Review of NWZ-S540 and NWZ-E440 latest Video walkman from Sony

Sony has introduced the NWZ-S540 and the NWZ-E440 series in India. These are the latest models to the Walkman Video MP3 player family.

Featuring a 2.4" 240 x 320 QVGA LCD screen and a new Digital Linear Phase Speaker System (DLPSS) built into its compact frame, the player promises a rich audio experience. DLPSS is a technology that enhances sound quality in stereo speakers by amplifying the bass and delivering a heightened sound experience. It also gets the player to keep the battery life to its optimum. It comes with 4GB and 8 GB internal memory.

The NWZ-S540 lets to listen music non-stop for 42 hours and the video can be played incessantly for 6.5 hours. In the other counter part, in NWZ-E440, you can listen music to up to 30 hours and play video for up to 6 hours.

NWZ-S540 sports a 4-inch high resolution (240 x 320) QVGA LCD screen and weighs just 54 g, while NWZ-E440 series comes with a 2.0-inch LCD screen.


The new Walkman S540 series has built-in new Alarm function which allows you to set a daily 'wake-up call'. A timer function to switch off the Walkman within a set time, is very helpful to preserve battery life.

The other features include;

Voice and FM recording
Multiple Codec Support
Content Transfer software

Content Transfer software will help you faster transfer of music, movies and photos from Windows Explorer, iTunes as well as Cyber-shot cameras by means of the drag-and-drop interface.

Its immense sound clarity emanates from a slim and compact body. Sony's aesthetics have never been below satisfactory, and the same applies for the NWS-S540. It can playback almost every video format out there with a simple drag-and-drop application.
The NWZ S540 series comes in black color, whereas NWZ-E440 series is offered in pink, violet, red and black.

Intex Entry level R-220 DVD player / stereo speaker review

First look
The R-220 looks more like the control panel of a spaceship with its super-sleek body and a volume knob at the dead centre of the front panel that has been given a neat crater to sit In. The silver streaked front panel combined with the rest of the black player keeps the entire look edgier than most of the other plain looking DVD players out there in this range. However, you might have a hard time convincing the wife about putting this in the living room, as it does cater more to your teenage kid's bedroom. As for the speakers, they come looking a lot like mini-system speakers with a depth that's more than the height and the width put together to improve on bass response. The same silver cutting through black theme perpetuates with these speakers.


Technological aspects
The R-220 plays pretty much everything you'd wish to spin inside of It excluding Blu-ray. With the help of the USB port on the front panel, you can slip a pen drive into it to view your DivX movies or even JPEG and MP3s. The disc tray is sturdy enough for this price range and you cannot expect more than that. The rear panel, however, lacks a very important port: HDMI.


In this ripened hi-definition age, it makes it very hard for a salesman to pitch a DVD player or even a television for that matter, that doesn't come equipped with HDMI. Because everyone, from the upper-class businessman to the lower-middle class government employee, has become educated on what HDMI brings to home-entertainment. So it could've been a major plus point on the R-220.

The knob on the front is for volume as mentioned earlier, and even though the remote control comes bearing volume buttons, It doesn't control this external knob but rather control the internal volume of the DVD player. The best thing to do is keep the knob on maximum and control everything via the remote, which is of course if you intend on using the two 15-watt speakers the player comes boxed with.

Remote control convenience
Besides a surprising florescent green splashed on the navigation keys on this plastic remote, there's nothing special here. The remote does its job If you're positioned in line with the player, pointing it at the IR sensor on the front panel. If not, you'll have to move the remote around to get the player's attention, like it's permanently in a state of low batteries.

Viewing experience of R-220 DVD player
It will take a while longer to set up this player due to the HDMI deficiency, as you have to hook up the video using component cables.
You will have two speakers set up on both sides of the player, and when you power up the player you will be hit by the brightest blue light emanating from the front panel of the R-220! As if a flood light had been fitted in there to highlight the disc tray and the volume knob.
While viewing movies, the skin tones and color management is satisfactory, although there will be a good amount of Jitter during the rapid scenes. As for the sound, you may have to stop the speakers as they will shrill even at low volumes; furthermore, there is absolutely no amount of bass or low-mid response, only mids and highs. Better use any other siund system you may be having.

For CD playback on the other hand, if you were to run the player through an amplifier and into other speakers besides the less than competitive duo that Intex sends, you wouldn't mind the player at all. It works well as a CD player, delivering a well balanced frequency response and soundstage; be it uncompressed stereo mixes or MP3s.

Bottom Line:
Overall, for its under-Rs 4000 price-tag, the R-220 may not be the stuff you seek. You may opt for a dedicated DVD player in the market. That being said, if you're an Intex fan and have a slim wallet, and are looking to please some relatives/acquaintances for gift purpose, the R-220 may Just be the solution for you.

Review of mid-end DVD player from Onkyo DV-SP406

First Look
The player is very easy to look at with its simple black exterior, no Contrasting streaks running down the edges or buttons that seem to jump out of the front panel to grab your attention. Everything has been kept to a bare minimum. You will like the simplicity. That includes the perfect 'matchbox' height of the player as well. The loading tray has been positioned on the left of the front panel next to which is the eject button. The display is kept at the centre and the transport functions to the right, in between is the very convenient USB port. The SP406 is available in silver as well.


Technological aspect
DVD players now-a-days play all forms of discs that are out there, besides Blu-ray as that's a little too expensive to implement with as much ease as say DivX playback. HDMI, regardless of Blu-ray playability, is present on all DVD players coming out into the market. Including the DV-SP406. This Is capable of upscaling your standard DVDs to 1080p for your digital television sets, keeping the quality to its optimal at all times.


The audio goes through a top-of-the-line 192kHz/24-blt DAC along with a 108MHz/14-bit video DAC, which is the primary reason why this player has been priced as high as it is. The OSD is very easy to navigate through with its Disc Navigator system that ready simplifies your controllability of the DVD.

Remote control convenience
The remote is slightly less sophisticated than the new Onkyo receiver remotes, however, it does seem to look a tad overcrowded. The buttons could have been spaced a little further apart by removing the 'one-remote-for-all' aspect of it, and getting rid of some of the buttons such as the volume control for an Onkyo receiver if you have one. It makes more sense for a receiver remote to have controls for a DVD player rather than the other way around.

Viewing experience of DV – SP406
When connected with usual HDMI cable from the DV-SP406 and performed some color calibration, like most DVD players in this range, the lowest black did make it through the video DAC. You will get a decent brightness-contrast balance and will be pleasantly surprised to see the high frequencies being handled well.

While watching DVD-video, the quality will remain as crisp as one could have asked for even though the edges may blur at times.

Upscaling capacity of the SP406 is fine to boost the resolution to fit LG LCD. However, there were some potholes along the way, especially in the darker sequences, that took a beating in pixflation. DivX quality is satisfactory.

The real good part was the short time the player takes to read the film off the USB drive — Indexing the entire 700MB file took not more than the time the player takes to spin and read a standard DVD.


Bottom line
To take into account that the PlayStations is also available for around the same price, the DV-SP406'S Rs 17.500 price-tag is sensible. Yet, if you were to go in for the DV-SP406, we would imagine the companionship between you two would be a long lasting one. Well, there might be a rough patch between you and the sharpness of the video at times or the remote controller for that matter, but that isn't a strong enough reason to not to go for it.

Review of Sonata DV30 – A classy DVD player from Cambridge Audio

Cambridge Audio has been at the 'audio' game for quite some time now, and their main field of focus has definitely been in the sonic seas. However, that doesn't stop Cambridge Audio from swimming into the tides of video every once In a while with DVD players like this one here, the Sonata Sonata DV30, whose dimensions are best suited for the mini-system department.


First Look
This was not like the Azur series we've been getting off-late by Cambridge Audio, especially when size and color are concerned. For a 2.7" thick metal-chassis DVD player, this Sonata DV30 doesn't weigh at all, just like its cousins in this mini-system Sonata series that also share the 'black-as-the-darkest-night' finish (you can go in for the silver as well). But what has made its way onto the Sonata DV30 front panel from the Azur are the round, metallic buttons that pop out ever so slightly from the front-panel. As for the back, the Sonata DV30 Is not needlessly decorated, keeping the organization of the player in check.


Technical aspects
The Sonata DV30 is a complete DVD player that is doing it’s very best to make it into the hi-fi bracket, or 'mini hi-fi' as Cambridge Audio prefers to call it. The player up scales the entire standard DVD signals to 1080p, including DIvX, so that the single HDMI port on the back panel can be used to its optimal even without a Blu-ray signal.

Let's take a closer look Inside: Besides being able to upscale all the way from 720p to 1080p, the player comes sporting a Wolf son Microelectronics WM8746 24-blt/192kHz DAC, a 6-channel DAC that's ideal for DTS, AC-3 and MPEG streams. Although this DAC is capable of 106 signal-to-noise ratio, the Sonata DV30 comes with <-90dB, primarily because of the rest of the electronics in the bucket that still do not make an audible difference despite the degrading. The front display illustrating the track number and time sparkles in the same blue as the Sonata sign above and to the right of it. Getting to that chassis, looking macho isn't all it is doing. Its low resonance acoustically dampened quality helps the audio chipset by keeping out any sort of audio distortion that may be pounding on the player. The chassis is incredibly sturdy, even though it may not feel so when you lift the player up. The same goes for that remote control. Remote control convenience:
Built with the same metal and organization the player so rightfully boasts of, this controller is one for the palms. Just controlling the player wasn't enough, this remote can take charge of Cambridge amplifiers and receivers too, which is why you may feel there are too many buttons on the panel to manage. The Sonata DV30 should have come with its own little remote, sort of like a mini-version of this, and it should've been made available in black if that's the finish you've chosen for the player.

User’s experience of Sonata DV30:
With this player's versatility in video playback, While playingThe Godfather II', the sound was exquisite, the video didn't shake at all, even during the party scene in Havanna. As for the sharpness, it could've done with a little more, especially when watching the footage on big-screen televisions. Since the Sonata DV30 has a big 'CD Player' tag written across its box, let us see how it fares with the CD namely Claude Debussy's 'Sonate For Flute, Viola & Harp — performed by Linda Chesis and Sara Cutler'. This CD brags of rapid harp arpeggios played with extreme care and extreme power (when needed), along with a flute and viola that do their rounds in going In and out of the mix. We must say that the Sonata DV30 is quite an authority in the 2-channel department. You will be stunned at the imaging and soundstage the player could create. The SNR felt like a solid 110dB as the music swooped from a soft pianissimo melody to a mercilessly plucked fortissimo, all the while never losing its texture and richness.

Bottom line:
There are small points that can be looked at for the DVD playback section of the Sonata DV30, but considering this is a mini-system, all can be forgiven. It gives you everything you can ask for, except Blu-ray, which is sufficient enough in this price-range. The player's extra advantage is its stereo playback, be it when playing back meticulously played solo instruments of the orchestra or a distortion sandwich of hard rock guitars. And if the exceptional sound is not enough, the DC30's hypnotizing visuals and near natural skin tones are sure to seal the deal.

Review of latest DVD player from Yamaha DVD-S663

Yamaha, fundamentally known to be in audio business, has also ventured into the area of video and Is spinning out impressive lineage In this domain as well.

First look
People familiar to Yamaha AV receivers won't find anything fresh In the DVD-S663. While being at par with players from most of the other manufacturers available in the market, the Yamaha player packs a bit of that exclusive Yamaha aesthetic value as well. The sleek all-titan finish with the three tuning forks and Yamaha written in silver really gives It a classy look. Though made for modern-day homes (with rounded corners) it won't be a mismatch to any traditional styled interior setting as well. On the contrary, with its robust silver stands it will just as effortlessly blend into such a setting.

Technical aspects
As already mentioned, on the technological aspect, the S663 may not offer anything exceptional by any means. Nonetheless, Yamaha has made sure that they pack the player with all the prototypical features that one would expect — and more importantly, make It equally easy for the end user to use. It comes with a 1080p compatible HDMI output for both video and audio. So if you still haven't invested in a Blu-ray player and yet would want to get a feel of the HD world (up conversion), then the S663 can surely help you with that.


Next, on the connectivity front, apart from the HDMI. the S663 houses all the conventional options like the component, S-video and composite video out accompanied by a stereo video out. Yes, It does not have a 5.1 analogue audio out, which leaves you with no option but to use it with a receiver If you want to enjoy surround sound. On the other hand, It does come with a USB port, which has become a standard for all the DVD players. And it really does make your life very convenient as you don't have to bother making CDs and DVDs for you can just dump your favorites on the USB drive, plug it in and enjoy. The S663 is also compatible with DivX video and DivX Ultra* video formats along with MP3 and WMA for audio and JPEG for Image playback. As far as reading discs is concerned, the S663 can deal with: DVD-Video, Audio CD, Video CD (VCD). Super Video CD (SVCD), DVD-RW/- R/-R DL, DVD-RW/-R VR with CPRM, DVD+RW/+R/+R DL and CD-R/RW.

Another interesting feature is the two viewing modes that can be selected for optimum viewing on widescreen monitors via HDMI — the Super wide mode helps minimize distortion with a 4:3 picture by non-linear stretching wherein the centre position of screen Is stretched relatively less than the sides of a 16:9 screen. This way, the view modes help the player reproduce a more sensible picture instead of most of the other players which just end up stretching the picture abruptly.

Remote control convenience
Using the remote for the S663 won't be any different than using a mobile phone — It's almost of the size of one. The small size makes it really handy wherein all the buttons are within your reach. Although the remote does not have any backlight, you don't have many buttons to play with other than some very important ones (like in this remote) which make it perceptive and easier.

Viewing experience of S663 DVD player from Yamaha
It is an up scaling DVD player that can upgrade a standard 480p video from a DVD to HD quality 1080p signal. It performs excellently in all sections from resolution to sharpness. While playing 'Harry Potter And The Order of Phoenix'. for Its black tones throughout the movie; as when it comes to up scaling, it's the content in the blacks that are most difficult to reproduce for most of the players. Also, in due course most of the players end up adding a lot of noise during the up scaling process. But the Yamaha was really doing very well on this front. The up scaled images were adequately smoothened and had no trace of digital noise added on to the image, resulting in crisp and clean image. Although the S663 moved through the scenes like butter, it did throw up minor judder issues, especially during the long panning scenes. On the other hand, one very good feature of the player was its ability to reproduce realistic colors with no excess saturation and a very balanced temperature.

Bottom Line
Consumers may well be aware that at this price-tag. you may opt for a Blu-ray player instead. Yamaha S663 does not give you a lot of goodies at the heavy price-tag of 16k. At the same time, it performs fairly well at what It's supposed to do — it balances out with its accurate up scaling, without adding any noise by itself and improving the overall Image quality and also packs in a lot of style and persona on the aesthetics aspect.

LG's BD370 Blu-ray player review

First Look
The squarish, belt-buckle shaped Blu-ray symbol at the centre of the front panel wil attract your eyes at the first instance. What's interesting is that it glows blue at its centre when pressed, as its presence isn't just for propaganda purposes, but for turning 'On'/ 'Off' the power too. On either side of it are two, even more well hidden buttons, namely for 'Eject' and 'Play'. The blackness of the player is appealing standard, but the brilliant use of inconspicuousness buttons is praiseworthy. On the right half of the front panel (appears clear), is a flap that hides some more transport controls and the USB port. The back panel has been kept very minimal, which you will definitely like.

Technical aspects
The B0370 can be used to playback Blu-rays and DVDs primarily, but can also spin the occasional DivX, JPEGS and MP3s, if need be. Using the USB port, you can easily hook up your memory sticks to the player without having to go through the hassle of burning CDs/DVDs off your computer. It comes with one simple HDMI port on the back panel, along with the standard component/ composite video ports. There is also an Ethernet port to hook up the player to the internet or a local network for Blu-ray extras and file sharing respectively.

LG's OSDs have really gotten a lot better in these Blu-ray players. Here, It's tinted in blue with white text that's easy to read and even easier to navigate through. If you slide a disc in, the player won't bother you by going to its 'home menu' but would rather play the disc straight. However, If you like to switch inputs or the type of data you want to read (Including YouTube videos off the internet), you have the choice of going to the player's menu and studying it religiously. Here, you can also tweak the player's settings, especially the display and audio features.

Remote control Convenience
Just like the front panel, the idea of 'hiding buttons under flaps' has spilt over to the remote. On the top, 2/3rd of the remote features are well organized and spaced out buttons that protrude from the rather frail plastic body, sufficiently enough to withstand the test of time. On the bottom l/3rd is a black flap that you will initially be not aware of, until the remote accidentally fell to the floor and the flap flicked open. In that chamber there are more buttons; although the fact remains that their importance is nowhere close to the buttons placed outside.

Viewing experience of LG's BD370
The picture quality from the very first frame is exquisite, even though the animation is 2-D, stunning 1080p video quality, from the sharpness to the saturation. You will not find a single flaw compare to use the PS3 as basis for reference, this player's video quality was just as good.

The BD370 has the ability to increase frame rate to 60fps, for better clarity during the fast moving shots, but that again, just like digital televisions, tends to destroy the film-like quality of feature films. At the same time, the DVD quality is a couple notches below optimal as the player tends to Introduce a bit of pixilatlon as the upscaler on the player cranks up the resolution to 1080p. This was more apparent particularly during the darker sequences than the lighter ones. In the process, the sharpness also takes a beating, but the skin-tones remained spot on. Add to this the DivX that gets the player a little drowsier, starting with the time it takes to initiate the disc that extends well beyond a minute.

Bottom line
For Rs 17.999. the BD370 Is an affordable bet for sure, and It delivers in the Blu-ray department quite spectacularly. Even the aesthetic value of the BD370 is an added bonus. It also looks far better than some of the bulky looking options available. So, if you are looking at a Blu-player that Is aesthetically pleasing with user friendly options, besides delivering on audio-visual reproduction front, the BD370 would certainly meet your interests, quite reasonably.

Samsung - affordable version of Blu – ray player BD-P1600 review

First Look:
It Is evident that the BD-P1600 is for those people who care only for the performance of the product and little else. The 1600 is a relatively small player with a black finish and with a glass flap for the front panel. Behind this flap lie all the transport buttons on the right along with a USB port and the display placed at the centre with the drive unit on the left.

Technical aspects:
Looking at the modest price that you have to pay for the BD-P1600, most of us would think that Samsung must have peeled off all the key features to fit it in its budget. Surprisingly enough, not even a single feature has been scrapped from the P1600. It Is a Profile 2.0 player, so you can take full advantage of the BD-Live feature present on most Blu-ray discs these days. On the compatibility front, they proudly claim to play any DVD/ Blu-ray disc titles with advanced readability technology known as the Rolling Actuator technology, where the lens angle is such that it is able to read just about any disc. Apart from that, the player can also read H.264. VC-1, HD JPEG. MP3, WMA and DivX file formats from the two onboard USB 2.0 ports. This kind of flexibility extends even to its connectivity front, wherein you get a component video out, an S-video output, an optical video out, a 5.1 channel analogue audio out, an HDMI out and also an ethernet port.


The BD-1600 Is wireless LAN ready, which means that if you have a wireless network In your house then you can stream data directly through the player. On the audio decoding front the 1600 is fully equipped to decode all Dolby and DTS formats including Dolby True HD and DTS HD. and finally, it also Incorporates Samsung's Anynet+ feature. So if you already have any other Samsung equipment in your house like a TV, then the player will quickly sync to it.

Remote control convenience:
Samsung fans will recognize the same remote the company has packaged with most of its products for the last couple years. The slender shape featuring an unusual tail and a black glossy finish is quite attractive. This one is sweetened with Braille-like nubs on the buttons that enable the user to navigate in the dark. And it also has the backlight — so that's really a good add on.

Viewing Experience of BD-P1600:
P1600 cope well with vibrant with vivid colors while the scenes are faster and grander this change as it reproduced all the jazzy colors with great accuracy and consistency. The player executes an absolutely clean and swift transfer of all the different discs. Its transport is very swift. which was not only quick in movement (considering other players) but is also swift in loading the discs and get going. Otherwise, with most of the players, the waiting period for discs to load can drive you up the wall. Also the setup menu, unlike most other players is in hi-def and on a more practical note, very easy to use.
There will be no instance of the player adding any noise or artifact of its own to the image. The chase sequence in the tunnel, with lots of layers in the dark areas, is a scene where you can easily spot such artifacts (if added by the player). But those scenes is dealt very efficiently by the player. While up scaling, at times where it had to deal with too much Information in terms of light and color at the same time, the player lagged a bit in interpolating the internal frames while up scaling and hence making the image look a tad pixelated.

Bottom Line:
At a reasonable price-tag of Rs 26.990, it fulfills the criteria that we look for in a Blu-ray player. It's updated with the BD Profile 2.0 — so you can take full advantage of all the Blu-rays that you buy. The P1600 also provides decent flexibility in terms of connectivity with all the onboard i/o ports and also the wireless LAN. Finally about the picture performance, it makes sure that you get the cleanest and the most truthful transfer devoid of any noise and artifacts.

Review of Philips BD3000 – an entry level and affordable Blu - ray Player from Philips

Philips has a launched a line up of Blu-ray players. Here is the review of Philips BD3000, an entry level product from them.

First look:
Looking at its price (Rs 16,990), one would mostly expect some compromise In quality as compared to the other products available in the same range. But not In case of the Philips BD3000. as Its design religiously follows the form factor of the other higher priced products from the same range (namely the BD7500 and the top end BD9000). The delicate black that flows throughout the curvy exterior and the cautiously embellished front panel gives It a very classy appearance. What caught the attention is the large display on the front panel. The build quality is also praiseworthy as the strong metallic casing makes it feel more substantial than what you would expect from a small disc player like this.



Technical aspects:
Though Philips has managed to put through a classy looking player,
what has affected their budget constraints is the features that the BD3000 comes with. While it comes with all the basic amenities to enjoy your Blu-rays, it still lacks in some aspects which could make your experience even more Interesting. For instance, the 3000 can decode a 7.1 channel Dolby TrueHD soundtrack but cannot deal with the DTS HD Master Audio stream. That leaves you with no choice other than watching Blu-ray discs with Dolby TrueHD soundtracks only.

On the connectivity front, it does offer the conventional options like the HDMI, component, composite and coaxial out for audio. But the BD3000 lacks a multi-channel analogue output. It does have a USB port, but unfortunately that's on the rear side, which usually is considered to be awkward. But looking at its small size, the BD3000 does not look like you will have to take much effort to plug In the USB drive. Also, once you have plugged in a USB drive, you can only use it to store any downloaded content using the BD Live feature (Profile 2.0). Unfortunately you cannot play any media files like MP3, WMA, DivX and JPEG. If you want to play any of these files, you will have to burn them onto on a DVD or CD first.

On the brighter side, the player also offers a range of presets (Vivid, Cool, Action and Animation) plus an enhanced black level setting for you to tweak the picture according to your liking.

Remote control convenience:
It couldn't be any easier to control the BD3000 with the supplied remote thanks to its carefully arranged buttons. A tad smaller than the normal Blu-ray remotes,
It accordingly houses relatively fewer buttons than what you would see on a lot of other remotes for Blu-ray player. The best part is that the controls are intuitive and thus very convenient to use, especially the menu and playback controls being close by, that enables easy navigation.

BD 3000 – viewing experience
You will be impressed by the cheerful startup menu. The large text fills the screen with the eye-catching icons that mark the options, whereas the cursor zips around quickly unlike a lot of other players, where the cursor needs a couple of minutes at least to process the signal that it is supposed to move.

While playing the Blu – ray disc you will notice the screen is even more colorful than what it was for the menu screen. Not overpowering at any time, the colors were rightfully balanced with optimum temperature throughout the entire movie.
Another element that will make your experience sensible was the sharpness that the player executed in its transfer.

It is quite easy for most of the players to reproduce the picture sharply in animation, which the BD3000 perfectly executed, but fascinatingly, it maintained the sharpness even for some very fast paced scenes from the Blu-ray of 'Tokyo Drift', and that is really admirable. The transfer is swift and smooth as it do not show any trace of judder or latency at any point of time, particularly in the car races and constant fast motion sequences on the screen.

What's more, the player exhibits good detail throughout the movie, especially the shadow areas in the night scenes.

There will be times at which you will experience substantial noise, which will be aggravated when the player attempts to upscale standard definition content to HD quality i.e. 720p, 10801 or 1080p.

Bottom lines:
BD3000 is an entry level product from the range of Blu-ray players that Philips has launched recently. So accordingly, its price is quite competitive as compared to other Philips players and also most of the other manufacturers. Naturally it comes with a disadvantage of having fewer features than most of the other players like the DTS Master HD decoding or, a 5.1 analogue out or media playback through USB device. Nevertheless, the best part of BD3000 is that it does its standard tasks effectively, and the price is also one of its major advantage.