Introduction Since its spectacular debut in the mid-1990’s, the price of DVD players have steadily dropped while the quality and features that these players provide have continued to amaze even jaded AV enthusiast. With home theater sales booming like never before as movie-lovers discover the joy of bringing the theatrical experience into the comfort of their home, manufacturers are offering more and more high quality options for the most discerning consumers. The Kenwood DV-5700 is a perfect example being a five-disc DVD-Video/Audio player that comes with key features including 5.1 analog audio outputs for playing discs encoded with the exceptional DVD-Audio format and a progressive scan output for sets that can accept this superior video source. The DV-5700 comes in black and measures 17-5/16 inches wide, five inches tall, and 16-1/8 inches deep, with a retail price of $1,500. To start, DVD Audio is a high-resolution multi-channel capable audio format currently entangled in a format war ...

Introduction The Philips SACD1000 is a multi-channel Super Audio CD player that also plays both PAL and NTSC DVD-Video discs (but note it is not multi-region), CDs, Video CDs and even CD-Rs, but not, strangely, DTS CDs. The SACD1000 retails for $2,000. About Super Audio CD SACD is a development by Sony and Philips as a successor to the Compact Disc (and competitor to DVD-Audio), but the two companies have taken a very different attitude to delivering high-quality audio. Sony was first out of the gate, but their players were stereo-only and very expensive, aimed at an allegedly still-existent stereo audiophile market in Japan that has all but disappeared elsewhere. Philips, on the other hand, has been adamant that their players would offer multichannel capability from the start: this worthy decision unfortunately delaying availability of machines for a while. Following on from the Sony preference for stereo, the vast majority of releases of SACD software have also been ...

Introduction The DV-38A is Pioneer’s eagerly anticipated top of the line progressive video DVD player. The DV-38A retails for $2,000, is THX Ultra Certified and supports both DVD-Video and DVD-Audio formats. With all of the hype of new formats swirling in the audio/video magazines, the DV-38A arrives just in time for those looking for an upgrade in sound and picture. Upon unpacking the DV-38A, I found it to be finished in the traditional Pioneer Elite manner, with a polished black face with gold details and attractively finished wood side panels. The face plate, in addition to the drawer assembly, contains a small number of indicator lights, including one that has a cool blue light for illumination, and minimal operating controls. This give the unit an attractively clean, functional look. The DV-38A weighs in at a fairly hefty 22 pounds. The construction of the unit is very solid, utlizing a triple-layered chassis and three chambers to isolate the ...

Introduction DVD-Audio is the most hyped new technology in audio since the compact disc. Now Kenwood is out with one of the first DVD-Audio/DVD-Video players on the market with the $1,000 DV4070. The DV4070 is a five-disc changer that will play nearly all of the media on the market right now including compact discs, CD-Video, DVD-Video and the new DVD-Audio format. However, it will not play DVD-Audio’s competing format, SACD. Like most changers, the DV4070 comes equipped with all of the bells and whistles that you’d expect from a mass market DVD player. These include instant access to the disc tray while a disc is spinning, a slick on-screen interface, an ergonomically correct remote and even a headphone jack for late-night sessions. The DV4070 is the standard 17 inches wide and will fit on a shelf in a rack-mounted system. About DVD-Audio The DVD-Audio format is specifically designed to utilize the large-scale storage capacity of ...

Introduction The Camelot Technology Roundtable is a progressive output DVD player designed for the true audio and video enthusiast who appreciates cutting-edge gadgetry and is willing to invest in a high-performance front end for their music and theater system. The $3,999 Roundtable is a progressive scan DVD player packed with all of Camelot Technology's best tricks, including an internal digital line doubler, 24/96 up-conversion, Camelot's Dragon 5.1 jitter reduction for 5.1 AC3, DTS and other digital formats, Camelot's powered S-Video cable technology and more. The concept behind the Camelot Roundtable was to build a DVD player for the enthusiast who has a mid-to-high-end audio system and a video system that includes a TV that can accept progressive inputs. The Camelot is designed around a Panasonic A-110 DVD player with a highly modified, heavy-duty chassis that measures 17 inches wide, 12 inches deep and three-and-a-half inches high. The Roundtable has all sorts of output options, including coax for ...