This DVD Player Rocks!

Author's Rating:

Pros: DVI is a good alternative to expensive component cables. Sleek design. Nice picture.

Cons: Skip/FF on remote. It won't turn DVDs into high-definition. One disc only.

The Bottom Line: 
If you don't already own a DVD player or are willing to pay $300 to improve your DVD experience couple notches, then go for it.

Author's Review
We bought HD931 to play DVDs on our newly purchased 65" Mitsubishi WS65813 HDTV set, which has a DVI input. We already had a DVD player at home, but needed component cables. Instead of dishing out $200 for Monster's component cables, we spent $300 on this DVD player that includes a DVI cable.

Image: Note that DVD image is in 480i/p resolution. HD931 has the option of up-converting 480i/p to 720p or 1080i. There is a noticeable difference when viewing movies that are up-converted from 480i/p to 1080i (WS65813 does not support 720p so I can't comment on that resolution). If you want to clearly see the difference yourself watch a movie with circular shapes (Hobbit's entry way in Fellowship of the Rings). In 480i/p mode you can see that the circular shape is more jagged than when you up-convert to 1080i which blends out the edges. There are instances where the up-converting algorithm fouls up and displays artifacts (Finding Nemo, when Marlin is surrounded by wide open blue water there is an anomaly surrounding him), but foul ups are rare. I absolutely love watching films by Pixar Studios on our HD931/WS65813 combination. I've probably seen Finding Nemo at least three times in the last two months. We've watched tons of other movies and even already-seen movies offer a new experience with this TV and DVD player combination. You should also note that not all DVDs are equal: some are encoded better than others: Tears of the Sun (nice), Crimson Tide Letterbox Edition (not so nice). In short DVD movies will look better with this DVD player. Is there a huge difference? Not really, but it is not small difference either.

Sound: I did not notice any flaws with the coaxial or optical cable or any anomalies in the distribution of surround sound, which I think is the job of the receiver anyways. Music, sound effects, and dialog all came out fabulously.

Disc capacity: Only one DVD at a time. I have to get up for 2 disc movies or trilogies. Make another batch of popcorn to make getting up worth while ;)

Remote: Fast forward/reverse and skip is on the same button (quick press for skip and hold down for fast forward: the longer you hold down the faster it goes...up to 128x). Very annoying to skip instead of fast forward if you release the button too early. I use my TV remote instead.

Casing: The silver finish and blue lighting is awesome. The lighting around the jog dial is bright, but not as bright as our TV so I don't notice it when watching movies...unless it's a dark scene (The Others).