Jul 08, 2004 10:59 AM
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(Updated Jul 08, 2004 10:59 AM)
I bought the 727K sometime in Nov 2003 at Bangalore. I selected the 727K after comparing the feature set of most of the DVD players available in the market. Before I bought it I played a DVD (on the same TV) via the Sony (do not remember the model number) (Rs 12.5K), Onkyo DV-SP500 (Rs 16K) and Philips 727K (Rs 8K).
Surprisingly Sony's video quality was the worst. The Onkyo's sound and video was better than the Philips one. As the cost was half and also this had more features, I got the Philips one itself! (Sorry my mistake!)
Issue 1: Once I got it home, I connected it to my Onkyo receiver (SR500). I used the coaxial digital out of the 727K to connect to the Onkyo receiver. The Audio CDs, DVDs, and MP3 CDs play fine. When I tried VCDs (any and all VCDs), the 727K DOES NOT output sound on the coaxial digital output in the native MPEG-1 layer 2 format (this is the native format of the VCD audio). So nothing is heard! Once I set the 727 to output PCM stream it plays fine (or if I use the analog L/R audio out).
The other DVD players like the Onkyo DVD players worked fine. When I called the Philips service guys they claim that VCDs are analog audio hence does not play from the digital output! Pretty dumb guys! Even the area head claimed the same. After lot of coaxing they came over to my house and I showed them books which proved that VCD is a digital media but they did not care and even now claim that VCD is analog and hence cannot play via digital out! Its a pain to use the analog out just for VCDs while the digital out is of superior quality and should have worked!
Issue 2: The karaoke is also of inferior quality. It needs a high gain mic, ordinary mic?s signal output is too low for the 727K's use. Again the service guys do not acknowledge this and give some BS answer!
I did not find any big difference between 727K and other DVD player wrt playing scratched DVDs.
Also a good feature to have been present in 727K would be: To allow the user to switch between progressive scan video mode and the interlaced vide mode without needing the progressive scan compatible display device to be ON, i.e., direct switch without viewing thru the menu options (there is hack to do this though).
