Customer Reviews

Sony DVPCX995V 400-Disc DVD Mega Changer/Player

5 star:		(89)
4 star:		(106)
3 star:		(48)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(39)

 

 

I have had the previous version (985V) for about two years now, and most of this review will refer to differences between the two. I have enjoyed the ability to store all my DVD's in one place (I have three children; and this prevents them from having to sort through the movies by hand).

The software is mediocre at best, though a large improvement over the 985V. The menu is much faster and allows scrolling by page. The folders (A, B, C, & D) now support labeling of more than three characters (a plus), though getting to the custom folders is a bit more cumbersome. Labeling remains nearly the same; a PS/2 keyboard is an obvious MUST. The remote control layout has been slightly redesigned, though I am not yet sure it was an improvement. I have read others reporting on the quietness when compared to the 985V, though I haven't noticed much difference. The load and disc change speed seam unchanged.

Several others have reported issues placing this monster into their entertainment cabinet, shelf, etc... due to its massive size. It is quite large and homework should be done to eliminate a VERY aggravating experience.

The video set-up functions are useful and probably similar to the much more expensive 777ES; though this may not be useful to an individual who has the ability to set up their TV specifically for this input.

Ok, so it is a great idea and a bit short on the software (disc explorer), but it is very functional. I don't think anyone will complain too much when only spending a bit over $300 for this monster.

Sony has a long history of maintaining proprietary connections and connectivity. This until does NOT support RS-232 connection, Ethernet connections, firewire etc... These players will NOT connect in series, nor will the software support multiple players. The 985V had a selectable switch in the back to allow up to three players to operate independently with the remotes (not very useful, but at least it's there if you need it). The 995V does not have that function.

The video quality: Yup, the HDMI works quite well with my Sony 50" LCD TV (KDF-50WE655). I've verified functionality of 480P, 720P, and 1080i via the HDMI connection. The video quality from the 480P and 720P are nearly identical (I can't tell a difference). The 1080i produces a grainier picture. I have done tests with several motion pictures (Lord of the Rings, Monsters Inc, Spider Man) using fast motion pictures and still images. ALL tell the same tale; No difference between 480P and 720P. The 1080i setting consistently losses the quality comparison. To be honest, this is no surprise, due to the native resolution of the DVD (480). It's just a novelty to see 720P or 1080i on the screen with a DVD input. The video quality is very good.

My recommendation: This is NOT a player to consider IF you are considering upgrading from the 985V, unless it is based solely on the software upgrade. It is an improvement. Video quality remains the same. I do NOT recommend using the very expensive HDMI cable. Use the component video out and you will not be missing anything (unless you're a gadget freak like me). Audio quality remains excellent

If you are considering a DVD Mega-Changer, then within this price range (there are no competitors yet) you will not be disappointed. This unit is far from perfect, but is a very functional player.

Addressing the DVD Changer Myth's:

"My data (titles) will all be lost if the power goes out." NOPE... It will hold them in memory for at least 30 minutes (that was the longest test I'd seen)

"The search function will not find any titles... what a piece of crap" Sorry, not a problem with the player, this is caused by the retail manufactures of the DVD's not placing this data on the DVD. Back-up you copy and use titlewriter. Then burn it. You will have your title automatically recognized.

"High Def from a DVD will look awesome on my TV" Sorry to disappoint you but you will find that the native resolution of the DVD is 480. This unit "upscales" the resolution to provide the high-def image. It is not truly high def. Many TV's actually have scalers built in to upscale the image. This may be the reason for no noticeable improvement on my system?

"This player automatically starts the last movie selected when powered up". Yup it sure does... and that really stinks. If you stop the movie while rolling credits, just hit the stop button once. Once your player powers up, it will begin where it left off. You can immediately Stop the video from that point. If not, you will be forced to view the FBI warning, THX audio scene, etc...

I hope this review helps others make a bit more informed decision when it comes to this specific player. Overall I am satisfied with my purchase and would buy again.

One small but potentially important correction to Bill's review for those who (like me) have or want to have multiple changers: this unit *DOES* support multiple command modes, allowing for up to three players to be controlled independently. Bill is right that this unit doesn't have the command mode switch on the back to control this behavior -- instead, the command mode is set from the front panel. (See page 16 of the manual in the link above.)

The Sony DVP-CX995V. Hmmm. Let's get the obvious out of the way.

Yes. It will play your movies, your CD's and MP3's. The picture and sound is more than acceptable.

Yes. It will hold a lot of discs in a relatively compact space and eliminate clutter in your A/V / Home Theater Room.

Saying that, the product falls short of being truly usable for its intended purpose. The interface is horrific...and that is coming from a confirmed gadget geek who loves to play with the latest electronic wonders. I am very disappointed that Sony would put a product like this on the market.

Some of the simplest things you would expect of the DVP-CX995V are missing or very cumbersome. For example, it would seem obvious that with 400 discs, there would be some quick and efficient method to select a disc such as keying in the disc slot from the keypad. Wrong. You either manually turn the disc skip control on the unit, or repeatedly press the "disc skip" on the remote while the player sequential spins the carousel (or repeatedly paging through screens of titles on a television). Thankfully, on the player there is a button that allows you to skip 100 discs at a time so that you only have to manually go forward or backward, may be 50 slots. Yes. It is that primitive.

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UPDATE - 2/03/2006 - I learned from another user the following shortcut (which is not documented): With the remote switch set to "DVD", press the "Display / File" button on the remote. This will bring up the Control Menu 1 screen with the number of the disc currently playing highlighted in the first entry. Pressing the "Enter" button on the remote will clear the number and allow you to key in a new disc number. Press the "Enter" button and the player should now begin the process of changing to the disc you selected. Press the "Display / File" button until the menu screen toggles off.
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The unit does not allow you to enter and save programs for favorite CD's. The closest you can do is to categorize the discs by artist, genre, etc and then select that group to play. This information needs to be keyed into the player. However, a disc (slot) can only be assigned to one category. This leads to the next item.

The highly touted ability to enter and create a library of title information is flawed because the player loses its memory if it is without power for less than 24 hours. I live in Florida...this is an issue. Even if you live in an area which has stable power, what if you want to move or unplug the unit? It boggles my mind that in an era when you can buy 128MB of non-volatile flash memory for less than $20, why does this unit have this problem?.

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UPDATE - 2/03/2006 - I have started the process of entering disc information of my DVD collection into the player. You have two options: (1) Insert all your discs into the player at the same time and hit the "Load" button on the front panel of the player. The player then sequentially mounts every disc in the player and attempts to read disc information if it is available. As others have pointed out, probably less than 10% of current discs have any information so this doesn't buy you much. You will then need to use a keyboard to enter title information for the remaining discs, as well as artist, genre and selecting a folder if you want to use that options. BTW, you cannot just select a slot number and begin to type in data and then put the disc into the slot. The player must load every disc first before it will allow you to enter any data. Apparently the player must know what type of disc is in the slot first (it will categorize disc type automatically - DVD, CD, CD-Data, etc.) If you have been following this process, you should recognize a problem...how do you know what disc information to enter (unless you have already written it out and carefully inserted the discs into the proper slot number)? This means you will have likely have to wait for the player to again mount the disc, wait through the interminable FBI warnings, etc before you can determine what disc is playing in order to enter the title information. (2)The second option which I have been doing is to load 10 - 15 discs at time, hit play and wait for the player to spin the discs around to the back and allow it to mount and begin reading the disc. At that point, with the remote selector switch in the "Disc Explorer" position, I hit the "Stop" button and then press the "Folder" button which brings upon the "Disc Explorer" menu. I keep the empty disc cases in the same order as I loaded the discs and then enter then disc information for the current disc. Once the data is saved, you index down to the next slot on the "Disc Explorer" menu , press play, wait while the player dismounts the current disc and then mounts the new disc and starts reading. Etc. Etc. Etc. Expect to spend 2 minutes total for each disc you want to file. I currently have approximately 300 DVD's in my library. An Excel spreadsheet is starting to look pretty attractive. One other oddity, if the disc does have text information, the player will not allow you to edit or override it. My DVD of "Independence Day" has a title of "ID4" which the player picks up and will not allow me to correct.
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By the way, the DVP-CX995V is s-l-o-w to mount and read a disc. Forget about shuffle play of tracks between CD discs.

I was disappointed to learn that this player will not read MP3's from DVD media like the other current Sony players do. Given the slowness of the unit, it would be nice to collapse 30 or 40 albums of music onto a single DVD but it is not there.

Yes, the player forces you to wait 20-30 seconds upon startup while it loads and reads the information from the last disc played....whether you want to play it or not. This is such a simple bug...why doesn't Sony fix it.

Yes. You will need to read the manual. This must be the least intuitive machine I have ever used. "Steep learning curve" would be an understatement. After playing with it for over a week, I don't understand what Sony was thinking about when they designed the DVP-CX995V. It doesn't have to be this hard.

Not really a weakness but be sure your cabinent or shelving is strong and large enough. The unit is over 21 inches deep. With video component cables extended out the back, you should allow at least another 1-2 inches. Think about how heavy 400 DVD/CD discs weigh and add-in the weight of the player.

Prior to buying this player, I read some of the negative reviews and thought they were written by the sort of person who gets confused setting up a VCR or using a remote control. Well, I was wrong. In fact, I don't understand the positive reviews that you will find listed.

Bottom line. Unless you must have a player that can store 400 pieces of media, avoid the DVP-CX995V. Save your money and peace of mind. You will thank me. Hear me now...believe me later.

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UPDATE - 02/03/2006 - After owning for over a month, my opinion hasn't really changed much about the DVP-CX995V. Video and audio performance are OK but nothing to get excited about. Although I am starting to learn and get use to its quirks and limitations, I'm not sure if it is worth all the trouble because it is so unusable. Definitely a niche product. On the other hand, when you consider all that it does, at $300 it isn't a bad deal. Still, I would not recommend this product without reservations.

Just to set the stage - I know my electronics as I have been dealing with this stuff for over 25 years in all categories. In my Home Entertainment System I have a big screen HDTV and a Yamaha AV system with a set of Klipsh speakers and this is my first review on any product. I own 4 DVD players (3 are Sony's). I have over 300 DVD's with 7 kids. You can see why I wanted to protect my investment.

I think we all recognize that over the years, electronics has become more and more disposable and I have certainly cycled through electronic equipment. This is certainly the case with this product. After loading all the discs and information on the discs which took one Saturday, we started to enjoy the convenience of having all the discs in the player. Then it happened. One day all the data was gone. There was no power outage. Fortunately I have the DVD information on the computer. But I was bothered. I called Sony and after 3 hours of talking to a number of people (mostly telephone receptionists who are paid to screen out calls) knew less about the product than my 75 year old mother. I finally demanded to talk to a technician who talked to other technicians (and so-on) who finally concluded that I probably had a bad memory chip on the mother board. Whew!

After that bad experience, I debated for a day as to send it back for a (a refurbished unit in exchange for my near new one) - this is Sony's idea of a full one year warrantee. I thought that if the physical RAM is bad then it may lead to other problems; so I reluctantly unloaded my machine knowing the task ahead when I get the replacement. I then had to ship it to Texas which cost me $35 of which Sony will not pay. I was the told the turnaround time, once received in Texas would be 5 days.

Two weeks later I had heard nothing from Sony so I called. After spending another hour on the calling tree, I finally found someone who could update me - which was they had lost my machine and had no record of receiving it. Fortunately I had my UPS tracking number and proved to them that a guy named Gomez signed for it at their shop. This caused them to search more until they finally realized that they sent my broken machine to some poor chap in Arizona by mistake. I stated that I simply want a replacement and that this is there problem. There response was that we need to first get your machine back from this guy (of which they wasn't sure who it was) and then they can repair it and send it back. I reminded them of their policy and demanded a replacement to be sent that day - their response was I'll get back to you. No one did so I called the next day - you can either send me a replacement or a refund.

This type of discussion went on for hours as I talked to different people (they do not have direct numbers at Sony's Customer Service). Each time I called I had to review the whole story because they wouldn't note it in the computer.

To make this long story shorter, I might get another machine or I might not - time will tell. I'm worn out and I've noticed that the price of this unit has dropped $100 in 4 months - what does that tell you.
I don't care what other reviews say, I will never buy another Sony product of any kind. The company has become so large they are out of touch with their costumers (just talk to their employees - I've gotten to know them well). This is a company that has diminishing quality and services.

I have answers to many of the concerns raised regarding auto play, disc explorer, auto loading, etc. But who cares - this is not the point. Sony is the point and I do not feel that we as customers need to put up with it - otherwise we all loose. So tell your friends!

I've seen the reviews of others with their title information being wiped. Well, I found my personal solution which works better than it ever could.

Use Excel or a DVD library program (like DVD Profiler). Use that to store your DVD titles, along with the disc slot number where it was stored at.

Then get a 880 or 890 Logitech Harmony Remote (don't know if the lower models work). Export the title information to a .csv file (basically a comma delimited text file). Then upload that .csv file to your Harmony remote. With that, you can store all the title information on your remote and press a button on it to play the movie! If for whatever reason the remote memory gets wiped, I can easily upload the info again using the .csv file.

Another benefit of using a program like DVD Profiler is that I can just input the UPC number to get the title information. Don't have to waste time inputting the title information manually with the keyboard into the dvd player.

Oh yes, the Sony DVPCX995V is a great jukebox DVD player also. :)

I've had my CX995V for a month and give it 5 stars for what it's best used for: conveniently storing and beautifully playing up to 400 DVDs. Forget CDs. The Sony CD carousels are much better for music CDs. They negate much of the criticism leveled at the CX995V. At $300 on Amazon, the CX995V is worth every penny for just your DVDs. And forget displaying disc information, the Disk Explorer, folders, searching, sorting, etc., etc.
It is essential that you create a simple spreadsheet on your computer as you load your DVDs. Disc number and title are really all that is needed. Don't bother with entering disc information on the CX995V, with or without a keyboard, and the real danger of losing everything with a power dropout or Sony hiccup.
Using your spreadsheet and the DISC/AMS knob, you can dial up your DVD after powering up. Press in the DISC/AMS knob and your DVD (eventually) begins to play. Is that too much trouble to play a 2-hour movie? I don't think so. When you're finished viewing, just turn the power off. Your movie will resume where you left off when you turn power on again. Yes, it will start over automatically if you've gone to the end, but just push stop and use the DISC/AMS knob to dial up your next selection.
The only thing the remote is good for is to navigate around menus, pause, fast forward or reverse, etc while you're watching a movie. Forget the myriad of other complicated, needless functions.
How difficult does it need to be to store, select,and play DVDs? Just don't forget to make the spreadsheet!
I'm sure we're going to watch a lot more of our DVDs now that we don't have to go through stacks of boxes to find what we want, struggle with the "press here to not release", and try not to drop the DVD on the floor.

Update October 18, 2007
We've had our CX995V for 18 months now, and i haven't changed my opinion. It's great.

I bought this product 15 months ago. I think it important to know that this is not an "I've had it for three days, and I love it" review. During the first year, I had very little trouble and would have rated this product much higher, but over the past few months I have seen a marked deterioration in performance. I have over three hundred discs loaded--all DVD, no CDs--and I am experiencing an inability by the player to read discs that it was able to read literally one week, and this morning, one day ago. The player is moving through disc after disc unable to read any of them.

I bought this player because I keep my discs in absolutely pristine condition. I did not want to damage them by constantly taking them out of cases or sleeves and putting them back. I do not put dirty borrowed DVDs in player, and I do not open the player door if I can avoid it. 15 months is too short a period of time for a product that costs this much money to work properly. The other DVD players I own have worked for years (and they are able to read the discs that this player cannot). I can see the day coming, and it is not far off, when this is nothing more than a 400 disc carousel, and I will have to play everything on a single disc DVD player.

Based on some of the other negative comments, I have to conclude that SONY had a great idea but failed to create the best possible player for their carousel. I did not spend all the time I did cleaning and loading my discs so I could then unload them and send the unit out to be fixed. I thought I would get at least five good years from it.

Be warned,and ask yourself: Are the positive reviews for this product from people who have owned the product for several months or a few weeks only? Pay attention to some of the negatives other people write about (which I agree with, though there is no point in restating them here.) At this point, I do not think it was worth the money, nor do I have any intention of replacing this unit with another until I have someone's assurance that it will last.

I purchased this unit to safely store my collection in a dust free, scratch free environment as we have small children who wreak havoc on DVD's. The sound and picture quality is incredible. I thought that it was a little extravigant to buy until I realized that I had already spent more than the cost of this unit on leatherette albums (25 DVD's to an album) as I have collected 300 plus DVD's over the years. When I fill this one up, I'll get another.
My only concern is the Filing of the DVD information. I filled the unit with my 300+ collection and proceeded to hit the "LOAD"
button. The unit spent a couple of hours loading and unloading each disc to "READ" the Disc info. (This can be done with the power in standby while you sleep). That amount of time is very reasonable considering I just piled over 300 DVD's into it all at one time. When all was done The unit only read the disc file information from about 1/4 to 1/3 of all the Discs. The process for manual labeling is very simple but time consuming. And I would HIGHLY !!!! recommend using a keyboard. Doing so saved alot of time. When I first loaded the discs I did not know exactly how many I had so I placed them into groups in about every 50 disc slots to "balance" the weight around the turntable. I had them in alpha order in their albums but messed that up when I loaded them around the turntable in my unecessary balancing act.Then when it was time to manualy enter the disc file info for the Discs that did not have the file info imbedded from the manufacturer, I had to manually view many of the discs to see what they were.(we're talking HOURS now) KEEP A LIST And write what number slot you put them in. It will save alot of time. Especially, if a long power outage erases the explorer info you just spent hours typing in. Once you have typed in the disc onfo into the explorer temporarily run the video output through the VCR and scroll through the folder menu as you record it. You cannot normally run the lines through the vcr as the anti copy softwre on the DVD will think you are trying to pirate it, but since you are only copying the folder menu screen it should work. When you power up the unit, The last disc viewed WILL auto start. This has shown to be very annoying to many but if you hit the "Folder" button the disc will stop and the Folder menu appears. The remote is a little hard to use. Having to slide the switch back and forth between the explorer and the DVD mode because some of the tiny buttons are multifunction is annoying. Having to start from Disc Explorer even if you know the number of the disc you want to view is just plain sad.
Overall I am very satisfied with my purchase and as I wrote earlier,When this one fills up (which won't be long) I'll get another.I do like the option of showing the disc info in the explorer menu in alpha order by using the "sort" button but it took me a few tries to figure it out.


P.S. Measure your space and make room!! It's bigger than it looks in the picture,and extra deep. the actual player part sticks out the back of the changer about 2 inches extra. I had to cut out the back of my shelf

First I want to thank Amazon for the fast shipping. Also the amazing price for this product compared to some national electronic stores makes the purchase from Amazon unbeatable. My only gripe with delivery was that the external amazon box was undamaged but when I looked at the Sony box inside, it had a large gash that ultimately led to a small dent on the DVD player case. This shows that the Amazon warehouse people are not being as careful as they should when packing products before they ship. As for the player itself, it is large...very large. Be sure you have the space in your rack to place it. It goes very deep and the power supply extends even further. A tape measure is essential before you make the purchase. Once hooked up, the player was a breeze to setup. Simple setup instructions in the manual, covering every possible configuration for video and audio was clearly shown and the menu configuration for the player was easy to follow. The time consuming effort is loading the DVD's into the changer for the first time and cataloging them. I loaded 196 DVD's and it took the player about 90 minutes to scan them and the rest of the time was spent adding additional information about the DVD itself (Overall about 4 hours). The player only picked up about 20% of the DVD title information automatically. Even then you had to add artist information and genre yourself. Make sure you have the DVD cases sorted out in the exact same order as you load the DVD's or you will have to play each one one at a time to see what is in the slot. To add information with the remote will probably make you want to return this item after you have make the 50th mistake on the 4th DVD. A PS2 keyboard can be attached and is the only way to quickly add the right information. Once everything was loaded, the disc explorer was intuitive and easy to use. I now enjoy complete access to my DVD collection and the pile of DVD cases that used to sit next to my TV have a new home in the attic. Lastly, the video quality using component video and audio using optical is outstanding on my Sony 50" DLP TV and Bose Acoustimas 1200 system. I don't think I will ever see a movie theater again. 4 out of 5.

Warning: These multi-disc changers from SONY scratched $200 of my DVD's. Buy at your own risk but the unit I purchased from Amazon has ruined many DVDs with arc-shaped scratches running from the outside of the disc inward. You risk ruining your DVD collection with these multi changers. The added convenience is not worth the risk. Deserves negative stars.