Sungale DVD-2026 DVD Player

I was a relatively early adopter of the DVD format, having gotten involved in 1999. At that time, prices on players were still rather high -- the average was around $200 (of course, quality was also substantially better, particularly from the brand names... that's always the case when a new format is introduced).

I recently picked up a Sungale 2026 for use as a backup player, in case my old Toshiba SD-2109 I purchased in 1999 bites the bullet. The local drugstore was having a sale, so I managed to get one for around $30 plus tax.

I haven't used the Sungale extensively, but I did plug it in and test it over the course of several days with my 25 inch modern interlaced TV set. I tested many of the playback features advertised (DVD, DVD+R, DVD+RW, CD, CD-R/RW, MP3) and they all worked fine. I was unable to test Kodak Picture CD or CD+G, but the player is advertised to work with these formats and I see no reason why it wouldn't. Everything I threw at it, it handled admirably.

I was unable to test the progressive-scan function, as I don't have a progressive-scan TV set. However, I recommend a better quality player if you plan to use progressive scan (see below for more details).

The unit is easy to operate with the included remote control, which is well laid out and easy to understand. Considering the nice simple remote, small size of the unit and inexpensive price, I'd say this player is a great deal.

My main problem with this player is the picture quality. I've watched a lot of DVD's on many, many DVD players in my day, and this one is definitely below average when playing store-bought DVD's. Black levels appear somewhat off, and I saw a lot of "jaggies" that aren't there with my Toshiba. It wasn't bad enough to actually cause me to curse and stamp my feet, but my old Toshiba (actually a highly-rated model) has a far better interlaced picture. Most of my testing was via the S-Video out, but I also tested the composite video -- I didn't notice much difference between the two.

The player also has component video out, for high-end (progressive scan) TV sets, which I did not test.

Another thing to note -- the sound has a tendency to "click" whenever you do something. For example, when you first start a movie you hear a click come out of your TV speakers. If you pause and then restart a movie, you hear a click. Press "Menu" to bring up the DVD's menu and CLICK. It's a little annoying, but not anything to stop a person from buying the player.

Sound quality itself is again average to below average through my TV speakers (analog RCA outs), and I'm guessing you probably wouldn't want to mate this player with a high quality home theater setup. This is a discount player however, and probably won't be purchased for that purpose.

Overall, I was somewhat underwhelmed by this player, but not to the point of warning people away. At the price I paid ($30) I think it's well worth it (particularly considering the large number of formats it supports), and I'd probably pay up to $45 or so for it. It struck me as being a classic example of an "off-brand" DVD player made in China.

I understand that most of the big name brands are also Chinese-made now in some of the same factories that make players like the Sungale, so I don't expect you could do much better unless you paid over $75 or so (and if you have a big progressive scan TV set and/or high end home theater setup, I strongly suggest you do pay at least this much, if not more). I'd expect durability with this model to be typical for its asking price, but of course this was something I couldn't test.

If you're looking for an inexpensive DVD player that plays lots of formats, has a well laid out remote and a small, unobtrusive form factor, you could do worse than the Sungale DVD-2026. If and when my Toshiba bites the bullet, I'll use this player happily until I can afford a better one.