Mark Twain wrote:
I was hoping I could do this online without making
that long drive but I guess not.

I still haven't found a DVD player,.. neither Sears
or Walmart had any that I could see and Frys doesn't
carry them. I have to find all these replacement items
first with the prices before they will compensate me.

What do you think of this one? It says its from Walmart
but I couldn't find any while there.

https://www.google.com/search?biw=17...433767557 910


Robert


As an example of what one of the BluRay players offers.

bdp-s1700

Media Formats

BD-RE === Blue laser 405 nm
DVD+RW === Red laser 650 nm
DVD-RW
CD-RW === IR laser 780 nm

Dual-Layer Media Supported Yes

The 780nm looks to be off the chart here, to the right.
Hard to tell if that's visible or deep red.

https://www.d.umn.edu/~mharvey/colorspectrum.jpg

So that's an example of an apparently fully backward
compatible player. And if you look at the back...

http://crdms.images.consumerreports....ps6700-d-2.jpg

about all it's got is HDMI.

Also in that picture, is the evil word "Java". The BD standard
uses Java to "authorize" playback. When BD titles won't
play any more, that's the Java mucking about. I don't
think DVDs use Java, so *DVD playback shouldn't be affected* .

*******

This other one by comparison, is DVD and CD, so would only
have the two lasers.

DVP-SR510H

Playback

CD (CD-DA), Super VCD, Video CD

DVD+R, DVD+R Double Layer, DVD+RW, DVD-R,
DVD-R Dual Layer, DVD-RW, DVD Camcorder 8cm DVD,
DVD Video, JPEG, KODAK Picture, MP3

HDMI cable

So all we know is that one must have an HDMI cable.

The picture here is too low res to be sure what the other
connectors are. It could be Composite, L&R audio, S/PDIF
but not sure. You might be able to use that with an older
TV set via Composite. Your new TV must have HDMI though.
As it's a common interface choice now. Although I prefer
things like Component YPbPr (as that may allow recording).
Each connector type has some kind of potential content
protection. HDMI has HDCP. The TV will have the bit that
talks HDCP in it, to decode the encrypted video on HDMI
and make it visible. (The BluRay Player can have HDMI 2+
which has uncracked newer HDCP on it, for comparison.)

http://audiovideopricingandinformati...et/DVD+Players

This pic is at a better angle. Back view.

http://www.russellcomputech.com/pics...-SR510H-2a.jpg

*******

In terms of what optical drives I have in the house,
everything I've bought in the last 10 years or so
was LG. No failures.

You don't have to buy Sony if you don't want to.

And remember that DVD players hit rock bottom some
number of years ago. They were going for $50 each at
one time. And you really need a Chinese factory to hit
price points like that. The odds of a Sony actually
being made in Japan, for a product like that, are
pretty low. Only the much more expensive products
($3000 monitor) can they afford to make them in
Japan, and withstand the currency translation or
whatever.

Certainly the $50 player I've got, it's a Chinese wonder.
It's got some "Micky Mouse" brand on the front :-)

The "distinguishing features" as it were, of the Chinese
ones, is the list of video formats they play. You expect
them to play DVD video format, but they also play XVID,
so you can cut your own single sided DVDs with movies
on them and the player will eat them. When DVD players
first came out, they couldn't do slide shows or play
weird formats. Now, there's likely to be an OS inside
the player, and it decodes all sorts of stuff. That's
why some of them have the USB connector on the back,
to play from a USB stick.

I would read the reviews before settling on something,
if you can find reviews.

Paul