That`s why people should only buy DVD players with AT attachments.

Don't you mean an IDE interface?

AT is too generalized. You can have a SCSI DVD drive from an AT or ATX
computer and it will never work with a DVD player that uses an IDE interface
for the simple fact that the interfaces are different.

Secondly, the only way to be completely certain that a player you buy uses an
IDE standard drive is to physically take the top cover of the player off.

This voids the warranty and, if the player has a tamper-proof sticker, voids
the potential for exchange.

Besides, I've been noticing a trend where the no-names were starting to
implement more proprietary drives in their newer models. Availability of
models that use IDE standard DVD-ROM drives are diminishing, even from the
likes of Apex and Norcent.

Third, most people don't know about or don't have access to drives that cost
$25. Most people will try to buy computer drives at retail, which means that
the price is higher than you indicated at ALT.VIDEO.DVD.

Buying a used DVD-ROM drive as a replacement is a shot in the dark because you
just don't know what condition the drive is actually in. If the drive was used
constantly, was used in an excessively dusty environment, used in an
excessively smokey environment, was ever overheated, or stored in unfavorable
environments, then the integrity of the drive itself is in serious question.

Generally, DVD-ROM drives can be better than proprietary drives in consumer
players because DVD-ROM drives are expected to operate at higher speeds with
faster data transfer rates, which means the requirement for more substantial
designs is required.

Brand name DVD players don't use IDE drives because the extra speed that these
drives typically employ don't really provide much performance benefit on normal
video playback and can introduce their own set of drawbacks, such as increased
noise during operation. Remember, DVD-ROM drives spin discs at much higher
revs, which means more noise, which can be unacceptable in a home theater
setup.

However, and I mean a BIG however, I've seen a few DVD-ROM drives with good
traverse designs use some awful optical pickups. DVS, Philips, Sony,
Panasonic, LiteOn, Toshiba, Hitachi, Samsung, Pioneer, Afreey, you name it.
I've seen at least one DVD-ROM drive from these brands fail for whatever reason
due to a worn or contaminated pickup.

Plus, players that have used IDE drives have also used some crappy MPEG
decoders and a horribly designed analogue stage for the video output. This
means that you will not see DVD at its best. You can have colors that are too
subdued or are way too hot, not approaching anything that's close to SMPTE
levels. Contrast levels that is too cool or too hot, anything above or below
100 IRE is unacceptable. Some models of no-name players have used MPEG
decoders which were prone to macroblocking artifacts, which means that portions
of the picture can appear blocky for whatever reason. Many no-name players
have analogue sections that are skimped, which means that you will have a
rather high roll-off on the video which means you get a softer picture. Other
no-name brands have employed excessive edge enhancement or artificial picture
sharpness if you will, which makes things look sharp initially but is not true
resolution and causes ringing artifacts in the picture, which makes objects
appear like they have a halo effect at the edges of the object and can also
exaggerate macroblocking.

And cheap no-name DVD players with progressive scan? Forget it! In addition
to the typical performance faults, the deinterlacer solutions used in these
players are uttery terrible. Most are flag-dependent and not cadence based, so
the player will skip a beat with the majority of DVD titles out there with bad
flags. Many also have horribly long recovery times, which means you'll see
artifacts every now and then when playing in progressive scan mode when the
player trips up between VIDEO and FILM modes. Some no-names don't even have
reverse 3:2 pulldown, so you'll see some streaking artifacts on moving objects
when trying to play DVDs that were transferred from film elements (which is
almost every single DVD that's out right now).

3:2 pulldown is a telecine process that repeats film frames on interlace video
fields to fit 24 FPS film on 30 FPS NTSC interlaced video. When you convert
this video to progressive scan, you have to undo the 3:2 pulldown so the image
will display properly with no artifacts. I have never seen a DVD player from a
no-name do this right, if they could do it at all. Some cheaper brand name
players also don't get this right completely either. In the case of having a
decent progressive scan player, you do have to spend more to get one that has a
decent deinterlacing solution, such as the Silicon Image or the Farjouda DCDi
chipsets. Or, buy a really good DVD player with a fantastic MPEG decoder, like
the old but excellent Panasonic DVD-RV30 or Toshiba SD-2109, and mate it to a
high end outboard deinterlacer for high performance progressive scan video.

The only decent player that has used IDE drives would be Meridian, and they are
an audiophile equipment manufacturer. One player, the Meridian Model 800,
retails for over $15,000 (fifteen thousand).

If you are after a player that can do anything, with bugs and all that keep
them from pushing DVD to its limits. Then, by all means, buy a DVD player from
a no-name.

But, if you want a DVD player that plays DVDs with a respectable degree of
quality first and foremost with only a couple of warts on the video: Sony,
Pioneer, JVC, or the Denon DVD-5900 for new players. - Reinhart