price and video quality, quick responses, good remote

NONE YET

This is my first DVD player. I was looking for a good player with a low price. Bought it at CC for $179 and it was well worth it! No problems with lip sync yet or anything else. I have been using it constantly over the last few weeks. It does a great job.

Video quality, Speedy

disc spinning noise

I have no qualms about the Sony. It's much better than a PC-DVD solution for movies. The motor noise while the disc is spinning is unusually loud, I imagine this is cured with an enclosed system rack (which I do not have).

I haven't experienced any problems with the 6 movies I own.
Everything works flawlessly. I'm not sure which revision mine is but I bought it May 3, 2000 from Circuit City for the low low price of $238 new.

My system is:
Yamaha RX-V495 Reciever
Sony DVP S330 DVD player
Onkyo DXC 340 6 disc CD changer
Klipsch KSB 3.1 mains (soon to be used as surrounds with Klipsch Reference 3's as mains and KSW12 sub and Reference Center channel)

I'm using some generic monster cables for speaker wire and interconnects and some no-name s-video cable to hook up the DVD player to my Sony KV27V42 Tv.

-1 star overall for the noise but at $238, it's a damn good deal on a damn good DVD player.

Similar Products Used:

Panasonic DVD ROM in computer with ATI decoder

Picture quolity, did not skip or stall yet

Very loud drive

I just compared Sony 330 to Toshiba 3109 and 1200 and will keep the Sony. The reasons are:
no need for a decoder (3109),
no need for component output (1200 and 3109) because my 32” Toshiba does not have those and by the time flat TVs come down in price I’ll go with progressive scan any way,
I do not have any HDCD to benefit from Toshiba,
I like Sony video quality when it comes to displaying rotating images (the example would be scene 3 in Matrix, where you are looking at Neo’s desk from above, notice keyboards, cables on a right etc. while camera is turning).
The only things I’ll be missing are Toshiba’s name, smooth drawer and quietness when it spins the disc (Sony is really loud, like a huge insect and going with 530 will not change it).
One rented movie (one of those, which look like some idiot was wearing a metal gloves during handling it) did stop on several occasions on my friend’s Toshiba 1200 and did go flawlessly on my Sony 330 (although I did wipe that disc before use).
It is not to late for me to reconsider, so if anybody has any suggestions I’ll appreciate those.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba 3109, Toshiba 1200, Sony 530

Great picture, extremely easy to set up, overall excellent value.

A few dollars more than competition, no component output, bizard remote.

I just like what Sony did with this little machine.

However the first thought I had when I opened the box was how light it is. But fortunately it did not affect playback.

Similar Products Used:

N/A

Great slow scans in both directions, Control-S link to Sony receiver.

Audio get's out of sync - Sony took 7 weeks to get repaired

The only problem I had with this otherwise excellent DVD player, is that it had a problem with audio getting out of sync with the video. I thought it might have been a problem with my coaxial digital cable so I switched to an optical cable, but the problem remained. I then saw on Sony's web site (url: http://www.sel.sony.com/SEL/service/dvdplyr.shtml#s3 ) that this is a known problem (nice of them NOT to send me a recall notice, eh?) so I took it to a local, Sony repair shop. For the first 4 weeks, they kept telling me that they were waiting for Sony to approve the warranty fix as it was an expensive one. Then, when the new "board" they put in didn't work, Sony made them send it to them. It took a total of 7 weeks to get the player back, but it works fine now.

Similar Products Used:

None

Good DVD performance (I suppose), ease of use and relative low cost

Will NOT play CDR's...lackluster audio performance (well, it is a DVD player)

I purchased this unit around Christmas time last year. I wanted a DVD player that did a decent job on cd's, too. I was disappointed that it wouldn't play any of my Stevie Ray Vaughan bootleg CDR's...big problem for me. Don't get me wrong, I didn't expect stellar audio performance from a DVD player. I just wish it were up to par with my 10-year old Carver...which is pretty poor by today's standards, IMO. Most recordings seem lifeless and, at the other spectrum, too bright at the upper range on many recordings. I'll just review this piece on it's merits as a DVD player. It does just fine. I'm not a big HT person. I was impressed by the picture quality; but, who wouldn't be after using VHS for years. I believe there are now players available for around $150 that perform as well as this Sony. If I were to do it again, I'd audition more closely for a player that has at least a shred of audio performance...but remember, It's a DVD player first...CD player second. If you're looking for a combo player, I suggest auditioning the new NAD550 or, if you've got to have a Sony, the 777ES (I believe). However, both will set you back a lot more than the 330.

Similar Products Used:

Carver, Rotel, Sony SACD

Good sound quality, quick and smooth door operation, easy menu navigation, plays VCDs.

Lip-sync problems, randomly jumps tracks, no zoom, lame screen saver, no black level adjustment.

My first DVD player was the Toshiba SD-2109, which retailed for $399. I got it when it first hit the market for $240. I "upgraded" to the Sony DVP-S330 within about 6 months. Now I regret that decision.

The Toshiba never had a single problem with lip-syncing. The Sony does all the time. The Toshiba never seemed to have any quirks what-so-ever. The video quality of the Toshiba was a tad better due to the black level adjustment. I'd give the sound quality edge to the Sony, but the other problems are hard to live with. I've had several movies be on like track 16 and suddenly jump to track 2. I've had the display not come on and I could not perform operations until I powered it off and back on again. There is no zoom feature. Okay, okay, I know -- how often do you really use it? But I'm a guy, you know. Sometimes you just have to stop the film during "Under Siege" at the cake scene and zoom in, right? :)

And who the hell programs the lame screensavers on these DVD players? With all the cool computer screensavers out there, couldn't Sony come up with something better than that psychedelic Sony logo that drifts around? And the audio CD player graphics are also lame and boring. Sony has a better CD player interface on its PlayStation. Yeah, so I'm picky, but I wish everyone that posted here was; we'd get so much better useful information about these toys we spend thousands of dollars on.

And while I'm on my soapbox: would people please stop posting product reviews that dog a unit just because the dealer they bought it from gave them a crappy time? It isn't the manufacturer's fault that you didn't research the dealer properly. I think perhaps Audio Review (you listening, guys?) should create a department *just* for reviews on dealers, not like the news post department that includes private parties, but with the dealer names listed just like the products are.

And lastly, who cares about the remote control anyway? We all know that every remote that comes with a product sucks and we're going to buy another universal one anyway. My vote is the Home Theater Master SL-9000.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba SD-2109

Affordable entry-level DVD

Other than lipsynch probs?

This unit gives me fits. One moment, it's perfectly fine...the next, it's involved in some bizarre Dr. Jekyl/Mr. Hyde transformation into the biggest embarrassment I've ever owned. I'm officially relagating this unit to the bedroom system by Christmas-time....I definitely don't want to have to explain it's quirks to our guests.

WHEN THE UNIT IS OPERATING CORRECTLY: it doesn it's job just fine....nice picture, good quality sound, easy to manipulate menu (though the owner's manual is typical Japanese/English translation mish-mosh). Subjectivness aside, CD quality (being passed via coaxial) seems to be 'tighter' than my Denon changer, coming in via analog.

HOWEVER:

WHEN IT GETS FEISTY: the typical lipsynch problem has reared it's ugly head...I've had the worst experiences with "Stir of Echoes" and "Shakespeare In Love" so far, although it's "burped" on "Titanic" (the audio output started cycling on/off/on), and it threw fits with the beginning of "The Sixth Sense", alternating from 5.1 to ProLogic, and back again several times. A stop and re-start corrected it.

The video output (via the S-video jack)seems to be a tad sharper (JVC 32D501 TV) than using the composite output, but even I know that statement is totally subjective, having everything do do with my particular variables.

So far, I've had no problems with the power switch, something that seems to have plagued many other 330 owners.

TO SUM UP: I know that this model's now out of production, having been replaced by the 360. If you find one on a 'blow-out' deal somewhere, and it's priced cheaply enough, I'd say it's definitely worth it. All-in-all, it's a good basic unit, but it does have a rather quirky "personality".

Optical, Coax digital out, remote is great

no component video out, but they aren't that much better than s-video

This is a great DVD player, I bought it "open box" at CC for a steal--130 dollars. You can get great buys open box there. The sales people will usually work with you on the price of open box stuff, but never on new stuff, which is understandable. This dvd player has performed flawlessly for six months-- I won't get a new one until this one craps out. I would definitely recommend a sony dvd player to anyone.

Similar Products Used:

panasonic