JVC HRXVC39S DVD Video Player & VCR
By: JVC Average Rating: 3.0 Total Reviews: 4
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 On: 2007-03-09
This unit works great and the price is good. I have had only one probulem is sometimes wont play dvd I make on my compuiter.
On: 2007-03-08
This is the only DVD/VCR Combo that I have ever owned. It is also the first one that "upconverts" to 720p or 1080i. As far as the upconversion, I honestly cannot tell any difference, so I leave it set on 720p. It is also kind of a pain to change this setting, since you must do it on the front panel. They really should have integrated that feature into the remote control. Other than that, it is a good machine. I have had no problems with it at all. Oh, and if you are new to HDTV like me, dont be surprised when some DVDs still have lines at the top and bottom. I thought something was wrong at first, but I found out that some movies are actually filmed at a ratio that is wider than 16:9!
 On: 2007-02-20
I was thinking about getting this player for its upconverting feature in order to make DVDs look better on an HDTV. Of course, an upconverted DVD isnt the same as true HD video, but I dont want to buy an HD-DVD/Blu-ray player until prices come down and a formats been officially settled on (and until I know exactly what DRM restrictions it has and how itll affect my abilty to play it how I want it). An upconverting player with HDMI output seems like a good compromise in the meantime. Luckily before I bought this player, however I read another customers review here saying how it wont upconvert copy-protected DVDs. I admit I was a little skeptical, since its normally a given that if a DVD player upconverts, it should do it with all normal DVD video. To make sure I wasnt just misreading something, I went to JVCs web site and went to this products online manual. On page 11 of the pdf it says in small text at the bottom:
Notes:
For 720p and 1080i resolution on the component
video out, only non-copy protected discs can be
played back. If the disc is copy protected, it will
be displayed in the 480p resolution without HDMI
cable connection. With HDMI cable connection, the
picture may not be displayed properly.
While the wordings a little funny (maybe intentionally), it looks like its saying copyprotected DVDs definitely wont play at the upscaled resolutions on component (at all), but even if you do use the HDMI cable, they "may not" work. Which DVDs would or wouldnt work (if any would), is something never explained, and theres no other mention of this on their web site. Almost all commercial DVDs use some form of copy protection, so unless you plan to use this DVD players upconverting feature only with home movies, theres no guarantee any normal DVDs you buy will work with it. This seems like a pretty ridiculous "feature" to me, it certainly wont make any impact on piracy and the only conceivable reason I can think of would be to force you to buy HD-DVD or Blu-ray discs or equipment if you want a higher resolution picture (even of course though upconverted DVDs dont display a true HD picture). Even if I didnt care about this, I certainly wont support a company that treats its customers like criminals.
If you want an upconverting DVD player, its probably best to look at reviews of them (such as at reputable home theater web sites) and buy a reliable player known for its upconverting feature. According to many home theater experts, the best brand for this is Oppo. In any case, there are different methods and technologies various players use to "upconvert" DVDs. Apparently on one player, it might look nearly the same (or sometimes even worse) as its native resolution, on an excellent one it might even look pretty close to a normal HD-DVD or Bluy-Ray disc. Its veru important to know exactly what youre buying if you want a DVD player for its upconverting ability.
 On: 2006-08-04
Just bought this yesterday, my old player burned out and I had recently acquired a digital monitor. Figured Id pop the extra thirty bucks to get the high def capability.
Plugged it all into the system and everything works fine. The setup is so easy, even the clock sets itself. The menuing is nicely intuitive, and the picture looks swell.
Im still trying to figure out how the 1080i is worth the extra money. It only works with DVDs, and only DVDs that arent copy protected, for some reason. That rules out 99% of my viewing, which ends up relegated to plain old 480 (albeit progessive with a copy protected DVD). Also, it takes some button pushing to configure the high def signal, making it even less likely Ill bother to mess with it.
If I had to do it all over again, I might have spent the extra thirty bucks on a couple of new disks, instead.
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