Sony DAV-FR1 5-Disc Progressive Scan DVD Dream System
By: Sony Average Rating: 3.5 Total Reviews: 14
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 On: 2007-05-30
AMAZING SOUND QUALITY! FOR THIS PRICE IT DOESNT GET ANY BETTER!! AND TO TOP IT OFF ITS A SONY!!!
 On: 2005-10-10
My dream system has needed two unrelated repairs in the tree years I have owned it. Niether has been under warentee. The last costing $300.
 On: 2005-09-22
Pros:
-Easy set-up
-Great sound
-Comes with free ice cream.
Cons:
-The 5-disc changer is inconvenient. I dont even use it as a changer. You have to wait for the carrousel to spin inside, but theres no indication of when to insert the DVD.
-I hooked it up to my HDTV with component cables, but still had poor quality picture. This DVD Player may be great for regular TVs, but I dont recommend it for HDTV. If someone has this hooked up to an HD-ready TV with component cables and the picture is great, please let me know what I can do to get those results.
-Free ice cream melted before it arrived.
Ok, so the ice cream didnt come with the DVD player.
And, I ate the ice cream before I got home.
On: 2005-07-23
I first want to say, I love dealing with amazon, their customer service is excellent, and I have always loved Sony products. This surround system does not work well. The sound is absolutely great if you can get the main unit dvd player to function. Ive had it hooked up for three weeks and have had several problems. First, the volume wouldnt increase or decrease, then the dvd player would freeze up and shut down automatically while playing a movie, now I have two discs in there and it wont eject them. Sony help says there is a malfunction in the unit and I now have to take it for repair to get my stuff out. I dont want another malfunctioning unit, Im returning this as fast as I can. This Sony product is not worth the money or aggravation.
On: 2005-06-10
The Sony DAV FR1 looks and sounds great, but it does not exactly set the standard for cutting edge technology for home theatre systems.
It comes with the 5 speakers and 1 woofer and the 5 disc DVD player.
Speakers:
They are 100 watts each. Powerful.. very powerful. I have a huge living room and the speakers filled the room with sound. But there are 2 aspects which bother me, viz.
1) The surround speakers should have had a system by which they could be connected wirelessly. Panasonic makes a similar home theatre system, which has that wireless feature. Although, Panasonic sells the wireless system to connect the surround speakers seperately. Nevertheless, it is comforting to know that when you have a few extra dollars lying around, you can avail that system and get rid of the wires lying around on the carpet. You have no way of doing that with this Sony model.
2) Stands. In this day and age, we simply dont have the time or resources to go out and fit fixtures on to the wall for the surround speakers. And I dont want to spend a penny more (let alone $40 for the Sanus stands) for additional stands for the speakers. The lack of this feature is indeed very irritating. I dont understand why some thing which can be made so cheaply (the stands) cant be provided with a system which is so expensive.
The DVD Player :
The DVD player is old technology. PERIOD!
1) It has a dot illumination type display system, which ruins the otherwise sleek appearance of the system. But it is better than an LCD Display because you can make out the information being displayed while seated at a distance of a few feet.
2) The DVD Player boasts a 5 disc system, which is a major convinience, since you wont have to get up to change discs time and again. Some people have said it takes some time for the discs to load, etc... but I found the speed to be quite normal. Please remember, even in a $3000 worth laptop - it does take some time for the CD drawer to eject when you press the button. This system is no different, it is NOT slow.
3) The DVD player has 2 speeds for fast forward and rewind. That is a far cry from the 1,1.5,2,4,8,16,32 speed levels available even in my other $17.00 Desay DVD Player (The Desay is an individually lousy player - dont even think of buying it. And the manufacturer and Circuit city didnt honor the mail in rebate forms for it.) But that is not a major factor. Given the chapter forward/rewind feature, the 1X and 2X speeds are reasonably acceptable.
4) The DVD Player plays DVD videos, SACD (Super Audio CDs - I have no idea what they are) and a host of CD types, viz. CD-R, CD-RW, etc. I have no idea if this DVD player can play Divx or AVI or MPEG files. And normally DVD players dont. And this one doesnt seem to be an espcially new old technology. Besides that, it doesnt say on the manual that this can play DVD-RW or DVD-R/+R.
So if I am cribbing so much, why did I rate it 4 stars?
Simply because it looks and sounds great.
Set up was simple, the sound was AMAZING!!!!!!! I did not dare to increase the volume more than 50% of its capability for the fear of bothering my neighbors.
The DVD remote is great. I really like the feature wherein the most commonly used buttons are exposed, and the other ones hidden under a sliding cover. I also like the innovative battery placement system of this remote - it is to the front side, and to access it, you have to just slide the cover completely off the front.
This system also provides a host of other features like FM and AM playing capability, ability to accomodate a game system (X-box or Play station), an additional surround speaker system, a satellite feed, etc etc. It has component video out, S video out, and monitor out (yellow jacketed cable). So no matter what, you will be able to use the speakers with a host of other devices.
Bottom line, if you are concious about the amount of money you spend on a home theatre system, then this is an excellent buy. The brand name of Sony commands a lot of respect. People like seeing the name "Sony", and this was indeed a factor under consideration when I chose this system.
You will like the sound. If some one says this is not enough, he either needs to get his ears checked, or he has not connected the speakers properly.
A home theatre system is primarily for its woofer and speakers, the DVD player is just an additional contrivance. And I am totally satisfied with the DVD player too. I would think, spending $300 on this system is totally justified.
Thanks,
Kaushik.
by: chucklesthehammer On: 2005-05-12
Not too long ago Sony had only one Dream System, and it was more than enough power for around 450-bucks. Then, I think they realized they were giving away too much for too little. I bought two of them, and they are almost as powerful as the bigger Dream System available nowadays. After listening to this one in the store, I was horrified at the lack of depth and tinny sound coming out of this piece of crap. It is an abomination compared to the last version.
The bigger one on the other hand, is a sound to behold. I installed one for a friends parents (April 05), and we watched Empire Strikes Back as our maiden voyage. It is without a doubt, unbelievable.
I watched my friends in utter joy, exclaiming that they "thought they were satisfied" with the Bose system that they had been using, and is (by the way) five times as expensive. Tweeter Store wont carry the Sony Dream System, and I actually got the greasy salesman to admit it was because they werent expensive enough and had plenty of sound.
On: 2005-03-01
SOUND
The sound from this Home Theater System is surprisingly rich. Preset equalizer settings for everything from Sci-Fi movies to video games match up well, and the Dolby 5.1 surround settings are quite balanced. All in all, an excellent audio experience, and with plenty of settings to allow you to program each speaker for the exact placement and distance from your central seating area.
DVD PICTURE
The DVD picture is very sharp, though after seeing the HD images from Comcast, it does pale just a bit in comparison. However, the quality of the DVD played helps; I watched both Hero and Troy as soon as I set the unit up, and both the picture and the surround sound were near HD quality.
EASE OF USE
The set up could not have been easier. I had an HDTV projection LCD (the Sony Grand WEGA KDF-42WE655, which I reviewed here: http://www.epinions.com/content_170940796548), an HDTV Comcast cable box, and a Sony Playstation to coble together with this system, and it took only four wires and about 15 minutes to set-up.
The only issue here was that the back speakers were not wireless as the more expensive Sony Dream Home Theater systems are. The unit was a gift, and if I had thought about it more carefully, I probably would have returned the unit for the more expensive version. As is, I have laid an area rug lengthwise and run the wires beneath both it and the couch.
ANNOYANCES
Minor ones to be sure, but the bass levels can sound a bit thick regardless of what equalizer settings you have programmed. Also, the CD/DVD changer stacks the DVDs vertically inside the unit, and the changing time between discs is rather long. Loading all 5 bays is a tedious chore.
 On: 2005-02-27
I bought the DAV-FR1 several months ago.
The good: It comes with just about everything you need (except mounting brackets for the speakers), and was pretty easy to hook up. Id rate the sound at 7 of 10 (Im not even comparing it to $1000+ systems). It packs a lot of function into a small unit. the 5-disk changer plays mp3s and jpeg disks too.
The bad: It may have 100w/ch, but thats into 4ohm speakers. It probably gets loud enough for most people, but in my large (25x25) family room, Ive reach its limits and heard distortion. The remote control really stinks. It is not actively lit for night (just barely glow in the dark), the buttons are not layed out in any standard fashion, and many are small or covered over by a sliding cover. In the dark you cant read it, nor easily learn where the important buttons are. Perhaps most frustrating: it can only do one thing at a time -- slowly. It takes forever to change disks. You cant change one disk while another is playing. You cant put in a DVD while listening to cable or satellite tv or radio. You cant even adjust the balance of the speakers or the subwoofer level while youre watching a DVD! That just plain stinks!!
Recap: Its easy to set up, and offers a lot of function for the money, but plan to get a different remote and live with some real limitations. Its *almost* a great system. My "dream system" is better than this one.
On: 2005-02-11
I will have to agree with the other reviews for this product. It takes too long to unload a disc and you are not able to load another disc while one is playing. Other than that this is one great All-in-One home theater system. I use my Dream System with a 34" Sony HDTV monitor. I use a THX Monster S-Video cable to connect to the TV. This creates one super sweet picture that is crystal clear. I also have my Xbox rigged up (I had to cut the insulation and shielding off of the standard Xbox cable) pumping its digital sound through all 750 watts. If you have the patience to wait for your discs to load (takes about a good 30-45 seconds), buy this system today. If you are not patient then you must learn to be or you will probably die of a heart attack at an early age!! ;) I believe that this is a quality product for the money.
by: drdarrenc On: 2005-02-09
The design is ultra sleek & contemporary and the sound and picture are indeed remarkable for a home theater in a box system. I love playing home made picture discs like a slide show. This system makes that very easy to do.
As stated by the previous reviewers, there are a few little glitches in this system that need to be resolved before my rating for this system increase to 5 stars.
* The carousel does take a bit too long to load. Its not very long, but longer than other systems, and long enough to be noticable and slightly annoying.
* Im not a tekkie but the system that reads the discs has occasional trouble reading home burned CDs when the same CDs play fine on other older and lower end players. I thought it may have been a defect in my unit, however a replacement unit responds the same way.
* While a disc is playing, you cannot change, insert or eject a disc without interrupting the one currently playing.
By themselves, these small factors may not be a big deal for most consumers and certainly dont detract from the quality of the sound or the picture once a disc is playing.
If you are more performance oriented, the combined problematic issues make a great video and audio system seem only adequate.
On: 2004-12-26
Picked this unit up for 399.00 right here on Maui, took it home and the Kid and I hooked it up that night. A quantum leap for audio in this household, replacing a stereo, Remember those? Anyway the unit sounds great and has features that bring us forward in time. Ill be picking up a couple of SACD disks soon. Only negative so far; the unit does not operate when changing disks and it takes some time to do so, but not to worry, it operates very well when goin. Hopefully, it will fulfill our needs for years to come!
On: 2004-12-14
I dont why the previous reviewer gave this wonderful piece of sound engineering such a poor rating. I gifted this system to myself in Christmas, after lot of deliberation between this system, Sony DAV-BC150 and Panasonic HT-720. And I am eternally glad that I finally choose this system. DAV-FR1 is everything you can expect, and then some more. Let me jot them in a organized fashion before I get too carried away:
1. Quality: I am quite finicky about sound quality, and yet I have heard nothing like this baby. With good quality source material, DAV-FR1 can rival sound systems in theaters - seriously. Movies look wonderful with progressive scan/component video output.
2. Power: 750 W total power, S-Master digital amplifier, twin-driver subwoofer...need I say more? I cant use even the 20% of the total power.
3. Convenience: Can play DVDs(both +/- formats), CD (-R/-RW, even multisession), MP3 CDs (including ID3 tags), JPEG CDs (including EXIF data) - and other exotic formats like VCD and SACD. The software interface is not just good, its well-thought and well-designed. 5 disk slot loading changer means youll never get hit by faulty eject mechanisms any more. Speakers/connectors/receiver is color-matched for easy hookups.
4. Compatibility: Supports almost all the Dolby/DTS matrix and surround decoding formats.
5. Expansion option: For those of you whod like to upgrade to 6.1 from 5.1 in the future - this receiver outputs a surround back channel, and supports 6.1 decoding options (Dolby Digital EX, DTS ES).
6. Looks: If youve ever drooled over a Apple PowerBook, you know what Im referring to. DAV-FR1 is drop-dead sleek and gorgeous, with solid build quality and brushed-metal look. In reality it looks much better than the paltry picture Amazon provides. The back-lit silver remote perfectly complements the system. Bye bye, black ugly receivers.
Final thoughts: If youre shopping for a home theater this festive season, and intelligent enough to reject over-priced (and over-hyped) Bose, your search is over! You cant go wrong with DAV-FR1, or its big sister DAV-FR9. And no, I dont work for Sony ;-), am just a overly satisfied customer.
On: 2004-11-22
I started with a DAV-FC1, it would freeze up if you paused a disc for along period of time (pause, go to work, come home). Went round and round with Sonys horrible support, they eventually send me a DAV-FR1. Guess what, the same freeze happens. And when it freezes you have to unplug it from the wall, and leave it unplugged for a while before starting over again. The unit basically works, but if you are annoyed by a consumer product that can be made to freeze, this is not for you. Im refusing yet another replacment and demanding my money back.
Also, Sony DVD players in general (and this one specifically) deliver terrible image quality -- they have the "Chroma bug", consequently many movies look awful, especially highly saturated colors like Pixar movies. Go to google, type "DVD chroma bug" and click on the hometheaterhifi.com link, the chroma bug is explained in detail there (with pictures), an interesting read if you care about this kind of thing. This is not gear-head nit-picking, many movies look just terrible -- little checkerboard patterns all over highly saturated orange Nemo. Blech - it just ruins the movie for me. (You can also google "DVD chroma bug Sony" and see that many Sony players still have this bug. The whole "Dream System" series has this bug.) At WalMart you can buy $80 DVD players that took the time to fix this bug.
On: 2004-09-02
I was pretty skeptical about a home-theater-in-a-box until I got this new Sony system home and tried it out. I already had a really good component-based home theater, but this system was a promotional purchase along with my new Sony HDTV, and the price was too good to pass up. Set-up took about 45 minutes, but the resulting sound is awesome! The bass is wonderful - when the Norah Jones CD is playing, my living room sounds like a jazz club!
I had recently purchased the Sony NS-575P single-disc DVD player and was stunned by its video performance and slick operation. It looks as though the changer in the FR1 uses similar software, or atleast, the same user interface and it is great! I like how it displays the discs artwork as a screen background. The reasons why Im happy with this Sony changer are similar to why I am also so happy with the stand-alone player I had to move to the den - it decodes virtually EVERYTHING you can throw at it... mp3, SACD (!), and DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, CD with JPEGS, etc.
And, the all-in-one package means a minimum of wires. Quite frankly, Im really impressed with this "dream system"... it delivers big sound and convenience for much less money than I expected to have to pay! Thanks, Sony!
Update: Just listened to/watched the Star Wars trilogy on DVD and the sound (and video) is very impressive. In particular, the dialogue was always audible, even when the music and other sound effects were active.
Also: There is one thing that bugs me about this player - this is my first carousel CD or DVD changer (Ive had a magazine changer forever), so I dont know if this is par for the course or not, but it takes a fairly long amount of time to load a disc into an empty slot... you can hear lots of stuff going on inside the box, but its never clear WHEN its OK to go ahead and load the disc. But maybe this is true of all carousel-style changers.
Just FYI: No color/saturation problems can be detected with my system. I use component video outputs with an HDTV widescreen monitor (see my other reviews) and I stand by the stunning images I see - my DVD collection, as I stated above, is BRAND NEW again!
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