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The Norcent DP-220 DVD Player is a surprisingly sprightly unit considering its MSRP of $59 and street prices as low as $45. It offers progressive scan playback, Dolby Digital surround signal output (via Coax connection ? no optical connection and no DTS), it can play back nearly every format 5? disc you can think of including DVD, DVD-R/-RW, DVD+R/+RW, CD, CD-R/-RW, MP3-CD, MPEG-4, Picture-CD and DivX CD/DVD discs.
Setting up the DP-220 is about as simple as it gets. While the unit comes with a 23-page manual and Quick Setup Guide you probably won?t need them (although you should read the manual to get an idea what features are available). The back of the unit features your typical composite, S-video, and component outputs (component cables not included) and there are stereo outputs as well as a Coax connection for Dolby Digital surround decoders (Coax cable not included). Other than a port for the power cable that?s about it.
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| Norcent's DP-220 DVD player |
The palm-size remote control has all the buttons you?d expect and they are well laid out so it only takes little time to learn and control the device even in the dark.
The OSD (on screen display) can be a bit confusing at first but once you learn the most common functions it is relatively simple to use.
Some of the more unique features of the DP-220 include zoom, parental controls, virtual surround, MP3 and photodisc playback, and, of course, support for CDs/DVDs recorded using the DivX compression format.
So how well did the DP-220 perform? Surprisingly well, actually. The player fires up quickly and is quite responsive showing no delays when switching modes. The unit successfully played pretty much every format disc I could throw at it with only one or two exceptions. The player was rock-solid even when playing some of my ?problem discs.? While it sometimes took longer to load scratched or smudged discs, once the disc loaded the player valiantly carried on. DivX playback seemed to work fine for me although I have heard that some people have found some DivX discs won?t play properly. While I can?t say for sure what the problems were in those cases I suspect faulty media, burners, or authoring software may be at the root.
I wasn?t overly impressed with the virtual surround function and the unit lacks single frame advance but neither of these things were terribly bothersome. There is no support for DTS or optical connections so if these things are important to you then you?ll have to look for another player but if you are looking for an inexpensive second (or third or fourth) DVD player for the bedroom, study, or kids room then DTS surround and optical connections probably aren?t an issue.
Conclusions
Overall, I would have to rate the Norcent DP-220 at a four and a half out of five (only because it doesn?t support DTS or optical connections). It plays an impressive variety of disc formats and does it simply and flawlessly all at a great price. And when you think about it that?s about all you need from a DVD player.
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Guy Wright
has been kicking around computers and video for more years than he
cares to admit and written too many articles to count. He has been a
director, editor, producer, video operator, and announcer for a score
of radio and TV stations. His credits include hundreds of insipid
local-origination programs and commercials, dozens of cheesy radio
spots, and even a book or two. Mainly he writes and edits articles for
Digital Media Online.Related Sites: Oceania , CEN - Consumer Electronics Net , CEN - Audio , CEN - DVD , CEN - HomeTheatre , CEN - Peripherals , Storage
Related Newsletter: Digital Media Net , DVD Viewpoint , CEN - Gadgets Newsletter , Review Seeker
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