Potential issues with the new Malata 520 (1 Viewer)

[MarcW]

I'm still waiting for mine but I thought I'd share this with everybody. I just received the following email from nbtelectronics:

Please be aware of a couple of potential issues with the DVP-520 that have come to light:

- Your player may default to Chinese menus. If this is the case, the remote key sequence to change to English is SETUP->1->2

- If your using component video cables, you must change the players setup menu. The remote key sequence is SETUP->6->2

- There have been a few reports of the 520 not working in progressive-scan mode with some HD-capable displays. Malata is aware of this and is working on a firmware update. When this update becomes available, you'll be notified via email and the CD image will be made available for download. If you don't have the capability to burn your own CD's, a copy will be mailed out to you.

If you have any other questions or problems, please feel free to ask!

 

[Chris M]

I'm assuming the 520 is the upgrade from the N996?

What's different besides the size of the player?

Chris.

 

[BobJ]

IIRC, t's not really an "upgrade" per say, but the same thing in a new package.

 

[Jay Blair]

Sounds like they have at least upgraded the power supply. Most people have reported that their N996 overheats (I have two of them, and both get far too hot), though a few have said it does not. However, everyone who's talked about the new player says it doesn't overheat at all. But other than that and the case and some firmware changes it sounds like pretty much the same player.

 

[JohnnyG]

The power supplies are very similar, but there are far fewer heat-sink backed transistors on the 520's. The main board is very similar with only small variations in chips and chip placement. The firmware is different as the 'Expert' menu is now gone, but most of the functions there (if not all) are accessible by simpler means.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

I got one of the first 520s, and overall it's a pretty good player. The menu layout is logical (a term I don't recall hearing about the 996), though some of the settings in the features have unfathomable assignments. Heat is not an issue, but I have yet to figure out how to burn an upgrade disc that works using an older version of Toast (they released the progressive fix a week ago).

My pet peeves so far are that power is only switchable from the unit itself, while ejecting the disc gets a remote button - seems like this should be the other way around, after all, if you are ejecting the disc, chances are you need to be at the machine to do something with it, while shutting down the system is usually done without attending the machine. Also, the unit doesn't automatically turn itself off after a period of inactivity.

The feature settings all reset on power down, which makes using it with a TV that requires player side calibration (my 520 is way too bright, and I need it to share the inputs with my other DVD player) means readjusting the values every time it is turned on. One other thing to watch is that the top is right above the disc tray, so even moderate presure on it will hit the spindle.

A feature that would be nice to have is programmable zoom settings, so you could define things like nonanamorphic 1.66:1 settings for instant recall. The zoom feature works well as is though.

Hopefully some of the minor issues can be fixed with a firmware upgrade. I haven't tried the PAL conversion yet, but will be receiving my first PAL disc soon. For a multiregion player, it seems like the best price/feature bang for the buck right now. The build quality isn't exceptional, but it isn't completely cheap either. The remote could use some work, but does the job. Overall I'm happy with it so far, with a few minor issues.