Philips DVP642 DVD Player - Plays PAL and DivX, But Otherwise Flawed
Written: Feb 17 '06 (Updated Mar 20 '09)
Product Rating:
Sound:
Ease of Use:
Picture Quality:
Durability:
Pros: Price, connectivity options, features, PAL playback and conversion to NTSC, computer video playback
Cons: Horrible remote, cheap LCD display, only 8x scan speed, poor GUI, not easy to use
The Bottom Line: If you need to play PAL discs on an NTSC TV, play computer files and DivX, the DVP642 is a good choice. If you want an inexpensive DVD player that...
After one of my DVD players (a Panasonic DVD player) died with a dreaded HO2 error, I managed to temporarily revive it by opening the case and manually spinning the disc once. It had worked for a week after that, but all reports online pointed to its eventual demise. I needed a new DVD player.
Rather than getting yet another Panasonic, I decided to try a player that can play DivX and other computer-friendly formats. And after finding out that the Philips DVP642 can do that and also play PAL discs on an NTSC TV, I ordered it.
I ordered a refurbished unit for $33 $8 shipping, which brought the total to $41. I thought that refurbished means in working condition. Unfortunately, upon arrival I discovered that the player had a defective component video out. The rest worked as described.
My Panasonic DVD player died a month thereafter. I am keeping the Philips DVP642 for the time being.
Features
The player can play DivX, Xvid and JPEG files. You do not need to create a VCD disc structure, just copy the MPEG/AVI files to a CD-R/W disc and insert it into this player and it will play them.
The player supports slow and fast scan (up to 8x speed only). It can play PAL and NTSC discs on a PAL or NTSC TV. It can even convert PAL to NTSC and vice versa. Nice. The product literature states that you can watch PAL on an NTSC TV when playing VCD but not DVD. Not true; it works with DVD as well.
Connectivity
The player has a permanently-attached AC power cable. It has both an optical and a coaxial digital audio outs, which is a rarity for a brand-name DVD player (most have only one). There is also an analog stereo audio out, a composite video out, S-Video and a component video out. Pretty much all you need. I would not expect an HDMI out at this price.
The optical digital out is covered by a removable plug. I like the system that Panasonic uses in their DVD players and receivers, where the hole is covered by a little lid that opens automatically as you insert the cable. Unfortunately, the cheaper Panasonic DVD players now switched to coaxial digital outs instead of the optical. Not that I care too much, but I already have the optical cable connected to my receiver and I do not want to disconnect it.
All outs are well-marked and arranged well.
Operation
I now know how a DVD player from a company like Panasonic differs from inexpensive players from the likes of Philips. Even though my Panasonic DVD player was not much more expensive than this player, it was so much better in may ways.
The DVP642 DVD player is medium-sized and is not too lightweight. There are not many buttons on the front panel. The display is bright, but is pretty small in terms of the amount of information it fits. The title, chapter and running time are one continuous number (e.g. 01021135), which is a bit lame. The Panasonic displays feature several colors, clear separation of digit groups and more real estate.
The DVP642 is also not too intuitive to use. Its remote control has rows and rows of poorly-marked buttons with some buttons having several uses. The menu control buttons are small, the same size as the rest. The left and right buttons also serve for fast scan. The bottom line here is I could use my Panasonic DVD remotes with my eyes closed. This remote needs good light to use.
The onscreen displays are not as informative or well-designed as the ones of Panasonic. Far from it. Not much information is displayed on each screen. Only by experimentation have I found the way to see the remaining ruinning time of the disc and the current chapter (the manual is difficult to read). The push of the "subtitle" button immediately switches to the next subtitle language instead of showing you the current language first. All this is pretty lame.
Also, the highest fast scan speed is only 8x, which is not acceptable for material that has no chapter marks at relatively short intervals. My Panasonic DVD player could scan at up to 200x.
The image coming from the S-Video out was much too dark, until I set the video mode to BRIGHTER in the menu.
The player can convert PAL to NTSC rather well. I noticed no jerky movement and the image quality was pretty good. I used the S-Video connection and did not try the progressive scan the player provides as the component video out refused to work properly.
The image quality overall was good and the sound was good as well (using my optical cable). The player played my MPEG and AVI computer files flawlessly. There is a short delay before the playback of the each file, but it was pretty short. The files can be burned on a CD-R/W disc just as a regular data CD with no VCD structure needed.
In fact, you can even record AVI and MPG files onto a DVD-R/W or DVD+R/W and the player will play them. Pretty nice for pirated material and you-know-what-else. But remember, the player does not remember where you stopped within the AVI/MPEG file and the fastest scan speed is only 8x.
Overall, I like the fact that it plays PAL on an NTSC TV and plays computer-friendly videos. But it is difficult to use (in a sense that it requires too much concentration to use the remote) and the fastest scan speed is only 8x. A great player for people who need to play European DVDs or downloaded videos. A poor choice for others.
Reliability
As of 03/2009, I have used this player for over 3 years (recently as a CD player) and it is still going strong.
Likes
Low price is a nice thing. Connectivity options, features, PAL playback and conversion to NTSC, computer video file playback. Decent build quality, good video and sound.
Dislikes
Horrible remote, cheap LCD display, only 8x fast scan speed, very poor GUI and not easy to use, aside from basics.
Bottom Line
If you need to play PAL discs on an NTSC TV, play computer files and DivX, the DVP642 is a good choice. If you want an inexpensive DVD player that is easy to use and performs well, get a Panasonic DVD-S29 or a similar model.
Measures 17.1 x 1.7 x 9.3 inches (W x H x D); Plays DVD-Video, video CD, audio CD, JPEG image CD, and CDs loaded with MP3, MPEG-4, or DivX 3.11/4.x/5....More at Amazon Marketplace
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