DVD Player Buying Guide

If you are serious about enjoying your movies with great quality, then a DVD player is a must have. DVD players offer high quality connections for clear, crisp audio and video. But DVD players can do much more than play regular DVDs, so finding one with the features you want can at times be quite difficult.

Below you will find a few questions our product specialists ask our customers before we recommend a DVD player.

Do you have an HDTV? If you have an HDTV, and want a DVD player that will take full advantage of your television's capabilities, you should consider getting a Blu-Ray DVD Player or an HD DVD Player, or a combo unit that offers both. These players can display movies in up to 1080p resolution (currently the best possible).

You should also consider a DVD player with video up-conversion. These players will automatically up-convert your DVDs to a resolution that closer matches your HDTV's capabilities.

Do you want your player to hold more than one CD/DVD at a time? If you want a player that can hold more than one CD or DVD at a time, consider getting a player that features a disc changer. These usually hold anywhere between 5-12 CDs/DVDs at a time. If you want a player that can hold even more, checkout "Mega" changers that can come with room for up to 400 CDs/DVDs.

Don't want to throw away your VHS tapes, but still want to play DVDs? If your answer is yes, than a combo DVD/VHS player is perfect for you. With these combo players, you can have all the great features of DVD and VHS in one convenient location.

If you want to record your VHS tapes to DVDs, then a DVD Recorder will get the job done. These players will copy the data from your VHS tapes onto a durable DVD.

Do you want a DVD Player that is easy to take around? There are many compact DVD players available which can make it easier to take from room to room. You can also consider getting a Portable DVD player, which can connect to your television just as would any other DVD player, but also allows watch movies on its screen while on the go.

What type of discs do you plan on playing on your DVD player? If you plan on playing more than just regular DVDs, than make sure the model you select is compatible with those formats. You can find models that are compatible with CDs, WMA, MP3, DVD-R/W, DVD-RAM, DVD-Audio, and even SACD (Super Audio CD). Finding a player that is compatible with the formats you want will give you the most bang for your buck, allowing you to play all your discs on one unit.

Connections: Check to see if the DVD player will connect to your TV in the way you would like. If you have an HDTV, you may want a DVD Player that supports Component or HDMI (High Definition Media Interface). If you have a TV with only an antenna style RF-Input, be sure to get an RF-Modulator if the player can't directly connect.

Definitions:

HDTV (High Definition Television): One mode of operation of digital TV whereby the broadcaster transmits a wide-screen picture with many times more detail than is contained in current analog television pictures.

Blu-Ray: Blu-ray disc is the next generation optical disc format meant for high definition video (HD) and high density data storage, and is one of two competing standards for HD optical media.

Component: Video signal in which the luminance and sync information are recorded separately from the color information. Component is superior to composite.

HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface): HDMI supports standard, enhanced, or high-definition video, plus multi-channel digital audio all on a single cable.

RF-Input (Radio Frequency Input): Refers to the coaxial cable input on a TV, VCR, Satellite or cable box for the signal from the antenna or cable provider.

RF-Modulator: A device that converts a signal (typically audio and/or video) into a radio frequency.

VHS (Video Home System): Widely used method of recording audio and video electrical signals onto magnetic tape for use with VCRs.