Astar DVD-3200 Progressive Scan DVD Player

• Progressive scan DVD player; measures 19 x 5 x 13 inches (WxHxD)
• Plays DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, DVCD, SVCD, VCD, CD-DA, CD-R/RW, MP3, and Kodak Picture CD
• NTSC/PAL system conversion output, 4-step fast forward
• Dolby Digital and DTS decoders, digital coaxial audio outputs
• Outputs: 1 composite, 1 S-Video, 1 component

I bought two Astar DVD-3200 units to play training DVDs produced in-house.

The Good: the 3200 has a nice sleek design and full function remote with zoom-in and volume control, and it automatically loops the program. It plays Hollywood DVDs well. It is amazing anyone could make this thing for $29.

The Bad: little things like 1972-style LED indicators (display says LOAd instead of LOAD or Load); big problem is that the in-house training DVD did not play well at first. It showed serious compression/decompression artifacts and audio skipping. Sometimes when I insert the DVD, the player thinks it is a DVD-R, so I remove and re-insert the disc a few times until it read correctly. After several power cycles, restarts, disc reloads, and maybe the 1+ hour burn-in period, the training DVD plays acceptably. To be fair, the problem could be the disc, but the same training disc played flawlessly in an Xbox and a Powerbook.

According to my video post-production expert, short-run DVDs produced in-house often have problems playing in older DVD players and it would seem in new cheap DVD players.

Fortunately I burned-in and tested this thing before the training meeting. If you need a perfect out-of-the-box experience playing in-house or non-Hollywood DVDs, you might want to test your disc before you buy, or spend a little more for a name brand.

Buy Astar DVD-3200 Progressive Scan DVD Player Now

THIS PRODUCT HAS THE CAPIBILITY OF A RECIEVER ONLY DIFFERENCE YOUR POWER COMES FROM YOUR SPEAKERS SUCH AS IN MY MODEL ASTAR-3800 DVD PLAYER IT WILL HOOK TO A 5.1 Powered Speaker Set Such AS LOGITECH Z640 EXCELLENT Surround Sound for Any Room add on.

Read Best Reviews of Astar DVD-3200 Progressive Scan DVD Player Here

I have the 3100 model of this DVD player that I got on sale for very cheep. It plays DVDs well, but that's it. My huge complaint about this DVD player is that you have to stand 3 feet directly in front (not at an angle) to get the remote to work. If you are off by even 30 degrees it won't work. My family bought two so I know it's not a one product problem.