Also jumping on the code-free MALATA DVD-N996 bandwagon (1 Viewer)

[Charles M]

That's weird, I thought that they(avdeals) were going to discontinue it. Anyways, does it have DTS decoding built into it like DOLBY DIGITAL?

Charles

 

[David Lee]

How does the interlaced picture look? Also, is the anamorphic downconversion of high quality. I hope you enjoy your Malata.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

A couple questions here...some that will
stray off topic, but deal with multi-region purchases....
First, about the MALATA:
In a post above, someone writes that there have
been a slew of reports posted about their Malata
player dying. I'd like to see some validity in
those reports. Anyone have a link where that
information is being posted? I have yet to hear
or read of anyone's player biting the dust.
Concerning multi-region purchases....
I would appreciate if you guys would list your
favorite and most reliable overseas mail-order
purchase sites.
I need sites for JAPAN, AUSTRALIA and EUROPE.
Also, how does the U.S. dollar conversion work?
How do you guys figure out how much the overseas
prices are in U.S. funds?
Thanks in advance

 

[Keith Smith]

Ron:
Australia is a good place to buy DVDs. The Australian dollar is only worth about 50 cents U.S. and there's a lot available there that's not available here. I have an account with http://www.ezydvd.com.au/ and have ordered from them numerous times. Start with http://www.michaeldvd.com.au/ for reviews and the excellent list of R4 vs. R1 comparisons.
For Europe, you can use Euro pricing, and the Euro Dollar is worth about 90 cents U.S. now.
The first account I opened was with http://www.alapage.com/ and I've ordered there several times. Brush up on your college French before using the site. I usually scout out what I want to order on http://www.dvdfr.com/index.php3 , and then go to Alapage to do the ordering. I've also used
Link Removed
In the UK, I like Link Removed with free shipping, very much, and have also used http://www.blackstar.co.uk/ .
When you first place an order, you should indicate that you have the equipment for playing PAL DVDs.
I've also ordered from Italy and Switzerland, but mostly from the above sites in getting up to the 76 PAL DVDs that I now have.
Keith Smith

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

Still wondering if the Malata does PAL through the progressive outs?

Also, do the zoom settings stay when the unit is powered down, or do you have to reset them everytime?

 

[Michael St. Clair]

Ron, I find the AVS guys to be truthful, and to buy a LOT of hardware.
From http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...0&pagenumber=2
"You can get extended warranty from me on JVC. Nobody buys it because I guess they feel comfortable with JVC quality.
This is why I decided to sell modified JVC and drop Malata.
I used to sell Malata in my store (as matter of fact I was one of the first US dealers) but they fail too much. Out of first 20 I sold 7 died completely. Do not get me wrong, it is a great player for what it does but like all Chinese manufacturers their QC process is horrible."
"Word of warning on the Malata. I went through 3 of them in the last 2 months. The first one, the door fell off. The second one the audio went out completly, and the third froze on almost every DVD played in it. I sent the third back to be firmware upgraded, in hope that this will solve its problem. "
That's why I'm interested in the JVC, the reliability. I don't need to zoom non-anamorphic titles and am mostly interested in 4:3 material from overseas, so I am not sure if the Malata would really have any functionality advantage for me.
You can get a modded JVC for $300.

 

[Todd Schnell]

I received my Malata 996 just before Christmas & it has a few issues, but mostly its a nice unit.
It is to be my main player.
First the bad.
As has been mentioned the menue system is pretty damn tough to deal with.
Setting it up is a guessing game.
Thanks to the help of people here on this & several other forums I made at least some sense of things.
If there is a definitive translation of the menue system I would love to have it.
Mark Zimmer I would love to have a copy of that word file.
I'm using an Outlaw 1050 receiver.
I had horrible skipping on the first DTS disc I tried Queen's WE Will Rock You, until I switched the set up in the DTS menue to the 3rd bottom option (sorry I can't remember what its called at the moment).
I have not noticed any DTS dropouts on any DTS DVDs since.
I have had one freeze up while my son was watching Scooby Doo Cyber Chasers.
I ejected the disc & cleaned it (not that I noticed any dirt) & its been fine since.
The remote sux big time, but I am using a Pronto.
If anyone needs the ccf shoot me an e-mail.
I have not set up any macros yet though.
May eventually send it to remote central.
Anyone find any discreet codes for this player?
Other than those (minor in the whole context of things)issues I am extremely pleased with this player.
I have a Mits 5807 HD display.
I recently compared a Pani RP 56, Jvc S70, & Tosh 3750, & thought the Jvc produced the superior progressive picture of these 3 & the Malata picture appears to be the same as the Jvc if not for some reason even better.
Yes I know they use the same chip.
I would love to try the Pani RP91 but it is not in the budget & I wanted a pal region free player.
The picture quality of the 996 is excellent in progressive mode.
Video mode was not bad at all.
I expected worse.
The xy scaling is the sweetest feature a DVD player could ever have imo, & now that I have been using it it would be hard to live without.
I have only tried one pal DVD & did not notice the 4% speed-up.
Perhaps I will over time, but I hope not.
Ron I use this site for converting currency.
http://www.oanda.com/
I got a big long winded here, but anyway that is my early take on this player.
One other thing.
A question regarding YPrPb or a RGB connection.
I recently realized my Mits 5807 tv has the option to set up either way.
Currently I'm connected YPrPb with component cables.
Is it possible to take advantage of the RGB input?
What would be the way to set this up in the Malata menue.
NONE Y Pb Pr
Y G B R
Y Y Pb Pr
SYNC G B R
Y G+SYNC B R
SYNC G+SYNC B R
Thanks for any help here.
Todd

 

[Tulli]

Jeff:
Yes, the Malata does PAL through the progressive outs. But in general, it's not a stellar progressive scan player (though a very good one in interlaced mode). For a full review see the following very well known thread:
Link Removed

 

[Michael Warner]

How does the interlaced picture look? Also, is the anamorphic downconversion of high quality. I hope you enjoy your Malata.

I've had mine for a few days now and I'm viewing it interlaced and downconverted. The downconversion is stellar. I've compared it to both my Sony and Toshiba players and it is as sharp as the Toshiba but without as many downconversion artifacts. I even compared it to the image I get using the service menu 16:9 squeeze mode on my TV and the downconverted picture looked just as good. So far I'm very impressed. I have noticed that the level of zoom used has an impact on the quality of the downconversion as zooming out too far leads to some severe artifacts along sharp horizontal surfaces.

 

[Eric Kahn]

I have also ordered a malata n996 just so I could watch Futurama which I ordered from blackstar

 

[Jimmy_M]

The best sources I have found for Japanese DVDs are the following sites. Both are very fast and I often receive discs faster from them than ordering from US sites!
http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/
http://www.hmv.co.jp/en/
FYI, I just bought "Deep Impact" from Japan because it is anamorphic and the US DVD is NOT. And "The Day After" was also just released on Japanese DVD.
Thanks,
James

 

[OliverG]

For some info on bad Malatas check out :
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...threadid=16512
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...threadid=99266
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...threadid=94279
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...threadid=94202
http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...hreadid=157611
Also look at the AVDeals rant which they have left up for some reason (not for long I bet)
www.avdeals.com/damnmalatas.htm
Another note about AVDeals. When the units started crapping out, and by there own admission they did, AVDeals stopped taking returns for repair or replacement. When I got mine back to them just under the wire I had to call 6 times before they would give me my money back. Then they refused to refund my purchase in its entirity because I forgot to mail back the %$#@ing manual (they subtracted $20). Aside from being totally unprofessional, it should serve as a caution to anyone thinking of dealing with them. I mean, their own website still talks shit about a product they started carrying again. www.avdeals.com/damnmalatas.htm
-Oliver

 

[Charles Guajardo]

Oliver,

I've noticed in most of the threads you posted, that you are one of the main ones complaining about the Malata. While I understand you being upset about the lack of customer service you received from AVdeals, this is no reason to slam the Malata.

Isn't it possible you just got a bad player damaged in shipping or through personal use? I'm not sure what you are trying to prove by going on different forums and trashing the Malata. Most everyone who has gotten one has been pleased with its performance. I'm afraid you are making a mountain out of a mole hill with this personal crusade of yours.

-charles

Xt3rMin8iNg since 1999

 

[OliverG]

Charles,

really funny post. I think everyone should know that Charles and I are good friends and work together at the University of Texas (see our email addresses). This is his sad attempt at humor. please disregard.

-Oliver

 

[Marc Alexander]

Jeff:
Yes, the Malata does PAL through the progressive outs. But in general, it's not a stellar progressive scan player (though a very good one in interlaced mode). For a full review see the following very well known thread:
Link Removed

I think you misinterpreted the review. The Malata is an excellent progressive player with properly flagged film material. It's poor video deinterlacing makes it a poor player for improperly flagged film material as well as video material. Because, like the JVC, it derives it's interlaced signal from the progressive processing...it is not recommend as an interlaced player. The guys that wrote the shootout (not a review, just a deinterlacing evaluation) post regularly at avsforum. If you need any clarification on the shootout, you can usually find it with a search.