Yamaha DVD-S657 DVD Video and Audio Player
No Incompatibility Issues Whatsoever!
Ever since I discovered this player in the summer of 2005, I have been highly impressed with how much it met both my normal and oddball demands.  As a student of Musical Theatre, Opera, Classical vocal and choral literature, and Jazz and Classical piano, DVD-AUDIO and SACD capabilities are of great importance to me because there are a lot of titles especially in the Classical genre available in these formats.  One thing that sets this player apart from the other manufacturers' players is Yamaha's CD UpSampling feature.  For those titles which are currently only available on CD and possibly will never be released on DVD-AUDIO and/or SACD, this option converts standard CDs to the quality of DVD-AUDIO.  On the Musical Theatre, Opera, and choral side of things, this player is capable of playing both NTSC (North American) and PAL (European) DVDs on corresponding as well as opposite TVs.  For certain titles in these genres, the North American editions are either four percent slower in tempo and picture movement and flatter in pitch than the European editions due to the method of PAL-to-NTSC conversion used by the distributors of such DVDs, or do not include as many bonus features as their original European counterparts.  Sometimes, it can be the other way around, except the European editions might be four percent faster and sharper and have less bonus material than their original North American counterparts.  On both ends of the spectrum, if the audio pitch is corrected without changing the audio speed to keep the picture and sound in synch, a subaudible breaking-up effect may be noticed as the result of slight artifacts from slightly bending or stretching the pitch in the conversion process.  However, because of this player's bicompatibility with both color systems, I have the freedom to choose and purchase whatever editions are the best.  Although it is not in the manual, this player can be made multi-region compatible including RCE DVDs.  Turn on the DVD player.  Makesure there are no discs loaded.  With the tray open, using its supplied remote control, slowly press 99990.  Wait for the 'Region 0' message to disappear.  Close the tray.  Now you can play any kind of optical disc without thinking about it.  In conclusion, if you are looking for a DVD player with one hundred percent compatibility all across the board, you have come to the right place!*  *Others have reported problems playing 'Dual Discs'--a type of disc which includes DVD-VIDEO on one side or layer, and CD DIGITAL AUDIO on another, also known as 'Hybrids.'  However, big names, such as Panasonic, Sony, and Pioneer, do not recommend using these discs in their players.  This is not to be confused with 'Hybrid' type SACDs, which many, including the Yamaha DVDS657 will support.