Sony DVP-NS70H (Upscaling) DVD Player

(copy/paste from my review elsewhere)

I was impressed with the DVP-NS50P/S I purchased for my father last Christmas, so I decided to look for a new DVD player for myself. I found this player after a bit of research (Google), and purchased it (at Circuit City for about $130) for its upscaling capability (converts 480p discs to 720p or 1080i). This unit looks similar to the DVP-NS50P/S and has the same 12-bit D/A conversion.

Installing the unit was very easy, as I only had to plug in two cables instead of the usual four (one coaxial digital audio and one HDMI-to-DVI cable, in my case). The initial setup was also easy; in Quick Setup, I enabled Dolby Digital and DTS, and in Custom Setup I set the HDMI resolution to 1920x1080i.

After I calibrated my TV for the player using the Digital Video Essentials DVD (which everyone should do, in my opinion), I began testing the unit with different movies. I used The Matrix, Alien vs. Predator, Seven, and Raiders of the Lost Ark, to name a few. The picture looks smoother and the colors more vibrant than with my previous Panasonic player. Blacks actually look black and not some shade of gray.

I can't honestly say that I hear any difference in the sound quality of this unit compared with my previous player, though I will say that the player seems to have less dropout issues with some DTS movies (my Onkyo receiver is a bit finicky with DTS material). A "plus" for some users may be the fact that this unit includes both coaxial and optical digital connections.

I noticed immediately that this unit is much quieter than my Panasonic, though it does take a bit longer to initially access the disc. The player also seems to handle scratched discs better than some players.

The only real negative I can see with this player is the lack of an HDMI cable. I found an HDMI-DVI cable (my TV has a DVI input, not HDMI) at RadioShack for $35. I see no need to pay $100 for a Monster Cable (unless there will be a really long cable run). I am curious as to why a composite video cable was included; why would someone buy a player with HDMI and use the composite output? For users who do not have HDMI, I recommend the DVP-NS50P/S.

The unit may be sensitive to static (I live in Colorado), and I had to exchange my first one within one day because of it (more reason to purchase locally). I touched the Open/Close button to load a disc and received a nice "zap"; the unit would not turn on afterward.