Sleek looks
Awesome video output
versatility

clumsy controls
wont read scratched CDs that well

I bought this for 140$, at this price point it is really a good deal. i like its sleek aluminium brushed front panel, making it look like a 300$+ dvd player. video quality wise it is excellent, outputting clear and detailed pictures. also one of the player's great strengths is its ability to play CD/VCD/CD-R. the units buttons arent that sensitive to the control however, Often taking a long time to respond to the inputs( ~ 2 sec) and i wish the reading time would be a little faster, otherwise i am very happy with this product, highly recommended

Unexpected great quality. Amazing price. match with Sony WEGA TV.(Silver!)

Unknown long term reliability(No problem so far though)

This is a killer deal. The most bang for the buck, no question. I got it at $129 just for matching with Sony WEGA 24" in my bedroom, wow, it turned out to be better than my Sony dvp-s360 dvd player in the living room. I hope Konka make VCR like this. Since Fry's change its price frequently,
if you see this under $140, JUST GO GET IT. It has everything that $300 brand name dvd's offer. Only thing you have to worry about are 1. long term reliability 2. most of other components' remote don't know about this dvd.

Similar Products Used:

Sony DVP360

Crisp, clear, audio and video.

Remote layout could be much better.

After searching the web reviews, I decided to take the plunge for the $139.00 'move 'em out' offer at Fry's. To my delight, it's a fine performer. Looks as good as any I've seen displayed at any of the local retailers. The DD 5.1 seems right on target too. Big foot print? Yeah, it does seem like alot of box for a five inch disc. Excessive heat? Not my unit. Fuse problem? Mine is only a month old, so perhaps Konka addressed that issue at the factory. No, I didn't open the case and look for a 300ma fuse.
What can I say? The unit has met or exceeded my expectations so far. It's feature rich at its price point. So, unless you are anti-China for some reason, give it a go. Perhaps you'll be as delighted as I was.

Similar Products Used:

none. Hey, it's my first DVD player.

Price, brushed stainless case

Apparently, a fuse

I'm quite happy with my Konka. With the exception of the
fuse, all the reviews of this unit seem to be excellent.
This is in line with my experiences.

It's a good, solidly built unit. It loads fast enough, and
doesn't seem to have a problem with any of the DVD disks
that I have. The picture quality is exceedingly good. I
haven't been able to see a single artifact, even on the
James Bond movies.

Overall, I like it.

Similar Products Used:

none

Price

Price

Why is it we are so quick to accept shoddy design and workmanship? Read the reviews! You have users opening units and replacing and reconfiguring something Konka should have done.
Even Fry's got hosed on this one. How can you continue to sell a product that is eating your customer service time.
There's no profit in that!!!!!
Fry's here is advertising this unit as a generic no-name for $139.00. Guess they really want to move them out of stock!
Some may get lucky and not have any problems. That's the way it should be!!!!!
But the reviews don't prove it.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba

RCA, S-video, Digital output, Chapter skip, read VCD,SVCD, you name it.

Fuse problem (mine is fine till now),Too heavy, Loads CD slow. Small LCD.

I bought the tank and then see the posts here about the fuse, I was very worried. Posted on Konka's customer feedback BBS, (the english version always crack my browser so have to get to the chinese page),posted my concerns and never expecting them to reply. I got my reply in 2 days and they appologized for using the 300MA fuse other than a 350MA one. They promised to fix me fuse for free if the problem occured. And they DID ask me about the address "www.consumerreview.com" where I got the bad reviews of Konka and they send me a separate thanks through E-mail after I forwarded them the address. That's a nice way to treat complaints I guss.
Now back to the unit. It plays great, chapter skip is great but the you need time to get accustomed to how buttons are located on the remote: the chapter forward, backward skip button and fast forward, fast backward are all on the left top corner which is really wierd. But once you get used to it, it is pretty easy. Picturewise, it is very clear. I think I made a good deal from its $149 price. Not bad, Konka.

Similar Products Used:

None

Very Low price, reasonable amount of features for the price and they work well.

It stops working, but it is easily fixed!

I do not own one but a friend bought one at Frys. His also stopped working after about a month so I took a look at it and found the problem. I took the cover off and under a small white plastic cover near the transformer, I found a fuse. The fuse is rated for 300mA which is very close to the normal operating current for the unit! Normally, when a fuse blows, it's indicative of another problem but this is just too low a value for the unit. I replaced it with a 500mA (1/2 Amp) and it works great. I'll keep in touch if other problems arise but so far so good.

Similar Products Used:

Sony DVP-S550, Sharp 650, Panasonic A110

Can play nearly anything...

The FUSE PROBLEM!!!

Well..this is an update to my earlier review....I finally got the fuse problem...any dvd's will just spin endlessly in the player and not play...no matter what dvd I try..it still does it..gonna call the warranty office tomorrow and see if I can get it returned...

Similar Products Used:

GE DVD that totally sucked and returned it..what was I thinking...

Price, Compatability, Reliable

No DTS (this model KD1800U), Angle caption, Remote Codes.

I purchased the KD-1800U after scouring the web for an affordable (sub 200.00) DVD player. The CSR's at 800.com were quite helpful in my decision, and gave me advice, live, on-line, at the time of purchse (no, I'm not paid by 800.com). The rep pointed me to a review from Sound and Vision Magazine which was quite informative, and as I later found myself, to be quite accurate (see URL below). Also important to my decision was the avaiability of digital out for the future addition of a surround receiver.

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/SoundAndVision/FrameSet/0,1670,_sl_SoundAndVision_sl_Article_sl_0_cm_1653_cm_111_2832_1_cm_00,00.html

The only thing that concerned me when reading the article was the hum he described. Even using the analog audio, I never experienced any hum during playback. I've since switched to digital COAX with the addition of my new Harman/Kardon AVR-110, and the sound is even better.

The fuse mentioned in the article, and in other reviews, has never been an issue for me.

I've always used the S-Video outputs, and have never experienced any artifacts, or noticeable pixelation. The picture is quite sharp. I have had occasion to use the analog RCA video out with decent results, still no artifacts, etc...

Overall, I'm VERY pleased with the purchase(value= 4 Stars) not a "Giant Killer". I would reserve that for perhaps a later model.

The weaknesses: (-1 Star)
1: No DTS (hasn't been a big issue, yet)
2: The angle caption shows up from time to time on certain
DVD's, but it will go away after a few minutes.
3: I have yet to find a universal (non-learning) remote
that will control this unit.

I contacted Konka USA for information about the "mystery codes" for use with a UR. Their response is as follows:

"Im sorry , but at this writing there are no codes for any Konka products, the universal remote companies who make the remotes for satellite, cable box, and all other types of universal remotes have been given our IR data and our remotes so they can have the info captured. They say about the end of April they will release to their vendors, thanks, Don Erwin CSM" (donalde@konkausa.com)

I'm not sure I'll wait for this, as I intend to purchase the Cinema 7 (URC-7800) universal learning remote to resolve this issue. I've read some impressive reviews for this remote.

Overall, this unit is a considerable value. I would like to have DTS, although I've yet to find out why. The only DVD I've got that has DTS (a bonus track), and NOT 5.1 is the Eagles - Hell Freezes Over, and my HK AVR110 does a fine job of creating ambience using the VMAX-M (HK proprietary) setting.

I'm not sure if this model is even available still, but I would watch Konka for a newer versions, perhaps that "Giant Killer" is just around the corner!

Similar Products Used:

None

Price, $129

Does not output DTS

It's a great player for the money. I had tons of problems with the Samsung, especially "The Matrix." It played all my DVDs, VCDs, CDs, self-made CD-Rs without a glitch. To make sure I don't have the "heat" problem, I left it playing in repeat mode on a demo DVD for a week, and it is still working. There is rumor that the first batch of this player has some unique features,
1. The power supply is defective, and it generates too much heat, and the fuse tend to blow easily.
2. The region is not locked.
3. Macrovision is not enabled.
The one I got is probably a "fixed" "first batch" from Konka, because it's not region locked, macrovision is disabled, and the power supply was obviously changed by someone who doesn't how to solder. The core chip in this player is a C-Cube ZiVA chip. The circuit board actually has output for RGB (component) outputs, you can get the RCA jacks and install them (at your own risk!!!)

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Samsung DVD Player