JVC XV-511BK DVD Player

JVC XV-511BK DVD Player Review

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JVC XV-511BK DVD Player Feature

• Dolby Digital and DTS compatible
• Component video outputs
• Optical digital-audio output
• 24-bit audio D/A converter
• Special effects include digest, strobe, zoom

Although multidisc changers are convenient for long, afternoon music-listening sessions and all-night movie marathons, we still appreciate the simplicity of single-disc DVD players like JVC's XV-511BK. In fact, this swinging-single machine has a less cluttered design, better internal component isolation, a more stable disc platter, and a superior laser-pickup assembly.

Perhaps what impressed us most about the XV-511BK, however, is the fact that it shined with every format we played. Images looked good in composite, component, and S-video, and the optical digital output delivered great sound in PCM stereo, as well as multichannel Dolby Digital and DTS.

Listening to well-engineered acoustic music, including some great steel-drum jazz by Andy Narell and some folky new stuff by Neil Young, we couldn't help but notice the extra detail, sweetness, and sense of "air" around the instruments.

Although not quite as obvious, we also felt that the Pro-Logic Surround soundtrack playback (via these same analog outs) displayed a refined quality, with excellent channel separation and dynamic range.

Player ergonomics are pleasing with the XV-511BK. The button lay out on the remote is less cluttered and more logically arranged than on other players we've reviewed of late. The tracking information is easy to read thanks to the player's larger-than-normal, front-panel fluorescent display (though we could do without the constantly spinning disc icon.)

What really grabbed us with this JVC model, however, was its onscreen operating guide. When you access the guide midway through a disc, a picture-in-picture-like display shrinks the still-moving and still-audible program down to quarter-screen size so that it occupies just the upper left quadrant. The operating guide fills the rest of the screen with a menu of player-control functions and disc-tracking information. The latter includes not only chapter and time, but also fluctuating bar graphs that show the current position of the disc program (between beginning and end) and the current video data rate. For CDs, there's a nice sampling mode that plays just the first nine seconds of each track, then moves on.

JVC has also built in a great "digest" feature. On cue, the digest mode quickly samples a frame from the beginning of the first nine film chapters, and shows them sequentially on screen in a nine-panel layout. Select your choice with the cursor and press Enter to immediately access that chapter. Or move past the bottom-right panel and into the next screen of nine stills.

We also loved the clean, multispeed fast scan and slow-motion visual play options, accessible from the remote. With the variable-speed jog shuttle dial on the front of the player, you can study the credits in slow motion or whisk through scenes with amazingly sharp, noise-free pictures. The variable-speed, fast-scan mode works surprisingly well on audio CDs, too.

If you're thinking about replacing your current CD player with a more versatile DVD spinner, we recommend you consider JVC's XV-511BK, which offers superb ergonomics and excellent build quality.

Pros:

• Fine performance from both digital and analog outputs
• Excellent special effects (still, slow motion, fast scan)
• Attractive and intuitive styling

Cons:

• No coaxial digital output
• Remote control isn't backlit

Enhance your home theater with this full-featured JVC DVD player. It features an easy to operate on-screen GUI menu, a multi-brand remote, resume function and digest function. A theater position control is also provided for adjusting the picture to your personal preference. A fiber optic digital audio output with Dolby Digital & DTS pass through offers easy connection to any system.The JVC XV-511BK is compatible with DVD Video, CD and Video CD. Component Video Output, 10bit/27 MHz video D/A converters & Video Fine Processor are included for the best video quality. Component video is superior to both composite and S-video because it provides improved color purity, superior color detail, and reduces NTSC artifacts. JVC's acclaimed 1-bit P.E.M. D/D Converter system assures the absolute best musical fidelity. The power supply, digital circuits, analog circuits, video and audio signal paths feature separate construction for optimum performance. This player features 3D-Phonic for virtual surround sound, Digest function for visual access to desired title/chapter; Slow, Repeat, Zoom and Strobe functions for greater flexibility and multi-brand remote control.

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Customer Review

Sep 10, 2011 22:51:09