Does not do exactly what it claims

Just make sure you have plenty of conversion software, thank goodness I know how to use batch processing in macromedias fireworks to enable me to convert all my jpeg images to lower spec jpegs so this unit will play them. I have also had to convert my AVI files to a lower spec AVI. This unit will not play original DVD's only copied DVD's with the copy protection removed.

BTW Pixmania have dreadful aftersales service.

-=!!WOW!!=-

I acquired this DVD Player as i herd it was good.

Was i right in thinking that?.............. YES!, i was.

This has bin one of the easiest DVD players that i have used, it's slim design is attractive, the remote is easy to use, and there don't appear to be anything it can not play.

The only down side it the DVD tray is a little fragile so i would recommend not letting your young children use it, as the tray may brake,
apart from that i can not find anything bad to say about this DVD player

I would highly recommend this DVD player to anyone.

1080i and 1080p

Just a small note, you wont see any more clarity with 1080p, just fast action scenes will look better because of the progressive scan but the details are exactly the same.

Does what I want it to do well

I haven't explored all the features of this DVD player yet and probably never will. I bought it along with an HD ready LCD TV (Panasonic TX-32LXD700 - very good TV) in order to upscale my existing standard def DVDs. I was recommended to me in the shop I bought it from and I'm thus far very pleased.

1. It's very slimline and looks great.
2. It's easy to use.
3. My upscaled (to 720p - I didn't know what this meant 2 weeks ago!) DVDs look great. I watched Return of the King on it the other day and frankly was mesmerized by the detail of the beards, rather than just fuzzy growths they had individual hairs! I'm pretty sure that's a cracking endorsement of this machines upscaling abilities - great beards. On less 'epic' films it is very good too. The Prestige, while low on the beard count so that measure is rather redundant, it was very rich in tone and detail.

I would buy it again.

It Does Exactly What It Says And A Lot More!!

This magnificent beast is what I always wanted and it has saved me a lot of grieve. The Hitachi DV-RV 8500 is a combination of both a DVD and a Video player. This allows the user to not only play DVD's on this machine, but also Videos as well!

There's even more than that as well. The player contains a special burner which if you place in a Blank DVD and a Film on a Video, you can transfer the contents from the video onto the DVD, providing that the Film isn't fully copyrighted. This can also be done vice versa if you have a DVD Film and a Blank Tape!

If you don't think that's enough for you supplied with this player, you can place in Audio CD's and listen to music as well, and it is MP3 compatible as well. It is probably possible to connect a MP3 Player, a Digital Camera and a Camcorder to it as well!

My Grade For The Player: 10/10: Fantastic, Brilliant, Superb

My Wish: There are three things, which are a problem with this player...

1. It is very large to store!
2. It can be expensive, it's price range starts from £250 onwards!
3. If the Lens in the Player gets damaged, you will have to either find a way to replace it, or get another Player. This can be very rare though and will probably only effect if you burn a load of DVD's and Videos!

Final Comments: Like I said at the start, this is a magnificent device and if you are intending to be a little on the cheeky side and burn a few videos onto DVDs, listen to a load of music, or even just to simply watch a Video or a DVD, with enough room provided to store the player, by all means, get The Hitachi DV-RV 8500. You will not be disappointed!

Review By Captain Chris Kipper

Amazing product - super calm upconverted picture

Did require some adjustments to work with my Panasonic 42PV7 to get acceptable deep black levels (i.e. LOTR). Seems to look best in 1080i, not 1080p. Many cheaper upconverting DVD players looks great in foreground details, but have large"fuzzy/smeared" areas in the (less noticeable) background, but the Oppo DV981HD is sharp and calm all over the screen. Terrible setup menu though.

Surprisingly good!

I brought one of these at ASDA walmart for about £20!
At first I nearly took it back to the store because it refused to play any disks, but figuring it would probably cost more in fuel to return it!, I opted to try to repair it instead.
I removed the protective cover to have a look inside and quickly discovered the ribbon-cable feeding the laser was bent in such a way that it rubbed against the disk and was stopping it turning around.
A quick bend the other way and it was all fixed.

This has since been an amazingly reliable unit, much better than the cheap Yamada I have, and also a lot better than the cheap Goodmans DVD recorder I also have.
The sound quality is the best thing - It has stereo audio outputs, and when playing Cd's and MP3 disks through my Arcam amplifier and Senheizer headphones, I would rank it's crisp, clear sound right up there with many expensive CD players! The volume control on the remote is also handy for listeneing to music.

Picture quality is perfectly adequate - nothing spectacular, nothing bad either.
Overall, unless you are a perfectionist and heavily into"high-end" gear, this simple-to-use, no-nonsence little DVD player ticks all the right boxes and will save you a fortune!

Good product - if you know what you are buying!

Make sure you are aware that this TV does NOT have batteries. It cannot be used for in-flight viewing for example, you need access to AC/DC power or your car's cigarette lighter socket.
Otherwise a good, slim TV about the size of an A4 page and the weight of a smaller laptop.