Yamaha DV-C6480 Progressive-Scan 5-Disc DVD Player

Rating:
Summary: My experience so far...
Review: As far as the basic stuff goes (picture, sound and hardware) this player is pretty rock solid. Using the S-video in (via an adapter) on my old Commodore 1702 monitor, the picture is good enough that the size of the phosphors on the screen are the biggest limitation. :) I'm anticipating great things from the component out using progressive. Sound-wise, using the on-board decoders and the 2-channel downmixed outputs, sometimes the low frequencies are "choppy" sounding but I think this is simply phase-cancelling when the channels are mixed and not a fault with the player. Sound is superb otherwise--I can't wait to hear it when I get a proper multichannel receiver.

Some Goods:
* I've heard that a lot of players have quiet audio outputs. This player has pretty "hot" outputs, a tad too hot for audio CDs and MP3s but a lot better for movies compared to my digital-cable box.
* A power switch, not just "standby" like most players. If certain DVDs start getting abusive and functions (like "stop") don't work when they should, cutting the power always works. :)

Some Niggles...
Not to sound overly negative, but more effort really could have gone into the firmware, aesthetic and functionality aspects, especially for a high-end player like this.
* Poor MP3-CD support. It played the CD-RW MP3 discs I tested it with fine (both ISO-9660 and Joliet, there's about a 1/2 second gap between tracks) but ignores any filenames and folders and simply plays the tracks in the physical order they're in on the disc, even if the alphabetical order (by filename) is different. It wouldn't have taken much effort to program in ID3 support and proper player functionality (folders, shuffle, program and such), especially since they're there for CD and DVD-audio. A bit of a disappointment, because I was wanting good MP3 support so I wouldn't need to use my computer or portable player.
* No SVCD support as far as I know. There should be, considering most players I've researched do support it.
* Somewhat long disc-reading time, no picture zoom, less-than-ideal "jog shuttle" functionality (but there's frame-advance and frame-reverse which I find very important), sluggish operation in general, a few other minor things.
* Flimsy, too-small, poorly-laid-out remote. The player itself is rock-solid though.

I don't know if I'd recommend it for the average person new to DVDs. It's a great player, but the manual is one of the worst I've seen, and relies too much on assumed knowledge and technical descriptions. In addition, most on-screen menus rely on icons and cryptic descriptions. But if you're technically inclined like I am or experienced with DVD players you shouldn't have a problem. I got mine open-box, and I really wonder if had been returned because of trouble using it or understanding the manual. Poor manuals have been a persistent problem with Yamaha electronics in general, which is unfortunate because a well-written manual can make a big difference.

All in all, some simple attention to details could have made this player absolutely outstanding. But, if you're looking for great picture and great sound from your DVDs, which is what I got it for more than anything else, this one delivers.

Rating:
Summary: My experience so far...
Review: As far as the basic stuff goes (picture, sound and hardware) this player is pretty rock solid. Using the S-video in (via an adapter) on my old Commodore 1702 monitor, the picture is good enough that the size of the phosphors on the screen are the biggest limitation. :) I'm anticipating great things from the component out using progressive. Sound-wise, using the on-board decoders and the 2-channel downmixed outputs, sometimes the low frequencies are "choppy" sounding but I think this is simply phase-cancelling when the channels are mixed and not a fault with the player. Sound is superb otherwise--I can't wait to hear it when I get a proper multichannel receiver.

Some Goods:
* I've heard that a lot of players have quiet audio outputs. This player has pretty "hot" outputs, a tad too hot for audio CDs and MP3s but a lot better for movies compared to my digital-cable box.
* A power switch, not just "standby" like most players. If certain DVDs start getting abusive and functions (like "stop") don't work when they should, cutting the power always works. :)

Some Niggles...
Not to sound overly negative, but more effort really could have gone into the firmware, aesthetic and functionality aspects, especially for a high-end player like this.
* Poor MP3-CD support. It played the CD-RW MP3 discs I tested it with fine (both ISO-9660 and Joliet, there's about a 1/2 second gap between tracks) but ignores any filenames and folders and simply plays the tracks in the physical order they're in on the disc, even if the alphabetical order (by filename) is different. It wouldn't have taken much effort to program in ID3 support and proper player functionality (folders, shuffle, program and such), especially since they're there for CD and DVD-audio. A bit of a disappointment, because I was wanting good MP3 support so I wouldn't need to use my computer or portable player.
* No SVCD support as far as I know. There should be, considering most players I've researched do support it.
* Somewhat long disc-reading time, no picture zoom, less-than-ideal "jog shuttle" functionality (but there's frame-advance and frame-reverse which I find very important), sluggish operation in general, a few other minor things.
* Flimsy, too-small, poorly-laid-out remote. The player itself is rock-solid though.

I don't know if I'd recommend it for the average person new to DVDs. It's a great player, but the manual is one of the worst I've seen, and relies too much on assumed knowledge and technical descriptions. In addition, most on-screen menus rely on icons and cryptic descriptions. But if you're technically inclined like I am or experienced with DVD players you shouldn't have a problem. I got mine open-box, and I really wonder if had been returned because of trouble using it or understanding the manual. Poor manuals have been a persistent problem with Yamaha electronics in general, which is unfortunate because a well-written manual can make a big difference.

All in all, some simple attention to details could have made this player absolutely outstanding. But, if you're looking for great picture and great sound from your DVDs, which is what I got it for more than anything else, this one delivers.

Rating:
Summary: Simply a great DVD player
Review: Compared to most DVD players today, the Yamaha 6480 is built like a battleship. Most new players have minimal weight and look cheap. This player has a high quality power supply that adds to its weight and all its mechanical operations are very quiet and smooth. I'll break down the operation of this player into seperate catagories.

Video:
The DCDi de-interlacer that is so prominently displayed on the front panel silk screens is used for video source material and is not used for film source materials. Unless you play back video source dvd's this should not be a huge factor. The built in De-Interlacer provides crystal clear images with no flicker or distortions. There is no "Chroma Bug" that so many players seem to have and many home theater review sites mention. Compared to the JVC FA95GD, the Yamaha 6480 has far better color saturation and picture stability, very comparable to high end panasonic players, but with sharper image quality. The pause during layer changes is almost non-existant. Disk swaps are very smooth and quiet as compared to the JVC as well. This player does not scale non-anamorphic DVD's correctly. So far the only players that I have encountered that do are the JVC players and the Panasonic RP91.

Audio:
The 24 bit Burr-Brown D/A converters built into this unit work only with the multi-channel output for DVD audio or if you use the internal decoder for Dolby Digital or DTS surround sound. If you have a cheap decoder built into a home theater receiver, use the onboard decoders. Your ears will thank you. I have encountered no problems playing CDR's, CDRW's, DVD-r or DVD-RW disks to date. The onboard decoder even gives MP3's a warm and rich quality.

Gripes:
Player only comes in black. It would be nice to have a model that matches some of the high end Yamaha Home Theater Receivers such as the DSPA1 Gold. Major gripe.... The power button on the front panel is the only way to power up or down this unit. The remote control can not do this for you. This really isn't a huge issue, but if you have a all-in-one remote with macro's programmed to power on or off your entire home theater, you will still have to walk up to this player and turn it off at the end of the movie.

A very good player overall and of high quality build. If you need progressive playback and don't need to scale non-anamorphic dvd's this player is one stop shopping at a very affordable price. ...

Rating:
Summary: Now THIS is What I Call a DVD Player
Review: I must've been really good this year, because this is what I found under the Christmas Tree. After having to deal with my very poor Pioneer DVD/Laserdisk Player (which wouldn't even play a couple of the DVDs I had bought in the past), now I have this bad boy. A Yamaha 5 Disk DVD Player.

If you're a movie addict like me, this makes for a great device. If you know that you're going to be watching a lot of movies that day, you can load up to 5 DVDs. No more having to keep taking DVDs in and out. Nope, grab the ones you know you'll be watching, and you will be set. This is also very nice when you are watching movies that are more than one disk, or programs and series that are more than one disk. (Which means you could be watching the first season of Sopranos in no time!)

The video quality is really good and crystal clear. Way better than my older player. The sound is also a lot better as well. It's like seeing my favorite movies for the very first time.

It's also a very nice stereo. If you don't think you'll be watching 5 DVDs, you can listen to 5 CDs.

There are tons of cool features that are available that I haven't even begun to play around with. Just know there's a lot you can do. (You can even program specific chapters you want to watch. You can watch a movie in RANDOM mode if you wanted to!)

All in all, I was very happy with this Christmas gift. It does cost a lot of money, but if you love movies as much as I do, this might be something to think about getting.

Rating:
Summary: Now THIS is What I Call a DVD Player
Review: I must've been really good this year, because this is what I found under the Christmas Tree. After having to deal with my very poor Pioneer DVD/Laserdisk Player (which wouldn't even play a couple of the DVDs I had bought in the past), now I have this bad boy. A Yamaha 5 Disk DVD Player.

If you're a movie addict like me, this makes for a great device. If you know that you're going to be watching a lot of movies that day, you can load up to 5 DVDs. No more having to keep taking DVDs in and out. Nope, grab the ones you know you'll be watching, and you will be set. This is also very nice when you are watching movies that are more than one disk, or programs and series that are more than one disk. (Which means you could be watching the first season of Sopranos in no time!)

The video quality is really good and crystal clear. Way better than my older player. The sound is also a lot better as well. It's like seeing my favorite movies for the very first time.

It's also a very nice stereo. If you don't think you'll be watching 5 DVDs, you can listen to 5 CDs.

There are tons of cool features that are available that I haven't even begun to play around with. Just know there's a lot you can do. (You can even program specific chapters you want to watch. You can watch a movie in RANDOM mode if you wanted to!)

All in all, I was very happy with this Christmas gift. It does cost a lot of money, but if you love movies as much as I do, this might be something to think about getting.