DVD Mega Changer Shootout! (1 Viewer)

[Andrew Pratt]

Sony DVp-CX985V Specs'


Hm not sure about that.

 

[Adam*M]

I have recently purchased a 985 model, and I can say that it works much better than the last generation of Sony DVD changers. (My old one had this stupid habit of putting discs in random open slots when you would power it on - what a pain.) The only thing I miss from my old 300 disc model is the ability to play both sides of a disc, but I have just burned copies of the few discs that have essential content on side 2, and with 100 extra slots, I still come out ahead. The older models also had some interface quirks, which are mostly gone from the new models - however the DVD guide is still horribly slow, and I do not use it. (I use my own web-based DVD list, which includes the slot number on my changer for easy reference - on a cheap laptop that I keep in the TV room.)

I borrowed the ES model and took the lid off to compare with my 985. From what I can tell, the two units are exactly the same, other than the faster CPU and the serial port (and of course the ES model is the stupid silver color - I thought the 70's were over. ) Otherwise, the build quality appears basically the same. As far as playback quality on my progressive projector, I could not tell any difference, even with titles like SuperBit etc. And for the price, I can buy two of the 985's (I have actually almost filled this one!) and the command mode selector will apparently allow me to control them independently with my sony universal remote, just like multiple sony vcr's with the command selector.

You do get the 5 year warranty on the ES model, but in my experience, if these things don't break in the first 3 months, they will probably not break for several years anyway. My Sony 200 disc CD changer is like 8 years old, and hasn't skipped a beat. And in 5 years this stuff will all be outdated anyway.

The only thing I haven't really tried out is the SACD playback, since I don't have any SACD discs, but apparently you need to use the 5.1 analog outputs with them for some reason. I plugged the 6 RCA cables into my receiver's 5.1 analog bus, but a test of that setup will have to wait for another day.

There's only one thing that annoys me about this player, and that is the auto-play feature, where it starts playing the currently selected disc every time you turn it on. That's the only really annoying bug in the software that carried over from previous models.

I'd reccommend this unit to anyone who is a lazy bum like me, and doesn't want to get up to put a new disc in the player all the time. Especially with multiple disc sets like TV shows. Just press a button and watch any episode of Stargate any time you want.

 

[James W. Johnson]

Thanks for the info Adam you make a strong case for the 985,

So you compared the two in detail inside and the eletrical boards are virutally identical? Was there more than one power supply either unit?


What kind of PJ do you have and do you think you were very critical when you compared the two?

Lastly have you checked some of your disc over yet to see if any of them are getting scratched ?

 

[Grant B]

Generally ES has a bigger difference...I am still using The Sony TAE/TANx2 9000ES Tanks without a hiccup.

I have 2 CD Changer that hold 500 total so I refrain from mixing the 2.Movies and Music just don't mix in changers.
Can you control a older changer through the 232 port? That would be great but if not....it heads to the bedroom

BTW The older units do not randomly store discs when you remove power. It 'loses' track of the disc when power is removed and it stores it in the 1st numerical open slot.

It took a while it figure out what happens to the disc...and if it ever happens to you; you'll thank me. Mine is packed so it puts it in the EZ slot or its home.
They might scratch and nick discs....but compared to my wife - they are saints

 

[Eric Cawood]

I've owned the ES 777 for about a year now and love it. It can do a complete shuffle mode by creating a folder of just DVD's or a particular kind of music and then select shuffle which is great for parties. The other main difference with the 777 and the 985 is that the 777 has a 5 year warranty and the 985 has only a 1 year warranty.

 

[Leroy R]

I have two 985s. One is full and I am close to my first hundred in the second. Can you elaborate more on the use of the IR Blaster for controlling these? Is it useable with Cinemar DVD Lobby or some other similar software?

I have two things I don't like about these vs. the Onkyo changer that I used to have.

1)They are not daisy chainable to work as a single changer.
This makes it a bit more inconvenient to manage my DVDs and requires the use of additional input availability on my reciever.
2)There is no page down function in the selection screen making it extremely time consuming to find the movie you want to watch, especially if you have the thumbnail pictures on the screen.

For now these are minor inconveniences, but when I get to my third and fourth players, it could become a serious problem. I am using the DVD inputs for one now and the TV/SAT inputs for the other. When I need to program new discs in, I have to switch my wireless keyboard connection if I am plugged in to the other unit.

One of the reasons I switched to the Sony was that I had read that they could flip to the other side of the DVD for double sided DVDs. Sadly these newer models don't do this anymore, but I had already given my Onkyo away. My Onkyo was also a 300 disc vs. the 400 disc capability of the Sony and I needed the extra space.

Overall though I am pleased with the function and reliability. I have not noticed any scratching of my DVDs, certainly not like when they were constantly being taken in and out of the cases and player before. The great thing about these changers is that the cases go in a box and get stored somewhere so they don't take up so much space in the theater room.

 

[Grant B]

I think all you need is one 777 to control all the others with DVD Lobby.
Try AVS Forum; there is books on it there