Zenith DVB318 1080i Progressive-Scan DVD Player

Rating:
Summary: Excellent DVD player for <$200
Review: I have been using the Zenith DVB-318 for almost 6 months. It has played every movie and CD flawlessly, including a number of burned DVD-Rs/DVD+Rs and CDs.

I am using the 1080i scaling over component, which delivers a fantastic picture to my Sony HDTV. I have also use scaling over DVI, which also works well (but I switched back to component so I can run everything through my receiver). I am relatively new to HDTV and my eyes are not yet very sensitive to minor differences in HDTV quality; so I think there are other reviewers here who can tell you that one DVD player's picture is a lot better than another. In my opinion, this Zenith delivers fantastic quality and features for the money and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for DVD players in this price range.

Rating:
Summary: HELP
Review: I need to know which is a better gift to be used with a projector. Toshiba sd5970 or Zenith DVB318. I'm lost

Rating:
Summary: Great Bargain
Review: I recieved the player yesterday. I purchased it specifically to use the upscaling to 1080i on component output. I have a Toshiba rear projection HD that was manufactured prior to DVI. The difference between the native 480P and the upscaled 1080i is barely noticeable. Not a bad thing... both look great.

My only complaints are minor and are with the remote. The layout is inane. The centrally located buttons that are arranged like cursor control buttons perform the stop/pause/play/chapter functions. The cursor control are smaller, less comfortable buttons at the top of the remote. The layout didn't really matter to me as I programmed them to my universal remote.

My real problem is with the Fast Forward/Reverse jogging feature. Standard remotes increase the search speed with each push. The Zenith remote has a jog wheel. It is actually very useful and works nicely... but can't be transferred easily to a learning remote. The best I could do was to make buttons do a 2X fast forward/reverse on my universal.

A nice new feature is that the unit "sleeps" when it hasn't been used for a while. It turns on when you press either the PLAY or OPEN buttons on the remote.

I tried a few DVD's that had given my cheap player prooblems and all played flawlessly.

Rating:
Summary: Great component upscale player
Review: If you want the Zenith DBV318 to use with a DVI connection there are probably better players out there. But for component upscaling to 1080i this is a steal. Quality deinterlacing and upscaling provided by the Faroudja 2310 chip. Oddly it does not deliver a good 480p picture, so buy it for 1080i upscaling only.

It's true that players with a July 2004 build date and later will not do 1080i upscaling through component with copy protected DVD's (pretty much any movie you would rent or buy.) But there is firmware that will that will restore the full 1080i upscaling over component. [...] And it is easy to use if you carefully follow the instructions

Rating:
Summary: excellent for upconversion through component video
Review: Just bought Zenith DVB318 to go with Infocus X1a projector. Here are few observations, that maybe helpful to undecided:
1) This is an excellent player for upconversion through component video. There are only few around and this is probably the best choice. And good lookin' one
2) For upconversion through DVI I would probably go with Denon 1910 because of better sound. (However, despite some user raves this downscaled Denon is not nearly as spectacular as its more expensive siblings).
3) There is noticeable difference in 1080i picture quality over 480p. Don't expect true HD, but you can see sharper and more detailed images (of objects in the background for example).
4) If you already own a good progressive DVD player (Faroudja equipped for example) you are fine, and can do without throwing extra cash around. Otherwise especially with larger TV sets or projectors without DVI option - this player is a great value for your money.
5) The latest version (mine is dated October 2004) allows upscaling over both: component video and DVI. No software restrictions what so ever.
6) Personally, I needed a separate DVD player for non-DVI projector and was extremely satisfied with Zenith DVB318.

Rating:
Summary: DVB318 - Performance Exceeded My Expectations
Review: Late in April 2004 I purchased a Zenith HDTV receiver - C27V36, Zenith HD receiver - HDV420 and Zenith DVD player - DVB312, as my initial foray into the HDTV world. In early January 2005, I became aware fo the Zenith DVB318 DVD player which promised a 1080i DVI upconversion of the standard 480p DVD format. At less than $ 200.00 with a Faroudji chip (as was also present in the HDTV receiver) the DVB318 also would allow me to also utilize the DVI connection on the Zenith HDTV receiver. The DVB318 (as connected to the above system) has surpassed my highest expectations for delivering an remarkably enhanced quality to my DVD playback. The DVB318 unit I received has a build date of October 2004. Initially, after connecting the DVB318 to the Zenith HDTV receiver, I was disappointed with the image quality, which seemed no better than the DVB312 which I'd earlier used with the sytem. The "upconversion" button on the front of the case, when depressed did not appear to alter the displayed image, making me wonder if I had received a defective unit. (...). The operations manual did not provide a hint to solve the problem I had encountered. To access the 720p or 1080i modes, one first turns on the HDTV, then turns on the DVB318 - WITHOUT a DVD disk in the player. After the initial welcome and DVD screen is displayed on the HDTV, depress the "upconversion" button - the screen display will show a signal adjustment to the 720p mode. A second depression of the "upconversion" button will bring the screen display into the 1080i mode. For some reason, following the same procedure with a DVD disk in IN the unit will not allow you to make this initial upconversion adjustment. It appears that the upconversion adjustment only needs to be done once, when using the DVI connectors. It does not appear that this process needs to be repeated each time the DVB318 is turned on - so apparently the 1080i selection is held in the system's memory. As for the image quality of standard 480p DVDs played on the DVB318 at the 1080i setting - the quality is Superb in every aspect and far exceeds my initial expectations for the unit.

Rating:
Summary: Solid Component Upconversion
Review: Since my Sharp XVZ9000U doesn't do DVI, so I decided to give this unit a try. When it converted to 720p or 1080i you can see the color fade (-1 star) not as vivid as 480p. But the scaling is "solid". Like Keohi said "great news for all those with HD sets that do not have DVI inputs". Great price too.
PS: Why the price keeps going up?


Rating:
Summary: Psuedo-HD for your DVDs
Review: This DVD player is great. The upconverting to 1080i for DVD really makes your DVD picture quality approach HDTV levels. I use it connected to my HDTV over the component outputs, since the one DVI connection is used by my HD-Satellite connection. I got mine for VERY cheap on Amazon.com just last week, and it plays like hi-end expensive DVD players in the $500-1000 range. It has the same electronic upconvert chip as the expensive ones.
Think about your great HDTV only getting 5-10 HD channels. The rest of the time your are watching SDTV or 480 line DVDs. What a waste of your investment.
IMPORTANT- the new versions have a block to stop you upconverting copy-protected DVDs, so it is only 20% useful.
BUT, do a search on LGROMOUT on the internet and get the firmware that allows you to upconvert ANY DVD to 1080i. It is well worth the trouble for the result. (Make your friends jealous!!)


Rating:
Summary: Very good Up-Conversion
Review: This is an excellent DVD player for the price.
I bought the LG 7832NCX to replace my Samsung HD931.
Both dvd unit used the same Faroudja Scaler but the LG (Zenith) has done a better job to integrate the chip correctly.
I'm using a Sony GWIII KF50WE601, great match.
Using the Sony GWIII I don't see too much difference between 720P or 1080i, but several people agree that 1080i output is better.
The DVI connection is OK but the analog output give better results.
The remote control is horrible...
So far I'm very please with LG products, good quality for cheap.
I don't want to buy anything else from Samsung.


Rating:
Summary: Inconsistent performer
Review: This Zenith DVI-capable DVD player, made by South Korea's LG, promises a lot but delivers little. If you are looking for a reliable DVI-capable and upscaling-to-HDTV DVD player, get the Denon DVD-1910, which works every time and has much better quality than the DVb318.

The problem with the DVB318 is, even without using the upscaler, DVD playback quality is inferior to many much cheaper progressive scan DVD players, such as my treasured CyberHome slim-and-small player (sold at Radio Shack). The inferiority is obvious on a good HDTV screen. While the upscaler improves the image somewhat (you'll *need* an HDTV to see that), it's still not good at all. And some DVDs I rented at my local Blockbuster simply cannot play back at all on this DVD player, while my other players (including a 6-year-old, first-gen Panasonic player) has no trouble at all.

Because of its poor playback performance and reliability, this player should be avoided. For digital glory, get the Denon. For a cheap but great DVD player (but no DVI), get the small and wonderful CyberHome at Radio Shack.