I won this DVD on a web competition and I had been after one for ages. I have to say that if I had been given a choice of any DVD player this wouldn't have been what I would have chosen, purely because it is one of the DVDs on the market, retailing at £129 with some retailers, however, I have ... Read review
Advantages: Cheap, sharp picture quality, Can use scart lead to connect direct to TV, Love the open/shut button on the remote control Disadvantages: Large size, cannot be switched to standby, remote control is complicated
I won this DVD on a web competition and I had been after one for ages. I have to say that if I had been given a choice of any DVD player this wouldn't have been what I would have chosen, purely because it is one of the DVDs on the market, retailing at £129 with some retailers, however, I have to say that the bargain basement price of this DVD player is actually very good value for money.
Now I admit, I am no expert when it comes to ... ...DVD player seems to do most of the things I need, and having two children, it seems very silly to have an expensive system in my house which is complicated to use and could easily get broken. In fact, my 8 year old son seems to have figured out how it works better than I do, and it is very easy to use. Ectremely uncomplicated. I have it connected directly to my TV S-Video socket using a scart lead. The scart lead wasn't provided, but I would expect ... more
I won this DVD on a web competition and I had been after one for ages. I have to say that if I had been given a choice of any DVD player this wouldn't have been what I would have chosen, purely because it is one of the DVDs on the market, retailing at £129 with some retailers, however, I have to say that the bargain basement price of this DVD player is actually very good value for money.
Now I admit, I am no expert when it comes to DVD, in fact, I am a complete beginner. But this DVD player seems to do most of the things I need, and having two children, it seems very silly to have an expensive system in my house which is complicated to use and could easily get broken. In fact, my 8 year old son seems to have figured out how it works better than I do, and it is very easy to use. Ectremely uncomplicated. I have it connected directly to my TV S-Video socket using a scart lead. The scart lead wasn't provided, but I would expect one to be provided with a more expensive model, and it only cost me £4 from my local electronics shop. I felt this was the easiest way to set it up. It is connected to a Philips Surround Sound Widescreen TV, so because of the speaker system and the fairly sophisticated audio controls on the TV, I also use the DVD player as a CD player.
It is a large silver box, maybe a little large for some tastes, but it fits on my TV stand with the digital TV box on top. The display is fairly large, but this has the added advantage of being easy to read.
I am very impressed with the picture quality, sharp and clear, and the sound. I have to say, I don't think I am going to buy another video again. The remote control os fairly large and i don't like the fact that you can't switch the DVD to standby mode, but this is a minor concern when you consider the price. However you can switch the display off by pressing the dimmer switch twice, or you can have it bright or just dim. Being able to switch the display means your eyes aren't drawn to the counter when watching films in the dark. It would also be nice if it had a clock, rather than the counter display, but maybe this is just because I am used to looking at the video clock. The remote control takes a while to get the hang of as some things seemed somewhat alien to me at first, but I am getting better at using this as time goes by. The instructions that came with the player were also fairly comprhensive and easy to understand.
Personally this seems to suit my needs. I don't have to have the latest gadget that does everything bar make the tea, and I need easy to operate and easy to use to suit my family circumstances. I reckon for the bargain basement price this is prtty good value for money.
Technical specifications
DVD Player Signal System NTSC/PAL/Auto Laser Semiconductor laser, Wavelength 650mm Frequency Range (Digital audio) 20Hz to 20KHz S\N Ratio (Digital audio) >90dB (EIAJ) Dynamic Range (Digital audio) >93dB (EIAJ) Harmonic Distortion (Digital audio)0.006% Wow and Flutter Below measurable level (<+0.001(W.Peak) 75ohm, negative sync Audio outputs (Digital audio) 0.5V (p-p), 75ohm Audio outputs (Analogue audio) 2.9Vms (1 kHz, 0.8 dB) .330 ohm
General Power supply 220V-240V, 50 Hz Power consumption 20W
If you haven't got heaps to spend then this is a good DVD player to buy. It isn't multi-regional but I have read that it is possible to play Region 1 DVDs on it without any adjustments, but as I haven't actually tried this myself, I cannot verify this, and I would sugest it seems unlikely for a player at this price.
Advantages: Great functionality, Multi region, Budget price Disadvantages: Internal sound quality
I was lucky enough to get this DVD player in exchange for my 'Proline 1000' player when it broke down under warranty. The main features are as follows; CD/DVD/VCD Playback Dolby/DTS compatible (no 5:1) 2 x Composite video out 1 x S-video out 1 x Scart 1 x Optical out 1 x Coaxial digital out 2 x Stereo phono out 1 x Headphone socket (Front) Functionality that i have not tested (have read about in reviews, but not on box & may be firmware dependant) ... ...CD-R / CD-RW compatible MP3 compatible The brushed silver design of the player is nothing to write home about but it has all the basic functionality plus a headphone socket with it's own volume control. This little addition is useful if you either want to watch a DVD quietly or play your music whilst everyone else watches the TV. The back of the player packs in just about every socket you will ever need, including some only found on more expensive ...
jason_webb 11.04.2002 (03.01.2004)
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Alba DVD 103
Advantages: Multi Region, Cheap Disadvantages: Remote Control is poor.
...As DVD players go the ALBA DVD-103 is certainly not the best, but it is one of the cheapest on the market at the moment. However just because it is not the best does not mean it is no good. This DVD player has the features that I need and the quality is pretty good too. The DVD player itself is a big silver box, this is lucky as we had to replace our video recently and that is also a silver box so it does not look out of place on my technology tower. ... ...and they are all square, no soft round edges here. When it is switched on there is a bright LCD display that shows the track and the timer a bit like a CD player display. This all makes the box look a bit on the cheep side.
There is nothing on the box or in the manual about this player being limited to Region 2 disks, I have dome a bit of research on the Internet and a number of sites say this is a multi region DVD player that can play any region ...
pottmar 05.04.2001 (19.04.2001)
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Alba DVD 103
Advantages: Mulitregion, MP3 out of the box. Disadvantages: Poor quality against branded makes, dubious future with RCE protection systems up and coming.
The Alba 103 is one of the cheapest dvd players available. Online stockists, Argos and Toysrus are some of the best places to find one.
The player is a bargain at £130 - £140, and is multiregion out of the box. MP3 files are also no problem as long as a CD-R is used. (the player will not read CD-RWs).
However, that is where the plus points end.
The player comes with Super video leads and an attached 240v plug but nothing else, so most of us wil ... ...some smoke effects - the Alba makes this look like a poor VHS tape in places.
Some purchasers have also found problems with Columbia Tristar discs such as Go and Girl Interrupted. If this extends to Gladiator I am sure that many purchasers will be returning this product. (the problem is apparently connecting wiuth menu navigation - limiting access to special features).
Regional Coding Enhancement (RCE) is also likely to be a problem with this player ...
petrasol 03.11.2000
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Alba DVD 103
Advantages: Region 1/2 encoding for £120 Disadvantages: Not the Jennifer Lopez of DVD Players
If you thought that Alba was pants then read again I have recently purchased the budget model make 103 after recommendations from countless DVD magazines. The ace in this models pack is that it includes Region 1/2 encoding which means you can also play American discs bringing the price of DVD's down just check www.play247.com. It can also play VCD’s that you can find on sale for about £1 in countries such as Malaysia and also on the web if ... ...switch between this and PAL. Alba have even been thinking into the future as It will cater for DTS the new sound quality to rival Pro Logic when it becomes widely available. On the down side and there are few, It is not the most aesthetically pleasing piece of equipment so not the Bang and Olufson crowds cup of Tea. It is Bulky and Silver so just think before plonking it next to your slim line black video player. The remote is also a little convoluted, ...
Locklin 05.09.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Alba DVD 103
Advantages: Easy to use and play Disadvantages: A Bit Bulky
...expesive, I went for the Alba DVD103, not only because of the price, but also because of the features.
It is a Multi-Region DVD Player, which means you can play any DVD Disk from anywhere in the world, without having to get it "Chipped".
I was a bit confused at first, when I tried to used the remote control, as I only had VCD's (Video CD's). I had to go through a Digest Menu to get the movie to play without messages coming up on the screen.
There's ... ...you only play that region. But up to now, there's been no problem.
If you want to upgrade your existing VCR (Video Cassette Recorder) to better sound and picture quakity, then I would go for a cheaper DVD player. Alba seems to be the best. Excellent Value For Money. ...
Barningham2 25.12.2000
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Alba DVD 103
