paranoized

No, I said they were "shady." Do a search over at nerd-out. Dealers with good track records: jvb.nl, hkflix.com, world-import.com are all reputable, technically competent, and have helpful customer service.

Yeah, that's the Daewoo Freeze-Up(tm) feature. Return it, get your money back and put it towards a real player.

I wouldn't go that far. The JVCs can be just as "plug & play" as the Malatas, it's just that if you want a JVC you'll need to get it from a dealer who does the region code modification. It's no big deal.

Visit the link in my signature for info.

paranoized

Yes, the Toshiba SD-3805 will serve you well with its Mediamatics PAL conversion... but if you are in the market for a really *sweet* codefree changer and want a better player for the money, look at the JVC 900 series.

Matt Stevens

JVC 600 is a fine product for good money and no "stuck" Zoom icon, unlike the 500 series.

mdX

The Phllips 724 is also mediamatics based, can be hacked region-free from the remote, but does not convert PAL->NTSC properly sadly

stingo

Do you know if it has any problems with subtitles etc? Now that my N996 is resetting/locking up while outputting progressive scan it seems I will be shopping for a new DVD player soon.

Henry Woo

Have finally decided to buy a region-free dvd player that can do pal to ntsc conversion so that I can play all those great Hong Kong Legends and Celestial dvds. My long search and research has me down to two players, either the Malata DVP-520 or the JVC XV-S500.

Can owners of one or both of these players give me the pros and cons of these two players to help me make up my mind?

I do have a 60" Proscan rear projection tv that unfortunately is about 4 to 5 years old and therefore does not display an anamorphic picture though I hope to upgrade in a couple of years.

Thanks for any help that anyone can provide.

dvd2001

Henry, I think you'll probably get plenty of good feedback about both players.

I can't give you a comparison, but I'll say that I'm totally happy with my JVC-500, purchased from HKflix.

I had a few email exchanges with HKflix before I decided on the JVC. Since they carried both, I felt that I was getting an objective opinion. The one advantage that I saw to the Malata was the adjustable scaling, but the JVC supposedly has a much nicer remote. The scaling wasn't that important to me, so I went with the JVC. It works beautifully with PAL dvds. I use a Sony kp57hw40, 16x9 widescreen TV.

Jay G.

The scaling is nice because you can adjust the image for those few DVDs that screwed up the aspect ratio.

Also, the Malata has an option that lets you zoom out of the image to eliminate overscan.

Other than that, I think they use the same Mediamatics chip, so video and audio quality are going to be very similar.

kngelv

I have used both players, and would reccomend the Malata. the x-y scaling and a better zoom feature make the difference for me. I buy a good # of Hong Kong films that are non-anamorphic, and the Malata does a much nicer job of handling them. The remote is a piece of dung though. I programed my Home Theater Master MX-500 and put the Malata's in a drawer where it will stay. Buttons are small and the feel is bad. Hope this helps.

James

Cygnet74

I bought the JVC and have no regrets. It has "film" and "video" modes (these are like the Malata's filters) for DVDs converting from PAL. The x-y scaling feature found on the Malata did not figure into my decision because I can do the same with my television -- and I suppose it's worth stating that I've yet to have the need.

Matt Stevens

The JVC has superior subtitle playback. But some of HKflix's JVC's have the older firmware that will not play back FADE subtitles, like used with EPISODE I. Make sure they send you one that has the newer firmware.

stingo

Thanks for the advice - I just emailed HKFlix now to request the player with the latest firmware. Over the weekend I discovered it's only PAL progressive that my Malata has a problem with, but I think the JVC is a better choice for me as it has DVD-Audio (yes I ordered the silver 602). - and can't wait for it to come in.

stingo

HKFlix responded in a couple of hours that I would get the latest firmware. Very impressive customer service - kudos to them!

stingo

Ironically enough I found a minor quibble with one of the discs I tried. In Phenomenon, when John Travolta is recording the Portuguese sayings into the tape recorder, the subtitles come on, but they stay on even when they return to English. I will run it through a few times to be sure, but I think this is it's normal behavior. Can anyone confirm/reproduce this?

Matt Stevens

The subtitles for XXX keep turning themselves on with my JVC. It's the only title so far to do that, so I am not worried.

UPDATE: No others have done this as of 2/17.

Lord Slug

I am having problems with progressive scan with my Malata 996. It works fine but the colors are darker and red is kinda like a brownish color. I tried to change my color settings on my tv but still red looks like brown. I even went through the setup of my malata to make sure it was all set correctly in t5he expert menu. I am using RCA High Performance Component Cables. Would that be the problem? I mean when I go through my composite video the red looks like red! Its only when I go through component and change to progressive. Even with Interlaced using the component cables, the red looks like brown. Can someone help me out without me going out to the store and buy monster component cable? Thanks!

fnordboy

That is the player I have, I got mine from JVBDigital.com though. I am completely happy with this player, the conversion is beautiful, it has played everything I have thrown at it too.

No problems with subtitles yet for me. Unless something spectacular comes out my next player will definitely be a JVC, but I doubt I will need one for awhile.

myrdh

I am getting ready to venture into the market for the region free player.

Can anyone tell me if the one that's selling at yesasia (Shinsonic) any good?

$199 + 10 movie seems too good to be true...(and no, I do not believe any of the reviews they have on that site)

http://us.yesasia.com/specials/DVDbu...ex.asp?lang=en

Thanks

stingo

fnordboy, do you happen to have the Mallrats DVD? and if so does it freeze randomly?

flashburn

Is there any sort firmware upgrade for the Malata DVP-520 that is newer than HKFlix May 2002? I just recently tried to watch Visitor Q (bought from Deepdiscountdvd) made by Tokyo Shock and if I try to get to the chapter with the movie on it or if I hit Menu it automatically stops the dvd. This also happens with my Apex 1500 but not my Cyberhome 500.

Thanks

James_M

Are the JVCs the best in terms of reliability and quality? How do they compare with all the other players sold on HKFlix.com? Also, when is the model upgrade of the jvc s500 going to come? I would like the player to play DVD-R/RW.

Matt Stevens

The JVC's are far more relaible. That's for sure.

hellboyy

Anybody here owns the Phillips dvd727?

I've read that it does PAL to NTSC conversion on-the-fly (no mod needed--OOB) and can be made region-free with the remote hack. How's the PQ with this unit and does it display anamorphic R2 discs in its proper geometry?

Any experiences? I am ready to buy one.

Thanks!

TheBigDave

My Malata N996 just crapped out. I've been using it as my main player for 2 years. I'd kinda like to get another Malata because I really enjoyed the X-Y scaling which no other player seems to have. But I'm leaning towards a JVC which is around $100 cheaper and I suspect it's built better & will last longer than 2 years.

What I really need to know is....

Does anyone have any input on which Region-Free (PAL/NTSC) players are most compatible with DVD-R. I have alot of DVD-Rs (mostly Ritek and Princo brands), and I need a player which can handle these without any problems. BTW, my "old" Malata handled these DVD-Rs without any problems. Also, of lesser importance, which players have good compatiblity with SVCD?

I'd appreciate any input. Thanks.

Matt Stevens

I just aded a Malata 520 to my line of DVD decks. Subtitle playback of foreign DVD's is much improved over the N996, though it still won't do the subs for EPISODE I.

I also own a JVC and find it has better build quality. But the filters are not quite as good as the Malata's. I would recommend the 520 over a JVC. But I don't play around with DVD-R's so I cannot comment onthat aspect of your question.