Low cost, Slim design, Numerous Outputs, Plays disks well that other players don't

Light weight, Picture is a little bit soft, no zoom mode

I have had the Sony 560d for two weeks and like it so far.
I played over 45 dvd's and have yet to have a problem. I had a Toshiba SD 2008 for over a year and a half it would lock up once in a while or drop out sound. The only complaints I have is that Sony could have a stand-by mode and zoom like Toshiba's.

As far a noise I find the Sony much quieter than the Toshiba. I think the picture has a truer color and it is just a little bit softer than my old SD 2008.

All in all a great value I would buy one again.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba SD2008

Good picture quality, good compatibility

little motor noise, layer switching speed

The picture quality is very good. Just be sure to set your TV's sharpness too high; it'll make things look too sharp. When I first saw the remote without channel up/down buttons, I wondered about it. But, I won't use my DVD remote to control my TV anyway. I'm just using volume up/down button to turn the volume up and down. ( I'm living in an apartment and watching movies mostly after 9PM, so I have to be careful. :( Anyway, the motor does a littl noisy if you listen closely, especially when it changes to different modes such as special feature section to chapter loading section... My friend let me borrow MagicKnight RayEarth anime DVD set one day and he told me that one of the special features always crashes on his Toshiba. I tried it on 560D. Had no problem, which made me feel better. Later, I told him what I saw. :)

Sears matched with internet price, and I paid $565 + tax. And, there's my 5 stars on value and slow loading speed when I change from one mode to other + noisy motor + layer change pause contributed to my decision on deduction a star from overall rating: 4 stars.

Similar Products Used:

Sony DVP 530D, 550D, Toshiba ????

Best searching of any DVD players on the market

No zoom

Just a word about the Sony 360D and the 560D. They DO play audio CD-Rs that are silver media. Also, I can't figure out what all this discussion is about noise. I have tried bith the 360D and the 560D and they are not noisy at all.

Size, remote, interface, multiple outputs

Noise, layer changes

This is my first DVD Player and I feel that I've made a sound investment. The quality is outstanding (I'm using composite, unfortunately), and there's room for improvement with S-Video and Component outs. Speaking of outs, the unit has two composite, s-video, and L-R audio outputs, which really comes in handy when you're equipment connecting demands it.

I particularly like the menu interface, which is highly intuitive. I would recommend spending a quick 5-10 minutes paging through the manual and following along in the menus to find out what each function does, and I guarantee it will stick. One quirk with the menu system is that it requires you to stop the disc before you can change some global setup options, such as whether you're running on a 4:3 or 16:9 set. I would have preferred that this were not so, as there are some features that would have benefited from easier switching (such as the dynamic range feature which adjusts the audio to a similar volume level in order to allow you to watch things at night, when everyone else is sleeping, and not disturb them with sudden outbursts). The remote boasts a great layout, much like my other remotes from Sony, and it's easy to "touch-memorize" its functions. You can use it to control channel/volume/power for your television, as well.

One of the reasons I purchased this unit is because if it's relatively thin profile. It's been particularly useful for me because I could wedge it on top of another component and save shelf space. However, the size may have contributed to the annoying whirring noise it emits, which is fairly audible during quite moments, but is usually drowned out by the movie's soundtrack. Another weakness is in it's seek time, which becomes evident especially when one navigates the menus, but it's not very detrimental. Additionally, layer changes tend to not be very smooth, and short pauses are more or less inevitable.

Despite my criticisms, I feel that the strenghts of this unit greatly overweigh its weaknesses, and for this, I give it a 5.

Similar Products Used:

None (Unless you count the Creative Encore DXR2)

excellent picture, sleek design, tons of features, dolby digital 5.1 out

disk spinning noise. Nothing else.

Picture quality is definitely great with most DVDs although I was not too happy with 'World is not enough'. The picture wasnt as good as certain DVDs like 'Matrix' etc. No lip-sync problems that many people have complained about in the reviews for other Sony models, so far and I dont anticipate any. Maybe Sony got that ironed out.

I could not get any movies to display a full-screen picture.
There are many features I haven't yet checked out. Overall IMO a good product for the money (about $270).

Similar Products Used:

first DVD player.

Fine picture and sound, reasonable price.

Transport noise, no zoom, low audio line-level output.

This was purchased at the Good Guys, along with an extended warranty expiring sometime during the next Ice Age. I think it is one of the earlier production units, made in Japan.

I really have no other point of reference, but the transport sounds very noisy to me. For the others that have noted this fact, could you please check to see if your unit was also manufactured in Japan? There may actually be a different transport in the Japanese models. It may have been changed to a quieter design in newer units made outside of Japan.

The audio line-level output IS low. I have to crank up the volume control on my NAD integrated amp considerably higher than with my Yamaha CD player.

It will certainly play pan & scan, if the DVD has included it. Many earlier DVD's give you a choice, most recent DVD's are just widescreen. DVD players with zoom allow you to fill your screen, even with a widescreen letterbox format. Why Sony refuses to include zoom, as Brian Wilson wrote, God Only Knows. Once they make up their mind, as with Beta tapes, they refuse to acknowledge that just maybe the future has passed them by.

I have the DVD player connected to a 27" Sony TV via S-Video. Initially, I watched Casablanca and Blade Runner(both pan & scan), and the picture looked superb. The sound quality was also a huge improvement over dreadful VHS-HI-FI, even though my DVD player is only output to stereo, maybe 5.1 for Christmas. HINT

The owner's manual could be more user friendly, with the various options explained so that those who are not audio/videophiles might better understand the implications of various audio/video adjustments. Many novices will never decipher the degree of tweaking capability that has been built into this product.

Overall, nothing truly spectacular or innovative, but good value for the money, typical of Sony midrange gear.

Similar Products Used:

This is my first DVD plyer.

Good

---

Since this is my first DVD palyer, I love it very much. But with one exception of playing the CD-R or CD-RW. I read one review of overcoming this feature of having the CD-R with silver media (by Dan Ogden, from Carrollton, Texas USA. Date Reviewed: 7/5/00 4:35:32 PM ). Can U please tell me what should I specifically get for CD-R and what is the burning rate at which I should record the video files that I have lot in my computer. Can U please email me. I would really appreciate this .
Thanks.

everything

none

This review is a follow up to an older review posted a few months ago. I still have not had any problems that everyone is describing on here. This DVD player is flawless with the exception of not being able to play CD-R's. I have tried numerous DVD's and CD's and they all work fine. Picture and sound quality is superb as with all of my Sony products. I have this player hooked up to the STR-DE845 reciever and a 27" Sony Trinitron TV. It looks and sounds beautiful. To convince everyone that this player is flawless, I actually dropped a shelf on it by accident while rearranging my audio/video cabinet and plugged it in and it still works fine. Maybe you guys should try doing that. Best of luck.

Built-in Dolby Digital Decoder (if you need it), virtual surround (VES) is top notch, and plays CD-RWs (at least mine)

Built-in Dolby Digital Decoder and virtual surround. Meaning if you're using one, you don't need the other, and is basically wasted cash. There are many useless features here.

First, let me address a question in a previous review regarding pausing at certain spots during movies. DVDs can be double-layered and double-sided, and when it comes time to make a layer change, there's often a small pause. Some players handle this better than others, and I agree, it can kill a scene.

Now on to the 560. This unit is made for a single purpose - someone who has a Dolby Digial-ready receiver or shelf system. If you already have the decoder, or don't plan on using a surround system, go with Sony's 360 model. The major difference between these two players is the DD decoder (and other small things, like a headphone jack).

There are many features on this unit, like layer indicator, bit rate indicator, a joystick on the unit, and VES that, odds are, you're never going to use. VES is for people who don't have surround systems, but the only reason you'd be getting this unit is that you do! Hence the low value rating.

As far as performance goes, this unit, of course, does well, but so do many other brands like Toshiba, Pioneer, and even Samsung, and often at cheaper prices.

So, in summary, if you need that decoder, and love Sony, this may be for you, but make sure you don't spend any more than US$290 for it.

Similar Products Used:

Samsung 611/711, Toshiba 1200/1600/2150, Pioneer 333/434/503, Sony 360/660, Panasonic 120

Superior picture quality, lots of control over setup, good virtual audio for those with less than 5.1 sound systems

Slightly noisy spindle but not intrusive to listening unless you're sitting very near the unit; too lightweight--would have preferred a better weighted base like in more expensive models

Sears match of internet best price really worked in my favor as they were giving additional thanksgiving discounts for using my Sears charge card plus other early shopping discounts which brought the final price w/o tax to $182 !!! call that a great value !!! I'm connected via s-video to a pioneer elite PRO-97 projection monitor (state of the art 5yrs ago) whose excellent comb filters help create a superior picture... of course I had to immediately get my video essentials disc to reconverge and realign the projection monitor to match the superior quality of the 560d output...[don't bother with DVD if your monitor is less than up to the task of dealing with excellent input]
overall a great value... I really wanted a pioneer elite dv-37 progressive scan DVD which was best price $682 on the internet but the 560d at $182 final price left enough money to upgrade my audio too and have some bucks left over for beer, etc...
this should be everyone's "starter" DVD ... trade up from here after gaining valuable DVD usage experience (both audio and video setup; using the remote control)...
if only the 560d had progressive scan it would get 5 stars rating