Hello, I am wondering which player has the best Pal to NTSC conversion, I am using an Apex 600 which is TERRIBLE, I am looking to replace it, I need it to at least have component video out, it does not have to be progressive, as I am using an external line doubler, also, if anyone knows this player JVC SA600, info on it would be greatly appreciated.

anyway - only players with the mediamatics chip can do a proper conversion. Malata is popular. JVC also makes one.

Cyberhome 500 - flawless PAL-to-NTSC conversion, component outs, optical audio out, progressive scan, unbelievably low price tag. Many people have found theirs for $50.

I use a Lenoxx DVD-2003 that seems to do very nice PAL conversion (and all region/macrovision free via a "hidden" menu). Picked it up for about 115.00 CDN. Bad points: no component video out, not progressive scan, a little problematic with CDRs and its black levels aren't great.

Well I have the JVC SA602 (which I think the '2' just means it is the silver model, and not the black one IIRC), and I absolutely love it. Plays all my PAL discs perfectly, have had no problems with it at all so far.

Plays just about everything: DVD-Audio, DVD-R, VCD, SVCD, Jpeg, MP3, CD-R/RW. And I love the remote . And it is progressive. A bit pricier than other region free players but is worth it IMO.

I also have a CyberHome 500 and find that it also does perfect PAL conversion. Picture quality is really good also for a 70 dollar player. If you want to go the cheap route the Cyberhome is the pick IMO.

Hope that helped.

Where can I get this cyberhome 500? Does it have to be modded to region free, or does it come that way?

Thank you fnordboy and others, this player is strictly going to be for playback of region 2-4 pal discs only. Does this player have the chroma bug? I am talking about the cyberhome 500.
Thanks

I disagree about the Cyberhome. It looks no better than my Apexx A600. Go for a JVC or the Malata.

Lasts about a month before crapping out.

I bought my Cyberhome 500 at Best Buy.

Here's the procedure to make the player region free:

1. Turn on your dvd player.
2. Open the tray.
3. Press the stop button on your remote.
4. Enter 1999 using the remote and a menu will pop up.
5. Select the region code using the remote (set it to ALL).
6. Confirm it, using enter.
7. Leave the menu using the return button on your remote.
8. Close the tray.


BTW, my player is going strong into its fourth month.

cheers, Tony Block

Please. I've had mine for four months with no problems.

Puuullleeeaze! If you don't see the difference between a Cyberhome and an Apex, then you need your eyes checked.

Rockybalboa, check the Cyberhome forum at nerd-out.com for more enlightened opinions on this player. There have been some chroma issues with sets over three years old, but this defect has been fixed. It's an amazing player for the price.

I have never had a problem with my Malata.

I don't have an Apex so I can't comment on that, but I said that the Cyberhome has great picture for a 70 dollar player.

Of course the JVC is going to kick its ass in picture quality, you do get what you pay for.

No problem Rocky. I personally have had no issues with my Cyberhome yet, but I also haven't used it a lot. I bought it for my girlfriend so she can enjoy my R2s and I bought it for my mother as well. She is using hers as her dedicated player and as far as I know no problems as of yet.

There are some upgrades for the Cyberhome already available, I know there was an issue with some VCDs and the first updgrade fixed that IIRC. I personally have done none of the upgrades on any of the players and so far so good. Be aware that I did here there were some issues playing some discs so keep that in mind when making your decision.

I would say if your willing to spend the cash get the JVC SA600, but if you want a player that may or may not give you problems but is super afforddable and easily replaceable get the Cyberhome. Amazon and Best Buy both sell them, haven't really seen them elsewhere, but I also haven't looked much.

Oh yeah I got my JVC at http://www.jvbdigital.com/ no problems whatsoever.

Anyone know about the cyberhome 402? Can this player be modded? Anyone know about this peice? Thanks for the info on the 500, I might go that way, hard to tell, there seems to be such mixed feedback.

The 402 can be modded too, but unlike the 500 it doesn't have progressive scan, optical outs (not sure if it even has component outs) and it can't disable macrovision. I'd take the negative feedback here with a grain of salt. I think people are quick to dismiss it just because it's so inexpensive. Like I said, check out nerd-out.com for more thorough look at the 500 and 402. While your there, you should look at the Malata and JVC boards just so you can compare.

Well, for what I want it for, the 500 seems to be the winner, the JVC sounds nice, but pricey for the 10 or so discs I would get. On the 500 series, they have not modified any of the players so the hack does not work, have they? I just ordered a 500 from Amazon, for 89.99 shipped, BB has the 402 for 50 something bucks, I might buy one of those tomorrow to test, as I have an anamorphic tv and would notice the problem if it exists.
Thanks for all info!!!

The hack still works on the 500 even after the firmware upgrade and the chroma fix. If you do get stuck with a player that hasn't had the chroma fix, then you can exchange it directly through CyberHome's website:

http://www.cyberhomedvd.com/

Of course this chroma problem only affected certain older widescreen tvs.

Hey all
I just picked up a 402 because the 500 is nowhere to be found. I ran it through my ISCANPRO to convert it to progressive, and I must say, it looks damm good!!!! Not perfect, but for 54.00, not to bad at all!! I am testing it with the movies Arthur and Ford Fairlane, so these are not the best source to begin with, but a HUGE inprovement on the APEX.
Thanks all!!!!

The Cyberhome 500 is a great DVD player. I've had it for a few months now and it works just fine. Fantastic PAL conversion.

The Cyber Home 500 is available at:

New Egg

From my personal experience, the cyberhome has a better pal conversion compared to the malata. I have the N996 Malata and Cyberhome CH-500.

The reason I say this is because the Malata has a shimmering problem when it is set on 4 out of 5 filters. 1 of 5 filters eliminates the shimmering effects, but ever so often, there will be scenes that blur. One example is on the HKL Big Boss DVD, during the scene where one of the workers from the ice factory rings the bell, there is distortion.

Cyberhome however, does not have any flaws, and there isn't even a need to switch filters. It automatically figures out the best filter, which gives a non-shimmer or blurring image at any point of any pal dvd. But the colors are not as rich as the Malata.

Plus the cyber home is much cheaper than the malata.

Don't get me wrong though, the malata has great functions, just that if you want to watch Pal, stick with Cyberhome, but for everything else, the malata is great. It's got xy scaling and karaoke feature, which the cyberhome does not.

As for whether to get Ch-500 vs ch-402, the 402 is just as good as the 500, despite the rumors mentioned about improper conversion of pal discs because it did not use the mediamatics chip. I think it's a ESS chip, which has been known to improperly convert pal in other dvd players, but fortunately the 402 converts it perfectly.

Check out nerd-out.com for more on the 402.

My Cyberhome 500 still has "throbbing" issues with certain PAL discs like my Malata. Is this the chroma issue that people speak of?

The Cyberhome is a very cheap player and has countless issues, which I experienced first hand. First of all, there are faint vertical lines running across the screen that appear in anything red (in 480p they appear over everything). These are not noticeable on a smaller TV. You must have a large screen to see them.

The 480p bug (massive red push and messed up blacks) cannot be fixed for most HDTV sets. Cyberhome sent me a "fixed" player that wasn't. It showed the bugs on 4 out of the 5 sets I tried it on a best Buy (not including mine, so that's 5 out of 6).

This is not a good player. Good luck to those of you that have them. I wish you the best.