Great Picture, flexible set-up, Sony has figured out lock-up, lip-sync problems

Lacks zoom capabilities

I did a great deal of investigation before buying the Sony. I was decided on the Panasonic a-120 (top-rated by Consumer reports) until I saw the reviews on Amazon.Com. The Sony as performed flawlessly for over 20 movies - no pixeling, lic-sync issues, lock-up at all.

I bought my unit from J&R (they'll come down to $275 if you haggle), and it has version 2.21 firmware. To check it out, with the player off, press title, clear, and power on, on the remote. You'll get a dignostics menu with the firmware version at the bottom of the screen. Now I can't wait for my Sony STR DB830 to get in to try out the Dolby Digital and DTS.

I think you you get a player from somewhere that turns over a lot of stock, you'll end up with the right firmware and have a great performing unit.

Great video quality. Awesome value.

I got mine at a local A/V retailer for about $260. They are running an offer that will throw in 7 free movies and 33 free movie rentals (valued at $300). With this kind of deal, it's hard to pass it up. This Sony is great. I also tried the 550 model. But I just couldn't detect any difference between 550 and 330. Since my receiver has a built-in Dolby Digital decoder, 550's extra features don't make a lot of sense to me. So far I haven't seen the lip-sync problem yet.

A buddy of mine bought the same deal based on my recommendation and is extremely satisfied also.

Similar Products Used:

DVPS550

picture quality.

none.

Hi, I posted an earlier review of this unit. I wanted to let Canadian owners know how easy it is to get Sony to upgrade your unit. I took mine to the Sony Store, and 6 days later, the firmware was upgraded to 2.210, from 1.950. The parts cost about $41, but the upgrade is free under warranty.
Anyone who is worried about lipsync, just take advantage of this quick and painless upgrade. The picture quality is stellar, because there are no downconversion artifacts. Any criticisms of a "soft" picture are, in my opinion, overstated.
Other than the odd complaint of lipsync, there really are no complaints about the player. Enjoy!

Similar Products Used:

toshiba SD 2109

Picture, remote, menu system

Lip Sync problem

I bought this unit not knowing much about DVD players. It did not take me long to learn how easy the menu system and remote was to use. Then I noticed the clear picture. Even the fast scan forward and backward was very clear. There were not lines on the edges, or artifacts flicking around. I was happy with this unit. Very happy. I bought a few DVDs and rented a bunch more. No lip sync problems. I read that Ronin was a problem DVD so I rented it. The second time through the lip sync appeared. I was unsure what to do. I could return the unit for a new one at Best Buy if I wanted. I had a guy down there open their newest machine and check the firmware. 2.01 So I passed on that unit. I then talked to Curcuit City and Sears. Still no luck on newer S330 machines. I drove to Omaha to see if MegaMart would have any newer. They would only sell me one without allowing me to open it first. I was sick and tired of looking for a newer unit. That is when it dawned on me. If I could just wait a couple weeks, Sony could fix the unit and I would be set. I called Sony and the machine was picked up by Fed Ex and sent to Kansas City for upgrading.

It REALLY rubs me wrong to send in a new machine for repairs, but for the $269 I paid for the unit, I could not get another brand with the same quality. I just decided that all I would lose was 14 days of DVD playing time, but I would gain a great DVD player with the latest and greatest hardware inside.

Even with the lip sync problems, I have recommended this machine to several people, 2 of which purchased this same machine and have had no problems.

The overall rating lost a star for the lip sync problems and the lack of composite video out. For value, I wish I could give 6 stars :)

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba 2109

Rock steady picture, great fast forward and review, excellent remote control.

No component output...

After much debate about buying a portable unit or a component, I took the plunge and bought the 330 as a "bridge" until progressive scan and DVD-Audio become widely available. I actually bought it local and paid retail so I could return it if the lip synch or other problems showed up...

All I can say is that it has not disappointed - the picture quality is great on my 32" Princeton monitor, especially after I calibrated with Video Essentials. I have yet to experience any lip-sych problems, and the player itself is quiet as a mouse. The build quality seems "light in weight, but firm" - certainly better than others in its price range. And the remote - well, let's say that it's excellent. I have liked touchscreen remotes, such as the one that came with my Sony 50ES reciever, but the 330's remote makes me want buttons again. Too bad it can't learn the codes for my monitor...

If you have a Dolby Digital reciever, I think that the 330 is the value point in Sony's line. The 530 has the same quality picture but adds DD, component out, and jog/shuttle remote; the 550 has Video Noise reduction added for slight improvement; and the 7700 is almost 3 times the cost. I have a job/shuttle remote on my VHS deck, and I find the 330s set of buttons just as good - maybe better for some things. Plus, most recievers can only switch S-Video anyway, so the lack of component outputs really doesn't hurt too much.

I verfied my firmware as 2.210, and have tried VE, Super Speedway, and Ronin several time each. No problems to date - just a great picture. I am going to use the 10 DVD rentals that came with it, and will post again if I have any problems with that batch. But for now, I am very jazzed...

Among entry level players, I would rate it a 5 overall, with a 4 for value due to the lack of component outs. In the overall market for DVD players, I would reverse these, and give it a 4 overall (it is the bottom of the line), but a 5 for value. Here, I will stick to the entry level comparison...

Similar Products Used:

A120

Great player. Well built. Looks much more expensive than similarly priced models.

No Dolby Digital or DTS decoder, but my receiver isn't "ready" for either so it doesn't matter.

Except for receivers, I love Sony. I bought this DVD player a few weeks ago and got the lip sync problem right off the bat (I had a serial number in the 1's. I took it back, told Circuit City, and got a later serial number player (in the mid 2's, firmware version 2.1). This thing is great.

DVD is amazing and this player wont disappoint. The unit if sturdy and I've had no problems with it at all. Other manufacturers products just can't match Sony for $299.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba and RCA have a couple similarly priced models.

Great Picture, Great menu layout

Remote seems to be fragile

I have watched my entire collection on this player which ammounts to about 17 movies. I have yet to notice the audio sync error though I think it happenned in Rocky II at the end. Too bad I was pausing it right at the moment to answer the phone. Aside from that, I have no problems with the unit and I have been very satisfied. I have not noticed any pauses at layer changes either.

Similar Products Used:

Creative Dxr2 kit

Update on an earlier review.
I have had this unit for two months now. I have had no lip-synch problems. I had one disc that had an audio drop out. I hit stop and play and it was fine. I wasn't able to reproduce the problem. I had one disc that wanted to skip back to a previous chapter. Stop and play didn't fix this problem. I took the disc out and put it back in. I couldn't replicate this problem either.

Overall, I am very happy with the unit. I am using Monster's Digital cable to my Receiver for the sound.

I've had this only 5 days and love it. I was initially concerned with the lack of composite video outputs but decided I could live without it and go with s-video. No big deal. Extremely pleased with the picture quality and sound reproduction. I've got this hooked up to a Sony DE925 and Acoustic Research Edge (5 of 'em) and an AR powered sub and am VERY pleased. A great budget hometheater system.

It's typical pretty Sony looks, dual video/audio/s-video outputs...

Kinda buzzy when the CD/DVD is spinning, tacky screensaver, very technical and annoying on-screen prompts like when you puch a button while it's going through like the FBI warning it says "this function prohibited" (you'd think a multi-billion dollar company would come up with something better)

Well I got this one on eBay for a steal but I got it from a guy in the US so I got murderd wity duty and taxes at the border... (a warning to all eBayers... unless the product is made in Canada or the US any higher priced item will have a ton of charges tacked onto it by your friendly neighborhood government)...
It didn't come with a remote cause it was use but other than that it's perfect... no problems (yet). Haven't experiences the dreded lip syncing thing yet but it is a bit noisy... it shuts up after a few minutes or I just turn up my Sony DE-845 with JBL N-38 towers I can't hear my girlfriend sitting next to me... Adding my JBL PB-12 sub makes a movie liek saving private ryan the perfect "knock a picture off the wall" kind of experience. I know perfectly well that Sony is far from perfect and that it is totally overpriced but there is just something about having a shelf full of Sony that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.. Add a room full of JBL's to it and you start to feel litteraly jiggly in side... It's a cool player for a newbie!

Similar Products Used:

JVC or RCA