EHC31-62 [Arcane DVM727].3

2/6/04

11:11 AM

Page 62

>>Reviews DVD players
Key Features Plays DVD-Video, DVD-R/-RW, CD, CD-R/RW, VCD, SVCD MPEG 4, DivX, AVI, WMA, JPEG and MP3 compatible Dolby Digital and DTS decoders Progressive scan Dimensions 430(w) x 38(h) x 255(d)mm Connections Scart output Component video output VGA output (15-pin D-sub) S-Video output Composite video output Analogue 5.1-channel output Optical digital output Coaxial digital output

Arcane DVM727

A fully loaded, all singing, all dancing DVD deck for under 200: too good to be true? Sam Kieldsen takes a look
TS NOT EVERY DAY WE TAKE A LOOK AT AN inexpensive player with as many bells and whistles as this, but then not many Chinese-built decks from a company weve never heard of land on our desk. On first impressions, this player does not look at all promising. Firstly, as we said, its a Chinese-built deck from a company weve never heard of. Secondly, it comes in a gaudilycoloured box loudly proclaiming such must-have features as Multi Angle Disc Support (how would you live without it?). Thirdly, its not a handsome piece of engineering by any means. While its quite possibly the slimmest full-size player weve ever laid eyes on, with a height of only 38mm, its poorly styled and looks incredibly cheap and flimsy the kind of DVD player youd expect to see being hawked on a Camden market stall. The back panel challenges this impression, though there is a truly impressive array of connections on offer, most of which are gold-plated. Video-wise, there are component video, RGB-
What we like about this DVD player Good MP3 and JPEG playback Decent component picture Slim casing
MP3 playback was a breeze
capable Scart and even VGA via 15-pin D-sub options (the latter is ideal for connecting plasma and LCD screens). Both the component and VGA sockets are able to output a progressive scan picture (with both PAL and NTSC discs) to compatible display devices. Alongside these is a full 5.1-channel analogue output, because, quite surprisingly, the Arcane has its own surround sound decoders for Dolby Digital and DTS; very useful if you want to use your old Pro-Logic amplifier for a cut-price multichannel audio setup, but a little bit pointless if you have a decent AV amplifier or receiver, in which case you may as well use one of the two digital outputs. Before you get too excited, there are no high resolution audio

62 ESSENTIAL HOME CINEMA

decoders, so DVD-Audio and SACD fans on a budget will have to look elsewhere. In fact, the Arcane would not even play the CD layer of an SACD, and after 30 seconds or so of chugging, simply spat the disc right back out at us. So how does it perform with the What we dont like copious formats with which it is compatible? We threw on a mixed about this DVD media test disc with tunes, movies and player digital photos stored in separate Unreliable video folders to find out. MP3 playback was output a breeze, with the sound quality fairly Poor DivX decent. JPEGs worked equally well, performance with the player providing a nice Bad value slideshow of our digital snaps. Of the four DivX movies in another folder (all of which played fine in Windows Media Player 9 on our PC), one was not even recognised by the player, while only one of the remaining three played properly. We presume that this was because the player was only compatible with certain versions of the DivX codec, but, unhelpfully, the manual didnt carry any details of which ones. The Arcane isnt bad with DVDs, as long as you use either the S-Video or component video connections. The image is reasonably clear and colour reproduction is decent, but jaggies are visible around the edges of objects, even with progressive scan turned on. The most commonly used video output, RGB (via Scart), did not even work on our sample, reverting to composite video every time. This player promises much and delivers little. If everything worked as it should, 180 would be a reasonable price. As it is, you can get equal performance from far cheaper decks.

HomeCinemaVerdict

Sales 523 Web www.techstore.co.uk

Essential

REMOTE CONTROL Mirroring the design of the player, the remote is slim and shiny, but cheap looking overall. Button placement isnt too bad, but responsiveness could be far better.
EASE OF USE LOOKS FEATURES PICTURE SOUND VALUE
VERDICT A player that doesnt deliver. 180 would have been a fair price two or three years ago, but you can buy a much better deck for that these days.

Overall

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Sony DVP-NS930V SDI mod

By Gregory Yuen
Here are the details of my recently completed modification of a Sony DVP-NS930V DVD player (should also apply to DVP-NS905V - uses same main board).
MB-105 main board showing where to connect +5V. Circled chip is Analog Devices video DAC.
Closeup of video DAC showing where to connect data, clock and ground.
SDI board wired in and insulated in transparent plastic. Yellow wires - data White wire - clock Blue wire - ground Green cable - SDI output

Rear panel view.