Sony DVP-NS72HP DVD Player

I have an Insignia 19" LCD in my RV. The TV set is 720p and much like most inexpensive HDTVs, the upconversion capability is nothing to write home about. Yes, I know that TV and camping are two things that don't mesh well, but after a long day of biking, fishing, beer drinking, shopping, hiking, etc. we like to relax with a movie as we drift off to sleep. I needed a reasonably priced upconverting DVD player to complete the package.

I purchased the Sony at COSTCO, largely based on the included HDMI cable and a quick comparison between a neighboring Toshiba, I felt this was a better option. I have always been impressed with the Sony product quality although performance tends to lag when compared to other products at the same price point.

The NS77H has a clean front panel, with very few controls, and a nicely sized display. It is shallow, but full width, and thin. The shallow depth can be a pain. If you want to put the player on the bottom of your stereo component shelf, be prepared to build some spacers.

The unit is well built as is the remote and all buttons have a nice firm feel to them. The display is a nice dot matrix unit that looks better and is easier to read compared to many of the regular (digit-style) displays.

The NS77 offers a full compliment of connections (composite, S-VHS, component, HDMI, optical audio, coaxial audio, and stereo), although on-board decoding outputs are absent. Everything is clearly labeled and easy to access.

The remote offers some limited programmability (certain brands only). It is a little on the large size and provides all the usual buttons. I am a fan of Sony's included remote layouts, but preference is key here.

The unit starts up quickly and leaps right into the disc. Slow DVD players are a new pet peeve of mine and some sort of a new trend in electronics by my recent experience. The setup menus are consistent with most of the late-model Sony products and easily navigated. You have the option to control just about everything and there are a number of different picture tuning selections. It appears to have a good memory because I didn't have to readjust the settings when I turned off the RV, which is nice.

The picture quality is very good on a 19" LCD. I played around with some of the picture tuning options and was satisfied with the flexibility. You can change the resolution via the HDMI port to match the native resolution of your set, which is generally the best picture quality with most TVs. I was pleasantly surprised on how well it played a well worn DVD without incident and how clear the picture was.

There are lots of different upconverting players available in this price range. I think Sony has delivered a good performing player with Sony's typical quality and this should be on your short list for upconverting DVD players.