Magnavox DP170MW8 DVD Player

This machines picture and dolby digital audio performance beat an older Pioneer DV-37 Elite player. Nice picture and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. Nice upconversion. Plays most discs without a hiccur including dvd-r. In the audio department it features 2 virtual modes.  If you are using the hdmi cable or the analog audio outputs into a big screen tv or stereo receiver, the sound is thin in its normal setting. The sound is correct like most players in virtual 1. However, on a Samsung tv with the srs on, it was best to leave the virtual mode off. This unit is quite good for tvs that do not have augmented sound like srs. The output over coaxial cable is not effected in this way.

The other thingy was the video parameters.  It seemed to want to play everything in widescreen even if my dvd-r was done in 4X3.  I have heard that other players may do the same thing from other brands but the Magnavox has something those other players may not have; squeeze play.  When this is set in the video menu, the 4X3  and the widescreen all play correctly in their correct ratios, a major advantage. Remote could be better, writing is small and buttons are almost the same so I find that I have to look at the remote to access certain features but it is an inconvenience and not a dealbreaker. I believe this machine is made by Funai.