Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity posted a new batch of DVD players benchmarks yesterday, this time focusing on inexpensive players (average price of $50 to $80, with a couple over $100 and one $200 DVD recorder). It's an interesting read, especially if you are looking for an inexpensive player (as many of us do from time to time) - there's a pretty wide performance range spread across a narrow price range.

While the Secrets' bechmark procedures focus solely on video performance, they do so in a very analytical manner and they can offer some insight into the overall design of a player. (It also offers some sense of the complexity of producing a well designed DVD player.) I continue to be disappointed by the steady decline of Panasonic's product line. It's interesting to note that the top twelve scores to date in the Secrets' DVD benchmarks are shared by nine players from Denon and Panasonic (six Denon and three Panasonic - Denon's DVD-5900 has the top spot with a 96% - with the top four players including two from each manufacturer), but the Panasonic player in this latest set of tests (the $80 DVD-S27) turned in a disappointing score of 48%. On the other hand, Toshiba has the best score they've ever gotten in the Secrets' benchmarks with the $70 SD-3960.

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gonk -- 950 Review | LFM-1 Review | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | Saloon Links

I agree about the quality decline (at least as far as build quality-wise). Before buying the Pioneer 563a I was looking at the new panasonics, toshibas, JVCs, etc. only to be turned off by seemingly lightweight construction, at least compared to my old Panasonic A310. The Panny did not really give me any problems except on some discs from the library....some were totally unwatchable. In contrast, the 563 played thru some library discs w/out a hiccup that I'm sure would've given the A310 fits. The build quality of the Pioneer is not equal to the Panny, but that player cost about $600 new compared to $139 on sale for the Pioneer. I feel like I need to put Blu-tack under the feet to keep it from sliding around (the wife & kids use the front panel drawer button instead of the remote and push too hard!). I hope to someday be able to purchase an HDTV so I can try out the prog-scan capability, but that is distant-future stuff.