JVC XV-523GD DVD Player
very disappointing
I spent a great deal of time comparing features and reviews of all sorts of DVD players before deciding to purchase this unit. The features that finally sold me were its ability to play CD-R/CDRW and VideoCD (since I have the necessary equipment to make these disc formats). Unfortunately, I don't believe the unit survived the shipping (I don't want to blame the manufacturer). When I received it, it was easy to hook up, and it even played a couple of discs without incident. However, on the third disc, the unit sounded like it was trying to shred the DVD (imagine putting a disc in a cuisine-art). When I finally managed to retrieve the disc, it was scuffed on the outside edges (at least it hadn't broken, although it sounded like it might have been) making portions (the trailer) of the disc unplayable. Thinking it might have been a warped disc, I tried another -- brand new, out of the box -- same thing! This was a double sided disc and the second (features) side was completely whacked (scratches near the hub side make it completely unreadable). That was it for me. I packed it all back up and sent it back. My second choice was the Toshiba SD-1600 and that's what I replaced the JVC with. Although it lacks the VideoCD feature, it's a great player and I believe (from what I could tell with the two discs the JVC would play) that the image quality if much better -- of course, this could also be related to the damage the JVC incurred. Anyway, right out of the box, I could tell the Toshiba was a more &quot;rugged&quot; machine. The case felt much more &quot;solid.&quot; <BR><BR> I don't want to make this into an ad for Toshiba -- that's not the point. I think the JVC could be built a little better to survive life's little accidental jolts. I've received quite a lot of electronic products through the mail without incident -- this is the first item I have ever received that has ever arrived damaged! I'm sure it's a fine machine if it's babied and it is absolutely loaded with allthe right features. I just wish I could report on some of those features. As it is, all I can say about it is that it damaged a couple of my DVDs -- it was &quot;pretty&quot; but it was &quot;weak&quot;. I think JVC cut a lot of quality corners to bring this unit into a specific price range. What they don't realize is that people like me would have paid up to $50 more for the unit just to have the features it has -- that should be enough to put it in a better case (and put the jog-shuttle dial on the remote). <BR><BR> Reviews require at least one star -- otherwise, I would leave this review unrated.