Norcent DP-220 DVD PLAYER WITH DIVX PLAYBACK

• Plays DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, MP3 CD, JPEG image CD, and CDs with MPEG-4/DivX
• NTSC/PAL output lets you play region-free UK DVDs on compatible TVs
• 9-image digest viewing, A-B repeat, and picture zoom
• Progressive-scan outputs for seamless, high-res images on HD-ready sets; composite- and S-video outs accommodate a range of TVs
• Measures 14.2 x 2 x 9 inches (W x H x D)

I love this player! I also have a Philips DVP642 DivX player and have had nothing but problems with it. I wanted so much to love that player, but it could barely play anything I had. There's two main reasons why I wanted a DivX player: anime and downloaded TV/movies.

Philips choked on so many things with that stupid codec message. Plus, it had problems reading various media. The latest firmware didn't fix anything.

This player is rock solid. It's so much cheaper than the Philips. It plays XviD! People said that XviD wasn't working but it works beautifully. I can throw old CD's, dirt cheap media, high-end media, etc. and so far they have all worked.

Picture quality is excellent.

At first, I thought it used the same chipset as the Philips because the file menu looks eerily similar but I haven't had the same problems on the Norcent.

Problems: There is no front panel LCD. I didn't miss it much after awhile. I read that the Norcent handled scanning better than the Philips but it didn't seem better at all. The Norcent is uglier than the Philips.

I haven't tried Q-Pel stuff yet but I'm not holding my breath on that one. If it does work, I will be in heaven.

SUMMARY: DivX player preference Norcent > Lite-On > Philips

Buy Norcent DP-220 DVD PLAYER WITH DIVX PLAYBACK Now

Something that was annoying was that the parental level is on by default, and is set to "G", the lowest level. I had to dig in the instructions to find out the default password was "8888". On top of that the error on-screen for the parental lock is misspelled

"Parental Voliation"

The remote control is a little dinky but perfectly functional.

My other complaint is that the menu for when you load up a divx disc is really not that great. It can only list around 12 characters or less per filename. So let's say for example you have files named "Jim's Birthday 1", "Jim's Birthday 2", etc. You won't know what file is what with this menu. Typically it does play them sequentially though, although sometimes in reverse order.

As far as the actual playing of files and dvds goes, it does a great job. Plays divx, xvid, and even mpeg-1. It says it plays mpeg-4 files but that does not include wmv. Also, in the instructions, it mentions that it does not handle mp3s that are encoded with vbr that well, so be wary.

SUMMARY:

Cheap n' Cheerful divx dvd player that is robost in playing but a little rough around the edges. Decide for yourself if saving the money with a Norcent is worth it or not.

Read Best Reviews of Norcent DP-220 DVD PLAYER WITH DIVX PLAYBACK Here

Pro: Plays practically everything on earth, even DivX files burned onto DVD+R disc. Good picture guality.

Con: No optical digital output.

Want Norcent DP-220 DVD PLAYER WITH DIVX PLAYBACK Discount?

DVDs: No problems at all, progressive output fantastic, remote hackable (search Google)

DIVX: good, reliable playback. Some audio sync problems but can fix using the menu

XVID: Works if QPEL compression not enabled (sadly many xvids have QPEL on). Audio sync problems like DIVX but can be solved using menu of Pause | Play.

AVI SUBTITLES: Not tested.

DISC BROWSING: Not massively intuitive but usable.

MP4: Not tested

MENU: Comprehensive.

REMOTE: Small but usable.

It's less the $50! My rating takes into account price.

My Norcent DP-220 Dvd came in today. I unpacked it & plugged in the three cordinating colored plugs, put the batteries in the remote & five minutes later I was watching my favorite movies. Works well with my burned back up dvds too. I like it a lot & the price was definately a bargain.