Customer Reviews

Zenith DVB318 1080i Progressive-Scan DVD Player

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3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Just bought Zenith DVB318 to go with Infocus X1a projector. Here are few observations, that may be helpful to undecided:
1) This is an excellent player for upconversion through component video. There are only handful around and this is probably the best choice. And a good lookin' one
2) For upconversion through DVI I would probably go with Denon 1910 for its better sound.
3) There is noticeable difference in 1080i picture quality over 480p. Don't expect true HD, but you can see sharper and more detailed images (like objects in the background for example).
4) If you already own a good progressive DVD player (Faroudja or better equipped) you should be fine, without throwing extra cash around. Otherwise especially with larger TV sets or projectors - this player is a great value for the money.
5) The latest version (mine is dated October 2004) lacks the component video upscaling. However, downgrading the operating software (older version is freely available on the net) will enable the component video upconversion and multi-system capability. Sweeet!

Late in April 2004 I purchased a Zenith HDTV receiver - C27V36, Zenith HD receiver - HDV420 and Zenith DVD player - DVB312, as my initial foray into the HDTV world. In early January 2005, I became aware fo the Zenith DVB318 DVD player which promised a 1080i DVI upconversion of the standard 480p DVD format. At less than $ 200.00 with a Faroudji chip (as was also present in the HDTV receiver) the DVB318 also would allow me to also utilize the DVI connection on the Zenith HDTV receiver. The DVB318 (as connected to the above system) has surpassed my highest expectations for delivering an remarkably enhanced quality to my DVD playback. The DVB318 unit I received has a build date of October 2004. Initially, after connecting the DVB318 to the Zenith HDTV receiver, I was disappointed with the image quality, which seemed no better than the DVB312 which I'd earlier used with the sytem. The "upconversion" button on the front of the case, when depressed did not appear to alter the displayed image, making me wonder if I had received a defective unit. (...). The operations manual did not provide a hint to solve the problem I had encountered. To access the 720p or 1080i modes, one first turns on the HDTV, then turns on the DVB318 - WITHOUT a DVD disk in the player. After the initial welcome and DVD screen is displayed on the HDTV, depress the "upconversion" button - the screen display will show a signal adjustment to the 720p mode. A second depression of the "upconversion" button will bring the screen display into the 1080i mode. For some reason, following the same procedure with a DVD disk in IN the unit will not allow you to make this initial upconversion adjustment. It appears that the upconversion adjustment only needs to be done once, when using the DVI connectors. It does not appear that this process needs to be repeated each time the DVB318 is turned on - so apparently the 1080i selection is held in the system's memory. As for the image quality of standard 480p DVDs played on the DVB318 at the 1080i setting - the quality is Superb in every aspect and far exceeds my initial expectations for the unit.

Well, unfortunately, Dave is the one who is incorrect. Zenith has, in fact, partially discontinued the upconversion across the component video outputs. On the newly build units (build date of July 2004 and later), the firmware has been updated in the instrument. You can still select the upconversion feature, but if the disc has macrovision protection, it won't work correctly. Note, this is for the upconversion over component only -- DVI works fine, regardless of firmware version. There are some very good AV forums out there who have documented this very well. If interested in the details, do some searching.

The December 2003 and March 2004 build dates still have the old firmware that allows unrestricted upconversion via component. I ordered on 9/23/04. The unit shipped 9/27/04. I received a December 2003 build date unit.

So, there are lots of units still out there that have unrestricted upconversion across component, just no new ones being built.

On my Mitsubishi 65" CRT RPTV (WS-65315), the 1080i upconversion output on the Zenith looks the same (PQ) as the 480p output from a new Pana S27 I had.

One big plus is that the Zenith gives you a bunch of good cables. The S-Video cable (if you use that type of video connection) is the best S-Video cable I've ever received with a component -- nice quality. The composite cables are the same old stuff. But, it also comes with a pretty stout DVI cable. DVI cables are very expensive, so to get one with the unit is a big plus.

Good luck.

I easily connected the DVB318 to my Panasonic LCD HDTV and was completely amazed at the difference it made. I connected mine with the furnished DVI cable and was rewarded with a picture that rivaled even Discovery HD Theater. I am aware that it is not true High Definition, but the picture quality when using the 1080i upconversion is close enough that I can't readily tell the difference. This player easily out performs any player I have ever had with some costing 3 times as much. Hats off to LG Electronics who manufactures the Zenith.

This DVD player is great. The upconverting to 1080i for DVD really makes your DVD picture quality approach HDTV levels. I use it connected to my HDTV over the component outputs, since the one DVI connection is used by my HD-Satellite connection. I got mine for VERY cheap on Amazon.com just last week, and it plays like hi-end expensive DVD players in the $500-1000 range. It has the same electronic upconvert chip as the expensive ones.
Think about your great HDTV only getting 5-10 HD channels. The rest of the time your are watching SDTV or 480 line DVDs. What a waste of your investment.
IMPORTANT- the new versions have a block to stop you upconverting copy-protected DVDs, so it is only 20% useful.
BUT, do a search on LGROMOUT on the internet and get the firmware that allows you to upconvert ANY DVD to 1080i. It is well worth the trouble for the result. (Make your friends jealous!!)

If you want the Zenith DBV318 to use with a DVI connection there are probably better players out there. But for component upscaling to 1080i this is a steal. Quality deinterlacing and upscaling provided by the Faroudja 2310 chip. Oddly it does not deliver a good 480p picture, so buy it for 1080i upscaling only.

It's true that players with a July 2004 build date and later will not do 1080i upscaling through component with copy protected DVD's (pretty much any movie you would rent or buy.) But there is firmware that will that will restore the full 1080i upscaling over component. [...] And it is easy to use if you carefully follow the instructions

I received my DVB318 from amazon this week, and it had a June 2005 manufactured date. It had the newer firmware that does NOT allow 1080i over component (it will kick you back down to 480p even if you set it to do 1080i). I found the firmware file named LV700i1.bin on the web, renamed it to lgromout.bin and burned it to a CD-R in data mode using Roxio Toast on Mac OS X. Popped it in the DVB318 and successfully updated the firmware. I am now able to play standard DVD's in 1080i over component video. If you don't want 1080i via component, you can still get 1080i via DVI without updating the firmware.

My old DVD player is a Panasonic 480p progressive scan. My TV is a 30" widescreen Panasonic HDTV CRT. The 1080i picture from the DVB318 is noticeably better than the 480p on my old player. It's obviously not "true HD" like what Blu-ray/HD-DVD specs promise, but the DVB318 produces perhaps the best picture one can squeeze out of a standard definition DVD. In conjunction with my TV at 1080i it does a better job at showing the contrast in dark areas, which were sometimes too dark in 480p. Also, much of the compression artifacts (dots) you see in the dark areas from mpeg2 encoding appear to be less noticeable at 1080i. Be sure to readjust your TV's color/brightness/contrast settings when you switch to 1080i from 480p for optimal viewing.

Some positive features:
+ Compared to 480p, 1080i picture has better edge definition and flicker-free motion.
+ Auto-play feature. When this feature is enabled, the player will start playing the longest title on the disc (typically the main feature) about 15-20 seconds after you pop in a disc, thereby skipping all the trailers, commercials, studio warnings, and menus. Very nice feature.
+ Scene memory. If you eject a disc during playback and put it back in, or turn the power off and on, it will remember where you left off.
+ Programmable remote with 3-digit codes for VCR, CATV, and TV. Nothing fancy. Limited usefulness.

Some minor negatives about the DVB318:
- There is no way to see the Time Remaining when playing a DVD title. You can only see the Time Elapsed. But it does show which chapter you're on and total number of chapters.
- Does not display subtitles or output audio when scanning at 2x. My old Panasonic 480p player could do both. Not really necessary, but comes in handy occasionally when watching a boring movie.
- Unconventional button layout on the remote takes a little getting used to.
- Simulated 3D sound does not sound very 3D or good. Stick with normal audio setting or use Dolby Digital/DTS.

Lastly, do not buy this player if you're looking for 480p only. There are better 480p players out there, and most likely will cost less than the DVB318. The main reason to buy the DVB318 is for 1080i over component (at least it was for me). If that's what you're looking for, you will not be disappointed.

Please note that your mileage may vary depending on the type of TV you have (projection, DLP, CRT, LCD, plasma, etc), and the type of connection you use (DVI vs component). I have not used DVI, so can't comment on that.

I only bought this DVD player because it has a DVI output which can't be found on any other DVD players. When I received this DVD player I was eager to hook the DVI cable to my inFocus Screenplay projector. I was very surprised to find out that the DVI connector didn't fit on the projector DVI plug.

Only after some research I found out that the DVD has a DVD-D output and the projector has a M1-DA DVI input. First I thought that I just made a mistake by buying this DVD player but then I did a search on the Internet and found out that there's a cable for this situation:

M1 to DVD-D cable (sp-dvi-d)

I wished I would have know this when I ordered this DVD player so I could have had both ready at the same time.

The DVD player plays recorded movies just like brand new movies and the picture quality is awesome, even with the component cables!

I recieved the player yesterday. I purchased it specifically to use the upscaling to 1080i on component output. I have a Toshiba rear projection HD that was manufactured prior to DVI. The difference between the native 480P and the upscaled 1080i is barely noticeable. Not a bad thing... both look great.

My only complaints are minor and are with the remote. The layout is inane. The centrally located buttons that are arranged like cursor control buttons perform the stop/pause/play/chapter functions. The cursor control are smaller, less comfortable buttons at the top of the remote. The layout didn't really matter to me as I programmed them to my universal remote.

My real problem is with the Fast Forward/Reverse jogging feature. Standard remotes increase the search speed with each push. The Zenith remote has a jog wheel. It is actually very useful and works nicely... but can't be transferred easily to a learning remote. The best I could do was to make buttons do a 2X fast forward/reverse on my universal.

A nice new feature is that the unit "sleeps" when it hasn't been used for a while. It turns on when you press either the PLAY or OPEN buttons on the remote.

I tried a few DVD's that had given my cheap player prooblems and all played flawlessly.

Got mine 2 days ago. It does the upconversion to 1080i well. I have it connected via my receiver to a projector. Unfortunately, it is the most unreliable DVD player I've seen. Freezes up at any given time. Has skipped a couple of time while playing. Constantly have problems reading a disc (CD/DVD)when first inserted. I still have not finished a single DVD movie on this one. May be a dud. I'm having it replaced with another one from Amazon. Hopefully the next one is not another lemon. I will update when it arrives and have tested it.

Update: The new one I received works great. Have it now for over a year. One of the few DVD players that does upconversion over component.