Media Devices

Versatile and inexpensive is a good way to describe the DVP 5980, from Philips, in addition to playing DVDs, the unit also plays DivX, MP3, WMA and photos in JPEG format. The player has a USB port and is therefore also able to connect to a stick or an external hard drive with content feed.

Thanks to the HDMI port the signal transports as high-definition TV without a return conversion of the digital signal into an analog. This promises best picture and sound quality, for good picture quality there is also the 12 Bit/108 MHz technology. In addition, thanks to an up scaling function, even the old DVDs acquire a new quality.

As well as the pure play DVDs they support USB media, have HDMI connections and an improved audio output. A few minor shortcomings are evident but those are out weighed by the pro's and the reasonable price. The remote control is a little sensitive and there is a slightly unsound processing by the player, but overall an excellent buy for the price.

Hitachi has renewed its range of DVD recorders and this new model comes equipped with a hard disk of 160 GB, which is compatible with all DVD formats, even the DVD-RAM. To ensure consistency in its range, this recorder can also read DVD-R not yet converted from camcorders. 

It can read your DivX files, or pick up your tunes in MP3 format or WMA and JPEG images. To view the photos directly from a digital camera, Hitachi has incorporated a memory card reader. All formats are accepted with the exception of the xD, of course, you can also play videos or music from memory cards. 

For the design, the Japanese manufacturer has combined the standard black and combined that with touches of aluminum, the result is attractive. If the menus remain a little austere, they are nonetheless effective. Navigation is intuitive and it has easy access to all features, including the Commercial Advance system that misses out the advertising in the middle of shows. By automatically detecting advertising on a piece of TV of more than 15 minutes in length, then, an option to activate the device automatically ditches the advertisements. 

The image quality is excellent in both the various hard drive modes and DVD. For side connections, this recorder forgets nothing; there is even an HDMI terminal for a good scaling up on satellite dishes.  
 
Capacity: 160 GB, Format: JPEG, MP3, DivX, Record: DVD-R/RW, DVD + R / RW, DVD + R DL, releases: audio digital coaxial, 2 SCART (1 RGB), YUV, composite, S-Video, HDMI, Inputs: analog audio (RCA), composite, S-Video, iLink (DV), HDMI.

The connections featured on the DVP 5980 include one HDMI, SCART, composite video and digital audio output, USB, although as with some manufacturers the HDMI cable or SCART and any other cables must be purchased separately.

The USB is capable of connecting to different devices to allow you to ‘play' photographs; it will also connect to playback films via DivX perfectly connecting via a USB memory without any problems.

You can also connect to an external hard drive to support the following formats:
DVD +-RW, DVD +-R, CD-R, CD-RW, Audio CD, Video CD, Super Video CD, MP3, WMA, DivX (3.11, 4.x, 5.x and 6.0) and JPEG.

In DivX or XviD it also supports subtitles in addition to the standard play of regular DVDs. It will of course also play CD's. This is a very thin and light unit measuring just 435 x 38 x 210 mm.

The remote control includes all the buttons needed to control navigation and playback of a movie, TV, music, it is really easy to change the trigger audio or subtitles of a film with little effort.

Playback quality is very good considering its price range, a quality low price unit with a few well considered extras.