Sony DVP-NS575P DVD Player

The DVP-NS575P is Sony's entry-level DVD player. I'm not really a big movie guy, or a "home entertainment" nut for that matter. In fact, our living room is highlighted by a 13-year old 20 inch wide TV with a trusty pair of bunny ears on top. Thus, it didn't really made since to shell out big bucks for a top of the line DVD player. I use the DVD player only occasionally for watching VCDs or rental DVDs. For this purpose, the Sony DVP-NS575 has been great.

Sony claims this DVD player is ready for the future with technology optimized for high definition viewing. The player features Sony's Precision Cinema Progressive and Precision Drive 3 systems technologies, as well as Advanced SmoothScan™ and SmoothSlow modes, Block Noise Reduction and Digital Video Enhancer. Unfortunately, I'm probably not the best person to comment on these. However, on my small old TV, the picture and audio though the standard composite video jack is as good as can be expected. The picture looked sharp and smooth, not grainy or blocky at all. The colors looked bright and accurate. The movements are also smooth, not choppy and I noticed no flickering or anything of that sort. The DVP-NS575P also features several preset picture modes that have different amounts or contrast, intensity and sharpness.

The DVP-NS575P supports Dolby® Digital and dts® Coaxial Output, but I don't have the hardware for this. I should note that Sony also does not provide the cable for this, or an S-video or component video cable (needed for highest quality picture) for that matter. The sound quality with the "standard" audio from my TV speakers was very solid. The DVP-NS575P has several virtual surround settings that manipulate the sound channels to create various surround sound effects with standard TV stereo speakers. I noticed a moderate improvement in sound when I turned these settings on. I'm sure that the audio capabilities of the DVP-NS575P far outpace my measly TV speakers.

I haven't had any compatibility problems when playing various media in DVD-R, VCD and SVCD format. However, I haven't tried any DVD-RW discs yet.

In addition to playing video and audio DVDs and CDs, the DVP-NS575P can also read data CDs with music and images on them. The player didn't have any trouble reading any of my music files in mp3 format or JPG pictures. The files can be accessed and played easily with an menu based interface. However, there is some lag, which is particularly noticeable when browsing through image folders. The only other small problem I noted is that long filenames are chopped off.

The DVP-NS575P features a rather standard long and slim remote. The remote serves its purpose, but I don't particularly like the design. The remote is long enough so that you must shift your whole hand several inches up and down to access all the buttons. I would have preferred a design with the arrow navigation buttons at the top and the less essential keypad underneath, allowing for the removal of the "dead space" at the bottom. The buttons are also a little too small and touchy for my tastes. It is easy to press a button when your finger is resting on it unintentionally.

The DVP-NS575P has a sleek attractive appearance. The body is silver, while the Disc tray and front panel display are black. The cool blue output on the display is also easy to read. The machine isn't particularly small for a single disc DVD player, but at it isn't bulky either.

I have found the DVP-NS575P to be very easy to use. Basic features such as skipping, scanning and navigating though a movie are extremely straightforward. If fact, the DVP-NS575P passed the ultimate ease of use test for electronics – my Mom knows how to use it!

Overall, I'm very happy with the Sony DVP-NS575P DVD player. It hasn't had any problems and serves its purpose well. I don't know if the DVP-NS575P will work well with your $5,000 home entertainment system, but it will work great with your bedroom TV.