Samsung DVD-P401 Progressive-Scan DVD Player
Maximum Quality - Minimum Price
Having just purchased a Samsung Digital TV (Tantus Dynaflat, 27\\"), I wanted to take advantage of the progressive scan and 4:3 pulldown ability. The logical choice was to purchase a Samsung VCR with these attributes (to maintain remote compatibility, etc.).<br />DVD players on the market are strikingly similar... and most often, you do truly get what you pay for. This Samsung has been a startling exception. [the money] for a DVD player with 4:3 pulldown and progressive scan? Amazing! However, enough about the theory... how did it work in practice? <br />After hooking up the player to the Digital TV and then via a switch on the back of the player enabling 480p, the 480-line progressive scan mode, the picture clarity jumped from the run-of-the-mill DVD we're all used to, to something more resembling film quality (See the explanation on 4:3 pulldown in the manufacturer's comments).<br />Putting this DVD player through its paces meant pulling out a DVD from my collection which looked like, on the playing surface, someone used it to sharpen cutlery. This copy of \\"The Matrix\\" has more scratches on it than a prison wall- which makes it a good test for the dual-laser pickup. Most DVD players skip badly on this DVD; my second-generation Sony DVP-S530D even refuses to play certain chapters. The Samsung DVD-P401 did not hesitate, skip, or give any indication it was not dealing with less-than-pristine media. As a DVD player, it delivers more than expected, and much more adequately than many other DVD players which cost twice as much. ....<br />This is a great little player at any price- and at [the price], the bang-for-buck-ometer is off the charts.