... Hmm, another amorphous black box from Sony, but at least it seems well put-together. The remote control is annoyingly similar to the TV's and the VCR's, but it does carry some limited TV functions, and will even control the sound level on a range of remote control amps, not all Sony (it works ... Read review
Advantages: Picture quality. Cheap if it's still out there Disadvantages: Choosy over the playing of recordable media
...Sony, but at least it seems well put-together. The remote control is annoyingly similar to the TV's and the VCR's, but it does carry some limited TV functions, and will even control the sound level on a range of remote control amps, not all Sony (it works with my Yamaha) ... more
This player is my first, and so far, only DVD player. Although no longer a current model (like a middle-aged divorcee, it has been replaced by something slimmer!) it still makes the grade, so if you see it as an end of line bargain, don't mess about, buy it!
Overall, picture quality is great, this machine having been only one below the flagship version. Mine is "chipped" to be "multi-region" so that it can play Region 1 disks to no ill effect.
Beware machines that claim to be region code-free - there is a new breed of regional coding called RCE that can cause such machines to throw up an error message.
Go for a modification that involves manual switching between regions. Mine was done by Link Electronics of Peterborough, and so far, nothing has thrown it, including known Region 1 RCE discs like Hollow Man. "Chipping" also disables Macrovision, the anti-copying device, which enables DVDs to be taped - highly illegal of course.
Exposed to a full 32" wide screen, the picture is stunning, both in PAL and NTSC.
It boasts an internal Dolby Digital AC3 decoder with 5.1 phono outputs in case you really want to connect it via 6 phono leads! However,in case you would rather leave the sound decoding to your amplifier, it has digital optical and co-axial outputs as well. Neater, if nothing else.
I run mine via an optical link into a Yamaha Digital Receiver and the results are excellent, especially on DTS soundtracks although Dolby 5.1 comes a VERY close second.
Video outputs can be adjusted from an ordinary composite signal, through S-Video up to RGB for the ultimate in picture quality - what you eventually get to use depends on the capabilities of the SCART lead on the telly. The rear panel has two SCART sockets, plus circular s-video and composite sockets.
Minor niggles
a) Very occasionally, the lip-synch slips a bit, but this can be cleared by pausing and carrying on. This is not unique to this machine, and may even be down to the disc in question. I believe there is now a firmware upgrade that addresses this.
b) Yes, it will play older V-CDs and sound CDs but not normally if they are on recordable media, like a CD-R disc. This rules out "burn-it-yourself" audio CDs and any V-CDs that you made yourself by tranferring camcorder output to your PC, so there goes the "Last Year In Menorca" widescreen epic! Come to think of it that could be an advantage...remember slide shows?
Because of this, any ideas I had about this being my only CD player quickly went out of the window - (see my opinion on the Yamaha CDX-496 CD player and why I bought it)
UPDATE - Thanks to this web-site, http://www.vcdhelp.com/, I have now discovered that it will play certain proprietrary branded CD-RWs, like Traxdata. I can attest to this, having made a trial music disc. It is also reputed to play some CD-Rs but the brand eludes me so far, and since so many of my existing CD-Rs are of doubtful or no brand in particular, this remains a problem for me.
c) Styling. Hmm, another amorphous black box from Sony, but at least it seems well put-together. The remote control is annoyingly similar to the TV's and the VCR's, but it does carry some limited TV functions, and will even control the sound level on a range of remote control amps, not all Sony (it works with my Yamaha)
Advantages: Lots of Features and known to play all DVD discs hassel free Disadvantages: Sadly like everything, It's started to get pretty dated to the newer range of DVD Players
Well, this is one of Sony's mid range prices. This model contains lots of features with good quality sound and picture. This model came out with the first range of Sony's DVD players. This model has been around some time now, but you will still find it one of the best in the DVD market. You can find this model for between £300-400 nowadays, which I am sure some people might think is dear to others, but this model and most other DVD models in this ... ...(Not like some models around the £200 or less mark)
PROBLEMS?...Well, the only known problem with this 525 model is the term known as 'LIP SYNC'. This is when the sound and picture motion are slightly out of balance. (The words don't come out at the same time as the lip movement). According to Sony, that has been solved now and don't effect the latest batch of them. The one's that are still in the shops can be sorted, or you can even do it yourself ...
True_uk 30.07.2000
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Sony DVPS525D
Advantages: Sony Disadvantages: Old dvd player compared to tadays models
...a great dvd player from Sony so you will obviously get great build quality and style. I bought mine nearly 5 years ago and it is still going strong and I have never had any problems with it at all. It hasnt even needed a lens cleaners through it. My dvd collection is over 600 titles, so as you can imagine it has had some serious use over the years. Its cost new was just under the £400 mark so and with the prices as low as they are for brand new Sony ... ...is generally not done to sony players as you have to send them away to have a chip fitted and this is normally a cost of about £50. Its not really a viable option nowadays when you can pick up a multi region for less than £30 in some cases.
To summarize, this is a great reliable, well designed dvd player. Unfortunately it has been superceded by newer models which are inevitably cheaper and with more impressive features, but if you can get this dvd ...
tokenboy 22.01.2005
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Sony DVPS525D
Advantages: Superb performance. Disadvantages: Outdated, and not cheap when new.
I've had my Sony 525 since mid '99, and it's been exemplary in it's performance. At the time the DVD player market was still fairly fresh and there was no such thing as a budget player. The best DVD was considered to be the Sony 725, but with a price tag of over £500, I decided it just wasn't worth the money. Sony came out with the 525 - a mid range machine - and it got rave reviews. This seemed the one. at £400 it wasn't cheap, but it does everything ... ...picture quality on my 32" Wega is superb - sparkling colours, and a level of detail that's almost unimaginable. The sound output is via an optical lead to my Amp, and the performance is great. I've also heard the system on a normal TV, and with the Dolby Digital to Pro Logic down mixing, the sound can rival a decent DD Amp. Even with it's virtual surround modes, for stereo TVs, the immersion into the film is superb.
I haven't had any problems with ...
DaveD 11.07.2000
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Sony DVPS525D
The Sony 525 is now being replaced by newer sexier models but all that means is that you will be able to pick it up at a much cheaper price than I bought it for. This will make the player more tempting than when I bought it. I spent a long time picking a DVD player and was torn between a cheaper Toshiba player and this one. I talked to a lot of people and they all recommended the Sony because it couldn't be beaten for its sound and picture quality ... ...'99 I haven't had any problems or complaints with this product. Every disc I've played I couldn't fault, if anything its conviced me to get a big screen TV or a projector to do the player justice. You should buy this product if you are going for a home cinema set up. If you are looking for a player without the extra add ons (amp & speakers) then you could probably do a lot worse than the Toshiba cheap range. ...
11Stuart11 26.07.2000
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Sony DVPS525D
Advantages: Sony Reliability, Industry Standard Support Disadvantages: n/a
...You can control other Sony products such as TV using the DVD remote too. The system was UK/Europe region-coded - however I chipped mine following a recent multiregion trend, especially when DVD prices in USA are far cheaper.
When using the player, I've experience no problems playing advanced DVD title features, unlike some cheaper brand's players.
It supports a raft of Audio/Visual industry standards such as DTS, and performs excellently in the ...
stephbu 15.02.2001 (16.02.2001)
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Sony DVPS525D
![ESP [Remastered] - Miles Davis](http://imagesb.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/small/901/ESP_Remastered_Miles_Davis__41901.jpg)
