Philips DVD763SA Multi-Channel SACD/DVD Player

by Philips

Product Details

Product Manual [1.71mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 17 x 16.3 x 4.5 inches ; 9.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 10 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B000066HUB
• Item model number: DVD763SA
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #336,861 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Bringing high-resolution audio performance to newly affordable prices, the Philips DVD763SA DVD player features high-end multichannel and stereo SACD playback in addition to accommodating DVD-Video, VCD, and MP3 CD-R and CD-RW. It also converts non-region-encoded PAL-formatted discs (the standard in Europe) for viewing on standard NTSC televisions.

Depending on the discs, SACD music releases provide super high-fidelity multichannel and/or stereo sound. Because the SACD signal is too high-resolution for the digital-to-analog converters in current surround receivers (and also as an anti-piracy measure), the DVD763SA performs its own decoding of SACD signals, passing high-resolution analog, not digital, audio to your integrated amplifier or surround receiver. This means you'll need an audio/video receiver with multichannel analog-audio inputs to appreciate multichannel SACD releases. Built-in SACD bass management helps tailor the output level of the ".1" LFE (low-frequency effects) channel to a system, as an appropriate level may differ from the output level appropriate for Dolby Digital and DTS surround mixes.

A set of stereo and a set of multichannel analog-audio outputs route audio from SACDs as well as from Dolby Digital- and DTS-encoded DVDs to a compatible audio/video receiver. If you're not planning to use the SACD capability for multichannel programming, both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1-channel surround-sound signals can also be routed through the player's digital-audio outputs (one each of RCA coaxial and Toslink optical) for simpler connection to a compatible AV receiver.

Parallel video outputs let you route the player's composite-video, S-video, and high-end component-video outputs to three different televisions simultaneously. Other playback options include five-disc resume, which lets you pick-up where you left off on five most recently viewed DVDs, enhanced parental control (with 120-disc lockout), and picture zoom for magnification of select images.

What's in the Box
DVD player, remote control, batteries, user's manual, stereo analog audio interconnect/composite-video cable.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Plays Fine, but missing basic features, November 10, 2002

By 

"browniemagoo" (Detroit) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Philips DVD763SA Multi-Channel SACD/DVD Player (Electronics)

I bought this unit specifically to play the new Super Audio SACDs. In particular, I wanted something that would play the new Rolling Stones ABKCO SACD reissues.
The unit does a great job of playing the SACDs. But there is no headphone output anywhere on the unit. There is no Volume Control on the unit or the Remote Control, which appears to be more directed at playing DVD movies than SACD purposes.
The unit is constructed very inexpensively. I really miss the headphone output, and would have been happy to pay a few dollars more for the feature. The unit is very lightweight.
I would have preferred a more solid unit. The disc tray hangs a bit loose in the open position, and CDs don't fit down in the tray solidly. The unit does not completely turn off unless the power is cut to it, the unit has a "Standby" switch only.
Because the SACD technology is new, I did not want to buy an expensive unit for several thousand dollars at this point. I guess for the entry level price I can't expect the machine of my dreams.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good performance for price, March 2, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Philips DVD763SA Multi-Channel SACD/DVD Player (Electronics)

At $... w/free shipping, this player is about the least expensive DVD/SACD player I have come across. I am very happy w/the DVD playback and the sound of SACD.

I have one cause for concern regarding SACD playback, though: When I put in hybrid CD/SACD, the player often refuses to recognize the SACD layer and only plays the CD layer. It usually takes a few times of putting the SACD in before it will recognize and play the SACD layer. It is very frustrating when I put an SACD in and can only get CD.

Overall though, the features work great. The remote and menu system are a bit complex at first, but they soon become fairly easy to navigate.

15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DVD plus great-sounding SACD, January 22, 2003

By 

D. R. Schryer (Poquoson, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Philips DVD763SA Multi-Channel SACD/DVD Player (Electronics)

This is a good DVD player at a very reasonable price. But it has an additional feature which makes it very special: in addition to DVDs and regular CDs, it plays the new SACDs -- which are the finest sounding recordings currently available.

When conventional CDs became available they displaced LPs in the marketplace because of their small size and the fact that their sound did not degrade with the ticks and pops that even the best-maintained LPs eventually acquire. But, despite these advantages -- as well as significant improvements in CD sound over time with technological advances such as oversampling -- many connoisseurs maintained that CDs never achieved the warmth and high-frequency sweetness characteristic of top-grade audiophile LPs. Now that has changed. Super Audio CDs are superior in sound to the finest audiophile-quality LPs I've ever heard. Furthermore, even conventional CDs played on a SACD player sound better than they do on typical CD players. In fact, the best conventional CDs in my collection equal audiophile-quality LPs in sound when played on a SACD player and the new SACDs sound even better. If you're going to buy a DVD player, why not get one like which also plays both CDs and the new terrific-sounding SACDs?