Harman DVD 25 DVD Player

The Harman Kardon DVD 25 matches the looks of their latest Home Theater Receivers like the The Harman Kardon AVR 325 Receiver and the AVR 520 Receiver. This gives you a matching beauty of a great system.

The DVD 25 is a Progressive Single DVD player that plays DVD-Video, DVD-R / DVD-RW, DVD+R / DVD+RW, Video CD, plus CD, audio CD-R / CD-RW, and MP3 files on CD-R / CD-RW.


The nice part about this progressive DVD player is it has a selectable interlaced/progressive-scan component video output. Progressive will only work if you have a High Definition compatible TV, Interlaced works on any TV, so this DVD player will work on any TV.

The DVD 25 player is Dolby Digital and DTS ready meaning you need a source like the Harman Kardon AVR 325 Receiver that has the built-in decoders to give you the true digital sound. The DVD 25 will also play 3 and 5 inch DVDs and CDs.

The Connections
The back of the DVD player is laid out simple and easy to understand for easy connections.

First you have your digital out connections for your audio, there is one Optical (Fiber Optic Cable) Digital Output and one Coaxial (This is a special coaxial cable) Digital Output. Then connecting it to a TV or for stereo out put you have a left and right RCA jack.

The next section consists of the type of outputs you wish to use for picture quality. First is an RCA jack (yellow) for video out, this gives you a fair picture quality. Second below the RCA jack is an S-Video out for a much better picture quality. Third are three RCA jacks (green, blue & red) that make up the Component Video out. (The Best!)

Then there is a remote input and output made to connect with some of Harman Kardon receivers.

The Remote
The DVD 25 uses a simple looking remote made for the DVD player only, it is not programmable for other devices.

The layout is good and easy to use and understand with the remote feeling secure in your hand while holding it.

One thing I found interesting was they use two buttons to turn the player on and off with instead of one like most brands. One button turns it on while the other button turns it off.

I really like the Test button that shows you the color bars, a gray scale and the black & white fields. Here you can custom adjust the screen to your preference.

Other Features
54MHz/10-bit video D/A converter
De-interlacer with 3-2 pull down processing
Video test screen to setup the best performance
Picture zoom for enlargement of the area you wish
Remote control with illuminated buttons to see in the dark
Optical and coaxial digital outputs for Dolby Digital/DTS/PCM (96kHz/24-bit-capable)
1 set of A/V outputs (composite video, S-video, and 480i/480p component video)
192kHz/24-bit Wolfson audio D/A converters
Audio signal-to-noise ratio 113 dB
17-1/4"W x 3-1/2"H x 13-1/4"D
Warranty is for 1 year parts & labor
Region 1 coded DVDs

Overall
The Harman Kardon DVD 25 is one excellent DVD player with one flaw "The Price" of $299 retail is a little high for a DVD player without a decoder built-in. If you have a receiver that has the decoders built-in and don't mind paying a little extra then the DVD 25 is a good choice.

As far as picture quality the DVD 25 does a great job with clarity and brilliant colors. You can freeze a frame and the frame is almost picture perfect with no lines in it at all.

For MP3 files on a CD there is a limit of 200 files but it does work great with great sound through a 5.1 receiver.

I do like the remote very much, it is one of the easiest I have used to get use to and maneuver around with. I do like that it is dedicated to the DVD 25 only, this is less confusing since most remotes are programmable and create confusion.



Here are some of my other DVD Player reviews!
Apex AD 703 DVD Changer
Audiovox DVD 1500
GoVideo DVR5000 w/ Built-In Dolby Digital/DTS Decoder
Hitachi DV P505U DVD Player
Kenwood DV 403 DVD Player
Kenwood CD-3280M 200-Disc CD Changer
The Mitsubishi DD-6030 DVD Player
Panasonic DMR E20 DVD recorder
Pioneer DVR 7000 DVD recorder
Pioneer DV 354 DVD Player
Pioneer Elite DVL-91 DVD Player
RCA RC5215P DVD Player
RCA RC5231Z DVD Player
RCA RC5240P DVD Player
RCA RC5255P DVD Player
Sony DVP S530D DVD player
Sony DVP CX850D DVD changer
Yamaha DVD S700