Sony DVPNS75H Single Disc Upscaling DVD Player

Bought one of these (refurb)from SHIP2YOU Amazon storefront for $73 delivered on April 7 and got it today (April 11). Box says it's a refurb, but it looks new as does the remote. Hooked it up to my 50" Pioneer 5070 plasma using the HDMI and the component inputs to make comparison easy. The component inputs are 480p. I set the HDMI output on the Sony player to 720p, which is close to the 768 native rsolution of the plasma TV. Put a DVD of the National Geographic feature Guns, Germs, and Steel in the player. This a beautifully produced DVD with lots of great nature footage. (The editorial content is hard to swallow unless you are very knee-jerk liberal, but hey, it's still a beautiful work to watch, just keep the salt shaker close.) Anyway, started up the DVD and then tried to carefully look for differences as I periodically switched back and forth between the component and HDMI inputs. Took my time. I know it's easy to fool yourself with this sort of thing when not done double-blind, but given that, the HDMI signal looks slightly better than the component signal in terms of clarity/resolution; the difference is small, but I think real. The HDMI really has a very noticeable advantage, however, in terms of vividness of the picture. It is as if the dynamic range (brighness and maybe color) were significantly greater with HDMI. You can really see this very easilly for relatively bright (but not white) picture elements when switching back and forth. Makes the HDMI picture prettier and seem more 3D-like. It's nice. May not be more true to the original intent, but it is nice. However, the picture is not quite up to HD as received from my cable box. Darned close and plenty enjoyable to watch, though. I would NOT pay $500+ for the very small improvement that comes with DVD-HD or Blue-Ray based on what I've seen in stores. Maybe with a 1080p plasma it would be worth it, if you watch from under six feet. Maybe. But heck, given the cost of a 1080p, the HD player cost would be lost in the noise. Overall, this Sony is a very good player and gives very good picture quality from both component and HDMI cables. I am very pleased with it and would definitely buy again. Will try the 1080i HDMI setting, also. Who knows, that may be even better. Read more

Recieved in 2 days, paid $116.99. Slim, lightwieght. Takes a little time to load but produces a really nice picture. Hooked up to my Yamaha RX-V1600 reciever and then on to a Samsung LN-S4692D LCD HDTV, both via HDMI. Looks to be a quality DVD player with nice finish and again a really nice picture. Watched The Incredibles and Madagascar with the kids and everyone was really impressed. Would definitely recommend. Also played DVD-R's on this player, no problems. UPDATED 1/10/07 I have experienced no issues with this DVD player. Whole heartedly recommend. Read more

I was looking for an HDMI DVD player that had decent performance and did what it was suppose to. I own a 50" Samsung plazma which has no love for junk components. What did i get from this player? 1) Simple. One HDMI (35$ later thank you WallyMart) cable and I'm done. 2) Picture. Oh yes, there is a difference. The clarity, color and picture are perfect. Compare it to a 350 $$ player... yep you just over spent by $250! 3) Compatability. Totally unexpected but my older fullscreen DVD's which looked like garbage on my bigscreen now play in perfect widescreen (case in point, fullscreen Pirates of the Caribbean looks as it was intended, perfect). I subscribe to Blockbuster and it's made a world of difference all around. If you're still hooking up your Red/Yellow/White dvd player to your new HiDef tv... stop. You'll never regret it. Read more

The Sony DVPNS75H is a an upgrade from my 5-plus-year-old Mintek player. Appearance. The player has a very nice low facade, attractive silver color, and an unremarkable, off-centered display panel. A blue light appears when the HDMI signal is passing successfully to your TV. This is helpful, I guess, if extraneous, and it doesn't bother me like it does other users. (I wonder if these same people are bothered by the EXIT light in a movie theater.) Performance. Compared to the Mintek, this is a superior player. It has successfully played nearly all discs, including homemade DVDs. I can think of two instances where it failed: one in which the disc had been obviously damaged before. The upscaled picture is excellent, but as said in other reviews, don't expect an HD miracle. The discs load plenty fast for me. The display menu is easy to navigate with lots of features. Design/Ergonomics. The player I purchased doesn't sit squarely on my glass shelf. Every time I press down on a button, it rocks annoyingly. This gives it a cheap feel. Also, the buttons must be held for a second or so to work. (Count out a "One-Mississippi.") On the other hand, the remote is well-designed, although I rarely use it. Note: This player does not come with an HDMI cable, so be prepared to spend another $50. All told, I can overlook the design flaws and enjoy the superior viewing experience. Update, January 28, 2007: Unfortunately the playback is getting locked up on more discs now, mostly rental DVDs, a couple of them with no discernible scratches or damage. I notice too the playback hanging up for a split-second when a scene cuts abruptly, even on brand-new pristine discs. Still, I recommend the player for its superior picture quality. Read more

This player is very picky on region code. I have many all region DVDs can play in JVC and other brands but cannot play in this player. Most VCDs cannot be played either. I have 3 popular brand dvd players before this one, this is the first time I see this problem. I don't know if this is a defect or not. If I bought this from a retail store, I would definitely return it. Read more