JVC XV-N40BK Progressive-Scan Slim DVD Player , Black

• Ultra-slim player with standard and progressive-scan video outputs (for use with high-definition and HD-ready TVs)
• Compatible with DVD-Video, VCD, DVD-R, DVD+RW, CD, JPEG image CD-R, and MP3 CD
• 192 kHz audio digital-to-analog converters optimal for CD and higher-resolution sources
• Video Fine Processor (VFP) offers exceptional versatility in fine-tuning images to personal preferences
• Includes 13-step zoom and screen fill (which zooms in on a DVD image to eliminate letterbox "bars" on the TV screen)

This is my first DVD player. I've had it since June 2003, and it still works. It lives here with me, and there are no kids around to destroy it, and it gets played once or twice a week. Why wouldn't it work? It's extremely slim, has a cool blue light when it's on, and I've been able to play everything I've ever gotten from Netflix. So, as far as I'm concerned, this player is great!

There are a couple of things I've noticed about it, and I don't know if this is common practice with VCRs or not. But not all my reviews are for ranting or raving; I like to inform, as well! So here's what I know:

I don't have cable, and I've noticed that if I sit the machine on top of my TV, the reception on the TV gets very snowy. It took me a while to figure out why my picture got so bad, when I had a powered antenna that usually brings in a great picture for me. This problem went away when I moved the DVD player off the TV and onto its own shelf.

I think the machine is very quiet. Mind you, I live in an apartment, and I watch my TV with stereo headphones, so machine noise as I'm watching a movie is not an issue for me. So if the DVD player is making noise, it's not enough to bother either me or the neighbors.

The remote has more buttons on it than I will ever use. Six months later, I still haven't figured out what they all are. All the important buttons that actually play the DVD are in white. If you switch to TV, you can turn the sound up and down and channel surf with the blue buttons. Other than mute and video, I've never touched the gray buttons, and frankly don't understand why there are so many. On the other hand, I've bought more DVD player than I need, so it's not that surprising that the buttons are a little daunting.

I have a JVC television (which I've reviewed some years ago), and that colored my decision to buy it somewhat. It ended up being a choice between the Panasonic and JVC, but ultimately, all other things being equal, I bought it for its looks. Being JVC, I knew it would be a quality device, and a delightful result of my decision is that it is already programmed to work with my three-year-old JVC 20" TV! I didn't have to program it or anything.

I could have bought a ridiculously low-priced machine from APEX, but I'm old school and I don't like buying things figuring I'm just going to toss it later. I buy quality and I expect it to last. So far, the XV-N40BK is just what I need. If, heaven forbid, I'm ever crazy enough to spend more on a TV than I do my car, then the machine will be ready, since it is already progressive-scan. I don't know what progressive-scan is, and I cannot use that feature anyway. You don't have to use it to use the machine.

Part of me wanted to wait for DVD recorders to get real cheap, because I have a lot of videotaped TV shows I'd like to convert. Well, I figured why wait for what could be years down the road, when you can enjoy DVDs now. Tomorrow isn't promised to anybody! And I was a die-hard convert, too. I didn't jump on the DVD bandwagon; I had to be thrown! But I'm glad I made the move. I love the fact that you get extra stuff besides the movie on the DVD; audio commentaries are the best thing since movies started talking, in my opinion. And when you pause the DVD, it's perfectly still and will stay that way forever until you un-pause it. (My VCR only paused for 3 minutes, and you had some flicker with it.)

So, all in all, I think I've made a great decision on two counts: one, jumping on the DVD bandwagon (and if you rent you never really have to own any...no more bulky tapes! Imagine the storage space you save...); and two, choosing the JVC XV-N40BK, a beautiful little black machine that says hello to you when it's activated and shows every indication that it's going to be around a long time.

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I bought this unit to replace my older Sony unit, which has trouble playing home-burned CDs and some home-burned DVDs. Furthermore, I thought that with progressive scan it would be a good match to the component inputs of my JVC 56" projection set. Immediately I noticed bad video artifacts on any fast action scenes...anything moving horizontally would have streaky lines trailing it. If you then "rewind" over the same section, it would play fine! I tried every possible combination of settings and switched from the component outputs to S-Video and even composite, but the streaking remained.

The JVC is on it's way back to the store, and my Sony is back in place. Maybe I got a lemon, but I'll be looking at other brands.

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Doesn't JVC understand that they cannot afford to sell an incredible dvd player for under $90.00--especially when it out performs a $280.00 top brand name dvd player. MY family gave this baby the full test: DVD movies, Audio CDs, CD-R audio, CD-R video slide shows, CD-R jpegs, and the ultimate -An original collector's edition DVD movie that would breakup every time on our $280.00 DVD player (it played flawlessly with the JVC). Needless to say, the JVC XV-N40BK is now hooked up to our home entertainment system & the "expensive" model is headed to Ebay! Don't take my word, check what Consumer Reports says about this machine!

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I got this player new for around $100. It matches my Sony receiver just right and is awesome for music CDs and DVDs. I also read that it was the top-rated Consumer Reports DVD player.

The picture and sound quality so far have been superb with it hooked up through component. However, I have seen the stuttering problem occur on this player in panning scenes, but it only happens if I start pause the movie a lot. I can play movies from start to finish and pause a couple of times and never see it stutter. Another thing is that I have never seen the 4:3 PS mode work to stretch a widescreen movie to fit the whole screen. Isn't that what it's supposed to do on some DVDs (if any)?

It does read all kinds of discs and supports Pro Scan too. I really like how any disc will begin to play after only 2-3 seconds on this player. Coax and Optical audio outs are also a definite plus. I recommend this as an excellent DVD/CD player.

I have had this JVC unit now for about two weeks. It replaced my aging high-end, at the time, Toshiba which was having trouble playing DVD-R's CD-R's etc. I am very impressed by this unit. It plays any disc I put into it, including MP3's a big plus.

The picture and sound are outstanding. I use it soley in 480P and it is jaw dropping on my 65" HDTV.

A really happy customer.