Alba DVD165

Alba DVD165

Not DivX Player - Without HDMI Connection more

Overall user rating Alba DVD165 5 reviews | Write a review | Add product to list

After many years of use my trusted DVD player finally gave up the ghost, not surprising really seeing the amount of daily abuse it received. So, not wanting to be without my main source of entertainment for long, I decided to buy a cheap DVD player as an interim measure until I had the time ... Read review





Please wait ....
Rate this product:  
 

Products you might be interested in
Alba DVD 74

Not DivX Player - Without HDMI Connection - DVD-R Player

This product has not yet been reviewed. Rate it now

Buy Now

Alba DVD62XIAlba DVD62XI

Not DivX Player - Without HDMI Connection - DVD-R Player

 1 review

Buy Now

Alba DVD 382 STBAlba DVD 382 STB

Not DivX Player - Without HDMI Connection - DVD-RW Player - DVD-R Player - DVD+R Player - with DVD+RW Playback

This product has not yet been reviewed. Rate it now

Buy now for only £ 45.98

Sony DVP-NS708HPSony DVP-NS708HP

DivX Player - With HDMI Connection - DVD-RW Player - DVD-R Player - DVD+R Player - with DVD+RW Playback

This product has not yet been reviewed. Rate it now

Buy now for only £ 53.00

Samsung DVD-F1080Samsung DVD-F1080

DivX Player - With HDMI Connection - DVD-RW Player - DVD-R Player - DVD+R Player - with DVD+RW Playback

 4 reviews

Buy now for only £ 47.65

Philips DVP 5980Philips DVP 5980

DivX Player - With HDMI Connection - DVD-RW Player - DVD-R Player - DVD+R Player - with DVD+RW Playback

 3 reviews

Buy now for only £ 39.99

Philips DVP3980Philips DVP3980

Not DivX Player - Without HDMI Connection - DVD-RW Player - DVD-R Player - DVD+R Player - with DVD+RW Playback

This product has not yet been reviewed. Rate it now

Buy now for only £ 46.24

Pioneer DV 530Pioneer DV 530

Not DivX Player - Without HDMI Connection - DVD-RW Player - DVD-RAM Player

 1 review

Buy now for only £ 74.61

Biostek XS-600Biostek XS-600

Not DivX Player - With HDMI Connection - DVD-RW Player - DVD-R Player - DVD+R Player - with DVD+RW Playback

This product has not yet been reviewed. Rate it now

Buy now for only £ 29.00


Auctions and Classifieds for Alba DVD165

Trader Rating Product description Link
Show all offers
eBay.co.uk
617 Ratings
Alba DVD165 at eBay.co.uk
Buy Alba DVD165 at eBay, the world's largest personal online trading community.


   
Cheap 'n' very cheerful
A review by christianfilmcritic on Alba DVD165
March 22nd, 2006


Author's product rating:   

Picture Playback Good 
Sound Level Good 
Range of Features Above Average 
Durability Good 
Value for Money Excellent 

Advantages: Excellent value for money
Disadvantages: No stand - by

Recommend to potential buyers: yes 

Full review
After many years of use my trusted DVD player finally gave up the ghost, not surprising really seeing the amount of daily abuse it received. So, not wanting to be without my main source of entertainment for long, I decided to buy a cheap DVD player as an interim measure until I had the time to research the purchase of a more substantial machine. With the price of a low range DVD player not being much more than a newly released DVD itself, I didn't object to the small expenditure as long as it worked properly.

So having browsed through the Argos catalogue, I selected a very cheap model made by BUSH and went about purchasing it. When my DVD player arrived at the counter, I was surprised to see the word ALBA on the side and after questioning this; I was informed that the ALBA and BUSH machines were in fact identical. Not overly fussed about the manufacturer, I accepted this and was now in possession of an ALBA DVD165.


The Look
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ

Okay, so this machine was never going to be as stunning looking as some of the high end players with there transparent perspex fronts, and strips of shiny aluminium, but for a machine that cost under £30, it doesn't look to bad. Constructed out of light weight plastic, the machine feels sturdy enough, but I would not be over keen of stacking anything on it. The width and depth of the machine is pretty standard, but at under 5cm in height it is, in my opinion, very slim and unobtrusive. The body of the machine is silver in colour with a black strip across the front. On the left of this is the power button and the display panel, which when the machine is on shows up as blue. The disc drawer is in the middle of the machine, and like the machine itself is very thin, maybe a little to thin as it does feel a little flimsy. Being thin, it does not have an overly deep impression for placing the disc in, and you should make sure that you have placed it correctly before closing the drawer. Too the right of the machine and just above this black band are the controls which consist of eject, Skip backwards, skip forwards, stop and play.

The remote control, like the machine, is silver in colour and made of plastic. There is a wide selection of controls on this, with the most used ones featuring at the bottom. One thing about the remote control which I find annoying is that it has a concave back, which is designed to fit on the arm of your chair. Good idea in theory, but in practice I find the handset slips off far too easily. Although it feels reasonably robust, dropping onto a hard surface will more than likely cause damage to the casing and the battery cover.


Connectability
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ

The machine comes with a single Scart socket which is more than adequate for most home users. It also comes with audio/video out put via phono connectors along with a socket for connecting to a decoder for Dolby Digital (AC-3) processing. This is more than enough for anyone who is looking for an affordable machine for general use. What would be annoying for someone who is buying this as their first machine, is that it does not come with a Scart cable.


Features
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ

As well as being able to play standard DVDs, you can also play recordable discs, re-writable discs, audio discs and photo compact discs. The DVD features are standard such as play, stop, slow forward, skip scene, scene select etc, everything you need for day to day operation, and don't need any real explanation. It also has a screen saver for when the machine is left on with no disc inserted. A very surprising feature is that although the machine is marked up as only Region 2 compatible, it will in fact play all regions. A particular pleasant bonus, as my last machine had to be sent away to be chipped to allow me to have this privilege. One feature which is missing and is very frustrating, is that you are unable to put the machine on stand-by via the remote control, forcing you to get up and manually switch it off from the front control panel. Lazy, I hear you shout, but having got used to this feature on my previous machine, it is annoying not to have it. The only other real bugbear I have with this machine is the blue digital display. Although very nice, when you are watching a DVD in the dark, the display shines quite brightly and there is no way of dimming it or turning it off. You can't even easily cover it as the remote control sensor is right next to it.

Playing a photo disc is very easy, as when you insert one, you are presented with an easy to follow menu. The photos will automatically play as a slide show, appearing on the screen for approximately 5 seconds. You can pause the slide show at any time using the "pause" button and restart by using the "play" button. You can also step through the pictures using the skip forward and skip backward buttons.

Paying an audio CD is just as easy, with all the tracks appearing on the screen when you insert the disc. Selecting and listening to tracks is done via the remote control, with the use of the arrows buttons to select the track you want to listen to and then the play button to start listening. It works in the same way as a normal CD player works and really doesn't need explaining.


Picture Quality
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ

Having used this machine now for a few months, I can say that the picture quality is very good. I have tried it on several different TVs and the only time I noticed and picture deterioration, compared to my old machine, is when I connected it to a 50 inch rear projection screen. Saying that the quality was still very good and only someone who was looking for crystal clean viewing would find room for complaint.


Audio Quality
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ

Again, there are no real complaints here. For what the machine costs it has excellent sound quality, too rival many machines which appear in the middle to high price bracket. Of course it is not exceptional, and when plugged through an amplifier there are slight drop outs in the audio tracks, but again unless you were an audio expert, you wouldn't even notice these, and it definitely won't spoil the enjoyment.


Ease of Use
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ

Firstly, the machine comes with a very good User guide, not overly bogged down in technical detail and clearly laid out, making it very easy to read. Too be honest I never looked at it until I went to write this review as setting up and using the machine is very self explanatory. What I did find surprising is that in this day an age is that the guide was only in English. Nice and quick for anyone who's first language is English, as there is no need to flick through all the other language selections, but not very useful for anyone who's first language is not English.

The set-up menu on the machine itself is very easy, and allows too alter such things as the picture sharpness, brightness, On Screen Display Language and TV Type (Pal, NTSC, Multi). A very helpful menu feature is to set up a parental control password which allows you to stop your little ones watching something their not meant too.

As I mentioned earlier, the remote control has been set out with all the important buttons located at the bottom of the handset, making operation very easy and quick. If for some reason, the handset stops working (which has not happened yet), the controls on the machine itself will allow you to continue to operate the machine until a replacement can be sourced.


Price and Availability
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ

Having purchased my model at the end of 2005, I picked it up for just under £30.00, but it is now available at:

Argos for £24.99 (also labelled as a BUSH DVD2049)
Amazon for £27.14

I do believe they are stopping making this machine and the Argos price is for clearance purposes.


Miscellaneous Information
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ

Having accidentally left the machine on all weekend, I was expecting to find the machine feeling a bit hot. Surprising it was only warm, as if it had only been on for a couple of hours. Of course over time this will not do the machine any good, but it is reassuring to know that if accidentally left for a period of time it won't over heat.

The machine also runs surprisingly quietly. Having seen a couple of other cheap DVD players in action, I noticed that they emitted quite an annoying whirring sound, which came whilst the disc was playing. I half expected the same with this model, but thankfully it has a near silent system.


Conclusion
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ

Now having used this machine for several months, I have shelved any plans of purchasing a more expensive machine, which may offer some other high end features. Yes there may be a couple of niggles with not being able to put it on stand-by and the bright display panel, but for under £30.00, this machine is exceptional value. For the average family this DVD player will be more than adequate, and with the ability to set parental controls it allows you to control what your little ones watch. Whether this machine will last as long as my previous DVD player is yet to be seen, but on its current form, I can see it lasting for a good couple of years yet. 

More Reviews
The Alba 165 DVD - It's Cheap N Cheerful!
Review of Alba DVD165 by micksheff

Advantages: Very Cheap
Disadvantages: Not Multi Regional

...in the Argos was an Alba 165 at £29.99. Appearance My first impression when I lifted it out of the box was very favourable, it was silver in colour and very slim line with a very modern appearance. The overall depth of the DVD Player is only a couple of inches but the front of player tapers to give the impression that it is actually much slimmer than that. The depth of the machine is about 10 inches. The front of the Player features a black strip ...
...the right of this is the on/off button and above the strip on the left hand side are five buttons which from left to right are Eject, Skip Back, Skip Forward, Stop and Play. Using The Player This is simplicity in itself and if there is anybody out there who has never used a DVD Player then this is as good a place to start as any. To set up the machine you simply plug a lead from the back of the DVD Player into the scart socket on the back of the ... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Picture Playback
Sound Level
Range of Features
Durability
Value for Money
very helpful

25.07.2005
The Alba 165 - Cheap N Cheerful!
Review of Alba DVD165 by micksheff

Advantages: Good Value For Money
Disadvantages: Not Multi-Regional

...in the Argos was an Alba 165 at £29.99. Appearance My first impression when I lifted it out of the box was very favourable, it was silver in colour and very slim line with a very modern appearance. The overall depth of the DVD Player is only a couple of inches but the front of player tapers to give the impression that it is actually much slimmer than that. The depth of the machine is about 10 inches. The front of the Player features a black strip ...
...the right of this is the on/off button and above the strip on the left hand side are five buttons which from left to right are Eject, Skip Back, Skip Forward, Stop and Play. Using The Player This is simplicity in itself and if there is anybody out there who has never used a DVD Player then this is as good a place to start as any. To set up the machine you simply plug a lead from the back of the DVD Player into the scart socket on the back of the ... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Picture Playback
Sound Level
Range of Features
Durability
Value for Money
helpful

15.12.2005
Good for the price
Review of Alba DVD165 by R1chard_15

Advantages: dvd playback, cd playback, kodak picture cd compatible, remote control, parental lock.
Disadvantages: no lcd display, doesn't play mp3's

What do you look for in a dvd player? Well the main thing, can it play dvd's and the answer for this obviously is, yes. However there are also lots of other features Dvd players can achieve for example mp3, cd, photo cd, cd-r cd-rw playback and this can't do much of them. It can play cd's dvd's and kodac photo cd's, nothing else so dont even try. It comes with a remote which is good quality, a range of about 6 meters which unless you own a very large ...
...of 60 degrees. It doesn't have an lcd display unfortunately but when your watching a film you dont need to see how long its been playing for anyway. This was an ok dvd player for the money but there are now much better ones on the market. I suggest you save up and get on with slightly more capabilities, you will get a much better deal. ... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Picture Playback
Sound Level
Range of Features
Durability
Value for Money
somewhat helpful

03.09.2005
Alba DVD165
Review of Alba DVD165 by jamesmrj

Advantages: Good For The Money
Disadvantages: Doesn't include many features

...you may know the company Alba release many cheap eletronic equipment. This may be off putting to alot of people, but just because its cheap doesn't mean its not good to have. I have got this certain dvd player and think its definitly worth the money. I bought this for my parents and they use it occassionly for films. As long as plays the dvd's in good quality thats fine. You don't really need all the hi-tech qualities of running mp3 files, CD-RW, ... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Picture Playback
Sound Level
Range of Features
Durability
Value for Money
somewhat helpful

03.01.2006


Alba DVD165

Main specs

Manufacturer: Alba

EAN: 5016870540688, 5016870540725

Blu-ray Recording: No

DivX Playback: Not DivX Player

DTS Decoder: without DTS Decoder

DVB-C: No

DVB-S: No

DVB-T: No

DVD Audio Playback: without DVD Audio Playback

DVD Player / Recorder: DVD Player

DVD+R Recording: No

DVD+RW Recording: No

DVD-R Recording: No

DVD-RAM Recording: No

DVD-RW Recording: No

DVI Interface: Without DVI Connection

Electronic Program Guide (EPG): No

Ethernet: No

Hard Disk Capacity in GB: -2 GB

HD-DVD Playback: No

HD-DVD Recording: No

HDMI Interface: Without HDMI Connection

HDTV: No

Integrated VCR: without Integrated VCR

IPTV (Internet Protocol Television): No

LCD Screen Size in Inches: -2

MP3 Recording: No

MPEG4 Recording: No

Progressive Scan: No

Real Dolby: without Real Dolby

Show View: without Show View

Super Audio CD Playback: without Super Audio CD Playback

Super Video CD / Video CD Playback: No

Table / Portable: not Portable

Type of Memory Stick Interface: No

Type of SD Card Interface: No

Photo CD Playback: without Photo CD Playback

MP3 Playback: without MP3 Playback

Compact Flash Card: No

Memory Stick: No

Multimedia Card: No

PCMCIA Interface: No

Secure Digital Card: No

Smart Media Card: No

xD-Picture Card: No

Blu Ray Playback: No

Built-In Modem: No

Ciao

Listed on Ciao since : 22/03/2006


Products similar to Alba DVD165  
jessica alba

Dark Angel is not a TV series many are familiar with, it was mainly shown on Sky 1 and only ran for two series between 2000 and 2002. The show introduced Jessica Alba as a lead actress and was cancelled before the Third Season was made. Many fans... more

alba alcd15tvxi

alba trdab2810

Portable Radios - DAB

alba dvdp 722

I received this dvd player as a gift from work. I knew they wouldn't have spent very much on the gift and was therefore expecting the worst from the player. However, I was pleasantly surprised. For the price you are paying this dvd player is perfect. It... more

alba cxdab200

Radio Recorders - with CD Player

alba dvd382stb

Not DivX Player - Without HDMI Connection - DVD-RW Player - DVD-R Player - DVD+R Player - with DVD+RW Playback

Related tags for Alba DVD165
alba alba dab alba divx alba dvd alba lcd alba mp3 alba radio alba stb alba trdab alba vcr

Compare Alba DVD165 to other similar DVD Players

similar by Manufacturer
(Alba)
  • Alba DVD113
    (-) Looks a bit dated (+) Multi region (*)
  • Alba DVD54
    (-) No extras, operates loudly, no display to show playback time (+) cheap! Does the job (*)
  • Alba DVD62XI
    (-) Over time stops playing recorded discs (+) Cheap, small (*)
  • Alba DVD45
    (-) Not multi-region, remote will not last. (+) Dirt cheap, slimline, plays MP3's and CD's. (*)
  • Alba DVD65
    (-) No front panel display (+) Cheap, works with DVD-RW etc (*)
similar by DivX Compatability
(Not DivX Player)
  • Alba DVD 382 STB
    Not DivX Player - Without HDMI Connection - DVD-RW Player - DVD-R Player - DVD+R Player - with DVD+RW Playback
  • Lexicon RT-20
    Not DivX Player - With HDMI Connection - DVD-RW Player - DVD-R Player
  • Technika DVD1031
    (-) quite cheap you get what you buy and no power button on the remote (+) small (*)
  • Philips DVD 728
    (-) None (+) Looks fantastic (*)
  • Pioneer DVD-V 8000
    Not DivX Player - Without HDMI Connection - DVD-RW Player - DVD-R Player
similar by HDMI Interface
(Without HDMI Connection)
  • Philips DVP 3120
    (-) Altough its good its not good enough to be homes main DVD player. (+) Low cost,Will play all the main formats,Fairly good quality. (*)
  • Samsung DVD-V6800
    DivX Player - Without HDMI Connection - DVD-RW Player - DVD-R Player - DVD+R Player - with DVD+RW Playback
  • Harman Kardon harman/kardon DVD 22
    (-) expensive, reliability problems with brand (+) looks fantastic, beautiful picture (depending on connection), (*)
  • Pioneer DV 300
    (-) no dolby surround (+) Stylish, good performance, relatively cheap (*)
  • Toshiba SD-280
    DivX Player - Without HDMI Connection - DVD-RW Player - DVD-RAM Player
(*) Reviews by Ciao members

Gift ideas

Similar products and search queries by other users


Alba DVD165, Alba DVD 165



Are you the manufacturer / provider of Alba DVD165? Click here