Yamaha makes an awesome player...

Looking for DVD players these days can be pretty frustrating with all the different features and items you can pick from. The Yamaha DV-S5750 greatly simplifies the process for the internet/DivX junkie, music listener, movie watcher, and includes versatility in a nice, small package.

Basic Features Listed

First, some basics about the player:
- Plays the following media:
DVD Video, Video CD, SVCD, CD, Picture CD, CD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW
- Video:
Output: Component, s-video, composite
Progressive Scan: Yes
Conversion: 108MHz/12-bit Digital to Analog
- Audio Capabilities:
Plays: MPEG, MP3, WMA
Decodes: DTS, Dobly Digital
Conversion:192kHz/24-bit Digital to Analog
Output: Optical, Digital Coaxial, Analog stereo
- Features:
5-disc memory, program play, sleep functions, CD Text display, screen saver, Multiangle, multi-aspect and multisubtitle capabilities, 12 on-screen display languages, Child lock function, CD up-conversion, DivX, auto shut-off
- Physical:
Dimensions: 17inches wide, 2inches tall, 12inches deep
Weight: About 2.6kg (fairly light)

Now that the features are out of the way, why I got it.

Background

I finally decided to get a real DVD player after my Playstation 2 didn't read yet another disk. Needless to say, that was the last straw, and I went in search of a DVD player to fit my needs.

I knew I wanted Progressive Scan (which little did I know these days, is practically standard) for when I got an HD monitor, the ability to play a DVD disk without pausing for layer change, good audio playback, and MP3 capable.

Since most of my requirements are straight forward I'll clear up the layer change for those of you who don't know with what I've learned. Certain commercial DVD's have two layers, an inner and outer layer. The movie, is recorded on both layers for more room for special features, the movie itself, etc. Sometimes, when a movie is recorded on both layers, older DVD players have a hard time switching from one layer to another, causing a slight 1-2 second pause. This, in effect, can wreck the feel of the movie as it takes you out of the film and the flow of the movie is changed. Not a good thing to have poor layer changes.

Anyways, I was able to find multiple players that had these abilities, but it soon became what extra features did I want.

My Favorite Features

Obviously, one of the biggest and most popular features of people who buy this particular player is DivX. Personally, I have a huge amount of recorded DivX movies on my computer. You can learn more about DivX http://www.divx.com at their site. DivX is mainly a type of coding for movies that is used on PC's, but they don't take up as much space. Even though they don't take up much space, they still take up a lot of space together, so once I learned I could burn my movies to DVD or CD and play them on this, that pretty much sealed the deal. Also, if you have the right type of computer and accessories, you can record your own home movies or material on the computer, burn a DivX, and watch on DVD! Almost like having an actual DVD recorder, but cheaper.

One thing that nearly had me laughing my butt off though was how quiet this player is. Compared to my father's DVD player, this is as quiet as a mouse (and that's with the mute on!) The only time you hear it even a bit, is when loading, which in movies, happens only once, then its done. Now instead of hearing the player and the movie, I just hear the movie.

The next big thing that lured me to this player was the CD up-sampling. It up-samples whatever music CD you play by your choice of 2X to 4X. This doesn't sound like much on paper, but when you play it for real, it sounds wonderful. That, along with the MP3 play, makes listening to music really great, especially when coupled with a surround sound system (as I do).

Sound

Speaking of sound, that is one of the areas of the player that is really good. All types of music and movies sound better on this player. The player has a bigger digital to analog conversion rate, which I would suspect is the culprit in the better sound. Everything sounds more rich and full. I have mine connected to my surround sound system (as mentioned above) with a Acoustic Research digital coax cable (in case you were wondering). The player also has built-in DTS and Dobly Digital.

Video Playback

Video on this player is also very, very good. Movies have great sharpness, color, and texture. I see things I didn't notice before, truly. I use an analog TV, so unfortunately, I can't say anything about it's Progressive Scan capabilities, but I suspect it is great. You can manipulate the video settings to your liking in the player's menu too, which is convenient.

*UPDATE*
Recently I got myself an HD TV and some component cables for this player. Again, I'm amazed by Yamaha's quality here. Colors are very vibrant and rich, black levels stay solid, and picture detail is outstanding. Star Wars III's opening sequence is one of my favorites for seeing all the colors jump off the screen. Recently I also watched Terminator 2 and Stargate on it and they too had colors that just blew me away, as well as maintaining detail. Awsome in 480p.

Set-up

Setting up this player is a breeze. Practically plug-and-play. Just connect everything, turn it on, and you're good to go. The first time it starts you can choose to quickly optimize the player so you can use it right away, or for the more advanced users, you can tinker around in the menu to fine tune the settings. The menu navigation is pretty straight forward as well as the manual that comes with the unit. The basic yellow, red, and white cables also come with it, though I would say if you have the extra cash, pick up some better cables. The Warranty card also comes with it, which can be done online or mailed in to Yamaha.

Some cons...

You have to use the remote for just about everything though, except for ejecting disks.

*UPDATE*
I recently found that to eject disks with the remote, you just hold down the "stop" button for a few seconds.

It is also not backlit, and is not compatible with other devices. Buttons on the unit itself are sparse, only basic buttons are on it. Menus for JPEG, DivX, and MP3 disks can be a little hard though, as only a certain number of characters show up on the screen. If you have long titles in your file names, you should condense them.

For those using DivX, if its not recorded in a higher quality of at least 300*400 pixels, it will look a little distorted. I have some movies where pixels are noticeable. However, these movies are recorded in a lower format and size, as well as lower frame rate, so if you are going to play DivX on the player, make sure you get the best source possible. Movies recorded in lower format still look good, but they can look better.

Conclusion

To date of my month of owning the player, I have yet to have it not read any sort of media I've thrown at it. All the types it says it can play, it can play. Movies, music, my own collections of DivX and MP3, they all work wonderfully. I had never purchased a Yamaha home theater product before, and now I can see why they have such a good reputation. The cons for this player don't come close to the pros, and all are fixable is you're willing to put the time into it. While writing this review, I found myself going back and putting more pros in, so really, just about everything on this player is good. For the amount you pay, the things you get, and the experience it brings, you can't miss with this player.