Malata DVD Players (1 Viewer)

[WillG]

I might be interested in Getting a Malata DVD player. The overscan on my TV Bugs the S**T out of me and it's advertised X-Y Scaling feature is quite attractive.

First Question. Are they any other players on the Market that have this feature, that I could pick up at a Circuit City or some store like that?

2nd. Does the Malata have Progressive Scan Output?

3rd. Are these Players good?

4th. Does this X-Y Scaling actually work?

 

[Tomoko Noguchi]

Yes to 2-4. The Jaton is another player that does x-y scaling.

 

[WillG]

I have read on some other forums that say the Malatas are not worth getting, can anyone verify the quality of these players. They are a little bit more pricey so I want to make sure I know what I will be getting. Also I wonder why some of the more name brand players do not have this feature. Does anyone know if Sony, JVC, Panasonic etc. have any plans to include X-Y Scaling on future models?

 

[Donnie Eldridge]

I have read on some other forums that say the Malatas are not worth getting, can anyone verify the quality of these players.

This is not true. They tend to be a little more pricey, but their PAL to NTSC beats the others hands down. I own two myself, both are the N996 model.

 

[Todd Schnell]

No idea how their other models compare, but I have a Malata 996 that has been my main player for over a year.

For the most part I have been very satisfied.
For correctly flagged film material running in progressive scan the image quality is very good on my Mits HD 55807.
In fact I found it better than a few other players I compared it to about a year ago such as the Pani RP56 & Tosh prog-scan players in this price range.

The xy scaling is indeed excellent!
Does a great job for over-scan, non-anamorphic material, or even zooming window boxed material.
After using it for this long, I don't know if I could now live without this feature.
As far as my eye can tell there is little to no loss of image quality using it.

No chroma bug.
This player has also played every DVD I have thrown at it.

A few complaints I can think of.

Once in a while the player will lock up on a DVD & state "clean me".
This is rare, happened maybe 5 times in over a year.

It doesn't handle incorrectly flagged material, or video based material as well as say the Pani RP 56.

Remote is cheap & bare bones, but I use a Pronto so it didn't matter to me.

Subtitle bug on Star Wars Episode 1 (maybe others?).
The player runs hot.

I have been looking to pick up a new player, & use the Malata as my Pal/multi region only player, but I really find the xy scaling to be a feature I can not live without.

Even though I am using an older model, I hope that helps at least a little.

Todd

 

[WillG]

"but their PAL to NTSC beats the others hands down"

Certainly another attractive feature. That and it's apparent All Regions capablilty

 

[WillG]

Does anyone know if there are more recent models that have corrected the issues mentioned (Running Hot, Subtitle Bug etc.)

 

[Donnie Eldridge]

Phantom Menace is the only title that I am aware of that the bug appears, so it really isn't a serious issue like it sounds. The heat issue is different. Some people report their players run hot and some don't. Neither of mine run hot at all. In fact, I've never encountered a single problem with either.

 

[WillG]

Do they have to ordered, or are there stores that sell them?

 

[Donnie Eldridge]

Your best bet is to order one online. I've never seen a B&M carry them.

 

[JohnnyG]

I was told that the subtitle issue was due to a Mediamatics chipset bug that has since been resolved.

BTW, I sell the Malata's, so if there's anything I can help you with, drop me a line.

 

[Keith Mickunas]

I had issues with heat when I tried my 996 in progressive mode. I drilled holes in the top cover over the side that was getting hot and that seemed to help.

I don't use mine much. It has such a horrible user interface. But as far as the PAL to NTSC, I haven't heard of any that do it as well. Personnaly I haven't encountered a need for x-y scaling so I haven't used it. If you want a good region free player, the Malata is the one to get.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

JohnnyG,

Will you be selling the upcoming Malata 600 also? Do you know how much it'll cost?

I heard somewhere around $600. Is that true?

I'd like to get something more in the $400 range like the Philips 963sa.

Thanks.

_Man_