Author Topic: Recommend me a DVD Player with NTSC/PAL/XVid/Divx support (Read 2036 times)

JoyMonkey · « **on:** September 18, 2005, 10:07:24 pm »

I need another DVD player; I'd like something that will play my NTSC DVDs, my PAL DVDs, XVid and DivX files. I've already got a great Sampo player that will play my PAL DVDs (4:3 and 16:9) on a standard US TV as well as MPEG files, but there seems to be a bunch of DVD players out now that will play DivX and Xvid files too.
Does anyone have any of these DivX/Xvid players, and are they any good?

This one seems to do all that I'd like it to (don't know if it will play PAL DVDs at the correct aspect though), but I can't find any reviews online.

Anyone? Anyone?

Harry Potter · « **Reply #1 on:** September 18, 2005, 11:00:36 pm »

Throw a rock and you'll hit one.

Nah seriously, go for any of the name brands (I heard Samsung was good). The crappy no-names usually have zero to nil support when it comes to bios updates and techs.

I have a samsung (doesn't play divx) but the model above it does, and I was told it's very reliable with divx. not sure about xvid.

Good luck

Goz · « **Reply #2 on:** September 18, 2005, 11:50:43 pm »

I have a couple of DVD Players w/ Divx support and my favorite is the Phillips DVP642. It also sports flash upgrades for new codec support. You can pick them up on sale for $49 from time to time at Comp USA, Fry's Electronics, etc...

-Goz

JoyMonkey · « **Reply #3 on:** September 19, 2005, 07:47:15 am »

Quote from: Gozur on September 18, 2005, 11:50:43 pm

I have a couple of DVD Players w/ Divx support and my favorite is the Phillips DVP642. It also sports flash upgrades for new codec support. You can pick them up on sale for $49 from time to time at Comp USA, Fry's Electronics, etc...

-Goz

That sounds like exactly what I'm looking for, thanks!

Geekboy · « **Reply #4 on:** September 19, 2005, 09:14:58 pm »

Quote

I have a couple of DVD Players w/ Divx support and my favorite is the Phillips DVP642. It also sports flash upgrades for new codec support. You can pick them up on sale for $49 from time to time at Comp USA, Fry's Electronics, etc...

I have this dvd player also. Works great and very cheap. It seems to play almost anything. You can also get them at Target.

SOAPboy · « **Reply #5 on:** September 19, 2005, 09:25:05 pm »

Quote from: Gozur on September 18, 2005, 11:50:43 pm

I have a couple of DVD Players w/ Divx support and my favorite is the Phillips DVP642. It also sports flash upgrades for new codec support. You can pick them up on sale for $49 from time to time at Comp USA, Fry's Electronics, etc...

-Goz

Unless you buy a K.I.S.S. player, this is THE way to go..

pointdablame · « **Reply #6 on:** September 19, 2005, 09:47:46 pm »

Quote from: Gozur on September 18, 2005, 11:50:43 pm

I have a couple of DVD Players w/ Divx support and my favorite is the Phillips DVP642. It also sports flash upgrades for new codec support. You can pick them up on sale for $49 from time to time at Comp USA, Fry's Electronics, etc...

-Goz

This man is a genius.

One of my friends at school has this and its great. I keep meaning to pick one up when they have them on sale. Amazon often has a good deal on them as well as Target and CompUSA.

mr.Curmudgeon · « **Reply #7 on:** September 19, 2005, 11:11:02 pm »

Does the Phillips DVP642 do XviD? I see that it can do DiVX, but I prefer the quality of XviD files....you can get some great results.

Joymonkey, funny that you started this thread...my 5 year old DVD player is dying (laser death, has trouble reading newer discs) and it's just the thing to push me into finally getting a new player. I've been playing recent movies on my PS2 fer' cryin' out loud.

mrC

mr.Curmudgeon · « **Reply #8 on:** September 19, 2005, 11:15:44 pm »

Nevermind. Answered my own question:

"DIVX and XVID are supported. But some .avi files will play back with NO SOUND if the original file was encoded with a "codec" (compression algorithm) that is not supported by this unit. Just because a file plays back ok on your PC with "Windows Media Player" it doesn't mean it will playback in this unit."

So now I need to track down a list of incompatible codecs. Looks like a great player, for the price.

mrC

Goz · « **Reply #9 on:** September 20, 2005, 12:02:57 am »

Quote from: mr.Curmudgeon on September 19, 2005, 11:15:44 pm

Nevermind. Answered my own question:

"DIVX and XVID are supported. But some .avi files will play back with NO SOUND if the original file was encoded with a "codec" (compression algorithm) that is not supported by this unit. Just because a file plays back ok on your PC with "Windows Media Player" it doesn't mean it will playback in this unit."

So now I need to track down a list of incompatible codecs. Looks like a great player, for the price.

mrC

Just an FYI. I have yet to run into a DivX encode that played with no sound. I download and acquire a lot of encodes (educational purposes

). I have tried everything from fixed bitrates to variable.

-Goz

-Goz

JB · « **Reply #10 on:** September 20, 2005, 01:36:10 am »

Quote from: mr.Curmudgeon on September 19, 2005, 11:15:44 pm

Nevermind. Answered my own question:

"DIVX and XVID are supported. But some .avi files will play back with NO SOUND if the original file was encoded with a "codec" (compression algorithm) that is not supported by this unit. Just because a file plays back ok on your PC with "Windows Media Player" it doesn't mean it will playback in this unit."

So now I need to track down a list of incompatible codecs. Looks like a great player, for the price.

mrC

If you'd like a more accurate answer...
Xvid group's FAQ on the subject.
The referenced announcement.

Short version: NO DVD player should be considered Xvid-compatible, because they don't run the single most commonly used mode.

They're just slapping the logo up there because Divx is a subset of Xvid, which is a subset of MPEG4.
If Divx plays in Xvid, then Divx = Xvid, right?

One could as easily say that if PS1 games play in a PS2, then PS2 = PS1. Doesn't make it any more true.

MaximRecoil · « **Reply #11 on:** September 20, 2005, 02:13:02 am »

Quote

They're just slapping the logo up there because Divx is a subset of Xvid, which is a subset of MPEG4.

DivX a subset of XviD? How do you figure? Currently DivX has nothing to do with XviD, beyond the fact that they both conform to the Advanced Simple Profile (ASP), i.e. ISO 14496-2 MPEG4 sub-standard.

If you trace XviD's roots you will find that it is evolved from the original DivX;-) 3.11 Alpha codec, which itself was a Microsoft MPEG4 ASP codec that was hacked by "Gej" to support output to the AVI container. Oddly enough, the current versions of DivX have nothing to do with the original DivX;-) 3.11 Alpha codec; but was done from scratch.

Anyway, I have a Philips DVP642 and it has played everything I have thrown at it so far (other than the audio stream of a WMV [WMA]) and I am perfectly satisfied with it. WMV's are irrelevant for the most part to me anyway; the vast majority of my stuff is XviD, with which it has no problems. It also plays DivX;-) 3.11 Alpha with no problems, and since most 3.11 Alpha files were encoded with Nandub, they have VBR audio, which is a hack to the AVI format which doesn't technically support VBR audio; but it has no problems with that either. Awesome player, especially for $55 at the local Super Wal-Mart.

mr.Curmudgeon · « **Reply #12 on:** September 20, 2005, 11:31:13 am »

MR,

Wow. 'Nuf said. I'm definitely getting this beast...thanks for the info!

mrC

JB · « **Reply #13 on:** September 21, 2005, 05:29:38 am »

Quote from: MaximRecoil on September 20, 2005, 02:13:02 am

Quote
They're just slapping the logo up there because Divx is a subset of Xvid, which is a subset of MPEG4.

DivX a subset of XviD? How do you figure? Currently DivX has nothing to do with XviD, beyond the fact that they both conform to the Advanced Simple Profile (ASP), i.e. ISO 14496-2 MPEG4 sub-standard.

If you trace XviD's roots you will find that it is evolved from the original DivX;-) 3.11 Alpha codec, which itself was a Microsoft MPEG4 ASP codec that was hacked by "Gej" to support output to the AVI container. Oddly enough, the current versions of DivX have nothing to do with the original DivX;-) 3.11 Alpha codec; but was done from scratch.

When I said subset, I didn't mean Divx was a trimmed-down Xvid, just that Xvid does everything Divx does, and then more.
Hence a Divx file is also an Xvid file, but an Xvid file is not necessarily a Divx file.

I think Xvid is the closest to actual MPEG4 spec in terms of supported feature set.

SOAPboy · « **Reply #14 on:** September 21, 2005, 05:32:37 am »

Quote from: mr.Curmudgeon on September 19, 2005, 11:15:44 pm

Nevermind. Answered my own question:

"DIVX and XVID are supported. But some .avi files will play back with NO SOUND if the original file was encoded with a "codec" (compression algorithm) that is not supported by this unit. Just because a file plays back ok on your PC with "Windows Media Player" it doesn't mean it will playback in this unit."

So now I need to track down a list of incompatible codecs. Looks like a great player, for the price.

mrC

If an ignorant retard encodes the video, it wont work.. Anyone with a brain will encode with proper divx or xvid codec..

JoyMonkey · « **Reply #15 on:** September 21, 2005, 07:08:36 am »

I ordered a Philips DVP642 from Amazon since I had a $25 credit there; should have it tomorrow!

Thanks again for the recommendation, seems like everyone with a DVP642 loves it.

JoyMonkey · « **Reply #16 on:** September 26, 2005, 11:08:06 am »

I got the DVP642 last week and it's going okay. I say 'okay' because I've been playing xvid files on it and the picture quality is very poor. Files that look perfect when played on my XBox with XBMC show a lot of compression artifacts, especially in areas with subtle gradients or high contrast. Also, the picture appears to be made up of lots of vertical lines.
Does anyone else have these problems, or is it just my unit? Mine's got a 'May 2005' sticker on the back. Maybe I need to upgrade the firmware, but I can't find it anywhere???

Goz · « **Reply #17 on:** September 26, 2005, 11:22:11 am »

I've not noticed the problem you describe with mine.

You can get the lates UPDATE for 642DVP Here

The info for it says that the update was published March 4 2005.

-Goz

ChadTower · « **Reply #18 on:** September 26, 2005, 11:32:39 am »

I have a Norcent DP220 that is pretty good and in that price range. Plays most everything I throw at it. I just wish it played the new DivX release. It throws a garbled pic out... I haven't found any bios updates for it.

xar256 · « **Reply #19 on:** September 28, 2005, 12:05:49 am »

Just out of curiosity...Do any of these units play ogm or mkv files at all?

Xar256

MaximRecoil · « **Reply #20 on:** September 28, 2005, 01:58:33 am »

Quote from: JoyMonkey on September 26, 2005, 11:08:06 am

I got the DVP642 last week and it's going okay. I say 'okay' because I've been playing xvid files on it and the picture quality is very poor. Files that look perfect when played on my XBox with XBMC show a lot of compression artifacts, especially in areas with subtle gradients or high contrast. Also, the picture appears to be made up of lots of vertical lines.
Does anyone else have these problems, or is it just my unit? Mine's got a 'May 2005' sticker on the back. Maybe I need to upgrade the firmware, but I can't find it anywhere???

I've heard of this problem before (though I don't have the problem with my own DVP642); but I can't remember what everyone said to do about it. A quick search turned up this:

Quote

The blocky X-Vid problem can be fixed by switching to Component cables OR changing video modes back and forth once the disc has started playing. I hope that Philips fixes this issue in a future firmware update.

And I found this in the search results but unfortunately, the link won't work:

Quote

Divxstation - Thread
... Philips DVP642/37, ... If you load a DivX or XviD disk and the video's colors are way
off and the video is really "pixelated," press the "system" key on the ...

LOL, not much help on that one but at least you know you have to start by pressing the system key...

Maybe this is the trick:

Quote

Actually, you can go to 38:15. Just press the Display button and enter 00:38:15. Also, sometimes I run into a file that looks sort of like a "mosaic" when I play it. The colors will be all messed up and the image is pixelated. I find that this can be easily fixed by pressing the System Menu button and select Exit Setup. Then, the file plays fine. You just have to do this each time you play a file like this. Overall, a wonderful player and a great deal!!

And here is another one:

Quote

The next time that you play an AVI that looks pixelated try pushing

the system button twice on your remote and see if you don't notice a
difference in how your Philips 642 plays those AVI's.

That's a few things to try anyway.

SOAPboy · « **Reply #21 on:** September 28, 2005, 04:37:34 am »

Quick tip for KVCDs, and other "odd" videos

If the audio seems out of sync, pause it for 15 seconds, press play.. should sync it back up

mr.Curmudgeon · « **Reply #22 on:** December 09, 2005, 11:53:16 am »

Christmas nears, and I still haven't decided on a player yet for my home, but I stumbled across one of these (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7048713&type=product&id=1107957009599) at BestBuy the other day. (LG LDA-511) Wonder if anyone has any experience with it?

I've done some research on the web and it seems like it's pretty solid, plays everything people can throw at it (Xvid, DiVX, etc), has 1080i Upconversion and HDMI Output, front 7-in-2 media card reader (really nice bonus feature), front-loading DVD-slot (like a car stereo), and can be easily region-free hacked (link).

Only thing I want to confirm is whether it has updateable firmware. But at first review it seems like the best option for the money, am I missing something?

mrC

ChadTower · « **Reply #23 on:** December 09, 2005, 11:55:23 am »

Stop researching and buy the damn thing. By the time you're done with your 12 month research period, new formats will have come out and you're behind the 8 ball again.

mr.Curmudgeon · « **Reply #24 on:** December 09, 2005, 01:03:12 pm »

Quote from: ChadTower on December 09, 2005, 11:55:23 am

Stop researching and buy the damn thing. By the time you're done with your 12 month research period, new formats will have come out and you're behind the 8 ball again.

I haven't reasearched this every day since the thread started. I was only reminded of my desire for a new player when I ran across this one at BB. I'll admit that I really do have a "research addiction", but this time, it wasn't involved.

mrC

mr.Curmudgeon · « **Reply #25 on:** December 09, 2005, 01:06:02 pm »

And for those you you following this thread (?)... I just ran across another *unlisted* feature for the LG, "built in NTSC/PAL conversion".

mrC

ChadTower · « **Reply #26 on:** December 09, 2005, 01:07:59 pm »

Quote from: mr.Curmudgeon on December 09, 2005, 01:06:02 pm

And for those you you following this thread (?)... I just ran across another *unlisted* feature for the LG, "built in NTSC/PAL conversion".

Most newish DVD players have this, actually, that's why it doesn't get listed.

mr.Curmudgeon · « **Reply #27 on:** December 09, 2005, 01:10:18 pm »

Did not know that. Cool. It's been a pain in the ass converting PAL discs...it'll be nice not to have to do that anymore.

mrC

ChadTower · « **Reply #28 on:** December 09, 2005, 01:12:20 pm »

May as well note, though, that not all DVD players have it enabled by default. Often it is a hidden activation via the remote. It's so that they can use the same firmware for here and Europe.

Patent Doc · « **Reply #29 on:** December 09, 2005, 08:13:01 pm »

I ran across a review of one by Oppo Digital. I know it sounds like a "no name" brand, but the player is awesome. OPPO OPDV971H. It was rated just below the Denon top of the line player by a couple of sites. It is region free, does PAL/NTSC conversion, has DVI output, and great hardware under the top. The customer support is awesome. I've had mine 3mos and I love it. Just $200 US. The also have firmware updates periodically that you can download from there website. Check it out.

http://www.oppodigital.com/

Patent Doc

Scott84 · « **Reply #30 on:** December 09, 2005, 09:35:49 pm »

Phillips has a fairly good model. its on bestbuy.ca and futureshop.ca

Not sure where it is in the us of a.


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