Video quality (interlaced - see below, do not yet have pscan TV) and audio quality on SACDs.

Button placement on the remote.

After many months of shopping around, I finally settled on this player. I had considered the Toshiba SD9200, Panasonic RP91, JVC SA70BK, and the Toshiba 4700 and 5700. I really wanted to "get my feet wet" in high resolution audio (more of an audio than video person, for the time being - upgrading TV within the next 6 months), so I had set my sights on the 9200. A bit of digging revealed that the 9200's video performance was not up to par and that it and the RP91 (which is touted as one of the best video performers) had aging chipsets (Genesis). I didn't want one of the cheaper hi-rez offerings in the JVC and the 47/5700, so those were out of the picture. I shied away from the Sony TA9000ES only since that it seemed its video performance wasn't up to par with it's price and it could only do two channel SACD (but it and the 9200 are gorgeous units).

When the 900 was released, a bit of research into the DVP700 (one of the newer pscan Sony offerings - no SACD and priced at $300) indicated that it was a pretty good performer. I found out that the video circuitry in the 900 was a new Sony chip design. Couple that with SACD, a decent build quality (the RP91, while in my crosshairs, didn't hit me well in "style points), it became my purchase.

Out of the box, it's built well (for the price, it should be decent). I've got it hooked up to a pretty good 27" ProScan, and when I first powered it up, it seemed "washed out", and I noticed the blacks were a lot brighter (automatically assumed since the TV was tweaked with the other two DVD players in my system [Video Essentals], that this would follow). After tweaked with the VE DVD, it came alive. One of the first things I have noticed is that the colors are much more vibrant - it seems the color decoder on this player is excellent. The second is that the picture is smooth and filmlike. On the Apex I noticed an overly large amount of "edge enhancement" (video "ringing"?) so it quite noticeable. It underlined the fact that you do "get what you pay for" - the Apex was an $80 machine. This machine has made me rediscover my DVD collection. I can't wait to see this thing one an upgraded set.

As for audio, SACDs are indeed WELL worth the hype. Playing SACDs thru an Aragon/B&K/KEF system was almost an epiphany. The air, detail, and SMOOTHNESS was almost scary. On regular CDs using the 900's own DACs, however, it wasn't up to snuff as sending a digital PCM data stream thru the Pre/Pro. There was a very slight loss of overall detail and the soundstage seemed to close up a tad. Don't know if the 900 uses its DACs in a different way while playing redbook (regular) CDs vice SACDs, but while still decent, could be easily improved by adding an outboard DAC.

The remote is great, but if you look at a picture of it (try Crutchfield), that darn jog wheel and nav joystick are closer to your thumb than the play/stop/pause/etc. buttons. Can I get used to it? Sure. But I'm not trained that way after years of using remotes with the play functions at your thumb. Small issue? Yep. But it had to be said.

In general, this player is well worth the money paid, even just considering it's video and audio performance without SACDs. With SACDs, it's a bargain. I have to rank it a notch lower overall due to the dearth of SACD titles out there.

If you're looking for a decent price with great service, give Ron a call or visit his website at The Sound Seller.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba 2107 (old and venerable), APEX AD-500 (gave me dts and served as a temp player while I shopped around for a new DVD player).

Progressive Scan Video, Audio, SACD, price for the features offered

remote takes a bit of getting use to, picture takes a bit of tweaking

I have owned the DVP-NS900V for over a month and do not have a complaint with the unit to date. I purchased 57” HDTV ready Sony TV in July with DVD watching in mind. Ever since I had been chomping at the bit to give Progressive Scan a try. I had also heard great things about SACD and finally decided on the DVP-NS900V to try out both features.

The first thing I noticed was the weight of the unit. It is a solid build. Not as much of a whale as its predecessor, the 9000ES, but a tank nonetheless. The face is attractive, and the back is an organized set of inputs and options.

VIDEO:

The video quality right after hookup was a bit of a disappointment, but after a bit of tweaking on the TV the picture came to life. While I must say the improvement from interlaced video was not as substantial as I anticipated, I later found out that the limitations were in my television rather than the DVD player. After about a week, I took the player over to my brother’s apartment and hooked it up to his newly purchased 36” Sony XBR 400. Wow…after side by side comparisons it was almost sickening to watch Shreck and Star Wars Episode I on his interlaced DVD player. The edges and flicker on Star Wars disappeared and Schrek was like looking through a window. It was as if a layer of film had been lifted off the TV screen. While taking it home to my TV was a bit disheartening, the rest of the features laid out below are going to be enough for me to hang on to the DVP-NS900V until I can afford a television with the picture quality I am looking for.

Another feature that I fell in love with is the player’s ability to correct flaws on the disks as it plays them. There was a scene on my copy of American Beauty that was practically unwatchable on my old DVD player. The problem went away when I watched the scene on the DVP-NS900V. In layman’s terms, like many current generation DVD players, the 900V stores so much output in memory before it sends the output to the TV. If there is interference from minor scratches or dirt on the disk, the player is able to “clean” the signal before it gets sent to the TV. While I’m sure the player won’t cure all the defects your disks may have developed, I have to say I was impressed with how it solved some of my problems.

AUDIO:

Here is where I’ve really gotten my kicks. The sound running through my home theater system from this thing is excellent. The base is recognizably tighter and the overall sound detail is superb. The kicker was when I watching the opening battle scene from Saving Private Ryan, a scene I practically have memorized from repetitive viewing, and jumped a couple of times from explosions running through the rear speakers. A real treat to say the least.

SACD:

While I have not played much with this, I can already tell this is something I will be getting into. The player comes with a sample SACD and the sound is much more lifelike and seems less “digital” than conventional CD (although regular CD’s sound pretty good on this thing too). The player has 5.1 outputs that can be used to fully utilize the SACD experience. The SACD output does not run through the digital audio out. In order to utilize the 5.1 sound that SACD has to offer, you will need a receiver with 5.1 inputs. While I have no other SACD player to compare this too, I must say the experience is highly recommended.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba 3109, PS2

DTS decoder, plays CDR and CDRW, SACD, video quality.

Average (or above average) CD audio quality.

I have european version of Sony DVPNS900V (multi region). I guess than compare to US version it doesn’t have progressive out, but I’m not shore about it. At least in Sony european webpage specifications it is marked with “no progressive out” and nothing about it said in manual. But anyway video quality is good. Fine thing for me was onboard DTS decoder also, because my preamp has only DD. About audio CD quality – not I was expecting. Compare to my old Denon DCD1550AR CD player sound is little bit foggy and unclear, not to possible define location of voices or instruments, average stereo image, but if to try using NS900V only as a CD transport then situation is going better.

On other hand – what do you want for DVD, SACD and CD combo in one box? If split this unit price (540$) to 3 parts for 3 separate players, than you could have almost nothing - like some LG or other low-end products with terrible sound or poor video. So a price and video/sound performance is excellent, but don’t sell out your old lovely CD player!

Other components what I’m use with Sony DVPNS900V:
Denon AVP-A1 (mod. 8000 in US) AV preamp
Denon POA-T3/T2 (mod. 8300/8200 in US) poweramp
Canton CT series speakers

Similar Products Used:

Philips DVDQ40

Picture quality-SACD!!!!-cool features-build quality

takes a while to get used to new remote

God, I love this machine! Upgraded from my 7000 to get DTS and progressive scan and I'm so happy i did. The picture quality is top notch and the tweaking that is available (though the PQ is so good you don't even need to!) is amazing. The remote is nice and slim, but I'm still getting used to that "scrolling" button thing, but in the end I'm sure I'll be happy with it. The thing that surprised me the most is the SACD though. I checked out the sampler CD that came with it and it was truly amazing! The clarity and seperation has to be heard to be believed. Highly recommended

Similar Products Used:

sony7000

Video quality,with dts,Dolby Digital decoders.SACD multichannel(awsome!),very good Cd quality for a DVD.It is pretty too.

No progresive scan(European version)And of course no DVD-A(but that is another story)

Well I read about this DVD in a magazine and I decided to buy it,that was a pretty good move.The video quality of this DVD is outstanding,it has so many capabilities(picture equalizer)that it needs hours and hours to find the ideal.It is 5.3kgrs(for a DVD is heavy)and the remote is new and pretty handy.The audio in the movie is detailed and rich.
Now the awsome part the SACD:it is absolutely amazing,it has detail,warm and ofcourse is MULTICHANNEL!You need really good hardware to feel the difference from a simple CD,but believe me it worth it.
Now the CD is very good and it does play CD-R CD-RW.
For so little money you buy a SACD,DVD,CD player the price is really good
My equipment:
B&W Nautilus 805 front
Condor(not know exactly model)rear
Roister Center
McIntosh 5 channel amp
DIY sub with 2 12inc cones
Qed silver Spiral cables

Picture & Sound Quality, advanced features, SACD playback

"Video Off" button on remote is in a bad spot (easy to hit inadvertantly)

Picture quality on this guy is very impressive, even without the major tweaking that you can do on this player. Features such as bookmarking, chapter/title/angle thumbnail display screens and settings memory for 200 discs are great features. Forward/reverse scanning and frame-stepping are the cleanest I've seen on any player. The new Sony remote is very cool with it's "Scroll Stick" selector and LCD screen, though I would've moved some button locations around. Excellent build quality with a solid feel to it. SACD playback is quite an experience, though software is a little limited at this time. Highly recommended and well worth the price!

Similar Products Used:

Sony DVP-S550
Proscan 6960
Pio DVL700

Build Quality, SACD playback, DVD Video playback, DTS decoding

Ergonomics, Digital output

I am more of an audiophile than a videophile, so this perspective is weighted more on the audio side.

The first thing I noticed when taking it out of the box is the build quality which is excellent and is on par with the price of the player. It is heavier than most DVD players and the fit and finish is excellent. Also, the RCA connectors on the back are all gold plated which is expected at this price point.

I bought this player mostly for the multichannel SACD playback, but also for some DVD enhancements such as DTS decoding, selection of the audio track with the highest number of channels (usually the Dolby Digital), and to be able to pass a 24/96 digital output to my MSB digital to analog convertor (DAC).

I had heard SACD before at some dealers in the area and was very impressed, but the dealers did not have the red book CD's to compare it to. When I connected the player in my system, the first thing I loaded was the Blood, Sweat, and Tears SACD. I compared the Spinning Wheel track to a CD version that I had. The CD was played back through a Sony XA1 CD player that passed a digital output to a MSB DAC (as mentioned before) with upsampling, so this set-up is as about as good as it gets with CD.

I was able to synchronize the playback on the two machines and was able to do an AB comparison because I could switch between the two inputs. After a switching between the sources a couple of times, I concluded that SACD blows away CD. The biggest difference between the two was in the clarity of the playback. Through SACD, I could hear every instrument individually just as if it were live. I could clearly hear the sticks hitting the cymbals. The timbre of the instruments were more realistic also mostly because of the added detail that the SACD contributed to hearing the decay of notes longer and in more detail.

Having experimented in the 70's with Quad sound, I was extremely skeptical of multichannel sound. However, after listening to the included sampler and to a multichannel Celine Dion SACD, I have concluded that a multichannel soundtrack does enhance the listening experience if done tastefully which both of the discs were.

Red book CD's sound very good through the players convertors, but not as good as through the MSB with upsampling. The upsampling eliminates all of the digital hardness and makes everything sound more natural.

I initially hooked up the coax digital output to my MSB and got excellent results. However, the digital output must be muted every time the disc drawer opens, closes, and when playback begins. The player must be determining what kind of disc is in the drawer, but I can not tell why it does this when removing the disc. The digital output is muted for SACD playback. The bottom line of all of this is that the MSB relocked onto the digital signal 3 times for evey disk put in and taken out. This was annoying since it caused a pop through the speakers which was the fault of the MSB and not the Sony. So, I disconnected the digit out to the MSB, but I will use it if I can get ahold of a 24/96 DVD disc (not DVD audio).

The video side was also excellent and was comparable to my old Toshiba 3006 which was a first generation player. I am using the S video connection which is the limit of the capabilites of my TV. Therefore, I can not comment on the progressive scan (which is a shame). I also liked the video equalizer which changed contrasts. I am using the Cinema 1 setting for watching DVD movies. I played with most of the rest of the video settings without noticing too much of a difference (must be the audiophile part of me).

The player did what it was supposed to do with all of the various options I tried and did them very well. Aside from the digital output, the only complaints I have are ergonomic related. It is extremely labor intensive to program a CD or SACD for the tracks desired to be played. I have to press the arrow buttons and enter button far too many times to program it. It would also be helpful to have a program button on the front of the player itself. There is a program button on the remote however.

The other complaint is it is difficult to change the audio track on a DVD. There should be a direct audio button on the remote. But, to change the audio, you have to scroll through functions one at a time in the LCD window on the remote which is annoying. To make matters worse, once the audio is brought up, it indicates on the TV monitor the language, but not the surround type (such as DTS, Dolby digit, etc). So, if there are English tracks for two channel, Dolby digital, and DTS, all you would see on the screen is English three times once for each track. You actually have to select the track to determine what it is. The moral of the story is to select the track in the menu of the DVD itself.

Aside from the ergonomic issues, I can highly recommend this player to anyone who wants an upscale SACD and DVD player. You won't be disappointed.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba 3006 DVD Player

i admit, i have always been anti-sony. i have always thought they sell overpriced crap. i tried to buy the panny rp91 but, no one had one in stock for weeks. i decided to try the sony more in frustration than for any other reason. well, i now must admit sheer joy in the purchase. this machine does everything it's made to do. the set-up menu is superb, the picture quality is excellent, the sound is the best i've heard and the mechanics are top notch. i have been listening to james taylor's sacd realease in multi channel and wow is all i can say. i agree that the titles avaiable are too few, but i'm sure more are on the way. if you are hesitant, wait no longer. this machine delivers!

Excellent DVD playback, Good menus and ergonomics, SACD Multichannel sound, Nice remote, Build quality, Style, user's manual, sample SACD discs

SACD might get trumped by DVD Audio

I bought this after being frustrated by cheaper players that have random momentary picture freezes and audio dropouts. This player so far seems to perform up to expectations. It is engineered well. The quality is obvious as it should be when you are spending this kind of money.

I haven't hooked this up to a TV which can do component or progressive scan as I have a 32" XBR2 (squared) model. This is a good TV (was $3K 5 years ago). The picture is very good, the best yet compared to all other previously owned DVD players.

SACD multichannel sound is totally impressive! Even on my less than state of the art home theater system, I am blown away. Pity there isn't more of the multichannel titles out there. The 2 channel SACD CD's sound excellent but its the multichannel that will put you in orbit.

I am a little dismayed to see so many great DVD audio titles out there which this player can't play. Please, Sony don't let this be another Beta format...

Similar Products Used:

Apex 600, Philips Q50, Toshiba KD700, Outlaw 1050 receiver, Sony XBR 32" TV, Sampo DVD

I love the picture and the sound right out of the box.I can´t wait to get in to the set up a bit more.You can tell this is good stuff for a bargain.

Non for this price..........I think the rest of the brands needs to use their brains to get close for this kind of cash.
SACD SOFTWARE WHERE IS IT? WE NEED IT.

My ref.is the same as above Toy Storys 2, with my Sony Tv KV-32FQ75 E (if you want the best picture get this one best tv around) this was a very nice feeling when the picture just hit me right in my face.
The first thing that crossed my mind was ok finally we are close to perfection.
I Think we had the same feeling with the remote (guy above)But I think after a while we can live with this..............its not bad like Sonys rem. normally is.
SACD gave me a real surprise.Very clean sound from the two SACD records(Sony ultimate collection) that comes with the player.I hope this format will be the future(Better than dvd audio for sure),because now the market is a joke WHERE IS THE SOFTWARE?
Who cares when you have a great dvd player and a pretty good cd player for the price of a sushi meal.

Thanks Sony ! keep on building great things for less cash that is the secret.

PS! I want to give Value : 7 // Overall 4.90


See Ya

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pioneer 737 ,phillips 955 ,demo 939