Great picture quality, great sound, great build, plenty of outputs, also a verry fine cd player!.Reads perfectly scratct dvd's an cd's!!

Indeed verry slow loading time with audio cd's!!. With some DVD's and CD's you hear a lot of "wow and flutter" noisse comming out of the player as if the disc isnt playing in center?.

The JVC XV521BK is a great player for its price!. I bought this player to watch movies and concerts, and i like the look of this unit.For this use it is an top player, but there are futures on this player that i think no one will use!?. I own a high-end cd player, but this machine does a good job beating it!. The sound quality is verry good with lots of details. So i use the JVC as an audio cd player as wel, and it wouldent dissapoint me whit his soundstage!!. I'm thingking of selling my high-end Marantz cd player and use only this JVC DVD/CD player for all my audio cd's.Sometimes the sound of drums are harder then played on the Marantz cd player, but then the JVC has an more open and cleaner treble and midrange soundstage and that is what i like. Overal an good and verry neat piece of equipment from JVC of China. I think thats why the price is so scharp!, from Japan would be more expensive. Friendly greatings , Michél

Similar Products Used:

None myself, but my friend has an Philips DVD and this one has a problem with reading scratcht dvd's an cd's!.

fine video quality -- component vid/composite/svideo

audio dropout

This is the first time I've purchased a DVD player and although it appeared to play perfectly well, I began to notice some random audio dropout problems. At first I thought it was my receiver (Kenwood VR-407) but it appears to be the player.

I've spent a lot of time trying to pin down the problem so hopefully this review will be helpful for others who have run into the same thing.

Audio dropout problem occurs randomly and with any # of audio channels on the dvd.. so DD 2.0/5.1/DTS.. the problem will occur in any of those as long as you use an optical or coax cable. Problem does not appear to occur when using RCA stereo jacks. Audio dropout problem is best reproducible if you repeat the track over and over again by hitting the previous track button on your remote. (Hint: try to find a chapter that has audio right at the beginning to make it easier). From my observations, if you can do about 20 repeats without audio dropouts, you're fine :)

Sometimes noticeable if running audio tests (e.g. Optimode on T2:UE) as the disc changes tracks every second to test the audio for each individual speaker. Dropouts will result in no sound (for no apparent reason).

Performance, media compatability, construction, features, price!

None in this price range

I am extremely happy with this, my first DVD player. I needed certain features (CD-R/RW reading, component out, coax and optical out, DD and DTS compatability), and only this player and the Pioneer 333 provided them in the price range I wanted to pay (about $350 Can max - I got it for $330 Can). I went with this one because the Pioneer lacked the fun zoom feature, and because the JVC unit just feels much sturdier and better built.

Performance is excellent, with great picture and sound quality. It works with all media I've tried, Maxell CDR and 2 brands of CDRW without a glitch, and played a VCD burned to CDRW without a hitch. (great fun!)

My only complaint is the remote, which is poorly laid out, but I use my universal anyway. The scan buttons should NOT require 2 buttons to run, and the arrow/enter keys are terribly laid out.

I do have occasional sound dropouts when jumping around a lot in a movie (maybe 1 time in 10), but I'm suspicious it's my Kenwood VR-410 receiver's fault. The only other reports I've heard of of this on usenet with this player also happened with Kenwood receivers. It's a minor annoyance at worst, corrected by switching to another sound source and back. There have never been sound problems just playing a movie right though.

Of course there are better players out there, but unless you need built-in DD/DTS decoding, progressive scan output, or the absolute best performance money can buy ($1000+ players), then you realy don't need to spend more than this, IMHO. This unit is a GREAT buy, and has all the features most users need.

* Also, please note: If you are thinking about this player, also check out the reviews for the JVC XV-523GD , which is exactly the same player, but sold in the US with a different color finish. Reviews for it are mostly very positive, though the review score is skewed thanks to a couple of "1" scores from people who had defective refurbished units, or even ones that sound like they were damaged AFTER they were bought. (Come on people, get a clue...)

Similar Products Used:

None. Compared to Pioneer DV-333 before purchase.

Great picture quality, great sound, quiet, fast loading times, lots of output options

Layer changes are not seamless, odd design of the remote

I bought this player after a couple months of reading and trying mid-range DVD player from virtually every major company (except sony because they're way to expensive). After selecting the Pioneer 525, Toshiba 2109, this JVC and a mulidisc Hitachi (all priced within $20 Canadian of each other), I tried all of them side-by-side at a local Hifi shop. I chose the Jvc as the best because it had no compatibility issues with known problem DVDs, had every type of output that I could want (composite, optical and coaxial digital sound out, composite, s-video and component video out, support for DTS)and picture quality that matches the Pioneer 525. I was then able to find the player for $50 less at FutureShop, and my mind was made up (as for the local shop, after buying all my cables, receiver, speakers and cd player there, I dont feel too sorry for them). Since then, I have wathced numerous DVDs, multi-layered, seamless branching, stereo and Dolby Digital sound, and tried many of the most incompatible DVDs and found few flaws. My only quams are the half-second pause at layer changes (though seamless branching is perfect) and the remote's enter and title buttons should trade places (many mistakes even after a few months can be made in a darkened room). All I can say is bravo JVC for making an excellent inexpensive player!

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer 525, Toshiba 2109

Ease of use, great picture, easy to hook up, many new functions.

Remote control, lag start and scan times.

This system is great for the price point for any entry level audio enthusiasts. I found the unit easy to hook up, and very user friendly to use. The finishing is great and the player is constructed very well. I have watched many movies so far and the picture quality is great. My unit is also hooked up to a Pioneer Elite Reciever with surround sound speakers and it delivers an astounding experience.

The only weaknesses with this model, is that it has some lag times when starting a movie and when scanning through the frames of a movie. As well, the remote buttons are poorly placed.

In total, this unit is of very good quality and will deliver an excellent experience for those entering the market and who want something that will last for at least
a few years. For those with a better quality system, you may want to spend more money and go with a sony built dvd.

Similar Products Used:

Entry level Toshiba, Hitachi models

This is a very attractive/stylish looking player, my friend with a toshiba would disagree just because it is "thicker", believe me it looks nicer then the smaller Toshibas and probably every other player out there. It plays VCD/CDR/CDRW, to me that is a big strength. It has excellent picture and sound (I believe the sound is better than others out there in the same class). For those that want the optical digital output it has that along with coaxial so you're set in that department. The fast search speeds are great going right up to 60x which is awesome! I even like the remote even though i've read all the complaints, believe me it doesn't take a rocket scientist to get used to using a shift button and it's not complicated.

The weaknesses I can think of after taking back a toshiba sd1600 for this is that it doesn't have "time remain" for dvd movies only cd audio, it only has 1 zoom mode which is 4x (i liked the toshiba's options of going 2 inbetween first because you could make the usual widescreen a little bit bigger without stretching the picture). The jog shuttle should be on the remote like my JVC vhs player had, who goes up to the player to scan forward/backward on a movie NOT ME! There is a bit of lag in menu's but it's so minor it shouldn't really bother anyone unelss you are a very very picky person. Believe me when all is said and done this is the best player for the price i've compared everyone of them out there it is a great dvd/vcd player.

I have a friend that has had this model for over a year now and he has had no glitches/problems with any movies. Whatever you see here don't believe it because this player is top notch as far as durabillity.

I did hear by someone on here that it screws up with the movie XMEN with video and sound problems. I can assure you that this is FALSE because I rented XMEN before making this review and it was badly scratched and smudged and I didn't have one video/sound glitch in the whole movie!! :)

Buy the best you deserve it, buy this wonderful JVC product today!! :)

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba sd1600

Quick loading times...
Easy to use multifuction remote..
Great compatability... for sound and video..
Hey Its JVC ... Need I say more...

single disc...
Plain screen saver..

JVC is great...

This product has great load times..(Quick)
Was compatible with all my audio equipment (Jvc and non Jvc)
Was great and easy to use and get started...

The remote and its features shined through..
I was very pleased with its multi functions...
Definetly worth checking out if your in the market...
Very compatilbe price wise as well...

So Check it out..

Would I recommend it to a friend?
Definetly....!!!

Great picture and sound. Easy to use.

Remote Control, a little slower loading times but nothing drastic.

This was my first DVD player and was very satisfied with its features and quality. I just won a Sony DVD player and the picture looks better on the JVC. The sound is crisper as well. AS for the remote control, the placement of some of the buttons is not logical. However, a great DVD player all around.

Similar Products Used:

Sony DVP-S360

Overal Picture Quality, Reads CD-R, Features

Remote, Not all of them work!

I will not go into all the pluses and minus of this product as others have summed it up well.
However, I do believe there is a quality problem with these that has been referenced by a few people.
After two months, my unit started skipping and pausing during certain parts of DVDs. After some investigation, I discovered that the unit had problems with the inner part of disks. Depending on the layout of a DVD and whether it is dual layered or not, the problem cccurs repeatedly on certain chapters.
After sending it back to JVC for 3 weeks, it came back exactly the same, so the store I bought it from allowed me to select another DVD player. Given that I wanted CD-R capability, I had no choice but the JVC723GD, which is the same thing in gold. This one seems to work fine, so it is not a design defect but a manufacturing problem. Time will tell, but I suspect if your unit is ok it will stay that way.
Now that I can compare with the new player, I see that the problem is not skipping, but that the time index is screwed up. On the bad player, the problem occurred at 43 minutes into Tarzan. On the new player, 43 minutes was a completely different scene! The bad scene was actuall at 39 minutes, but played flawlessly on the new player. It is no wonder the other one got confused and kept trying to track, it was ready the index wrong!

Anyway, be aware that if you machine is acting up like this, take it back right away and do not let JVC do "pickup adjustments". Get a replacement unit!

Similar Products Used:

JVC523GD

Great picture, Fantastic sound quality. Easy to navigate OSD, Loads of hook up options. Well laid out faceplate. Sharp looking machine

Remote. It has the features but is a little cumbersome. I hate shift buttons. It would have been nice to have the enter button between the arrow buttons.

This DVD player is tops in its price class. Yes there are better and there are worse, but bang for your buck it has the goods. The apex that I had before was feature packed but lacked the fit and finish of the JVC

I would recommend this unit for anyone that wants a quality product for a good price.

Similar Products Used:

APEX 600-A, Pioneer 333(I think)