Kyrsten Brad
Senior HTF Member
Ah yes, my very first DVD player, Sony DVP-S530D DVD Player (vintage 1999) which I purchased in February 2000 at the AAFES (Army-Air Force Exchange System) at Patrick AFB, Florida.
It was originally hooked to a Fisher 27" CRT which was replaced in 2004 with my old Sony WEGA 36" HDTV. Gave decent PQ on both sets.
I have special praise for this DVD player because for one thing, it is still in action attached to a Vizio 49" M-series. Had to use the RGB component video hookup as the player had no HDMI connections (HDMI still well in infancy back then).
And it plays all the older DVDs in their proper aspect ratios which for some reason my blu-ray players (Sony BDP-S590 and Sony BDP-S360) all seem to have AR problems with older DVDs on the newer flat screen TVs.
I don't believe this was ever advertised as a progressive-scan DVD player but the PQ for DVDs.
Techincal details on this old workhorse are below, courtesy of surferdude7 on epinions.com.
==============================================================================
from epinions.com:
Mar 27, 2001 (Updated Feb 2, 2003)
Review by surferdude7
Rated a Very Helpful Review
[*] User Rating: Excellent
[*]Sound:
[*]Ease of Use:
[*]Picture Quality:
[*]Durability:
[/list] Pros:Great quality in picture and audio! Cons:No DTS decoder built in. The Bottom Line: This DVD player should fit anyone’s needs with all the extras that has been built in.
The Sony DVP-S530D DVD Player with the Dolby Digital decoder built in the DVD player means you don’t have to go out and buy an expensive receiver to play through five speakers and one subwoofer to get the true digital sound. You will still need five speakers and a subwoofer for the Dolby 5.1 Digital sound. You can hook this to a receiver if you wish.
Now you can also play DST (Digital Theater Sound) audio, though there is not a built in decoder for DTS. You will have to play it through a receiver made to play DTS audio.
Sony lists it for $449, I got to look and found it for as low as $225 on the Epinions “Check latest prices”. Shop around for best price. This one here is a few months old and at the time it cost $269.
This beauty weighs 7 pounds and 8 ounces, it measures 17 inches wide by 11 34 inches long by 3 34 inches high.
One feature I really like is the Text Display for the DVDs and CDs. It shows information about the movie for the DVD and for the CD it shows things like CD title, Artist and Song titles.
The Outputs
The outputs are the connections you make to a receiver, TV and speakers.
For the video the DVP-S530D has one Component Video Output. The Component Video is the best connection you can get, provided your TV has Component Video Inputs. My TV does not have these inputs, they are new and found on the more expensive TVs out there. In Component the video signal is divided into three separate bands, just like your big screens having three different projection lenses.
There are two S-Video Outputs, this is the second best way to make a hookup for picture quality. Most good TVs will have one, my big screen has three.
Then for the most common connection and the worst for picture quality is, they have two Composite Video Outputs.
For the Audio they have one Optical Digital Output. This is for the best audio sound and for an easy connection. It just takes one fiber optic cable from the DVD player to the receiver to make 5-speakers and 1-subwoofer connection.
Then they have one Coaxial Digital output, this is also a good hookup, Optical is slightly better.
There are also Dolby Digital 5.1 outputs for RCA plugs. (A/V plugs) plus there are two Analog Stereo Outputs. (A/V plugs)
So you see this DVD player gives you plenty of options for a hookup.
Remember you only need to use one video and one audio output, this player gives you several choices for everyone’s needs.
Other Features
S-Link interface is for a hookup system if you have other Sony components with an S-Link interface.
SmoothScan high speed search and SmoothSlow slow-motion forward and reverse. No biggie most brands have a similar feature.
It plays DVD, CD and Video CD.
A Headphone output with volume control, this is a nice feature with the volume control.
A Multi-Brand Remote that controls the DVD player and several TV brands.The remote has a nice layout and size.
A built in screen saver, most brands have one.
Sony Precision Drive System with Active Tilt Control, this is a second-generation transport with several improvements.
Plus a lot of the standard features like freeze frame, ect.
Overall
This DVD player has everything you need in a DVD player except for a DTS decoder built in.
The picture quality is excellent and the sound is superb.
I highly recommend the Sony DVP-S530D DVD player.
Here are some of my other DVD Player reviews!
Audiovox DVD 1500
GoVideo DVR5000 w/ Built-In Dolby Digital/DTS Decoder
The Mitsubishi DD-6030 DVD Player
Panasonic DMR E20 DVD recorder
Pioneer DVR 7000 DVD recorder
RCA RC5240P DVD Player
RCA RC5255P DVD Player
Sony DVP CX850D DVD changer
It was originally hooked to a Fisher 27" CRT which was replaced in 2004 with my old Sony WEGA 36" HDTV. Gave decent PQ on both sets.
I have special praise for this DVD player because for one thing, it is still in action attached to a Vizio 49" M-series. Had to use the RGB component video hookup as the player had no HDMI connections (HDMI still well in infancy back then).
And it plays all the older DVDs in their proper aspect ratios which for some reason my blu-ray players (Sony BDP-S590 and Sony BDP-S360) all seem to have AR problems with older DVDs on the newer flat screen TVs.
I don't believe this was ever advertised as a progressive-scan DVD player but the PQ for DVDs.
Techincal details on this old workhorse are below, courtesy of surferdude7 on epinions.com.
==============================================================================
from epinions.com:
Mar 27, 2001 (Updated Feb 2, 2003)
Review by surferdude7
Rated a Very Helpful Review
[*] User Rating: Excellent
[*]Sound:
[*]Ease of Use:
[*]Picture Quality:
[*]Durability:
[/list] Pros:Great quality in picture and audio! Cons:No DTS decoder built in. The Bottom Line: This DVD player should fit anyone’s needs with all the extras that has been built in.
The Sony DVP-S530D DVD Player with the Dolby Digital decoder built in the DVD player means you don’t have to go out and buy an expensive receiver to play through five speakers and one subwoofer to get the true digital sound. You will still need five speakers and a subwoofer for the Dolby 5.1 Digital sound. You can hook this to a receiver if you wish.
Now you can also play DST (Digital Theater Sound) audio, though there is not a built in decoder for DTS. You will have to play it through a receiver made to play DTS audio.
Sony lists it for $449, I got to look and found it for as low as $225 on the Epinions “Check latest prices”. Shop around for best price. This one here is a few months old and at the time it cost $269.
This beauty weighs 7 pounds and 8 ounces, it measures 17 inches wide by 11 34 inches long by 3 34 inches high.
One feature I really like is the Text Display for the DVDs and CDs. It shows information about the movie for the DVD and for the CD it shows things like CD title, Artist and Song titles.
The Outputs
The outputs are the connections you make to a receiver, TV and speakers.
For the video the DVP-S530D has one Component Video Output. The Component Video is the best connection you can get, provided your TV has Component Video Inputs. My TV does not have these inputs, they are new and found on the more expensive TVs out there. In Component the video signal is divided into three separate bands, just like your big screens having three different projection lenses.
There are two S-Video Outputs, this is the second best way to make a hookup for picture quality. Most good TVs will have one, my big screen has three.
Then for the most common connection and the worst for picture quality is, they have two Composite Video Outputs.
For the Audio they have one Optical Digital Output. This is for the best audio sound and for an easy connection. It just takes one fiber optic cable from the DVD player to the receiver to make 5-speakers and 1-subwoofer connection.
Then they have one Coaxial Digital output, this is also a good hookup, Optical is slightly better.
There are also Dolby Digital 5.1 outputs for RCA plugs. (A/V plugs) plus there are two Analog Stereo Outputs. (A/V plugs)
So you see this DVD player gives you plenty of options for a hookup.
Remember you only need to use one video and one audio output, this player gives you several choices for everyone’s needs.
Other Features
S-Link interface is for a hookup system if you have other Sony components with an S-Link interface.
SmoothScan high speed search and SmoothSlow slow-motion forward and reverse. No biggie most brands have a similar feature.
It plays DVD, CD and Video CD.
A Headphone output with volume control, this is a nice feature with the volume control.
A Multi-Brand Remote that controls the DVD player and several TV brands.The remote has a nice layout and size.
A built in screen saver, most brands have one.
Sony Precision Drive System with Active Tilt Control, this is a second-generation transport with several improvements.
Plus a lot of the standard features like freeze frame, ect.
Overall
This DVD player has everything you need in a DVD player except for a DTS decoder built in.
The picture quality is excellent and the sound is superb.
I highly recommend the Sony DVP-S530D DVD player.
Here are some of my other DVD Player reviews!
Audiovox DVD 1500
GoVideo DVR5000 w/ Built-In Dolby Digital/DTS Decoder
The Mitsubishi DD-6030 DVD Player
Panasonic DMR E20 DVD recorder
Pioneer DVR 7000 DVD recorder
RCA RC5240P DVD Player
RCA RC5255P DVD Player
Sony DVP CX850D DVD changer
