Customer Reviews

Yamaha DVDC950 5-disc DVD/SACD Changer

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ever since I discovered this player in the summer of 2005, I have been highly impressed with how much it met both my normal and oddball demands. As a student of Musical Theatre, Opera, Classical vocal and choral literature, and Jazz and Classical piano, DVD-AUDIO and SACD capabilities are of great importance to me because there are a lot of titles especially in the Classical genre available in these formats. One thing that sets this player apart from the other manufacturers' players is Yamaha's CD UpSampling feature. For those titles which are currently only available on CD and possibly will never be released on DVD-AUDIO and/or SACD, this option converts standard CDs to the quality of DVD-AUDIO. On the Musical Theatre, Opera, and choral side of things, this player is capable of playing both NTSC (North American) and PAL (European) DVDs on corresponding as well as opposite TVs. For certain titles in these genres, the North American editions are either four percent slower in tempo and picture movement and flatter in pitch than the European editions due to the method of PAL-to-NTSC conversion used by the distributors of such DVDs, or do not include as many bonus features as their original European counterparts. Sometimes, it can be the other way around, except the European editions might be four percent faster and sharper and have less bonus material than their original North American counterparts. On both ends of the spectrum, if the audio pitch is corrected without changing the audio speed to keep the picture and sound in synch, a subaudible breaking-up effect may be noticed as the result of slight artifacts from slightly bending or stretching the pitch in the conversion process. However, because of this player's bicompatibility with both color systems, I have the freedom to choose and purchase whatever editions are the best. Although it is not in the manual, this player can be made multi-region compatible including RCE DVDs. Turn on the DVD player. Make sure there are no discs loaded. With the tray open, using its supplied remote control, slowly press 99990. Wait for the 'Region 0' message to disappear. Close the tray. Now you can play any kind of optical disc without thinking about it. The only little flaw with this player's firmware is that when the 'All Discs' repeat mode is selected, when playing DVDs, after playing through all the titles, instead of moving on to the next disc, it returns to the home menu. If Yamaha could do a minor revision to the firmware which engages that same menu bipass as when repeating a single DVD, the machine would change DVDs automatically. I discovered this by reauthoring DVDs without any of their menus using DVD Shrink Version 3.2. In conclusion, if you are looking for a DVD player with one hundred percent compatibility all across the board, you have come to the right place!* *Others have reported problems playing 'Dual Discs'--a type of disc which includes DVD-VIDEO on one side or layer, and CD DIGITAL AUDIO on another, also known as 'Hybrids.' However, big names, such as Panasonic, Sony, and Pioneer, do not recommend using these discs in their players. This is not to be confused with 'Hybrid' type SACDs, which many, including the Yamaha DVDC950 will support.

EDIT: Get the new dvd-c961 instead. There are many improvements, including putting the SACD audio on the hdmi output (need an hdmi 1.2a or 1.3 receiver to use this feature).

I upgraded to this after having the DVD-C6760, because I wanted the DVD-Audio and HDMI support. As well as getting those features, I find that the picture is also better (even on component video) and the response time is much faster than the older player. This works great with both SACD and DVD-Audio. Also, it's built really solidly -- not some lightweight crap.

- Usage Notes: it doesn't have iLink output, so you will ONLY get SACD/DVD-A multichannel audio if you connect up the six analog audio cables, even if you (like I) normally use the optical or RF digital output. This is the same for all SACD and DVD-A players that don't have the high-end output (e.g. see the Yamaha DVD-S2500). Also, if you want to use the resume feature, you have to hit the "play" key while it still says "loading disk xx" on the screen.

EDIT: I successfully played a region 2 PAL format DVD on this (with a standard US TV). This player really does it all! (region-free hack is available by googling a bit).

This is a really good lookin unit and so far has worked flawlessly.To start, the remote is not much of one, but it works.Kinda cheap, even cheap looking.If you want to load or begin on a specific disc you have to press the same button on the romote repeatedly, and when you go to load all 5 discs two of the slots only come out half way but, when you want to change a disc or two while one is playing that is the only slot that dose not come fully out.One thing I really like is the tray does not rotate when you open it everytime like some units.And, as far as I can figure there is no way to scroll the text after the initial scroll.Plus, it seems that the text on tv screen is limited to just a few letters.The unit upconverts the picture to 1080i to match my Hitachi and I have to say its a gorgeous picture.I went from a Kenwood DV5700 that had the DCDI chip on it, and it had a gorgeous progressive scan picture and the fact that this unit had the chip was a major selling point, little did I know hooking up via HDMI/DVI to the tv it bypasses the DCDI chip.I wont be missing it,the picture is that sweet.The unit has several picture adjustments that I havent felt the need to play with yet.But nice to know they are there.The fact this is a universal player was the biggest selling point for me, and so far it had played everything I have threw at it,dvdr's,vcd's, cd's, mp3's, dvd-audio's,dual disc's,etc.I havent tried sacd's yet, but give me time.I really dont care for the orange lettering and numbering on the display. I wish I could change the colors but no big deal.Overall I wouldn't hesitate in buying this unit again.The few minor complaints are just that, minor gripes about things this player dosent do that I have had on other players that I liked.

Being used, unit arrived a bit dusty, both inside and out, but was quickly cleaned and worked just fine. The loading mechanism doesn't inspire confidence even though it hasn't failed. Difficulty in finding a DVD and SACD combo yields it an extra star.

The biggest problem is that it does not shuffle if you have multiple SACD's in the changer. Only regular CD's will random shuffle.

After my Sony changer passed on, I started looking for a unit that was A) a changer and B) and SA-CD player (maybe the most important feature). When I bought this, upscaling and HDMI were not issues for me because I still had an SD TV. First off, I really love the player. I like it a lot. It's solid and loaded with features and easy to set up (if you have DVD-A, you can set how you want the player to respond by default-- play the DVD video or as a DVD-A disc... pretty handy!).

Since people have been praising it pretty roundly already, let me get to my complaints:

1) The structure is odd. I haven't popped it open, but I'm guessing that there isn't much bracing under the cover. Right now I have it at the bottom of a stack of 3 pieces of equipment: receiver (RX-V630), an AC-3 RF demodulator (another piece of yamaha equipment), and this player. The problem is that with that load on top of it, it has a hard time fully opening. I had to put additional support under the demodulator to move weight to the outside of the C950 so it could open fully, albeit with a slight *knock* as it gets to those final couple of inches. I have been looking for alternatives, but I'm limited at the moment (and I'm sure not putting it on top of the receiver or amplifiers).

2) When it goes to "sleep," it doesn't wake back up. If I don't power it down with the button, say if I pause a movie or CD or whatever for a phone call and the unit powers itself down, it won't wake back up. It will start powering on and then freeze. I've let it sit for 45 minutes just to see if it would eventually unstick. The only option is to unplug it-- it's in a switched outlet on the back of my receiver, so this isn't a huge deal, but I just don't like toggling the power on my receivers quickly... maybe I'm paranoid.

3) Occasionally, infrequently, it won't find the HDMI connection and default to analog. When the problem occurs, it's most frequently when the TV is not on the DVD player's input, the solution has been to either unplug and reconnect HDMI or just toggle the power on the TV with it on the correct input. Again, it will sometimes self-correct after I change the TV to the dvd's input, but sometimes it won't. I wish I could just set it to use HDMI and forget about the analog connections. Oh well.

But really, those gripes are pretty dang minor compared to the features this player has. I really, really like SA-CDs and DVD-As, and for the price, this is a great unit compatible with both formats. Not to mention the basic handiness of a DVD changer. I never thought I'd see the point, but when I just want some background noise while I work on something, it sure is great to be able to load up a TV series, a movie series, or just a few different discs and have several hours of play time. Make those DVDs into DivX discs and you might be able to load up days of video! Oh, did i mention the DivX playback? It has that, too. :)

Ordered the Yamaha DVD-C950 to replace a JVC DVD/VHS unit [bye-bye VHS tapes], A Pioneer DVD/SACD single disc player [connected only for SACD], and an old Technics 5-CD carousel player. [Cables, cables, everywhere!]

Purchased through Amazon supplier, "Discount Jungle." First, I tried a refurbished unit: apparently DOA. Emailed Yamaha support; they returned email within a day, and, after several email exchanges, confirmed the unit itself [and not the operator] was malfunctioning. Returned unit; ordered a new,i.e., not refurbished, unit. "Discount Jungle" was both courteous and prompt in their dealings.

New unit produced first-rate video and audio, but... The unit requires gentle handling and patience during set-up. This is my first experience with this type of unit, and it [at least the Yamaha] functions at its own pace, i.e., slowly. It's not impossible - it just operates more deliberately than, say, the standard 5-disc CD changer it replaced.

The drawer had a tendency to stick at first, and required either a gentle wiggle, or a re-push of the open/close button to work. However, now it is operating fine.

Frankly I found the included manual barely adequate: not enough detailed info [although it appears in a bazillion languages] and too-small print [for an old guy, at least]. It would be nice if manufacturers would provide a more detailed manual online. There are many, many choices you must make during set up, and a more detailed explanation of why you should -- or should not -- make a particular selection would be nice.