additions to the DVD player market are the DVD recorder and the universal DVD player.

A DVD recorder has all the functions of a DVD player but also has the capability to record onto blank DVDs or its built-in hard drive. To read a complete DVD Recorder Buyer's Guide visit www.torontohifi.com and click on the Buyer Guides link.

A universal player will do all the things a regular DVD player does, but it can also play DVD-Audio and SACDs (two newest music formats). These players feature all the same inputs/outputs as described above. At present time, most universal players cost about 5 times as much as a regular DVD player. There is one exception - the Pioneer DV-563A which retails for about $250 and has been getting rave reviews. You can read a review of the DV-563A on our website.

Advanced user (Videophile) tips

Layer changes, chroma bug, and Digital to Analog conversion; higher-end DVD players will handle all three of these better than inexpensive units. A layer change occurs when your DVD player jumps from one layer to another (on a multi-layer DVD) - and is easily detectable. It is simply a brief one second or less pause of the picture and sound. Some DVD players have a memory buffer to help decrease the pause time. The chroma bug manifests itself as streaky or spiky horizontal lines most noticably on diagonal edges. It is especially visible on higher resolution televisions. Some DVD manufacturers have addressed this issue, while many are still producing units that have this bug.

All DVD players have built-in circuits for digital to analog conversion (DAC). The digital singnal (read from a DVD) must be converted to analog to be sent through any RCA-type jack or S-video connector. Hence, the digital singal (audio and video) is always converted unless you are using a coaxial, optical, DVI, or HDMI connector on a DVD player. This conversion results in slight loss of audio/video quality. Most of today’s DVD players use good enough quality DACs, so this is not really an issue. The fact is, if you want the best quality picture and sound - use digital connectors.

DVD players have revolutionized the home theatre as we know it today. Delivering crystal clear and sharp images to the television screen and digital sound to the speakers, they stand next to none. So go ahead and buy that new DVD player with confidence.