Just wanted to tell people about the Pacific DVD 1002 player, available only from ASDA at £59.97 inc VAT.
Well I just bought one tonight, and I'm very pleased. Features relevant to me include:
- RGB output via scart, plus S-Video socket
- Plays DVD+RW (all I've tested so far, will test DVD+R soon)
- Multi-region hackable - I've already tested this with a region 1 disk. Can be set either to multi-region, or to any individual region, so will probably work with RCE disks (although I don't have any to test).
- Very quiet
- Picture quality seems as good as my old machine (Wharfdale 750)
- It rated 4/5 by What Hifi
Only disappointment is no auto widescreen switching by scart, I have to do it manually on the TV. But my Wharfdale didn't do it either, maybe this is typical of DVD players?
Interestingly, with NTSC disks, you have 2 playback options, called PAL and NTSC. The PAL setting gives jerky playback, and articles on the net imply that the machine is actually transcoding to PAL50 rather than the PAL60 hybrid often used.
Setting the output to NTSC gives beautiful playback for me, but presumably only works if your telly supports true NTSC. Or maybe the NTSC setting is actually outputting PAL60? I'd have to hook it up to my video monitor to check, because my TV doesn't tell me what format it's displaying.
So people with PAL only sets can at least watch NTSC disks with this player. But if your TV accepts PAL60 but not NTSC then you might want to look elsewhere.
Hope this helps other people looking for a cheap playback machine for testing their DVDs, doubled up with a very respectable player for their living rooms.
Just thought I'd add:
- I've tried a Video CD I made last year, and it plays fine
- it comes with a 3 year warranty, plus 100 days no quibble money-back guarantee if you're not happy
- remote is basic but quite acceptable, better than the awful one with my Wharfdale
- it claims to play mp3s (not clear from the manual whether on DVD or just on CD), I haven't tried this yet
- the machine looks a bit ugly, but you can't have everything! (And beauty is such a personal thing anyway, one review said the half black, half silver design means it will match your other kit regardless of colour. I have black and silver kit, and this machine matches neither!)
Hiya i have been looking for a cheap player as well that will play DVD-r and DVD-rw.
Does this one play them?
I was considering the Mirror palyer sold by Blankdiscshop.com.
The above is very slim and looks quite nice , but unsure if it will play dvd-r.
the three year warranty sounds good on your machine.
will check out asda
Well, according to http://www.dvdrhelp.com/dvdplayers.php?DVDnameid=2184&Search=Search it should play -R and -RW.
But the beauty of buying it from ASDA is you have 100 days to test it out with your disks and return it if you're not completely happy. I even checked with the customer service desk before I bought it that I could return it if it didn't play my computer recorded disks, and they said yes, I could return it (in pristine condition of course) for any reason.
So if you just buy one to try out all you can lose is your time.
Hi
As I posted elsewhere, the £79.99 (incl 3 DVD-Videos) Dansai DVD955 from Tesco also has the option to use either PAL or NTSC TV/Monitors, outputting a more-or-less correct signal in either standard from either format of DVD. You get the same jerkiness though, as it just drops/adds frames as required.
For the extra £ you get slightly better build quality it seems.
Regards
any chance of testing it with a menu driven miniDVD?
TIA
quote:Originally posted by Blip:
any chance of testing it with a menu driven miniDVD?
Assuming you were asking me, then I might if I knew how to create one.
Is this a DVD image burned onto a CD?
Software I have includes DVD Workshop SE, Nero 5.5, WinOnCD 3.7. If it's easy to create a test disk with any of these, let me know and I'll try it out for you. Or if anyone wants anything specific tested you could always post me a disk to try, I don't mind!
quote:Originally posted by Blip:
any chance of testing it with a menu driven miniDVD?TIA
Never quite sure how a MiniDVD is defined ?
However the Pacific 1002 copes faultlessly with files encoded by TEMPeg as 'DVD 720 X 576 interlaced, CQ 85 Data rate 4000 Kbps' (or with VBR if you wish. The CD is burnt using VCDEasy as an SVCD (in the unconstrained mode setting). Using VBR I get about 25 mins of video on an 80 min CD.
This can be a single file or several depending on duration and each file can have as many Chapter points as you wish.
Depending on whether PBC is enabled or not the number buttons will select the individual files (videos). With PBC enabled the skip function and 'goto' functions all work fine.
Fast forward etc also works.
A very useful feature is that you can play Mpeg 1 /2 files stored on CD in their 'native form' and the fast fwd etc also works on these.
A further plus point is that SVCD and XSVCD burnt using NERO also play correctly with FFW and goto functions. The Dansai and other ESS based players play these discs but the FFw or reverse or 'skip' does not work.
With Nero one can create an initial Menu, either Picorial, Text or both, but it does not implement Chapter points like VCDEasy which are perhaps more useful.
PS the above only relates to the current 1002, that sold a few months back had a different PCB and chipset and behaved with the limited function of the Dansai.
Images
miniDVD is just a short DVD volume written to CD (probably at a lower bitrate). More and more players are being reported as capable of playing miniDVD although some of these only play the video and ignore any menus.
Richard,
DVD Workshop SE should do fine but I would be very happy to send you a disc.
Images,
Playing your XSVCDs certainly seems like the Pacific has the hardware to could cope with miniDVD if not the firmware.
Posted this a while back which may be of help re: Dansai, Kiro clone at Tesco:
http://www.dvdoctor.net/cgi-bin/ubb/Forum6/HTML/002190.html
Incidentally, on a sample of 1 disc, the Asda player seems perfectly happy with a recently-burnt DVD+R disc (it's the only disc I've got handy at the moment - yup, I recently got one of the Novatech NEC burners...)
David P.
FANTASTIC LITTLE DVD PLAYER!!!!
60 OF YOUR ENGLISH POUNDS
3 YES 3 YEAR WARRENTY
100 YES 100 DAY MONEY BACK IF YOU WELL DON'T LIKE THE SHADE OF SILVER!
PLAYED MY FIRST NTSC DVD from this little gem to a multi standard tv that comfirmed NTSC output - only PCM sound though - need AC3 CONVERSION - any ideas - other than BESWEET!
BILL
Blimey, Ive had to get all my old coasters out after buying one of these Pacific players. It plays anything I throw at it including all the discs that would not play on other peoples machines. Good picture quality as well and even DVD-RW compatability. And only sixty squids !!!.
And after upgrading to W2000 service pack 3 even this new 2.4 Gig non intel chip set computer recognises my Pioneer A04. Burn, baby, burn.
Dougie Leaver
Any update on the miniDVD situation?
quote:Originally posted by Blip:
Any update on the miniDVD situation?
Sorry, I've been really busy on a project and haven't had a chance. I probably won't have a chance to create one for a few weeks now.
If you do want me to test one, feel free to send me one if you like, since it would only take a couple of minutes to test, rather than the hour or so it would take to work out how to burn one myself!
I've emailed you my address in case you want to do this.
Recently purchased and now using this excellent value small DVD player (Pacific DVD-1002). Can be made multi region by entering the following code via the remote control.
press open/close (open the tray)
press clear
press 1
press 3
press 6
press 9
press region number 1 to 6, 0 for region free.
press open/close (close the tray)
It is worth mentioning that no display is seen on the TV whilst carrying out the above procedure.
On the subject of the guarantee provided by ASDA, in addition to the 100 day money back guarantee, you also get a free 3 year maintenance guarantee. How's that for value in a product costing just £59.97!
Alan
OK,
Both my and my father brought one of these players. It played everything including miniDVD, but my fathers didnt play miniDVD, so im not sure what thats all about. I checked and found other subtle differences between mine and his, and my conclusion is that they must have a different chipset or something, cause things like mine fastfowarded at 8x but his only 4x, and the onscreen display was differnt to mine.
Unfortunatly, both players developed a fault very early on. Both machines started making a very (yes VERY) noisy vibrating sound when playing disks, and it got worse and worse on both machines. I had to take it back and get my money back in the end, same as my father.
I ended up getting a mirror DVD-mirr110 in the end, and this plays everything, im really pleaed with it.
Im not downing the pacific, maybe ours were just the bad two, i dont know. Until it happened, i was very pleased with the play, but luck wasnt on my side.
I would like others to let me know if your 1002 is noisey or not, if you would? Cheers.
HTH,
Main Man
quote:Originally posted by mainman:
I would like others to let me know if your 1002 is noisey or not, if you would?
Mine is whisper quiet. But it's still very new.
I tried my DVD's in a Pacific DVD 1002 in Asda & it wouldn't recognise my DVD (No Disk).
I then purchased the Schneider DVD-1003 which plays everything, it's sometimes prone to noise though, I may go for an exchange or money back if it's a fault of this brand (Pacific & Schneider are the same AFAIK, just a different badge).
[This message has been edited by johnpr98 (edited 23 April 2003).]
My £59 Wollies player is also very noisy when reading the menu page, whisper quiet at all other times. Strangely, the more options in the menu, the more it vibrates. It's just so mexcited about all the choices, you see.
tom.
quote:Originally posted by mainman:
OK,
I checked and found other subtle differences between mine and his, and my conclusion is that they must have a different chipset or something, cause things like mine fastfowarded at 8x but his only 4x, and the onscreen display was differnt to mine.Main Man
Exactly ! See my earlier posting on this thread.
" PS the above only relates to the current 1002, that sold a few months back had a different PCB and chipset and behaved with the limited function of the Dansai."
Images
[This message has been edited by images (edited 23 April 2003).]
Well what a lttle gem!! - Just bought the Pacific 1002 from Asda and it really does play anything it seems - including Kodak PictureCD and my home made CD's of digital images, you can even navigate the directory structure - amasing. I seems easier to list what it doesn't play - so far only OLD philips CDi titles and Kodak PhotoCD (as opposed to picture CD)
Your truly astounded!
quote:Originally posted by Alan Walker:
On the subject of the guarantee provided by ASDA, in addition to the 100 day money back guarantee, you also get a free 3 year maintenance guarantee. How's that for value in a product costing just £59.97!Alan[/B]
I got no evidence of a three year maitainence guarantee, have I missed something?
Matt
I reccomended a customer for whom I made some DVD-r`s for to go out and buy this one as it seemed to have good reviews. He bought one and promptly phoned me to say it won`t play my discs . But,they will play on his PS2.
All is quite not what it seems
Matthew Brockman, about the garentee:
My father got one of the garentees, but i dodnt, so bad on asda's behalf, as your supose to get one at the checkout.
images, " PS the above only relates to the current 1002, that sold a few months back had a different PCB and chipset and behaved with the limited function of the Dansai." yes you seem to be correct one that one.
Well, im happy with my Mirror DVD-mirr110 now, after getting a refund on the parcific cause of the vibrating problem.
I im still interested to see if other have had a noise problem with it.
Main man
quote:Originally posted by Matthew Brockman:
I got no evidence of a three year maitainence guarantee, have I missed something?
They should give you a leaflet at the checkout explaining the guarantee, although it's your receipt that entitles you to the guarantee, so you should be ok. If you're worried, just go to the customer service desk and query it, and they should give you one of the leaflets. The guarantee applies to all the A/V equipment they sell.
At my store there are also displays all along the shelves, and stickers on the TVs/Videos, detailing the guarantee.
Adrian, this thread was last updated 13 years ago.
Adrian, this thread was last updated 13 years ago.
Post was only there to have a link to a website , owner based in Philippines.
Website doesn't work , post deleted