Philips DVP 762 vs Pioneer 470

Hi,

As a first-time DVD player purchaser, I've done some research and have decided to get a DivX compatible player. The short list includes the Pioneer 470, which I have heard good things about, and the Philips DVP 762, which I understand has good specs but I've yet to read any opinions on. Anyone use or have the Philips?

I was toying with the idea of the Toshiba SD340, but I heard that this won't read 750mb/80 min CD-Rs, which puts me off somewhat. Is this right?

Your opinions would be much appreciated!

[oxygenuk]

does the dvp762 have on board dd/dts decoding?

[pinkprobegt]

I'm more than happy with my DV-470. Burnt various stuff on DVD as divx too and it's happy with them. Plays them better than my old Showcenter ever did !

[Scooby Doo]

Hi, yes I am also considering the Philips DVP630/662, Pioneer DV-470/575 and Toshiba SD-340E.

The Pioneers look favorites but I'm a little concerned as the manual states that they don't play multisession CD/DVDs. The Toshiba gets good reviews from the magazines but users are not so consistently fclear. The 650MB CD limit for example.

The dark horse is the new Philips DVP762. This probably has the Mediatek chipset rather than the ESS that the DVP630 has. Some say that the DVD PQ on the 630 isn't upto scratch.

I just want to be able to replace my Toshiba SD-100E (very good DVD PQ) and my Yamada 6100 (Divx, Jpeg, MP3 etc) with one all round unit.

Can anybody confirm the Pioneer multisession issue? Many thanks.

Oxygen - having read the spec sheet for the Philips 762, it does support Dolby and DTS, but doesn't seem to have its own decoder on board.

Scoobs - glad I'm not the only one facing this quandary! 'Dark horse' probably is the best description for the 762, since I've yet to read any opinions on it at all. Like yourself, I'm wary of the 630's PQ, but do like the fact that the Philips can be made region free pretty easily. Mixed user reviews of the Toshiba are a bit frustrating, though - since most discs these days are 750mb, it sort of negates the DivX functionality, to my thinking.

[Indiana Jones]

I have only had my Pioneer DV470 since Friday but it has so far been an excellent player and has played back everything I have thrown at it including a DVD-RW, just wish I knew how to get it to ouput my R1/3 DVDs as PAL60hz as I am told it can do it but after many hours of playing around I can only get PAL50hz or NTSC60hz.

[Scooby Doo]

Indianna

It does look like the Pioneers provide an excellent picture (as does the Toshiba, not sure about the Philips yet). It's the compatibility with all the various disk types CD-R/RW, DVD+-/RW as well as the formats divx, jpeg mp3/wma that's as important to me as the PQ.

Do you happen to have a finalised multisession CD containing either jpegs or mp3s that you could try in your DV-470. If so does it read all the sessions?

Many thanks.

[Indiana Jones]

Afraid I dont as the software I use to burn discs doesnt have a multisession function as far as I can tell but I really have no need for multisession, I just burn what I want to watch now and keep it stored on the computer and when I have enough files to fill a whole DVD I burn them all.

Well, I took the plunge and went for the DVP 762 in the end, and after a few hours of playing around with it, I'm pretty happy. It's a pretty large unit (very slim, but 30cm odd deep), but pretty well built and looks good in my opinion, without trying to be too flashy. It was a piece of cake to make region-free, and having tried out The Two Towers region 3 and a few other discs, I can say that it's been no problem. The PQ is good, in my opinion: certainly thrashes my bro's old Aiwa (as I'd expect) and is better than a few Panasonics I've seen recently. Forms are sharp and well-defined, colours are good (inc. blacks) and there's been no sign of stuttering or jerkiness. Sound is good, too, though I have yet to hook it through my amp. The machine itself is pretty quiet once in operation, too.

The digital card reader also works a treat, as well. It could be quicker loading images, but the pics it displays are faithfully rendered and the slideshow is good. Sadly for me, I use xD picture cards which is the only main type it doesn't accept, but a little Smart Media Adapter I got for a few quid soon fixed that.

Overall, I'd say it's a good purchase for £70 and would give it 8 or 9 out of 10 so far.

[Scooby Doo]

Hi Honty what made you go for the Philips player as opposed to the Toshiba or Pioneer models in the end? Don't suppose you found any direct comparisons/reviews?

Have you tried all sorts of Divx/Xvid files?

Many thanks.

[bonzobanana]

I bet the main pcb on these 3 models is basically the same. The variation will be the psu, dvd loader/drive, display and case. The mediatek 1389 is such an integrated chip that I can't see how actual picture performance can vary that much. Concentrate on which one has the best fitted drive and support and you'll probably make the right choice. I have absolutely no idea which one has the best dvd drive or which Company will provide the best support though.

Originally Posted by Scooby Doo

Hi Honty what made you go for the Philips player as opposed to the Toshiba or Pioneer models in the end? Don't suppose you found any direct comparisons/reviews?

Have you tried all sorts of Divx/Xvid files?

Many thanks.

Well, to be honest Scoobs, it was a combination of arbitrary factors and a bit of blind faith.

There were a few reviews on Amazon that rated the player 5 stars, and with a bit more looking around on the web, I couldn't find anyone with a bad word (not saying it's perfect, but there have been questions raised over the Tosh 340). Plus, Philips machines such as the 720SA and the DVP630 both seem to have very good compatibility - however, yet to really put my places through its paces on that front, I must admit.

As Bonzobanana said, they likely all run the same chipset, but I've heard from several sources that Philips are quite sharp with this firmware updates. Finally, the Philips is European designed and built (in Hungary, of all places!), and there seems to be some question marks over the Chinese design and build of the Tosh and Pioneer.

The final temptation was the fact that Amazon had the 762 for only 70 notes, which is a good deal cheaper than the other shops stocking it (@ £40 less), and about £20 cheaper than the Pioneer, which was probably my preference over the Tosh - something of a bargain, I reasoned.

I think it really is a case of choosing which alternative you want from the 3 players, but I'm very happy with the Philips and the card reader is a bonus.

I have philips 762/02 for about four days. I can say that is quite good. About 80% films that I have watched there was no problem (the picture was quite good). Two films (Troy and Terminal) had problem with running (I mean picture). The picture wasn´t running normal, the picture was sticking. One film (Tourqe) was completely stuck.
Anyone know for firmware for this philips?

[flipside]

For philips updates check on on http://www.p4c.philips.com/cgi-bin/d...ct_selector.pl

[Razor]

Can the philips play DVD-R and DVD-RW?