Anyone have any experience with this unit sold with Sylvanias name, but manufactured by Funai?

I have a client wanting an inexpensive Up Converting DVD player, so I ordered this particular model; DVL-1000 I believe it is. Arrived today, but haven't had a chance to run it through the motions yet. After reading the manual, it indeed has the Faroudja Genesis chip. It is new enough that it is not listed on the Sylvania website as of yet. I believe MSRP is $139.99

At Amazon, it retails for $99.99 plus $10 shipping. I may buy one.
If Funai makes cheap products, why would you want to buy one? walt, you are a walking contradiction.

Any idea what mpeg decoder it's using? is it a MT1389, if it is, great bargain, since the MT1389 got no chroma bug

This Sylvania DVL-1000F works very similar to the $30 Magnavox MSD125 progressive-scan DVD player from Sam's Club I had before. It worked very well. I like the small-size and weight. According to the latest Consumer Reports on DVD players regarding reliability, Funai-made DVD players are rated more reliable than Apex, Cyberhome, Denon, Go-Video, Philips, RCA, Samsung, Toshiba, and Zenith. I was surprised. Look under the Hitachi, Magnavox, Mitsubishi, and Sharp brands in the graph. They are all made by Funai.

I wonder why is this not out in major retail stores yet? I would have bought this instead of the crappy Toshiba SD-4980 in the first place.

LOL, the reason that those players are not repaired is because they are disposable! Nobody fixes a throw away player.

Anyone done or planning to do a review on this player? Some photos of it's insides would be great!

I read about this player a few days ago and agree it looks like it could be a good value. Funai is surviving despite having made some real junk and who knows, the company could start making good products from the profits made selling junk. Maybe this will their first good DVD player.

Chris

I read about this player a few days ago and agree it looks like it could be a good value. Funai is surviving despite having made some real junk and who knows, the company could start making good products from the profits made selling junk. Maybe this will their first good DVD player.

Chris

Unless it was built poorly, how bad could this be with the Faroudja processor. For $100, it's almost worth getting for a present or a backup player. If someone gets a hold of the firmware and can tweak it, who knows!

Anyone find it local?, might be worth checking out for $100

This Sylvania DVL-1000F works very similar to the $30 Magnavox MSD125 progressive-scan DVD player from Sam's Club I had before. It worked very well. I like the small-size and weight. According to the latest Consumer Reports on DVD players regarding reliability, Funai-made DVD players are rated more reliable than Apex, Cyberhome, Denon, Go-Video, Philips, RCA, Samsung, Toshiba, and Zenith. I was surprised. Look under the Hitachi, Magnavox, Mitsubishi, and Sharp brands in the graph. They are all made by Funai.

I wonder why is this not out in major retail stores yet? I would have bought this instead of the crappy Toshiba SD-4980 in the first place.
better than Denon? You don't really believe that do you? I'd take Consumer Reports "ratings" with a big grain of salt. As pointed out above, no one bothers repairing a $100 DVD player. Denon equipment is universally of much higher quality. Consumer reports is not really geared to comparing sound quality on high end equipment.

Buy.com also sells this unit.

A certain member posting to this thread always buys junk that he assures everyone is great and then complains and whines when it turns out to be crap.

Look at the K-Mart ad every week. There is always a Sylvania TV on-sale. I bought my Sylvania 13" TV from K-Mart two weeks ago.


That pretty much sums up the carnival ride that is the waltchan experience in a nutshell doesn't it?

Its definitely from Kmart

We have to go to Kmart to buy a Sylvania TV.

Kmart definitely has Sylvania TVs. 5 minutes till Woppner.


I have news for you walt....."KMart sucks".

BB carries some Sylvania but I haven't seen it on their website.

Paul

Wonder if this player will have the "infamous" macro blocking problem the panny s77 has?
If it can play PAL and Xvid i would like to try it out....as long as it sell's locally....C'mon K-mart!!

Wonder if this player will have the "infamous" macro blocking problem the panny s77 has?
If it can play PAL and Xvid i would like to try it out....as long as it sell's locally....C'mon K-mart!!
If it has the Faroudja chip, then I can guarantee it can show MB (with some displays).

If this Sylvania DVL-1000F uses a Faroudja DCDi video chip, is this the same one found in the Panasonic DVD-RP82 and DVD-XP30?

No, that would be the Faroudja FLI2200. The Sylvania will likely use the FLI2310 or FLI2301.

Chris

Is it better or worse if you compare the Faroudja FLI2200 together?

I don't know if the FLI2200 does a better job of de-interlacing than the FLI23xx chips but it does not have the macroblocking enhancement problem based on what I have read. The FLI2200 is 480p only, no upscaling.

Chris

I would expect to see this player on sale for way under $100 soon. The Toshiba with HDMI is way under that already and Funi players are usually priced much cheaper. I would also suspect that by next year nearly all non-hd players will have HDMI output. I think we can all rember that progressive scan came out it was only available in expensive models and now one can find it in $30 players. The big question is what chipset will be used in the cheap players that is why the Sylvania is somewhat interesting. I still would recommend the Oppo or the Panasonic 97S. The Oppo is a great buy and has wonderful customer support. I guess we get what we pay for. Having said that I would probably be sucker to try it if the cost was really low. If it is not too bad it might work as a second player.

The Faroudja chip in this player is almost sure to be the same one as used in the Denons, Oppo, Pannys, Yamaha, Samsung 941, Zenith, and all other Faroudja upscaling players. Where differences occur is in the MPEG decoder, build quality, power supply isolation, etc, etc. All Faroudja players using the same chip do not provide the same PQ, due to these other factors. Is it worth checking out - yes. Is it going to be as good as the Denon 3910 - hell no. Will it be similar to the Oppo or Panny - maybe, maybe not. Has anyone actually tried it yet?

I would tend to agree that Funai is crap. Funai "Limited Edition", now that is another level all together. It compares to Pioneer Elite I would guess.

Pics from Amazon...



http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000BDG9F6.01.PT02._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg


http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000BDG9F6.01.PT03._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

By the way, it is up to $123 on Amazon. Buy.com has it for $99.99 still.

Here are specs from Buy.com... looks like no Divx or Xvid.

480i / 480p / 720p / 1080i Up-Conversion Video Output
HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) Incorportaed
Faroudja, DCDi Technology
DVD-Video, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, CD-R/RW, CD-MP3, CD-WMA Files Playback
Still, Frame Advance & Slow Motion (FWD&REV, 1/2x, 1/8x, 1/16x)
5-Step High Speed search (2x, 8x, 20x 50x and 100x)
Zoom (2x and 4x)
Skip and Pause Play
Resume Play
Repeat Play · All DVD: Title / Chapter / A-B
CD: All / Track / A-B
MP3: All / Track / Group
Title/Subtitle ON/OFF
99 Program Play and Random Play (CD)
10 Points Marker
Parental Lock
Black Level Shift Control
Angle Change
Screen Saver
Virtual Surround Audio System
DTS Digital Audio Output
Terminals; · Component Video Output 1set
S-Video Output 1set
Composite Video Output 1set
Audio Output 1set
Coaxial Digital Audio Output 1set
Optical Digital Audio Output 1set

Looks like a poor man's S77? Anyone seen the remote? Lousy, hard to use remotes are usually the downfall of cheap DVD players.

Something called Fadfusion.com has it for even less than Buy.com.

I dont think any faroudja player plays xvid/divx, Fadfusion is 94 bucks with 15 shipping, i e-mailed sylvania about this player, waiting for a reponse.

Oppo is a faroudja player that plays divx. It all depends on the mpeg chip on the dvd player.

At lunch i went to my local K-mart, there isnt many here left in the N.E., they do sell a dvl700, your right about being all plastic!!, very very light, kinda big also.
I wont chance this player from the internet, only when "local" i would buy it, dont need a $100 paperweight!!

This has me interested, tagging along to hear more about this one.

Buy.com also sells this unit.

Is it my understanding that one would not be able to return to Buy.com and have to deal direct through Sylvania on this player?

Not all Sylvania DVD players are made out of plastic. The Sylvania DVL1000F is made out of steel. See the photos in the previous page.

I'm glad it's made of steel. I was hoping that Funai would continue using quality components. I read somewhere that the "Limited Edition" Funai is made of Magnesium. It must be the bomb.

Fuai may be a Japanese company but their machines are not made in Japan.

"Funai's plants in Asia (excluding Japan) have been integrated into its Chinese and Malaysian plants. Three major Chinese plants in Dong Guan, Huang Jiang, and Zhong Shan manufacture products for Funai Electric (H.K.) Limited, Funai's Hong Kong"

bought one from frys electronics, was really bad video washed out picture no detail, worse then samsung units .returned next day got sony ns90 lots better, would like to try sony 3100ES, sony kind of slow to load but had very detailed picture.

Saw one today in my local Meijer.

Some frys have them some not, got this one in Fremont, ca. have them check their computer for which stores have them. But I really would not waist time with this unit try the sony ns70 or ns90. Tried the tosh 4980 worked ok except for blue light at disc drawer. you cannot turn it off for good you have to turn each time you turn on. The sony ns90 so far has the best picture of all the cheap upconverting players but have not tried denon or pioneer.

I opened it up. It has Faroudja FLI2301-LF. An ASIC Silicon Image TDMS PanelLINK SiL9030CTU is used for HDMI interface. The MPEG decoder appears to be Panasonic MN2DS0009VP. I have no idea about this chip.

The other side of the board has 2 mid size chip and one large chip; one is Spansion chip probably flash memory. The second one is SA5624G YS5FFYA. The third one said "Solution" and something I can't read.

The power supply does not look impressive. I hope it does the job adequately.

As for the picture, I haven't hooked this one to my Panny Plasma yet. I'm more interested to look inside this one than it's video right now.

Hi skanan,

Thanks for the pictures. Looks really simular to a Denon 1920 actually, I believe the Denon also has a Panasonic mpeg decoder and uses the Genesis FLI2301 for DCDi as well.

Actually the board looks really similar to the one in the Denon, except without the Sony DSD chip for SACD decoding.....hmmmm

I saw one today at Fry's Electronic's for under $117,didn't see it play though.

The two smaller chips on the other side of the board should be a video DAC for component outputs and the other is the audio DAC. In both cases the Denon uses good chips, Analog devices ADV7322 and a Burr-Brown DSD1608 for audio. I believe the Sylvania uses cheaper and inferior chips.

if this is the case, one can say that for HDMI digital video performace, in terms of upscaling and de-interlacing, this bugger is essentially the same as a Denon 1920. Where it loses out is no SACD playback and inferior component and analog audio output.

BTW, the Denon 1920's mpeg decoder is a Panasonic MN2DS0009AA, should be similar to the Sylvania's. In fact it's likely that the Denon is OEMed by the company who makes these Sylviania/Funai machines

Of course, this means it will have the same macro blocking problems that the Denon suffers from, not sure if the mpeg decoder has the chroma bug though....

But for US$99 bucks who's complaining.....

Venom5 said:
"in terms of upscaling and de-interlacing, this bugger is essentially the same as a Denon 1920. Where it loses out is no SACD playback and inferior component and analog audio output."

Does this mean that if I use digital audio out (coax or optical) and don't care about SACD that this cheapo unit should rival the Denon? I had the Oppo (an early release version) and was impressed with the picture but not the bugs (which are probably gone now) so since this uses the same Faroudja chip and output path, I should have a similar picture (for a lot less $)?

BTW Amazon has these in stock again, and at a pretty good price. Any reviews out there guys?

The Faroudja chip in this player is almost sure to be the same one as used in the Denons, Oppo, Pannys, Yamaha, Samsung 941, Zenith, and all other Faroudja upscaling players. Where differences occur is in the MPEG decoder, build quality, power supply isolation, etc, etc. All Faroudja players using the same chip do not provide the same PQ, due to these other factors. Is it worth checking out - yes. Is it going to be as good as the Denon 3910 - hell no. Will it be similar to the Oppo or Panny - maybe, maybe not. Has anyone actually tried it yet?

Gee ..... Gotta love the Funai bashing! Have any of you been inside the Factory?
I HAVE! You might be amazed to know who builds some of these "revered" names.

Q. Have you been inside the Denon Factory?
A. Has to be "NO" since Denon does not build DVD players. Guess who builds them? :rolleyes:

Hi skanan,

Thanks for the pictures. Looks really simular to a Denon 1920 actually, I believe the Denon also has a Panasonic mpeg decoder and uses the Genesis FLI2301 for DCDi as well.

Actually the board looks really similar to the one in the Denon, except without the Sony DSD chip for SACD decoding.....hmmmm


Hmmmm indeed!

Upon closer examination the rear panel screw layouts and jack locations are pretty much identical!! :eek: :eek: :eek:

Could it be that Funai actually builds some of our "cherished" high end brands??? ;)

Gee ..... Gotta love the Funai bashing! Have any of you been inside the Factory?
I HAVE! You might be amazed to know who builds some of these "revered" names.

Q. Have you been inside the Denon Factory?
A. Has to be "NO" since Denon does not build DVD players. Guess who builds them? :rolleyes:

Some of the Denon players could be manufactured in the same plant as the Funai players but anybody that has owned Denon and Funai knows that Denon products are generally far superior. Still this Funai player may be a great value and it will be interesting to see how it performs. Denon products are often overpriced in comparison to comparable products from no name manufacturers. The OEM companies make products according to the specs and quality standards of the major brands and often make their own products to lesser standards.

Chris

I just picked one up and will play with it tonight. Fry's has a good return policy so if it sucks, back it goes. Very initial impressions are that it seems well constructed with a steel case. it only comes with a cheap RWY composite cable and a flimsy looking remote. I'll use my Harmony remote so that's not an issue. The overall design is a bit dated looking and won't match my silver stuff but that's kinda minor. The instruction manual (yes I actually read those things!) states something odd though - it says:

"When the set's HDMI connector is to a DVD-D compatible monitor (HDCP compatible) with and HDMI-DVI convertor cable the signals are output in digital RGB" My Sharp PJ is hooked up this way (DVI-A or DVI-D) and has a switch on it for "video" or "RGB". Obviously I'll try both but just what is digital RGB? If it's inferior to a straight DVI I may not even pursue this.

Also, it says that the player cannot be controlled by another device via the HDMI cable. Just FYI.

very very interesting. the real question is whether or not the firmware is the same such that the Faroudja implementation is the same in terms of features turned on or off, etc.

Whoa! Showstopper flaw here (at least for me). Reading the manual some more I browsed the "Troubleshooting" and came across this little tidbit:

NO DTS AUDIO IS OUTPUT - "This unit does does not support DTS audio, it is not a malfunction."

I personally prefer DTS and select it whenever possible. Back to Fry's it goes, still wrapped up.

Whoa! Showstopper flaw here (at least for me). Reading the manual some more I browsed the "Troubleshooting" and came across this little tidbit:

NO DTS AUDIO IS OUTPUT - "This unit does does not support DTS audio, it is not a malfunction."

I personally prefer DTS and select it whenever possible. Back to Fry's it goes, still wrapped up.


Did you try a DTS disc? I have a player that only decodes Dolby Digital and does not decode DTS but still passes the DTS stream for decoding by my receiver. The language I recall reading was confusing on that issue. If indeed it doesn't pass DTS, that would be a deal killer for most everyone. Did they save a dollar by not including that capability? I can't imagine why a player would not pass DTS today.

Chris

The Amazon.com site indicates it does pass DTS, so my bet is that it does.

Chris

No I didn't try it, I'm still at work. I agree there could be some translation issues (although it seems pretty spelled out) so I guess I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and try it out. I also can't imagine it wouldn't pass it - never crossed my mind to even check for it when I made the purchase.

Here's another thing I came across in the fine print:

DOWNSAMPLING:
"When playing a disc with copyright protection, the sound will be downsampled at 48kHz, even if you set it to "OFF".

"This function is available only on digital outputting of a disc recorded in 96kHz."

Umm, aren't ALL discs copyright protected?

The HDMI to Digital RGB still has me concerned, any thoughts on that?

I think if you are going from hdmi out to dvi in there is a mandatory conversion from 10 bit to 8 bit rgb

I think if you are going from hdmi out to dvi in there is a mandatory conversion from 10 bit to 8 bit rgb

I didn't know that. Since my current Sony HDMI player is feeding my PJ through a HDMI/DVI cable then I'm already watching Digital RGB? I thought HDMI and DVI were 100% compatible with the exception of the sound. In other words the uncompressed digital picture was sent straight through - unconverted.

On page three of this forum there is a thread called "Best setting for HDMI..." which is where I got this idea.

Couple of questions:

Does this player playback DiVX? I don't see it anywhere in spec list....

Does the panasonic mpeg decoder have the chroma bug?

thanks!

Confirmed, no DTS. Such a silly silly thing to try to save a buck (literally) on. I plugged in the unit tonight and put in Rush Hour 2 (great DTS-ES track!) and got nothing but silence. Dolby Digital 5.1 was fine but this unit will not decode or pass the DTS stream, just like the manual states. I put the unit back in the box and didn't try another thing, no need to. It's going back to Fry's soon.

I post this picture so we can compare it to Denon board. I have never seen the circuit board of Denon so I can't say if they are very similar or not. Also, you can see part of the power supply circuit too.

Folks, you can find internal pics of the Denon 1920 here:

http://www.avbuzz.com/audio-video/200508/denon19202/index.htm

and here:

http://www.avbuzz.com/audio-video/200509/denon-1920/index.htm

bought one from frys electronics, was really bad video washed out picture no detail, worse then samsung units .returned next day got sony ns90 lots better, would like to try sony 3100ES, sony kind of slow to load but had very detailed picture.

Have you done any calibration ? I found that the white level was much higher than my current DVD player. The picture looked washed out as you said. However, after calibration using Video Essential, I dialed brightness down 9 levels on my Panny plasma and the color did not look washed out anymore.

Confirmed, no DTS. Such a silly silly thing to try to save a buck (literally) on. I plugged in the unit tonight and put in Rush Hour 2 (great DTS-ES track!) and got nothing but silence. Dolby Digital 5.1 was fine but this unit will not decode or pass the DTS stream, just like the manual states. I put the unit back in the box and didn't try another thing, no need to. It's going back to Fry's soon.

Confirmed too. I tried it with The Fifth Element and selected DTS sound track. It's too bad. I think the Panasonic chip has ability to pass DTS or decode it Funai probably crippled this functionality in the firmware.

Comparing the posted photos of the guts of this thing next to the Denon 1920 I'd swear they are one in the same except for a chip difference here and there. The Panasonic chip clearly shows the DTS label but, as Skanan mentioned, it's probably intentionally disabled. Otherwise this thing would be a pretty spectacular seller, it's got all the rest of the goodies.

I wonder if it would take a Denon firmware upgrade.... ;)

It appears that they use the same circuit board. The power supply looks similar. There is not much different on the components uses for power supply. The MPEG decoder and HDMI transmitter looks the same. I'd infer that the picture quality between this and Denon through HDMI should be almost indentical unless Funai has firmware screwed up.

On component video, they are quite different. Denon uses Analog device to convert digital data from Faroujda to component video. I don't see any DAC on Funai so I speculate that it might just uses internal DAC on the Panasonic Mpeg decoder. If that is true, then the component output won't have any benefit from Faroujda at all.

On the audio side, Denon has Sony SACD decoder chip and also Analog 5.1 ch out. The Funai has none of those.

Folks, you can find internal pics of the Denon 1920 here:

http://www.avbuzz.com/audio-video/200508/denon19202/index.htm

and here:

http://www.avbuzz.com/audio-video/200509/denon-1920/index.htm

I just tried to feed it a Denon 1920 region free firmware I (well... Google) found on the web. Just for kicks, OK? :) The initiation process is the same as the Denon (which was good!) you just power up the unit and hit 9876 SEARCH, the unit will then go into firmware upgrade mode. It lists the current firmware version as 1.10 and the actual model #E61J0UD. Alas, my amateur attempts failed, the unit spit the disc back out saying "disc error" - duh!. Perhaps someone much smarter than I can figure this out, I really feel it's just a firmware change away from being a non-crippled (cough) high end (cough) machine.

No DTS, this player isn't worth reading about any longer in my opinion. Good investigative work with the pictures and the proven similarities to the Denon DVD-1920. Maybe a similar player will be coming from Funai with DTS.

Chris

wow, no DTS? That's just sad in this day and age, and obviously intentionally done as every mpeg decoder currently on the market should support DTS pass-thru.

I'm sure if someone hacks the headers on the Denon firmware to make it look like a Sylvania DVL-1000F firmware, this thing will accept it. The only question is whether it'll work with the slightly different chips on the Sylvania (and without the SACD stuff). Does Denon make a model without SACD/DVD-A? Might be more similar.

DTS is overrated anyway :) (except for possibly DTS-ES discrete)

Hmmm, perhaps the Denon 1720 or is that the 1710...anyway this is the model below the 1920 rite? I think it doesn't have SACD? Could be even more similar to the Sylvania....

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BDG9F6/104-5906481-7943101?v=glance&n=172282 (on sale for $90 shipped)

Can anyone comment on the PQ. I agree DTS is overated. Is your coaxial going to a receiver that decodes DTS? Interesting to see how this player stacks up with other DCDI upconverting players.

No DTS, this player isn't worth reading about any longer in my opinion. Good investigative work with the pictures and the proven similarities to the Denon DVD-1920. Maybe a similar player will be coming from Funai with DTS.

Chris

This may come as a shock to you, but there are some of us who don't give a fig about DTS, and who would find this virtual Denon clone at half the cost to be of great interest.

Can this DVD player output 480i via HDMI ?

This may come as a shock to you, but there are some of us who don't give a fig about DTS, and who would find this virtual Denon clone at half the cost to be of great interest.


Now now don't get your panties in a wad. He wrote "In My Opinion". He wasn't trying to irritate anyone.

True. No DTS... which is only mentioned as stated before under the Troubleshooting Section. After a Digital Video Essentials calibration on an InFocus ScreenPlay 5000 Brightness level was reduced from 50 to 42. Bang for the buck it is a fine deal.. if you can live without DTS. Personally, I prefer DTS when available.
Remote is awkward in the positions of the curser buttons... but I incorporated the RTI T2+ Controller; so all the OEM remotes are not used.

How does this player compare PQ wise to some other DCDI players(Oppo, Panasonic, Zenith)? I think most people are interested in the PQ with some comparatives. Thanks

I bought one of these players at Fry's electronics.I watched all my reference dvd's,the picture quality is as good or better than my Oppo, sony 70h.I don't know why the other poster said the colors were washed out,but the colors are vivid on my 65" plasma.
The only downside is that the player won't pass DTS,which I find very odd.
Other that the DTS,this player is tip top and I have owned every hdmi dvd player(both panasonics included).The colors are great the picture Is very detailed and crisp.It will also display 4:3 movies in the proper ratio in 720p or 1080I.I am now using as my default player.

Can this DVD player output 480i via HDMI ?Good question! Anyone?

Was looking at the Oppo but at 90 dollars shipped this looks promising. I emailed Sylvania about the dts issue. The chip has the dts logo so it must be a firmware issue. I asked them if they plan on a firmware fix. I don't know any players these days that do not pass dts these days. I will let you guys know when I receive a response from Sylvania if I get one.

Perhaps the previous poster did not calibrate his display with the new DVD player. Did you calibrate yours ?

I bought one of these players at Fry's electronics.I watched all my reference dvd's,the picture quality is as good or better than my Oppo, sony 70h.I don't know why the other poster said the colors were washed out,but the colors are vivid on my 65" plasma.
The only downside is that the player won't pass DTS,which I find very odd.
Other that the DTS,this player is tip top and I have owned every hdmi dvd player(both panasonics included).The colors are great the picture Is very detailed and crisp.It will also display 4:3 movies in the proper ratio in 720p or 1080I.I am now using as my default player.

hi guys,

any idea if this player can be made region free?
also, if you have a AV receiver decoding DTS, then it shouldn't really matter, should it?

all in all, it looks like a great bargain if PQ is confirmed.

hi guys,

any idea if this player can be made region free?
also, if you have a AV receiver decoding DTS, then it shouldn't really matter, should it?

all in all, it looks like a great bargain if PQ is confirmed.
The player must read and pass on to the receiver the DTS signal the is recorded on the disc just like it does for DD

The player must read and pass on to the receiver the DTS signal the is recorded on the disc just like it does for DD

But it doesn't. No DTS on this thing. I believe it is deliberately disabled via firmware so it doesn't canibalize sales of the manufacturers' other *cough Denon cough* higher profit items. I had one and could not get the DTS going. The manual specifically states "No DTS", so regardless whatever label is on the chip, it won't do it.

But it doesn't. No DTS on this thing. I believe it is deliberately disabled via firmware so it doesn't canibalize sales of the manufacturers' other *cough Denon cough* higher profit items. I had one and could not get the DTS going. The manual specifically states "No DTS", so regardless whatever label is on the chip, it won't do it.

Itsdon,

When viewing this players specs as listed with an online retailer it states that DTS is available through the digital output only, therefore no analog DTS processing within. Many players defualt the Digital DTS output as "on" but some require this to be turned on in the menu system. Did you confirm that there is either no such menu prompt for this player or if there is turning it "on" makes no difference?

Itsdon,

When viewing this players specs as listed with an online retailer it states that DTS is available through the digital output only, therefore no analog DTS processing within. Many players defualt the Digital DTS output as "on" but some require this to be turned on in the menu system. Did you confirm that there is either no such menu prompt for this player or if there is turning it "on" makes no difference?

I used digital out only and went through every menu, no DTS. As stated before, the owners manual specifically states that this unit will not decode or pass DTS. That was the deal breaker for me, I like DTS! Some folks say it's over rated, I don't.

I used digital out only and went through every menu, no DTS. As stated before, the owners manual specifically states that this unit will not decode or pass DTS. That was the deal breaker for me, I like DTS! Some folks say it's over rated, I don't.

I got flamed for stating an opinion that no DTS makes it unworthy of consideration for me and I don't really care about having to have DTS, but I do own some DTS titles. If nothing but Dolby Digital DVDs were available, it would not be any great problem for me but I already own some with DTS and have DTS capable receivers. One of the cute things to do is compare the soundtracks with DVDs that have both. I think I have some early DVDs with DTS only as well but I haven't tried to confirm that.

Chris

I also have some burned movies that I chose not to have any menu-just the movie and they defaulted to dts. If I bought this player I would get silence through the coaxial. I really have no preference on either format on movies but I do prefer DTS on music dvds. I received a reply from Sylvania and they stated they were Canadian based and did not support that model. They referred me to Funai and I resent my
questioned to them. I should of already figured that out because I had a 32" Sylvania tv and last year bought a cheap 20" tv and noticed the remotes were exactly the same and the menu system was exactly the same.

somone has got to try and hack the Denon 1710 firmware so that it can be flashed on this thing...i bet money* it would work and enable DTS.

*disclaimer - i take no responsibility if you try this and break your player. nor will I actually give you money whether or not it works.

Perhaps the previous poster did not calibrate his display with the new DVD player. Did you calibrate yours ?
I just plugged the dvd player and watched,no calibration needed.It worked a lot better than I thought,the no DTS is a huge bummer though.

somone has got to try and hack the Denon 1710 firmware so that it can be flashed on this thing...i bet money* it would work and enable DTS.

*disclaimer - i take no responsibility if you try this and break your player. nor will I actually give you money whether or not it works.

I agree. Anyone?

Has anyone tried to flash the Denon 1920 firmware? What I can gather this player is almost a clone of that model and the firmware might work. Its worth a shot. Still waiting for funai to respond to my email.

Someone has trid to flash the 1920 firmware and it did not work. See page 2 of thread.
It is possible that some with a Hex editor and computer knowledge could make a few changes and make it work.

Has anyone tried to flash the Denon 1920 firmware? What I can gather this player is almost a clone of that model and the firmware might work. Its worth a shot. Still waiting for funai to respond to my email.

I was on the phone with Funei customer service for half hour yesterday and they couldn't find any reference to this player. It does not exist in their data base, at least that's how one person interpretted it.

This player doesn't do DTS, that has been confirmed. Writing Funai and Sylvania to request it be added by firmware is ok but I don't find it necessary to bother customer service with phone calls. Funai/Sylvania has offered an inexpensive HDMI player without DTS support, if someone can hack it to add it, that is fine too but Funai/Sylvania stated clearly it doesn't do it and it also doesn't do many other things clearly, none of which should result in calling customer service. Customer service is expensive and should only be used when necessary to help companies continue to offer inexpensive products that fill market niches. My hope is that a similar/otherwise identical player at a slightly higher cost will be offered with DTS. As this player is some will find it useful, but in my opinion, not very many.

Chris

This player doesn't do DTS, that has been confirmed. Writing Funai and Sylvania to request it be added by firmware is ok but I don't find it necessary to bother customer service with phone calls. Funai/Sylvania has offered an inexpensive HDMI player without DTS support, if someone can hack it to add it, that is fine too but Funai/Sylvania stated clearly it doesn't do it and it also doesn't do many other things clearly, none of which should result in calling customer service. Customer service is expensive and should only be used when necessary to help companies continue to offer inexpensive products that fill market niches. My hope is that a similar/otherwise identical player at a slightly higher cost will be offered with DTS. As this player is some will find it useful, but in my opinion, not very many.

Chris

I presume this was directed towards me. My call had nothing to do with DTS, I simply attempted to download the manual for this player (I commonly do this before I buy) from their site but repeated attempts to find the player ended with this message:

"Sorry, no manuals matching your request were found. Please contact Funai Customer Support at xxx-xxx-xxxx for further assistance."

It was their request of me that I call them for further assistance therefore I was simply following their expert advice. I consider my time valuable as well but I was't upset it took so long for them to not sort out their manual updating/commucations issues while I waited so there's no need for you to be concerned.

Regarding this part of your post:

"Customer service is expensive and should only be used when necessary to help companies continue to offer inexpensive products that fill market niches."


I'm speechless. :D

"Customer service is expensive and should only be used when necessary to help companies continue to offer inexpensive products that fill market niches."
[/I]

I'm speechless. :D

Read the simple sentence as I intended with a comma after necessary and I doubt you would be speechless and I didn't mention your name so your conclusions are doubly wrong. But you can remain speechless.

Chris

Read the simple sentence as I intended with a comma after necessary and I doubt you would be speechless and I didn't mention your name so your conclusions are doubly wrong. But you can remain speechless.

Chris


The comma changes things drastically :eek:

Considering I believe I was the only one who mentioned phoning customer service and your reply immediately followed mine it's reasonable to believe your post was indeed pointed in my direction, if not then obviously it's just a coincidence.

The intent of my original post to Theroy88 was not to cause start a fight.

I think that customer service would be interested in the fact that they would loose sales because of the lack of DTS. If it could be changed with an easy firmware upgrade that might make sense.

Sorry guys if my questions started anything. I had emailed Funai to inquire about the DTS issue. No reply yet and my experience is that after this long, there won't be any. I am sure they have a reason for no DTS but with it being a standard I am baffled. I Just hate to see people getting upset with eachother. I think we need to respect one another and our opinions which may in the end be right or wrong. As far as Funai caring if their sales would be effected I think they could care less. If they really wanted this player to sell you see more penetration and marketing.

I think that customer service would be interested in the fact that they would loose sales because of the lack of DTS. If it could be changed with an easy firmware upgrade that might make sense.

Sure, I suggested writing letters and seeing if it is possible. It is apparent it was deliberate since it is well documented and there may be a valid reason. Calling customer service to complain about no DTS is wrong in my opinion and I stated as much.

Chris

Received a email from Funai stating "unfortunately we have no plans to upgrade this model at this time" Sorry guys.

I suspect the primary reason DTS was disabled was in order to avoid paying license fees to DTS and thus keep the cost down.

Sounds logical.

So the next outstanding question is: Does this player do 480i via the HDMI port?

This is a HIGHLY desirable feature for those with outboard scalers or decent upconverting HDMI TV's.

I agree for the money this player is tempting. Just wonder how it compares Pq wise to other players like the Oppo or Panasonic.

Hey guys,
Just bought this player tonight on Amazon.com and they have a promotional offer of 30 dollars off if you sign up for their credit card. That makes the total 69 dollars which includes free shipping. I will post my review after I receive it.

I'm definitely interested in hearing more about this player. I have need of a secondary DVD player with HDMI, and no DTS isn't a deal breaker on this at all.

When it's $50 then i'd try it, otherwise no DTS is No Good in my book!!

I will test the DTS and also confirm that. I believe they are clearing out these models. I cannot find it on the Sylvania website. For 69 dollars its worth checking out.

Recieved the player today. Shipped Monday and already here. Waiting on a HDMI cable to test out the upconverting. Confirmed that it does indeed not pass DTS. I agree with a earlier post that this is probably to avoid paying DTS a fee. Does anyone know whether I should use RGB or YCbCr? Progressive Component looks very good. Will post my initial thoughts when I receive the HDMI cable from Ebay.

Has anyone had a chance to compare this player to the other Faroudja players like the Panny S77/S97 or the OPPO? I'm mostly interested in the PQ and would like to hear from anyone who has owned both.

Received my HDMI and did a quick eyeball calibration. I have to go to work soon and do not have time to do a proper calibration just yet. The PQ is excellent. colors are vivid and the picture is very sharp. I put it the HDMI to RGB. I hope that is correct. Watched a few reference dvds and was very impressed. The unit respons quickly, chapter skips are fast and it loads very quickly and is pretty quite. For 69 dollars I feel like I got a heck of a deal. DTS is no big thing for me. I don't prefer it anyway. I will post my second evaluation after I properly calibrate this unit. I did see some macroblocking which was comparable to my LG-3510A.

Ransome on post 524 stated he has owned many HDMI players including the Panasonics and I read in another post he also said this unit was as good or better then his Oppo. I had considered the Oppo but with the known lipsync issue and being 200 bucks this was a smarter choice for me.

Finally calibrated this player on my Panasonic 34" HDTV and I produces a great PQ with low noise, great colors and a very sharp picture. Layer changes are barely noticable and it plays all my burned movies. Less macroblocking the my LG -3510A but that player is to a Toshiba 36hf73. This is a fine player and a steal right now on Amazon.com.

I was in the market for a new dvd player and I stumbled on the dvl-1000f on buy.com. For the current price and the comments in this thread I couldn't help but order one. I've had it only for a day, but so far I'm impressed. The lack of dts support is unfortunate, but I can live without it.

I think this player is pretty good, but I concluded the LG DVB418 is a much better deal. For $70 refurbished delivered, it uses Faroudja FLI23xx, supports DTS and upscales over component after changing the firmware to the LDA531. I think the picture quality is very good with the DVB418 but I don't this Sylvania player to do a first hand comparison. I have several other inexpensive players and the DVB418 does well.

Chris

I was in the market for a new dvd player and I stumbled on the dvl-1000f on buy.com. For the current price and the comments in this thread I couldn't help but order one. I've had it only for a day, but so far I'm impressed. The lack of dts support is unfortunate, but I can live without it.


I bought it for 69 dollars at Amazon a couple of months ago. The lack of DTS support
is its only drawback. Other then that it is fine player and will hold me over till
I get my combo HD DVD/BR player when LG comes out with it.

...but I concluded the LG DVB418 is a much better deal. For $70 refurbished delivered, it uses Faroudja FLI23xx...
Chris

I was about to purchase a DVL1000F, but after you mentioned the LG DVB418, I looked into purchasing one, but could not find anything (including the product cut sheet) that referred to the Faroudja chip being in this unit...have you opened it up and seen it?...

I was about to purchase a DVL1000F, but after you mentioned the LG DVB418, I looked into purchasing one, but could not find anything (including the product cut sheet) that referred to the Faroudja chip being in this unit...have you opened it up and seen it?...

The long thread here on the player states with certainty it uses Faroudja. The Secrets Benchmark test does as well many other sites online. It is well documented that the DVB318 and DVB418 both use Faroudja. If you must see a picture, I have seen those online as well, but won't try to find a link. If the manual mentions DCDi, that is another form of proof you can read about online. I can't recall ever seeing a DVD player's manual indicate chips used.

Chris

The DVL1000G is another alternative that Buy Com sells with free shipping. This makes the total price under $80 just about $11 more than the DVL1000F. Shipping is not included with the DVL1000F. The 1000G does pass DTS and is the replacement for the 1000G. It also has the Faroudja chipset.

The long thread here on the player states with certainty it uses Faroudja. The Secrets Benchmark test does as well many other sites online. It is well documented that the DVB318 and DVB418 both use Faroudja. If you must see a picture, I have seen those online as well, but won't try to find a link. If the manual mentions DCDi, that is another form of proof you can read about online. I can't recall ever seeing a DVD player's manual indicate chips used.

Chris

thanks Chris...I just went to CC and found an open-box DVB418 for $29, so all in all I guess no matter what, I can't lose on this one...
thanks!

thanks Chris...I just went to CC and found an open-box DVB418 for $29, so all in all I guess no matter what, I can't lose on this one...
thanks!
guess I spoke too soon...player freezes up than skips like crazy...can't get it to stop...
back to the store and back to investigating the new Sylvania DVL1000G...
anyone have this unit yet?

I'm glad it's made of steel. I was hoping that Funai would continue using quality components. I read somewhere that the "Limited Edition" Funai is made of Magnesium. It must be the bomb.

magnesium?

I just saw one of these at a freaking Meijer. Any word on the pic quality? Is it a "real deal" Faroudja? Are there good and bad ones?

I just saw one of these at a freaking Meijer. Any word on the pic quality? Is it a "real deal" Faroudja? Are there good and bad ones?
Well I've had mine for many months now and for the price I paid I can't complain. The pq is very good.

DVL-1000F is the real Faroudja FLI-2310 DCDI with Panny MPEG decoder (similar to Panny RP82) but does not pass DTS via SPDIF to your receiver. It will pass Dolby Digital though.

DVL-1000G does not have DCDi (Panny all in one chip like Panny S52S) and also does NOT pass DTS via SPDIF.

Of the 2 DVL-1000F is the better one due to better PQ, as long as you don't need DTS support.

Neither provides HDMI cable so make sure you buy one as you can only upconvert via HDMI.

I just picked the 1000F the other day and I'm quite impressed. I'd been on the fence for some time as to wether buying a dvd player for upscaling was worth it, but after seeing how it compared to my aging JVC player...

Anyway, I'm hoping someone might be able to clearify the blacker than black setting for me. My assumptions been that if a standard TV supports black to a "value" of 16, then blacker than black is the information from 0-16. If I'm correct that HD supports the 0-16 range then by turning on btb I would expect even more detail in the black area of the picture. However, with BTB on my picture looked a lot worse. There seemed to be a white layer over the whole screen. E.G. The blackness of space looked like the grayness of space. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? It does seem to make sense in a way. If something was black at 16, it's now not going to be as black, but if that's the case why would you want this? I can't believe this question hasn't already been asked, but my post search only brought up a few posts with no real information.

Thanks,
Nathaniel