RCA RC5220P DVD Player

by RCA

Product Details

Product Manual [964kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 20.3 x 18.8 x 8.2 inches ; 12.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 13 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: B00000J05A
• Item model number: RC5220P
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (85 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #198,514 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

RCA's RC5220P DVD-video player is everything you'd want in a basic, budget model: a slim, lightweight player with extensive features at a good price. The RC5220P's S-video and composite-video outputs, well served by the player's state-of-the-art 10-bit digital video converters, deliver a clear, sharp image. This feature is excellent for a sub-$300 DVD player.

In the audio realm, we found the RC5220P to sound as good as other players in its price range, with an above-average-sounding headphone jack. The player outputs both Dolby Digital and DTS surround-sound formats through a single, switchable Toslink optical connection. Because the Toslink is an optical connector, you need to make sure that your surround receiver or processor accepts optical inputs rather than the standard coaxial inputs. Some of the higher-end audio options that you forego by purchasing this lower-priced model are six-channel analog audio outputs and a more common digital connection type in a dedicated coaxial (rather than Toslink) output.

Connection issues aside, the player offers a host of minor features that together help chisel "bargain" right across the RC5220P's name. Among these are parental lock-out, bookmarking, and RF-adapter capability. With parental lock-out, you can code the RC5220P to play no discs at all or only discs bearing certain user-determined ratings. Using bookmarks, the player can instantly recall up to 10 favorite moments within a DVD or CD. (Bookmarks clear when you remove the disc.) Finally, the RF adapter permits you to use the RC5220P with older televisions that may not have S-Video or composite-video inputs.

Setup was quick and simple, taking only minutes from cracking open the box to enjoying a movie or CD. Programming was a breeze; the only primary programming feature not obvious from the get-go was the track-skip feature on the supplied remote control. But the clear, well-written manual clarified this. For dollar-conscious AV enthusiasts, you can't do much better.

Pros:

• Good picture and sound
• Tons of features
• Easy to integrate with older systems
• Rapid setup

Cons:

• Player froze up once during review
• Front panel display doesn't show DVD track number
• Headphone jack uses buttons rather than rotary knob

Product Description

w/Dolby Digital & DTS BIt Stream output, universal TV remote

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great beginners DVD player, November 30, 1999

By 

"matthewhenry" (Simpsonville, SC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: RCA RC5220P DVD Player (Electronics)

After reading the reviews here I was very skeptical about purchasing this unit. I have several RCA components and wanted RCA because their stuff works so well together. Sure enough, we bought the unit, plugged it in, and our existing RCA TV remote started controlling the DVD player without a hitch (of course the remote that comes with the DVD unit also controlled all of our other RCA units without a hitch too). We even rented Bugs life to make sure ours wasn't one of the "bad" units. Everything worked fine, even in wide screen mode!

99 of 106 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Great DVD player for about 2 months, November 24, 1999

By 

Allen Oliver (Orlando, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: RCA RC5220P DVD Player (Electronics)

I bought one of these for my father after seeing how great my roommate's was but after 2-3 months both of them started flickering and would freeze up from time to time and now my fathers only plays about half the DVDs he owns and my roommates can't get through 20 minutes of a movie without flickering then locking up. I found out from talking to people on the internet that about half of these units have MAJOR hardware issues. Buyer Beware.

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, May 23, 2000

By 

Mark Fleming (Laurel, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: RCA RC5220P DVD Player (Electronics)

The Good
I must say I love this DVD player. The first one I have owned and it playes great. I use the A/V jacks into a 28 inch Phillips Mag TV and it looks like a movie screen. I'm so spoilled that I don't even rent VHS tapes anymore. I had one problem with a rented DVD (Wag the Dog). But once I cleaned the disk like the manual says it played perfectly. The stero sound is great too. A quick tip though.
If you don't have a receiver and just use your TV for sound, in the system setup choose PCM sound and high compression for the best sound. No compression makes you have to turn the TV up real high in order to hear clearly.
Make sure the sound on your DVD player matches the one on your DVD when watching movies. I bought The Best Man for my lady and the player was set for Dolby while the disk was sending DTS. Result, no sound and 5 minutes of PANIC. Just match them up again and all is fine.
The Bad
Not being able to burn your own Audio CDs is a bit of a moan. But once you play the Matrix for the first time you get over it. I am mad that I can't play burned Video CDs. Wanted to archive my collection of Kung-Fu movies and tapped Saturday morning Cartoons. But in a year I should be able to upgrade my pc and get a second DVD player for the bedroom so I could do that then.
The Ugly
All the reports I have heard about the DVD player had made me kinda scared about my future with the RC5220P. The review seem to be about 65% to 35% in favor. I am almost past the 2 month mark so I will do a follow up if anything happens. But so far I am on happy camper.