Yamada DVX 6700

...The build quality of the Yamada is best described as “cheap” – but… don’t get me wrong – it looks OK next to the TV – only if you look closely is it obvious that every component has been made to the tightest of budgets – everything from the flimsy eject-tray to the front-panel plastic buttons and cheesy digital display which might have looked modern in the 1980s. To criticise the unit on aesthetics, however, is to completely miss the point.
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...pleased to report that the Yamada has no problem – and plays DVDs intended for any regional market without any fuss.

DVDs are recorded in a compressed digital format called MPEG2 – which is fine with standard DVD media with a capacity of about 5Gb, however this is not the only prevalent modern digital format. MPEG4 is a new compressed format which encodes digital video in a more efficient way… this new technology is implemented in ... more

My Christmas present to myself this year was the “Yamada-DVX-6700” – which looks like a DVD player, works rather like a DVD player but offers a special something extra - this unit not only plays DVDs but many other digital formats too.

The device cost me ~£55 – to make it price comparable with other DVD players… It replaces a CyberHome “CH DVD 400” which only plays bone-fide DVDs – and cost the same 18 months ago. The build quality of the Yamada is best described as “cheap” – but… don’t get me wrong – it looks OK next to the TV – only if you look closely is it obvious that every component has been made to the tightest of budgets – everything from the flimsy eject-tray to the front-panel plastic buttons and cheesy digital display which might have looked modern in the 1980s. To criticise the unit on aesthetics, however, is to completely miss the point.

Most are familiar with the now ubiquitous DVD one might rent from Blockbuster, buy in Virgin or order from Amazon – but these are not the only digital formats you might encounter. The first complication is for foreign DVDs (i.e. ones which were intended for a region other than Europe) at which many players stumble – I’m pleased to report that the Yamada has no problem – and plays DVDs intended for any regional market without any fuss.

DVDs are recorded in a compressed digital format called MPEG2 – which is fine with standard DVD media with a capacity of about 5Gb, however this is not the only prevalent modern digital format. MPEG4 is a new compressed format which encodes digital video in a more efficient way… this new technology is implemented in two different, common “codecs” (coder/decoders) – one called DivX and one called XVid – both are available as software for PCs. With both DivX and XVid it is possible to encode and decode digital video more efficiently than would be possible with MPEG2 – typically to an “.AVI” file. This efficiency offers the benefit of smaller files to represent comparable video footage… which makes it easier to archive and transfer the digital data. Some modern digital video cameras (with appropriate software) can be used to generate AVI files in DivX/XVid format; some films have downloadable trailers in this format – and it is possible to “back-up” precious DVDs you own to AVI files encoded in either DivX or XVid formats and most films compress to under 700Mb which (quite miraculously) fits onto a standard 80-minute CDR. Be warned, however, that this can take several hours even with a modern high-spec PC. The disadvantage of video data in DivX or XVid formats for most people is that they require a PC to replay the video – which usually entails staring into a monitor rather than lounging on a sumptuous sofa gawping at a widescreen TV.

It is with DivX and XVid data that the Yamada comes into its own… The unit plays both kinds of video data without a glitch… There is no complex setup – just copy the files onto a CD or DVD (remarkably the Yamada plays CDR; CDRW; DVD+R; DVD-R and DVDRW media – essentially any shiny 5.25” disk!) and plonk it in the Yamada and press play. The video quality was initially a concern of mine – I wondered if a disk of less than 20% of the capacity of a DVD would imply a significant degradation of image quality… but this is, to me at least, not a problem with the Yamada. While I accept that video-aficionados can probably find fault, to me they look comparable – I wouldn’t immediately be able to tell you if the disk being played is a DVD, DivX or XVid. The only down-side I’ve noticed to watching AVIs rather than DVDs is that with the AVI files it is not possible to skip “chapters” – which means that if you want to repeat a section you must use ‘skip-forward’ and ‘skip-backward’ to establish your position rather like with video-tapes.

The Yamada also has excellent audio credentials – typical AVI files come with 5.1 audio – and, if you connect the Yamada to an AV-amplifier, it can deliver surround sounds comparable to those on DVD. Another nice touch is the facility to associate sub-titles to images simply by placing a similarly named .SBR or .SUB file on the same disk as the AVI.

As with many DVD players the Yamada can play MP3 files – allowing you to prepare an entire evening’s music on a DVD… but the Yamada goes one better. With the application of a software upgrade (downloadable for free) the Yamada also supports OGG-Vorbis format compressed audio… OGG is similar to MP3 – but is preferred by some who believe that for comparable compression OGG sounds closer to the original than MP3.

When I bought the Yamada the salesman said that “this model will play everything you can find” – and I was sceptical. A couple of months on, however, and I’ve not managed to disprove him! I am extremely pleased with my Yamada and would heartily recommend it to anyone else who wants to play AVI videos in the comfort of their living room. If, however, you know you only want to play commercial DVDs – there are cheaper better built devices available.
 

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