rgathright's Full Review: Sony (DVP-NS77H) DVD Player
From the moment you turn the DVD player on and the brilliant blue LED lights up, you will know this is something special. The real joy is watching standard DVD's in 1080p up scaling. Yes, they really do look better and sound fantastic. I had another Sony DVD player with component video and progressive scan but the difference in quality on the same television is at least 25% in modern DVD movies. Additionally, the remote works flawlessly with my Sony 40" KDL XBR2 so you could expect similar results with your Sony television too. While the rest of this review is technical, read on and see why this cheap upgrade gets my vote for home video bargain of 2008!
Packaging And Setup My DVP-NS77H came in a large rugged box. Foam padding protected the hardware inside from damage so you should have little worry about receiving a mistreated product. Out of the cardboard box came a utilitarian looking, black plastic and metal box measuring 13"x 19.5" x 5". I plugged in the unit to my APC unit and the player powered right up. Next, I connected a male to male HDMI cable to the back of the DVD player and connected the other end to a HDMI jack on the back of my 40" Sony KDL XBR2. All you would have to do now is switch inputs on the supplied remote until you find the blue Sony welcome screen. While purchasing this product from Amazon, I also picked up a 3ft HDMI cable for $6 which was a great deal when compared to the same length Monster Cable sold at the local Sears for $100!
Configuration The DVD menu accessible through the DISPLAY button on the remote has a wide range of custom settings to tune your viewing experience. The Language setup section features the selection of OSD, menu, audio and subtitle settings in over 4 languages. Additionally, the menu language option will allow the selection of 16 languages. More importantly the DVD player has a built in parental control feature with a 4 digit password to help control who uses the DVD player. My favorite feature in the HDMI DVD player menu is the audio setup menu. Within the audio menu, you can adjust Audio AH, Audio DRC, Down Mix and Digital Out. For example you can set the PCM output between 96Khz/24bit and 48Khz/16 bit. For owners of high definition surround sound systems you should become familiar with this setting to get the most out your DVD experience.
Remote Control The RMT-D175A, Sony DVD remote control is a powerful integrated unit. The remote is made of grey colored plastic and is 8 1/2"L x 2"W x 1"D. Using two AA batteries, you can expect at least one year of use from NiMH batteries. I was very lucky to find that my KDL 40XBR2 television can be controlled from this remote with no need for time consuming programming.
What is HDMI? The High-Definition Multimedia Interface is a compact video/audio interface for transmitting uncompressed digital streams. HDMI supports on a single cable the transmission of high-definition video along with up to 8 channels of digital audio for a total of up to 10.2 Gbit/s at 340Mhz. Audio can be sent uncompressed at 192Khz sample rate with 24 bits/sample as well as compressed audio streams such as Dolby Digital and DTS. The DVP-NS77H player allows you to adjust these transmission settings in the setup menu.
The official HDMI specification does not detail a maximum cable length at this time. As with all video and audio cable, keep it clear of neon or fluorescent light sources and make sure it has at least 24 AWG conductors if you desire the optimal signal. In fact, with 24 AWG conductors an HDMI cable can reach lengths of 49 ft.
For those who just want it to work, HDMI means much more than just plugging in a single cable. The advanced signal technology means your television or sound system can produce at least 25% more sound at the same volume level RCA cabling could provide. The gain translates into thundering bass and crisp highs that make movies like Serenity and Transformers more enjoyable the second time on DVD.
Power Consumption Using a Kill-A-Watt power consumption meter, I analyzed the NS77H for two hours with the following results: 9 watts in HDMI mode with DVD playing 4 watts in HDMI mode with DVD paused 0 watts when power is switched off
The DVD player pulled a total of .01 Kwh for two hours of use! .01 Kwh is the lowest recorded energy consumption total for any appliance I have ever seen.
Features 720p/1080i/1080p Up scaling Video Output through HDMI Fast and slow playback with sound Precision Cinema Progressive Technology BRAVIA Theatre Sync Multi-Disc Resume for 6 discs RCA Audio Output S-Video Output Composite Video Output Component Video (Y/Pb/Pr) Output Optical Audio Output ASIN: B000SDNMHW
Product Website You can visit the following website, http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/model-home.pl?mdl=DVPNS77H for support from Sony. The website has marketing specifications and a limited warranty card.
Summary Loaded down with output connections, the Sony DVP-NS77H is a wonderful bargain in this world of overpriced home video equipment. The best part of all is the minimal power consumption which results in a significant utility bill savings every month!
720p/1080p Upscaling Video Output through HDMI¿ Output Fast and Slow Playback with Sound Precision Cinema Progressive¿ Technology BRAVIA Theatre...More at Amazon Marketplace
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