Zenith DVB312 Progressive-Scan Slim Design DVD Player
Well, at least it has progressive scan
I got this player to upgrade my old DVD player and get beautiful<br /><br />progressive scan capability.  The support for MP3/JPG/DVD-R<br /><br />was an extra bonus--I hoped.  Well, I haven't done an A/B<br /><br />comparison with my old player, comparing interlaced with<br /><br />progressive, but it clearly wasn't earth shatteringly different.<br /><br />Watching JPG slideshows is PAINFULLY (and ridiculously) slow,<br /><br />even on the fastest setting.  I made a DVD-R disc full of<br /><br />MP3's ripped from my CD collection.  That works.<br /><br />So, the fancy features are there, and do work after a fashion.<br /><br />What about just sitting down and watching a movie (this is a<br /><br />DVD player, after all).  Certainly, the picture is clear and<br /><br />sharp, with fewer jaggies or flickering lines you're used to<br /><br />seeing with the composite video of yesteryear.  But, too many<br /><br />times this player has failed me.  Some discs won't play at<br /><br />all, but when I pull out my old Toshiba, they play fine.  The<br /><br />audio regularly gets out of sync with the video--very<br /><br />disconcerting.  There is no excuse for this kind of failure.<br /><br />I hoped to used Zenith's \\"Upgradeable Software\\" feature, but<br /><br />their technical support site has no mention of it, or any kind<br /><br />of upgrades for that matter.  Finally, some buttons are<br /><br />very slow to respond.  I guess Zenith was trying to save you<br /><br />from accidentally performing functions, so they make you press<br /><br />and hold the buttons (on the player itself as well as the remote)<br /><br />for up to 1 second before anything happens.  This can be<br /><br />particularly annoying when fast forwarding/rewinding.  If you<br /><br />don't hold the button long enough, you'll do a whole chapter<br /><br />skip.  Please, Zenith, add the two more buttons to distinguish<br /><br />between fast forward and chapter skip!<br /><br />Depending on what you are looking for, however, this player may<br /><br />still be a good choice.  If you don't mind its flakiness, and<br /><br />are wowed by the extra bells and whistles, but don't have a lot<br /><br />of money, the Zenith is a good choice.  For myself, I would have<br /><br />been happier spending a bit more, getting fewer features, and<br /><br />having a stabler player.by the extra bells and whistles, but don't have a lot <br />of money, the Zenith is a good choice.  For myself, I would have <br />been happier spending a bit more, getting fewer features, and <br />having a stabler player.