Tips for Buying a DVD Player

DVD players are broken down into two areas: home DVD players and portable ones. The first part of this article will deal with portable ones. While there are a plethora of companies out there producing portable DVD players, the technology is very similar, so one is left with only a few real choices to make.

Perhaps the most important thing to look for when purchasing a portable DVD player is the formats that it supports. Most players will support all types of recordable DVDs, like the kind made on your PC. They can also play DVDs that contain media downloaded from the Internet (VCD and SVCD) as well as MP3, photo discs and standard music CDs. Some of the newer and better players can even support things like MPEG-4 and DivX, which are two forms of video compression technology. Look for a player that can support as much technology as possible. This will enable you to access the widest range of DVD media. If you plan on traveling really far, like overseas, you might consider purchasing a player that will support both NTSC and PAL systems.

Coming in a close second in terms of importance is the screen. A great player with a poor screen is just a waste of money. The catch with portable players and screen is that you want the smallest and lightest device possible, but you also want the largest screen available. Often, consumers must choose which asset they covet the most. The standard size screen is 7" but they can range from a puny 4" up to a massive 12 inches of viewing area. For the best picture, look for a screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio because it will provide the best viewing without chopping off the edges of the film. Lastly, you'll want a screen with the widest viewing angle possible so more than one person can watch at a time. There are some models that come without a screen and attach to a separate monitor but I would avoid these.

There are a few interesting options when it comes to sound choices in a portable set. Look for a player that will allow you to use both internal and external speakers. All players should have at least one headphone jack. Most models will allow you to plug it into your sound system at home and use those speakers. Some will even allow you to plug your player into your car and use those speakers. Find a DVD player that will allow you to listen in various ways, instead of just one.

Some other things to consider when purchasing a portable DVD player are the sort of output connections it uses, available power sources, anti-skip features, and remote control access. Look for a player that can be easily substituted for a normal sized player in a pinch. This means having outputs like S-Video and Optical Out. You'll want a player that can use a standard house plug as well as car outlets and a battery. The average battery is good for about 2 hours of continuous play, but better ones can last closer to 5 hours. Better still; find one that has a detachable battery that can be charged while the player is in use. Look for one with good anti-skip capabilities. A remote is just a nice feature, especially if you're using the player at home.

Home DVD players have a whole different set of criteria than portable units. Many of you might have heard about Blu-Ray and HD-DVD players. I don't recommend them at this time and here is why. The future of the DVD market is being fought over by these two technologies and only one of them will come out on top. If you choose the wrong one, you will find yourself with an obsolete system in a few years. Remember back in the mid-1970s and 80s when Betamax and VHS were struggling for dominance? Do you want to be the one owning a box full of movies in an obsolete format? It's better to wait until a clear victor emerges than potentially waste close to $1,000. Besides, there are only a small handful of companies producing DVDs in either format. Instead, I recommend going with a progressive-scan player.

If you have a standard TV however, buying a progressive-scan player is a waste of money. To keep things simple and straightforward, most experts will tell you that just about any DVD player will give you an outstanding experience on a standard television. Today, even the most humble of DVD players will have all the features you'll need with at standard TV including Dolby Digital, surround sound or virtual surround sound, all the outputs you'll need and the ability to play most types of common DVD formats. Look for one with a simple, easy to use remote control and menu interface. Other than that, any player within your budget will fit the bill nicely.

On the other hand, if this DVD player will be used in conjunction with an HDTV, there are some other things to consider. The same rules apply to both standard and HDTV in regards to quality, but if you really want to tweak your viewing experience and get the most out of your equipment keep reading.

Let's start with the progressive-scan I mentioned earlier. Progressive-scan was once reserved only for the very top players but over the last couple of years has found its way down to the more modestly priced ones. Interlaced scanning refreshes half of the picture every 30th of a second while progressive-scanning refreshes the entire picture every 30th of a second. This allows for a much better picture with more resolution and less flickering. The best of these players utilizes a 2:3 pulldown which compensates for the 24 frames per second that films use.

Just about every new DVD player on the market for the last 5 years has all of the output connections you'll need so I wouldn't be too concerned with that. You will want to ensure that the player is capable of 5.1 surround sound with Digital Theater System (DTS) at the minimum, though. Look for a player that will play as many formats as you can, this way you can play DVDs that you made at home or downloaded from your computer. As a rule of thumb, even the low-end DVD players will have most of the features you want. If you have an HDTV, you should consider simply moving up to a mid-level model. If the recipient of this gift still has a collection of VHS tapes, you could purchase a DVD/VCR combo. They'll do everything a DVD player does with the added benefit of being able to play VHS tapes, making it an attractive gift. In the end, it really pays to know what the receiver will be using the player for prior to purchase.