Philips DVDR80 Progressive Scan DVD Player / Recorder
Don't use with a large 16:9 television
I was so optimistic about the DVDR80 that I bought it on-line, and now have to deal with the pain of returning it on-line. However, I find that I'm putting it in a situation that it just can't handle.<br />I have a Samsung HCL5515W 55&quot; rear-screen projection HDTV monitor with a 16:9 aspect ratio. I use it in a home theater setup to watch high-definition satellite/OTA programming and DVDs. I intended the DVDR80 to replace a JVC XV-S65 that has worked reasonably well, but sometimes won't stay in progressive-scan mode, and occasionally takes a little hiatus entirely.<br />However, the DVDR80 just can't deal correctly with 4:3 aspect ratio disks or inputs on a 16:9 display. In its 16:9 mode, it insists on expanding the picture to a ludicrous extent, cutting off the tops of peoples heads, for example. Not just a little. It looks as if it's zoomed in all the time (yes, I did make sure that zoom is turned off). In it's 4:3 modes, it stretches the picture horizontally, producing an intesting, but tough-to-watch, funhouse effect.<br />I called Philips tech support, and they basically read me the manual, explained that I had no other options, and suggested that I pick whichever set of settings that produced a sub-standard image that appealed to me more than the other sub-standard images. It turns out, by the way, if that if you're dissatisfied with having the Indian support tech read you the manual, there is a nice post-office box in Miami that you can write to.<br />The device can play wide-screen DVDs and get all the picture info on the screen at the correct aspect ratio, BUT the vaunted Faroujda filter produces a grainy, pixelated image in which pixel-crawl is almost always evident, and is sometimes so severe that the outlines of objects are obviously changing, when they move only slightly.<br />I can't make use of the unit's Guide Plus function, as I am a satellite subscriber. However, I was still forced to sit through an analog channel scan during initial setup that(no kidding) took more than 20 minutes to complete. There's no way out of that. Despite the total lack of Guide information, the Guide still comes up immediately when you put in any DVD. This, fortunately, can be disabled.<br />In short, I find that I've put this gadget into exactly the wrong situation. Buy this device if you have a small (maybe 40&quot; or under) standard-definition television and are a cable customer. I'll bet it works great there. If you have a large projection, plasma, or LCD display and use it with satellite hi-def, RUN, don't walk, toward some other model.