“12 Gizmos of Christmas”: #6 – DVD Players

In case you’re wondering why we decided to give DVD Players and DVD Recorders their own categories, just take a look at the difference in prices. And of course, there is the major feature difference too! It is so cool how much prices have come down in so little time on DVD Players. Only 2 years ago, you could be looking at 3 times the price and no progressive scan either!

First on the list is the very sleek Philips DVP642 DivX-Certified Progressive-Scan DVD Player.

Tap into multimedia fun with Philips’ broad-format, high-style, and ultra-slim DVP642 DVD player. The DVP642 is not only a high-end progressive-scan DVD player equipped to offer scintillating images on high-definition and HD-ready TVs, it’s a tech-savvy player that spins your MP3- and JPEG-encoded recordable CDs (as well as Kodak’s and Fuji’s variants of the same) and CDs loaded with MPEG-4 and DivX video (3.11, 4.x, and 5.x files), perfect for viewing Internet-sourced content in your home theater. Want more? The player also converts Region 1/All Region PAL-formatted discs (the video standard in Europe) for viewing on standard NTSC televisions (and vice-versa, if only for video CDs).

Whether your living room is currently home to an HDTV or you’re merely thinking of “someday,” the DVP642 stands ready to deliver the full potential of your DVDs. Progressive scanning, referred to as 480p for the number of horizontal lines that compose the video image, creates a picture using twice the scan lines of a conventional DVD picture, giving you higher resolution and sharper images while eliminating nearly all motion artifacts.

Next up is the Panasonic DVD-S47S Progressive Scan DVD Player. Another slim player with a remote only a geek could love!

The stylish, powerful–yet affordable–Panasonic DVD-S47S single-disc progressive-scan DVD player offers multiformat disc compatibility, enhanced virtual surround sound, as well as built-in decoding for Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound, and a slim profile of just over 2 inches high.

The DVD-S47S plays a variety of audio and video disc formats, including DVD-Audio (two-channel), DVD-Video, DVD-RAM, DVD-R, video CD, audio CD, and CD-R/RW. DVD-Audio discs, the new standard for super high-fidelity sound, provide multiple channel stereo, incredible storage capacity, and unique bonus materials not available on regular audio CDs. This player is also compatible with MP3 and WMA audio files and JPEG image files.

And for the same price as the Panasonic, you can check out the Sony DVP-NS575P/B Progressive Scan DVD Player which comes in the very stylish black.

Sony’s amazingly affordable and feature-rich DVP-NS575P/B DVD player is everything a budget-savvy music and movie lover could ask for. The progressive-scan DVP-NS575P/B plays just about any disc out there–including DVD-Video, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, and DVD+RW–as well as spins your digital photos and MP3 files burned to CD-R/CD-RW discs. It will also play discs recorded in the DVD-VR format (which grants more flexible recording and editing options than do standard DVD-RW/+RW or DVD-RAM formats).

Whether your living room is currently home to an HDTV or you’re merely thinking of “someday,” the DVP-NS575P/B stands ready to deliver the full potential of your DVDs through its Precision Cinema Progressive (PCP) output and 3:2 pulldown processing. Progressive scanning, referred to as 480p for the number of horizontal lines that compose the video image, creates a picture using twice the scan lines of a conventional DVD picture, giving you higher resolution and sharper images while eliminating nearly all motion artifacts.

Please comment on our choices for the most wanted DVD Players and make sure you check back tomorrow to see our three picks for Portable CD Players!

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