Philips DVD5960 DVD player review
| Design |
| The silver exterior of the DVD player is as fetching as a model wearing a sequenced dress. And it’s about as shallow too, measuring a low 37mm and 43.5 cm long. The front disc draw is set low down giving it a bit more stability. To the right is a large LED display that is lit up like a night sky allowing you to read the display even from the back of the room. Lined up next to this is the standby button, the HD upscale, play, pause and stop and there’s also a USB port on the front making connecting your camcorder or digital camera to the DVD player much easier. Twist the player around and at the back you’ll find an analogue audio left/right out, composite video output and an HDMI output. It comes with a small plasticy remote control that is rather chunky and isn’t backlit. |
| Setup/Installation |
| Make sure you push all your cables in properly so they're connected up and then just switch on the DVD player to get going. |
| Features |
| There’s only so much a DVD player is expected to do, and if it can manage those simple functions well, with little fuss, we’re on to a winner. First and foremost is being able to play a variety of formats – particularly as there’s so many imports from America and Europe. And you’ll be pleased to know that Philips gets a tick on this front. Playing movies is made easy thanks to the multifunctional format. You can watch DiVx, VCD, DVDs, and also , DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW. And seeing JPEG videos or MP3 playback is made easy too. The biggest selling point of the DVP5960 has to be its HDMI compatibility. After all most people now have high definition TV so to watch HD movies is important. And this is where the multi-media interface comes in handy, it’s also backward compatible with DVI. The player comes with video Upscaling up to 1080i, which allows you to increase the resolution of normal DVD to 1080i high definition meaning that pictures will be sharper and brighter. And it’s not just movies that you can view on high def. The high resolution JPEG playback function allows you to connect up your digital camera via the USB port at the front and watch high quality images. |
| Performance |
| On the whole the Philips DVP5960 is a good runner. The DVP5960/37 seems to be very accepting of nearly all formats of disc. It’s not picky whether it’s a DiVx or an old DVD, the Philips takes it all in its stride and plays away merrily in its own world. What was really good about the DiVx was you didn’t get that terrible Japanese dubbing effect where the lips move seconds after the words come out, the lip-sync was totally smooth. There weren’t even any problems in playing MP3s stored on DVDs. And the picture quality was very good. Even on the 1080i mode the picture wasn’t bad. We have to admit it wasn’t excellent but then it’s a DVD player not a miracle worker – if you’re playing a bog standard DVD on the system there’s only so much enhancement that can be applied. The USB port at the front for HD JPEG images was superb, the image display is slow but very crisp and clear. What we didn’t like though is the fact there’s no fast-forward or rewind on the actual machine itself, instead you have to rummage around looking for the remote to use these functions. |
| What's In The Box? |
| Philips DVP5960 DVD player and remote control. |
| Overall Opinion |
| There’s little to like about th Philips DVP5960 DVD player. The most important thing to consider is the price. This is a ridiculously cheap DVD player that comes with the ability to play high definition movies in several formats and allows you to upscale standard DVDs. The sound and picture quality is very good and it’s very versatile. For a home DVD player that does as it’s supposed to without giving you problems this is a top buy. |
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Pros + Good picture + Plays a variety of DVDs + HDMI upscale |
Cons - Remote control is a bit clunky - Can't forward or rewind without remote control |
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Overall Rating 
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By Babita Wakelin
3/8/2006 at 11:38:11am
3/8/2006 at 11:38:11am
Read Philips Reviews
| Web Reviews - beta | |||
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Philips DVP5960 Philips' DVP5960 is an astonishingly affordable player that uses integrated video upscaling to improve the quality of your existing DVD collection it's worth every penny, and more.. read | |||
By Richard Arrowsmith at
cnet.co.uk
11/1/2007 5:40:20pm
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