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Buying Guide

Brief guide to buying a "DVD System"

<< Buying Guide | Shopping Tips >>

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):

Sony DVPSR90B MIDI DVD Player Sony DVPSR90B MIDI DVD Player
from Sony
(Electronics)
- Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Price: £34.25
Philips DVP5990 05 - HDMI 1080p DivX Ultra DVD Player Philips DVP5990/05 - HDMI 1080p DivX Ultra DVD Player
from Philips
(Electronics)
- Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Price: £72.66
Toshiba SD290EKB DVD Player Toshiba SD290EKB DVD Player
from Toshiba
(Electronics)
- Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Price: £34.49
Toshiba SD590EKB Upscaling DVD Player with USB Toshiba SD590EKB Upscaling DVD Player with USB
from Toshiba
(Electronics)
- Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Price: £50.77
Sumvision Phoenix Premium Multi Region DVD Player by Nanobits HDMI 1080p USB Port DivX 6 Sumvision Phoenix Premium Multi Region DVD Player by Nanobits HDMI 1080p USB...
from Nanobits
Sony Persona DVP-PR30 Compact DVD Player - Black Sony Persona DVP-PR30 Compact DVD Player - Black
from Sony
(Electronics)
- Usually dispatched within 1 to 3 months
Price: £39.99
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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