Philips DVP5992 1080p HDMI Upscaling DVD Player with USB 2.0 and DivX Ultra Review

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(More customer reviews)Just bought 3 of these 5992/37. There is an easy hack found on the internet to upgrade to play all regions dvd's.
Philips DVP 5992
Region Free:
press Setup
select the Preference Tab
Press 1,3,8,9,3,1
Press up/down key to select "0"
and hit menu to exit.
Prior to this I had a 5982/37 which had 1.1 usb and I had some trouble with avi's at high bitrate through the USB 1.1 port but the 2.0 on the 5992 fixed that. Both players play divx (avi) files but the major upgrades to the 5992 are USB 2.0, plays wmv files, now has 14 characters for files on hard drive or memory stick, you can rip music from cd to hard drive in mp format, you can play vob through the usb. The remote is much improved over the 5982 as well. In summary this is a great deal if you need a player that does a good job upconverting to 1080p, supports divx (avi), wmv and has usb 2.0 for connecting a hard drive or memory stick (must be fat 32 - for drives over 32 gb there are several utilities for doing this such as awissknife or fat32.exe - I have a 1 TB WD connected to mine). Also, to sort the fat32 files alphabetically by name there is a freeware FolderSort.exe which you can download to keep your folders and files alphabetically when you play the HD through the USB. The DVD player reads the folders/files in order they were loaded so for convenience you can sort them yourself with FolderSort. Bought mine for $39.99.
There are additional firmware upghrades by a developer Vb6rocod which makes some great changes to the setup options and screens. For example itlets you see file characters much longer than the standard Philips release (at first it was 40 characters from a cd/dvd then upgraded furtherto the length of the bar on the scree; the files through the usb are limited to either 21 or 23 which is a nice improvement), adds font choices to subtitels, colors to subtitles and some other fixes. You can download through rapidshare. See links at http://ryan.com.br/smf/index.php?action=profile;u=1074;sa=showPosts OR http://www.forodvp5100.com.ar/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=1458&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=60 OR http://forum.videohelp.com/topic355675.html#1881495. Many users like these improvements. I tried the firmware upgrade and it is very nice.

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Be impressed with this Philips DVD player with HDMI digital video and audio connection. Step into another home entertainment arena as you immerse yourself with High Definition video (720p / 1080i/1080p). HDMI for simple AV connection: HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface. It is a direct digital connection that can carry digital HD video as well as digital multichannel audio. By eliminating the conversion to analog signals it delivers perfect picture and sound quality, completely free from noise. HDMI is fully backward-compatible with (Digital Video Interface) DVI. DivX Ultra Certified: DivX Ultra combines DivX playback with great features like integrated subtitles, multiple audio languages, multiple tracks and menus into one convenient file format.

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Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player Review

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(More customer reviews)This is my 3rd media device, and by far the most capable. I bought it solely based on the HDMI output and MKV playback abilities, and am pleased with the performance so far. Given the price to features ratio, this is the best such device on the market, in my opinion, and one of very few devices I know that can play the robust (and relatively obscure) MKV format as well as being able to output to HDMI. My other 2 devices play AVI's and so does my PS3, so AVI playback was not important to me.Major pluses:
1) HDMI output at 1080p
2) Unicode support is flawless (for subtitles and filename displays). for subtitles, simply name them the same as your movie file and put in the same directory. e.g. Batman.mkv; Batman_ENG.srt; Batman_ESP.srt, etc.
3) remembers where you left off in a movie so you don't have to start from beginning
4) BEAUTIFUL and easy to use interface that is similar to PS3's cross-media bar
5) solidly constructed remote control and overall superior build quality
6) wide selection of languages for the interface, not just the usual French, Spanish, and English.
Major problems:
1) inability to decode DTS audio
2) external hard drive does not power down when device is off
3) higher bitrate 1080p MKV files are unwatchable due to screen artifacting and other visual problems. i think it has a problem with 29fps @1080p.
Not so major problems, but still bothersome issues:
1) excessive spacing btwn lines of text in subtitles
2) inability to read muxed subtitles in files
3) no ability to go to a specific time code if you want to skip ahead
4) thumbnails don't work on any of my videos
5) shiny surface is nice, but fingerprints are easy to see on it
Overall, this is a great value if you're in the market for a versatile multi-format device. It even plays FLAC and OGG audio. If you're a movies guy though, the inability to decode DTS audio may be the deciding factor in your purchasing decision. Hopefully, WD can fix this via a firmware update.
If they release a Gen-2 version of this device that fixes the DTS problem and also has an Ethernet port and/or internal storage, I will gladly repurchase it at a higher price.
4.5/5 stars
UPDATE 12/26/08
WD released a firmware update a few days ago that addressed several of my complaints, including embedded subtitle playback, fast-forwarding and reversing by 10 minute increments, fixed subtitle spacing, subtitle font size select, and a long list of other improvements.
My 3 major problems mentioned above seems to remain. Hopefully, a future firmware release will address these, with the biggest priority for me being DTS decoding.
New Rating: 4.75/5. Highly recommended product.
---------------
UPDATE #3: May 21, 2009: I continue to be highly pleased with this product, after 6 months of ownership. WD has periodic updates that greatly improve the device and fixes small issuse, or introduces new features. The latest firmware shows the subtitle's language name (English, Spanish, etc), instead of just "Subtitle 1/3".
---------------
UPDATE #4: Nov 22, 2009: WD has quietly released a hardware update to the WD TV a few days ago, calling it the WD TV Gen 2 (not to be confused with the WD TV Live, a totally different model). This hardware revision adds DTS downmix and HDMI 1.3, making it very similar to the WD TV Live, except without networking. This is great news for users who don't need networking and want a cheaper second unit for the spare entertainment room because DTS downmix was one of the major features missing from the original product. I am not sure about other features, but make sure the SKU is Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player WDBABF0000NBK-NESN instead of WD00AVN.

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The WDTV HD Media Player is full HD 1080p video playback and is an ultra-compact, USB 2.0 device that attaches to an entertainment unit through a variety of audio/video interfaces and supports playback of major audio, video, and image file formats. It supports high-definition video playback of up to 1080p through an HDMI connection or standard definition for TVs with lower capabilities. It includes remote control, composit AV cable, AC adapter and quick install guide. (Brown Box, Product is Recertified)

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Philips DVP5990/F7 DVD Player with 1080p HDMI Upconversion and DivX Review

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(More customer reviews)you have to go to setup>preferences and press 138931 on your remote > press 'up' arrow to select '0' and hit setup again to exit and you can play any region dvd.


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The Philips DVP5990/F7 plays DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, VCD/SVCD, MP3, WMA, DivX, JPEG, MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 formats. DivX playback integrates features such as subtitles, multiple audio languages, multiple tracks and menus into 1 convenient File format. A built-in HDMI Output allows connection to a compatible HDTV for 1080p Up-conversion for top imaging. The Philips DVP5990/F7 will give you excellent video and audio entertainment experience

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Toshiba SD-P1900 9-Inch DivX Certified Portable DVD Player Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased this unit for my wife to help her uneasiness with flying. She has really enjoyed all of the features on the player, but wished that the volume level were higher. Even using Bose noise canceling over-the-ear headphones, she found it sometimes difficult to hear over airplane engine noise. The image quality is great. Very stylish design conveys its high quality level - definitely not a cheap "disposable" unit. The glossy black case, however, tends to show fingerprints pretty easily.

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TOSHIBA SD-P1900 9 Inch Portable DVD Player. 9 Inch Diagonal Widescreen, TFT LCD Display with 480x234 Pixel Resolution, great for viewing standard, letterbox and anamorphic DVDs. Up to 5 hours lithium ion battery life with Rapidcharge. Attractive black acrylic top combined with an acrylic control panel with oversized buttons for a sleek new look and ease of use. DivX Home Theater Certified allows playback of DivX, AVI and MPEG4 compressed files downloaded from the internet to a personal computer and stored on a CD R/ RW. Switchable Audio/Video Input and Output for connection to an external monitor/ television or use the SD-P1900 screen and speakers as the display device for a digital camera or camcorder.

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NBOX Digital Media Player Review

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(More customer reviews)I have this NBOX TV Player for about 5 months, it works very well. It's not the best flash media player, but it's a lot cheaper than other brands which are all around $100-$200. I believe this one has the best value for that price.

NBOX is very easy to use, just put video files into SD card, USB flash drive or USB external hard drive. I personally used a 16GB SD card to carry my kid's cartoon, and use a 750GB Seagate External HDD to carry the movie or tv series for my wife and myself. The remote is very easy to use, and my little 6 years girl could use it by herself, no more bothering me.

Pros:
1. Support a lot of file formats: AVI, DIVX, XVID, RM, RMVB, MPEG, it even supports subtitles
2. We like that remote controller, it's one of the biggest advantage than hooking up my laptop/pc to the TV.
3. Auto Resume from last stop point. When I stopped watching a movie in the middle, I just hit power button on the remote to turn NBOX off. Later, when I power on NBOX, it would automatically resume the movie from the last stop point.
4. Continuous Play on Multiple Files. Sometime I watch TV series with 20 episodes, NBOX could smoothly play one episode then play the next one. I guess it uses the file name to sort the order.
5. With the component cable (included), I can get 720p HD output quality on my LCD HDTV from NBOX.
6. Price. It has the best price, almost the same as a regular DVD player. I can't find a cheaper one which could do so many good things.

Cons:
1. It doesn't support MKV and MP4, which is a pity. But 95% of my files are in other formats, and I don't want to pay $100 to buy other media player for just 5% usage.
2. The red power light is always on as it's designed for indicating the power cord connection to the wall jack. I wish it would be off if I turned off NBOX.

Overall, I am very satisfied with NBOX. It has very good value for such low price, and it's very easy to use. I am hoping to see new models with advanced chipset which could support more formats in such low price in future.


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Nbox digital media player

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Western Digital WD TV HD 1080P Media Player Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased the WDTV Media Player (version 2) through Amazon two weeks ago. I have an extensive collection of movies and tv shows that I have ripped from my blurays and dvds over the past few years, plus downloads etc (over 2.8 gigs worth and counting). I built a HTPC 1.5 years ago and always hoped there would be a simple, inexpensive solution that would allow me to easily transfer my media to the TV without constantly playing with settings to the point where my wife is getting up from the couch out of boredom.
Along came the WDTV Media Player, the best solution for someone like me. I have tried as hard as I can to dig up a format (H.264, X.264, .mkv, .flac, .omg etc.) or problem to throw at this device to muck it up and I have yet to succeed. It has even been able to playback halfway decompressed files. I have it hooked up by HDMI through a Pioneer 819 AVR and set to bitstream audio codecs. I have had none of the audio syncing issues that were prevalent in the first generation machines. The user interface is attractive and intuitive. If you are use to using a HD set top box from your cable company and a PVR/DVR, this is basically the same functionality. Set up takes minutes and playback is beautiful. Unlike an previous reviewer, I have found that playback on standard definition content to be excellent. It upscales as well as any high quality dvd/bluray player. For HD playback, playback is just as good as bluray--without and time lag between pressing play and start time.
As with any device, it has its flaws-although they are minor in the scheme of things. First, it will not play menus from ripped DVD's and blurays (only the largest file in the rip, i.e. the movie). The WDTV does have its own menu that allows you to change audio tracks and subtitles on the fly. Unless the chapters are ripped and formatted correctly, you cannot skip to the next chapter. This sounds like a bigger problem than it is. This can be rectified by ripping with better quality software. If you downloaded your movie with bit torrent, you get what you pay for with your "free"/stolen content. Even using content without the ability to skip chapters, fast forward and reverse work quicker than on my panny bluray player and I am able to fast forward up 16x speed and the devise allows you to skip ahead in 30 second intervals (just enough to allow you to jump ahead of commercials from video capture off your cable box).
Other minor gripes: They are not able to bitstream lossless sound codecs (TrueHD and DTS-HD MA). Frankly, this is minor and most people will be happy with Dolby Digital and DTS (which the WDTV v2 and Live can send by bitstream over the HDMI capable--a feature lacking in the first gen WDTV). I have been told by people familiar with the Sigma 3365 processor that firmware may allow it to bitstream TrueHD, although probably not DTS-HDMA). We'll have to wait an see.
I have seen the Asus, Seagate and Popcorn C-110 and, they all have their pro's and con's. Dollar for dollar, the WDTV (v2) or WDTV Live (for an extra $20) are the best media players on the market. I give this three thumbs up and my strongest recommendation.
Update: 12/29/09 I picked up an WD HD Live at one of the big chain electric stores over the weekend to see if it was worth the extra few dollars. Pandora internet radio is a nice feature and I think the Live has a lot of "potential". There are some problems though. To test the machine, I tried to set up with a wireless dongle (g--i don't have a wireless n dogggle although I am not sure it would make much differenec). I also used a direct ethernet connection (obviously the best way to set it up).
First, HD streaming from a network harddrive was disappointing. Although 720P playback was usually not bad through ethernet. It did stutter and lose audio sync from time to time. If I paused playback to allow the WDTV LIve to rebuffer (or HDD drive--I am not entirely sure which devise had the issue), it seemed to fix the problem for a while. Using the dongle, playback about the same as with the ethernet. To be clear, some files played back without a hitch and others were far more problematic. The same files played perfectly on both the WD TV Live and WD TV (v2) when connected directly to a USB HDD.
With respect to 1080P playback, there were some significant hiccups. Using the network, playback stuttered badly on more than half of the files played. It appeared that the machine was dropping frames and lost audio sync. This was more prevalent when playing back large files (17 gig archived BD movies for example). Smaller 1080P files (8-12G) played about as well as 720P--some played perfectly and others with only minor issues. all files, however, played without issue using a direct usb harddrive. In my bedroom I am using an LG BD player that already has netflix, YouTube and pandora. The WD does not handle netflix, and the other services are redundant (Pandora is nice, but, frankly, YouTube is a pain to use with all of these systems).
In conclusion, the WDTV Live and WDTV (v2)have the same capabilities when used as stand alone devices connected to USB harddrives. Although I didn't mention this earlier, streaming SD content from a network was no problem with the Live. HD streaming capabilities were suspect, particularly with large files. As a caveat, other more sophisticated videophiles may have the time and computing power to convert larger HD files into smaller formats that will stream better. The thought of using handbrake to downsize my entire collection is not something I have any intention of doing. The WD TV LIve is a great first start. With some more firmware updates, it may be a better network streamer, but I think network streaming for 1080P is still a generation or two away from prime time.

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WD TV HD Media Player turns your My Passport, or similar USB drive, into an HD media player. Supports Full-HD 1080p video playback and navigation of a wide variety of file types. Simply plug in your drive to the HD media player. No need to delete movies to make room for more; simply add another USB drive to expand your collection.

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Philips DVP5140 Multiformat DVD Player with DivX, MP3, Windows Media Support Review

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(More customer reviews)This a GREAT and nice-looking DVD player. Lovely picture, terrific audio and many cool features.
Please be aware that Philips only makes one model of the DVP5140. It will play any NTSC/PAL DVD onto any PAL or NTSC TV. I know this beacuse I called them and asked before buying mine.
So - if you want to play DVDs from any region in any format on any TV, DO NOT BUY the "Multi Region Code Free DVD player" which costs $89.99. Simply search for "DVP5140" and get the standard player which costs $57.95 on Amazon and is identical to the so-called multi-region DVP5140.
To make it region code free follow these instruction:
1. Turn on the unit
2. Open the loading tray
3. Press the "Setup" button on the remote
4. Navigate to the "Preferences" page using the right arrow key
6. Press the down arrow once to enter the Preference page
5. Enter 138931 on the remote
6. You will now see the current region code displayed
7. Use the Up/Down arrow keys to select the region required or "0" for all regions
8. Press the "Play" button on the remote

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DVD, DivX 3.1 (Mpeg 4 Video), Ultra Slim design, Progressive Scan, Plays CD, MP3, DVD, DVD+/-R/RW, CD-RW, JEPG Pictures,Windows Media

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Western Digital, WD TV Mini Media Player Review

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(More customer reviews)Pros:
+ very small and minimalist design, akin to the Apple TV. It's square and flat. Measures 3.6 x 3.6 x 0.8 tall.
+ plays RMVB @ 1024x576x24, 1024x576x30, or 800x600x30
+ $20 cheaper than WDTV
+ great support for various music formats, including the lesser known FLAC (free loss-less audio codec), OGG, and APE
+ retains the look and feel of the WD TV interface (mostly)
Cons:
- no HDMI output
- no MKV support
- 1 USB port
The $20 price difference does not make this an attractive buy when compared to its fully-featured big brother, the popular Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player. The only reason you might buy this instead of the much better WDTV is for RMVB support, but the trade-off simply does not add up.
A "wide variety of file formats" is a subjective term here. WD added RMVB support, but took away MKV, one of the player's biggest selling points. RMVB is only useful if you intend to watch a lot of internet-downloaded shows from mainland China/Hong Kong, as the low CPU requirements for this format makes it a popular choice for encoders there. For hi-def encodes, MKV is the format of choice.
For audio, the only new format is APE, which is very rare and unlikely to be of use to the vast majority of users. You also lose AIFF support with the Mini, but that is unimportant.
It's advertised by WD as being "small enough to take with you", but the WDTV was already compact enough to transport. The Mini flew in under the radar, just like the WD TV originally did, but it's a puzzling new addition to the product line considering the existence of the superior WD TV and the anticipated release of the WDTV's successor.
WDTV owners have been clamoring for network support for a long time, and I'm surprised WD went and devoted resources to making this new, under-powered (and un-asked for) product instead of putting all their efforts into bringing the WDTV 2 to market earlier (officially called the WD TV Live Network-ready HD Media Player).
If you need a player right now and don't need RM/RMVB support, I recommend the WDTV instead of saving the $20 here. If you can wait 2 months for the release of the WDTV 2, then wait. It will have network support (wired) and DTS-downmix (so you don't need a separate audio receiver), 2 very big and important additions requested by users. If WDTV 2 retains RMVB, it will be the best of both worlds.
UPDATE: 10/30/2009. The WDTV Live is out now. It's networked and WiFi enabled (via third party USB dongle). If you need RMVB playback and networking, you may wish to consider the excellent (if homely) ASUS O!Play - TV HD Media Player (Black)

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WD TV Mini media player is an easy, affordable way to watch digital media on your big screen TV. Simply plug in WD's My Passport portable hard drive, or similar USB drive, and play movies, music, and photos in a wide variety of file formats, including Real Media (RMVB) format. There's no limit to the size of your media collection; just add more drives for more movies. Supports DVD-quality video playback. Also works with most popular USB drives, digital cameras, and camcorders.

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Philips DVP5990 HDMI 1080p Upscaling DVD Player Review

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(More customer reviews)This DVD player is a great bargain at $55. It works perfectly fine. Here's what you really want to know:
1) Make this DVD player region-free. Press Setup on the remote and go to Preferences. Press 1, 3, 8, 9, 3, 1 on the remote. Use the up and down buttons to select Region 0 (region-free).
2) Go to the General Setup page. Press 1, 3, 7, 9. This will display the firmware information. If the last two digits of Version aren't "31," then go to the Philips website and update to the most recent firmware (31).
3) For US users, the first two digits of Version will be "37." Go to http://vb6rocod.euracks.com/dvp5990_37.php and download "DVP5990_37_vb6_v32_All_Logo.rar" and follow the upgrading instructions (http://vb6rocod.euracks.com/upgrade.html). It really is as simple as it sounds, and it can be done in less than 60 seconds. I recommend the USB method. Upgrading to this firmware will give the USB capabilities of the DVD player increased functionality and usability (there are a couple dozen changes and fixes; I won't list them here).
Random notes: The DVD player will only recognize jump drives and USB hard drives that are formatted in FAT32, so you will need to do that. Now, the manual says there is a limit of 300 folders and 648 files. This is not exactly true. There IS a limit of 648 files PER folder. So what reads as a limit of 648 files is actually a limit of 648 * 300 = 194,400 files. So this is NOT a limiting factor.
I tested a variety of files and the DVD player can read everything I threw at it, with the exception of Quicktime files and Real files. It is equally as capable in the realm of audio files. It also has a slideshow feature for pictures. In case you are curious, it can't read PDF files.
When one video or audio file finishes, it automatically goes on to the next one. It could be great for background music when hosting a party.
The DVD player can access .srt subtitle files that have multiple tracks and you can flip through them while watching a foreign Divx movie. I was extremely pleased by this. The modified firmware I linked will also allow you to change the color, size, and location of the subtitles while you're watching the movie. Extremely nifty.
Watching Divx movies on my TV looks perfectly sharp, and now I don't have to store or swap discs. This DVD player is a sign of the future. Get out and buy one (and a USB hard drive... if you catch a deal they're as cheap as ten cents/GB). $100 can create a total multimedia collection that changes with you.
Also, the remote does feel a little cheap. But who cares? It is cheap.

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Philips HDMI 1080p DVD player with true high definition video upscaling, D/A converter: 12 bit, 108 MHz progressive Scan, High Def (720p, 1080i, 1080p), Video Upscaling(720p, 1080i/p)192kHz/24 bit audio DAC enhances analogue sound input, High definition JPEG playback for images in true resolution, Brings your PC to your living room with Windows Media Video playback, DivX Ultra for enhanced playback of DivX media files, Plays DivX, MP3, WMA and JPEG digital camera photos, Plays CD, (S)VCD, DVD, DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW, Direct conversion from CD to MP3, USB Direct plays DivX movies, photos and music from USB flash drives

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