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<< Buying Guide
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Once upon a time there was the humble DVD player, which replaced
the even more humble VCR (video recorder), and buying a dvd
player was easy...
Now, when it comes to home entertainment, you have everything
to consider from home cinema systems to dvd players and dvd
recorders to speakers, amplifiers and even plasma televisions.
Phew!
This modest guide to buying a DVD system will help
you to buy a dvd player or home cinema system or dvd recorder...,
or at least put you in the right direction. (If you want to
find out much more, then please visit the DVD
Buying Guide links below.)
How Do I Know Which DVD System to
Buy?
Once, DVD Players could be thought of as just superior alternatives
to video recorders, but now DVD systems are becoming as diverse
and varied as Hi-fi systems.
That means you have a choice of DVD Player; DVD
recorder - players that record DVDs like video recorders
can record onto videos; portable DVD players; DVD home
cinema systems - all-in-one home theatre system; televisions
- plasma, LCD, and more conventional CRT; home cinema separates
(best quality) that include: amplifiers, speakers, even leads
& cables.
So really, it's more about what you can afford and how much
of a home cinema system you want to invest in. (And only you
know that.)
If price is your main concern, then why not use a
comparison shopping engine (like the popular Pricerunner,
below) and find yourself a bargain!
www.pricerunner.co.uk
Like any newly-changing technology, DVD systems are always
reducing in price and increasing in specification. So you
can buy DVD players for £30, but do realise you get
what you pay for! (Sound and vision quality will probably
be better in a less cheap DVD player.)
For more help:
- Visit Amazon's
DVD Guide, again. As it says in the guide: "[the
guide can] help you locate the best player for your system.
[And] by having all of the facts at your fingertips, you
can be sure of buying a DVD player that best meets your
needs and budgetary constraints."
- Consider the opinions of other shoppers, via sites like
Amazon
(who also rate their products by Best-selling or Average
Customer Rating), or consumer opinion site Ciao
In truth, there are new DVD players coming out all the time.
It's beyond the scope of this guide to keep completely up
to date with all the latest models, I'm afraid. Here are a
few of the best-selling DVD Systems at Amazon right now
(read the product reviews):
in association with 
What About Recordable DVDs?
Recording onto DVD is where the fun with DVD systems really
begins (that and having your own home cinema!). Unfortunately,
there are several competing recordable formats right now,
with no one format being the obvious de facto standard.
If you want to know what re-writeable format a DVD player
will be able to play then visit DVDRHelp
And until the formats settle down it's hard to recommend
a particular recordable DVD. (Ideally, I'd recommend a recordable
DVD player that can record on more than one of these formats;
e.g. DVD Ram or DVD-R or DVD-RW...)
Again, relying on the opinions of other consumers will help
you here! (And if you want to know more about dvd recordable
formats read this guide
to recordable blank DVD media .)
So, what is a DVD Player?
Well, this is how Amazon UK answer it:
"DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) [is a] disc-based
medium [that] delivers video quality twice as good as conventional
VHS tape and unlike VHS tapes, the discs will never wear out
with repeated viewing. What's more, the format allows for
different versions of a film or additional material because
a DVD can store data on both sides of the disc and on multiple
'layers'.
Why should I want a DVD Player?
Again, from Amazon: "When it comes to audio, DVD
is a winner as well. DVD can deliver two channels of standard
CD-quality sound and several configurations of Dolby Digital,
from mono sound to 5.1-channel surround. Most DVDs offer multiple
language and subtitle options and a host of other features,
including alternate sound tracks that can be used for an isolated
music score or a forum for the director, the writer, the stars,
or a noted film critic to engage in running commentary on
the on-screen action."
I couldn't have put it better myself. :-)
Amazon's DVD buying guide goes on to explain pretty much
all of the basics regarding DVD players, including the following
topics:
. User Interface .
Video Performance
. Video Connections .
Widescreen Playback
. Surround Sound .
Audio Connections
. CD-quality Audio & Beyond . Multi-region Playback
The guide highlights the many important differences in features
and overall performance of DVD players. So I highly recommend
that you check out the Amazon
DVD Player Buying Guide
Where Can I Buy a Cheap DVD System?
Well I can recommend Amazon,
Comet,
Ebay,
Empire
Direct..., and you can use Pricerunner to compare prices
or you could take a look at these vendor
sites.
More DVD Player Buying Guides
Still got questions? Get in
touch
(I might be able to help.)
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