Does the job

I am a bit of a technaphobe and bought this based on the reviews. It has really done the job it needed to and I am more than happy with it. I have no issues with the sound quality at all without the headset (as some people commented), I have found the buttons really simple to use and it looks really smart. Maybe if I had been a bit more techno savvy I would have found fault with it but as far as I am concerned this is a really good product.

Nice picture - terrible everything else!

This machine give a great picture through the HDMI, and plays Divx very well. That's about it for the good stuff.....

I've had the dvdr5500 about a month now, and I'm less than impressed. It freezes very easily, doing the simplest things such as turning the machine on or off or going to the Home menu, and the only way out is to cut the power at the plug, which means you lose all your settings (e.g. HDMI output level). That is the biggest problem.
The interface is also VERY slow to respond, taking seconds to respond to even one button push, which frustrates you in to pushing more buttons which - you guessed it - causes it to freeze up!
Apparently the machine keeps the disc spinning when left in the tray, even when turned off, which means the motor burns out quickly. This is just what I've heard, but the `Eco' mode you can turn on presumably stops/reduces this, but means the machine takes a full minute to load up (its not exactly snappy when the Eco mode is off either though).
Recording is sporadic - not a single recording I have made using the TV guide has worked properly, always missing either the beginning or the end of the programme. The aspect ratio is always messed up as well.
A final thing is the standby light, which is so incredibly bright that I have to have it covered when watching TV in a darkened room or else it is very distracting!
In all, this is going back to Richer Sounds. It's the only machine I have found which does everything I want, but unfortunately it is a typical Philips in that it is very poorly made. The remote is so cluttered and ill-though out that you are always pushing the wrong button or thinking you've pushed something when you haven't.
DON'T BUY THIS!!!!

Awesome full stop

I have been researching for a new cinema system for a while since my old one used to overheat and cut out frequently. All my stereos, TV's etc have always been Sony so had no doubt my new cinema system would be Sony too. Having grecently upgraded to an LCD TV, I realsied all of the current cinema systems follow the same style, so looks were not important as they all kind of look the same; it came down to connectability. There are Sony units out there with very few connection options, such as the DAV-DZ230. There is no option for optical or phono inputs, severly limiting what you can connect to the unit.
I have the TV connected via phono and a PS3 via Optical. Easily switchable and both sound great. The power and clarity from the speakers is evident even with it turned right up during explosions and gun shots on the PS3 (Call of duty 4 sounds amazing, this system has given the game a new lease of life!!!) and music channels on TV.
Looks very smart and easy to set up. The main time consuming bit is neatly routing wire under my carpet for the rear speakers.
All in all, its not the cheepest Sony system around but it looks smart, sounds better and is simple to operate. In my book it ticks every box!

Has a lot more than it says!

Firstly I didnt realise it was a completely new line product, but as my parents asked for a digital and dvd tv for their bedroom I ordered this. I am very impressed with it, though this is the first lcd tv I ve bought. The extra features were incredible, it can also play divx, and all sorts media (that I tried putting in), it has a usb connection so you can connect your memory stick and view photos & videos, a monitor connection, an sd/mmc card connection which can be used to view photos as a slide show straight from the digital camera memory card! The sound is good, and the remote is easy to use, and it took me less than five minutes to set up, the digital tv is also very fast compared to the digibox I have. My main gripes are the viewing angle is not very good, so I m buying an tilting wall bracket to counter this, the fact that to change from digital tv to analogue tv you have to go through the dvd tv section which makes a bit of a noise when it starts up, and also it didnt pick up one or two channels that I get with my digibox, although this might be down to the small aerial I m currently using. All in all, I am very happy with this product so far.

Do not use Epress - City Link are terrible!!

Don't know what this product is like because Amazon insist on using City Link who ALWAYS lie and never deliver as and when they are supposed to. Shame really because I sometimes only use Amazon for its express delivery option and now I know better I will rarely come here.

does not dub dvd to vcr!

not a bad player - BUT I got caught this unit only dubs from dvd to vcr not the other(useful) way round - which is fine if for some unknown reason you want to copy dvd's to tape!

Bought with a Sony KDL32D3000U

Fantastic products and results. I have owned Sony TV's before they have always been at the cutting edge of technology. I have never owned a Home Theatre System before. I spent some weeks doing research before I bit the bullet and shopping around saved hundreds of pounds however Amazon was comparable to the cheapest prices available.
The first film watched was a remastered Lawrence of Arabia, because I knew both sound and vision would be used to the maximum, I was not disappointed.
My advice, if you are waiting for a clue to buy a decent package then look no further than these, you will not be disappointed

Awesome System and an Amazing Price

I have just got this system up and running. It took mere minutes and I am very impressed at the results. The auto tuning microphone which it comes with is very good. The TV works through the SCART lead no problem, music sounds great. All in all I ma very pleased. The only thing is that I was stupid (impatient) enough to buy it in a Sony shop. Paid way more than on here so if you are happy to be patient then get it here as the price is ridiculously low here.

Great value twin DVD player

This was a pressie for the kids and we are extremely happy with it. The picture quality is better than expected, sound very clear too. A great feature is it plays DIVX files.
Only minor problems are no battery options so it must always be plugged in. The mains adapter only has one socket so you can only power one screen. (the in car adapter has 2 power outputs so is fine)

Very easy to fit and take out when not in use.

For the price I would says is better than expected quality and so very good value.

Overall - Great!

Does just about everything you could expect. Digital TV reception okay with my own indoor aerial (Film 4 and BBC 3 a bit dodgy). There is supposed to be a wake up timer (also used for the recording function) but there doesn't seem to be a standby function so you can only power off using the mains switch! Leave it on and it will initiate recording at the set time. Unit can't be used as a Freeview box because the A/V output only works for DVD. Plugging in the mains adapter doesn't disable the battery so it will start charging as soon as the the power switch is turned off - not good for battery life.

i thought it would be easier

i got this unit a week ago and have almost thrown it out the window a few times now.
i am a computer programmer so should be able to figure this out but the manual is the worst i have ever read. i finally figured out how to record - select the channel on the DVD recorder and press record, or use the DVD guide to time a recording.

buti can't get the"direct TV record" to work. i have a panasonic viera TV - just got that also - thought they would ork well together.

also, cant find a way to start recording then set a duration for recording - like if a am watching something then going to bed. i don't want to fill up 160 gig with rubbish.

Good with minor problems

This does not have an electronic programme guide but does have videoplus. Picture quality off the hard disc or DVD is very good. It plays DIVX movies very well. The remote has some small buttons but responds well. Recordings off the timer are fine but it takes a while to boot up.
The disply when watching live TV has a mind of its own, sometimes displays channel name, somtimes date or programme name. In other modes it works as you expect. Mine froze twice,the red record light staying on after a timer recording, unplugging fixed it.
I've not tried tranfer to DVD but it plays recordings on DVDR & DVDRW well. Overall I'm well satisfied

Returned 3 units under warranty in one month - now on number 4

The 3 returned units either did not record on a DVD+R or did not play a VCR properly: the VCR picture kept breaking up.

The unit I have now seems to work. However I cannot recommend this model for obvious reasons.

its brill

i read about it before purchase and decided to go for it. i bought a station also it is fine no problems with sound or set up. the only issue i have is with gracenote, which cant identify REM which is strange. the only change i would recommend to philips is to give it a dab radio

Samsung HT-THX25R

I bought this item at Christmas and the unit never got delivered had to continually phone Amazon on a daily basis for 4 days before they would despatch another unit which was received a couple of days later. The sound quality from this unit is good and the unit looks good and is easy to set up but I have some personal issues with the design of the system in that this unit was a replacement for my old JVC system which was around 5 years old and the Samsung does not have a digital audio connection whereas my JVC unit did, I would of thought in this day and age this should be standard so you will be forced into connection you Sky boxes with RCA audio leads. Lastly if like me you don't want to fit the speakers full height but only put the speaker itself onto the base there is no way of concealing the cables coming throught the base as if you feed it through the base as it shows you, the speaker actually crushes the cable so you need to be carefull if you take this option.

Exelent picture quality

I just received this DVD player yesterday. I conected it to my 40" Toshiba LCD 1080 via HDMI cable and tested it with retail DVDs. I had no playback problems at all. I was really pleased with the picture quality. 1080 upscaling is excellent.

So, far I am a happy customer.

Panasonic DVD RAM recorders recording.

To those who can't record TV programmes whilst away on holiday, I wish you well. There is no reason why this cannot be achieved. Two ways.
Way 1
1:Set up the Digi box either Sat or Freeview onto AV2 SCART on the recorder.
1.1:Set recorder to start and finish at times required and specify AV2 as program.
1.2:Set the programmes required on the favouites list on the digi box.
1.3.Set Timer.
Note, you could even use Video Plus and check that the entry for program has used AV2. It usually does.

Way 2.
Set up digi box as way 1.
With SAT (including FreeSat), set up programmes required in the favourites list (make sure they won't clash through setting program links).
Set the recorder to External link via remote or on the front panel depending on model of recorder.
The signal used by SKY+ sent by the programme distributer will start the recorder and switch it off into standby.
Note that if you use the programme menu on a sat box whilst the recording is happening, the recorder will loose the continiuity signel and stop recording.
The first way is the best but be sure to synchronise the favourites list and the recording times.
Then turn your telly off at the mains and go on holiday.

Happy parents

We purchased this just last week and are very pleased with sound, and quality of picture, also the leads just reach far enough for 7 seater cars so that you can have one screen between front seats for middle row viewing and one attached back or between middle row of seats for back row viewing.Without head phones on, us parents were able to enjoy conversation to each other whilst film in progress. Also we were pleased to see that there is an extra head phone socket on main player so 3 sets of head phones can be used, as we have 3 kids!bonus is that it can plug into your TV and be used as a portable DVD player, ideal for self catering hols.

Great dvd player

I just got this player its great the only thing like a few have said the multi region is difficult to work out so like the person who helped me here is how to do it

I have copied and pasted the instructions (from the other review) below to help others who encounter the same problem I did:
All you have to do is press the setup button, scroll across to the preference menu option (DO NOT press the OK button) and then press the following buttons on your remote: 138931 and a little box will appear asking you what region you want. If you scroll down to 0 and press ok it should play all region discs