Features (zoom), decent sound

Quality, quality, quality, and customer service

Overall I like the machine quite well, with a few significant problems - the drive mechanism can actually be heard during playback, even during a normal-volume passage in a movie. The firmware required an upgrade (free, you pay for shipping) to play some dual-layer discs, which was annoying. In addition, and most importantly, Onkyo shipped a defective product - I''ve finally picked up a TV that can accept component video input and have found that my component video output does not work properly. Onkyo has refused to repair their mistake - shipping the unit in the first place. With the other quality problems I''ve had with other Onkyo units recently and with the poor customer service I received when speaking with them, I''ve only got one guarantee - that I''ll never buy an Onkyo product again. They seem to have shifted their focus from quality to quantity and now produce what I perceive to be an inferior product marketed to a lower-end consumer. Save your money on Onkyo products (especially video - go Sony at the least, but not Onkyo) and buy Denon or Marantz.

Similar Products Used:

TS-DX747, Denon DCM 370, M&K, etc. Sony DVD line

Great picture quality, excellent sounds, many extra features (ie. variable zoom, multi-angle, etc.), excellent when used as CD player

Remote lacks backlighting and is rather dull in design

I have owned this great piece of equipment for a little over a month and I have to say that it has exceeded all my expectations. I also own a Pioneer DV-500 and in my opinion, the DV-S717 supplies a much better sound quality. Picture quality is supurb and the Onkyo unit supplies many extra features for you "button pushers" out there. The only negative is the remote lacks any ingenious design characteristics. Fortunately enough, my universal remote can be upgraded for compatibility with the unit. All in all, the Onkyo DV-S717 is a great addition to any home theater.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer DV-500

Great sound when compared to my previous unit. I love the variablezoom feature as I could watch lettebox movies in full screen without
much loss of picture quality. and the component video outputs. But the greatest
feature I like is that I could operate all the functions of the unit without the use of the remote control.

While I would love to give a glowing review of this DVD player, I've discovered that it fails in one significant area --- particularly for owners here in Canada. Overall, it's a solid and well made player with a design that is extremely pleasing to the eye. Sound quality is exceptional and it comes feature packed as you would expect from a player of this calibre. From a hardware point of view, the only improvement I see would be if Onkyo had provided an illuminated remote for those occasions where you have the lights turned down low or completely turned off. Maybe they'll address this issue with their next DVD player. However, this issue isn't the the one that bothers me. Recently, I discovered that this player was unable to play a certain DVD (the "Alien" 20th anniversary edition DVD to be specific). I later learned that the Onkyo DV-S717 uses a Toshiba delivery system and there is an incompatibility with some Toshiba systems and the playing of the above mentioned film. Had I purchased a pure Toshiba system, I could have visited a local Toshiba service centre and had the software on the DVD player upgraded. Unfortunately, this is not the case with the Onkyo player as there are no Onkyo service centres in Canada and Toshiba won't service a player that isn't entirely their own. I currently have my retailer looking into how I can have the software upgraded so that I can finally view "Alien" but there have been no developments so far. This glitch has left a slightly sour taste in my mouth for the Onkyo DS-V717. So, while it's a GOOD player, it's not a GREAT player ... at least for now.

picture and sound quality are exceptional.

don't mind the remote design but the failure to play certain movies is a huge disappointment.

i have discovered that it is unable to play certain movies. Alien,The Three Kings and The Perfect Storm to name a few. Imagine trying to explain to the store of purchase that your DVD player does not play the purchased movie after they easily play it in several of there own machines. I now think twice before buying movies and am searching for the software upgrage that is needed to rectify this problem.