Choosing DVD Players And Recorders On eBay
Decide On Your DVD Player & DVD Recorder Requirements
DVD players and recorders offer bright and clear colors and support DTS surround and Dolby music embedded in movies. Most players can play your CDs and some even come with a VCR. Your player and recorder options include:
- DVD Recorders/VDR Combinations: A lot of the new recorders also have a VCR attached to them. These combination devices allow you to watch DVD discs and also your old VHS tapes.
- Single-Disc Players: You can play, at a time, one DVD or one CD on a single-disc player.
- DVD Player/VCR Combinations: Layers and VCR combos can play your DVDs, CDs, and VHS tapes.
- Multi- Disc Players: Multi-Disc players allow changing of 2 to 6 DVDs or CDs for continuous play.
- Mega- Changer Players: Mega-Changer Players allow you to store, categorize, sort and play a large number of DVDs.
- Portable Players: Just perfect for people on the move, portable players that are compact allow you to play your DVDs when you are either on the road, a train or an airplane.
- Progressive- Scan Players: Obtain the most crisp and vibrant picture play back with practically no flicker using progressive-scan players. These types of players support close to high definition 825×480 resolution signals with progressive scan. Go in for a progressive scan player featuring “2:3 pull down” or “3:2 inverse pull down” facility for improving picture quality and minimum flicker.
- Region-Free Player: With region free players you can play back DVDs from any part of the world. You may have to get yourself a video format convertor to play the NTSC or PAL discs depending on the kind of TV that you have. So, make sure that you check out the specification by the manufacturer.
- DVD Recorders: You can not only play DVDS, you can also record TV programs that are your favorites and view them at a later time by using recorders. You can replace your old VCR with a new recorder. Some recorders also come in with a digital video recorder (DVR).
DVD Region Codes
Digital Video Discs that originate from various parts of the world can be played only on particular players that are customized to play such DVDs. There are six different DVD regions and each of them use any of the following formats for recording: Sequential Color with Memory (SECAM), Phase Alternating Line (PAL) or National Television System Committee (NTSC). Standards of recording that are incompatible with one another are used by most countries.
Have A Look At The Audio Formats Supported
In addition to functioning as a DTS surround and Dolby Digital sound formats, your player can also play digital audio music. Almost all of them support CDs but you can think of going in for players that support Super Audio CDs (SACDs) and also MP3 formats. In case you wish to output the analog signal directly to your stereo receiver or your TV, see to it that the DVD player has outputs for analog signals and also a digital-to-analog (DAC) convertor.
Finding Special Features
Fast scan will fast forward your DVD footage and other features include slow motion play back and viewing pictures frame-by-frame. An additional feature would be the zoom facility for enlarging on-screen images.
Evaluate Video Outputs
The input sockets on your home theater system or your TV will determine the kind of outputs that your player requires. It also determines the kind of cable that you will have to purchase.
- Component Video Cables: In order to transfer video of high quality from your player to your TV or home theater system you should use a component video cable.
- S-Video Cables: Make use of S-Video Cables to transfer high quality video to your television or receiver from your player.
- Composite Video Cables: DVD players of all kinds require composite video outputs for transferring video signals over a standard RCA cable. The quality of the image will be better than that from a VHS.
Output Your Digital Audio
- Search for a player that has coaxial and optical outputs that will allow you to transmit video over a 75-ohm coaxial digital cable or an optical digital/fiber optic cable. See to it that the inputs and outputs to and from your receiver and source are identical.
DVD Recorder Features
An alternative and more advanced form of recording over recording in VHS media is digital recording using recorders. Most of the recorders have input sockets that are compatible with cables for a camcorder so that you home movies can be recorded. Similar to the old VCRs, favorite TV shows can also be recorded for personal viewing at a future date. Most to the broadcasts on TV have some form of copy-write protection that limits the number of recordings that you can make of a broadcast depending on the level of protection.
The format gives you superior picture quality and sound. There are basically four categories that most DVD player fall into:
- Recorders: Recording is straightforward with a recorder.
- Recorders With Hard Discs: The video that you record can be stored on a hard disc and then transferred to a disc.
- DVRs With DVD Recorders: You can also write to media using digital video recorders (DVRs).
- DVD/DHS Recorders: Recording to both VHS tapes and to DVD discs can be done with dual-deck recorder.
Most of the latest DVD recorders are now equipped with an electronic program guide that allows you to program and your DVD recorder.
DVD Recording Formats
Most computer and set-top players can play back DVD-R and DVD+R rewritable discs. See to it that these formats are supported by your DVD player. Information can be written only once to DVD-R and DVD+R discs.
A few recorders can work with DVD+RW and DVD-RW discs also. The contents of these discs can be viewed on either your computer or recorder that are capable of reading them.
DVD-RAM is a rewritable format that is highly sophisticated. It allows editing on the disc itself and also simultaneous layback and recording.
Playback
Similar to DVD players, look for optical and coaxial video outputs and digital audio ones in case you want integration with your home theater system and your recorder.
High Definition HD-DVD and Blu-ray Discs
A recent development in the field of playback devices is high definition (HD). HD-DVD and Blu-ray Discs offer the highest possible picture quality at present on commercial formats. Information that are several time more can be stored on these discs than on the conventional DVDs. These two standards have not become standard as yet and so you have to be careful when you go in for any of these players.
Discover Players And Recorders On eBay
Once you have come to a decision on the kind of player you intend to get hold of, go to the “Consumer Electronics” on eBay and click on the “DVD players & DVD Recorders” link for a search for the specific item that you want.
You can search based on the categories available on resulting pages that will help you narrow down your search. Links for all types of players can be found and if you go down deeper you can search based on brand names. The product finder link “DVD Players & Recorders Finder” can also aid you in your search. Keywords play an important role in any search if you want to find the exact product that you require. eBay’ search tips can also turn out to be helpful.