Konka KD1800 DVD Player

• Coaxial digital-audio output
• Dolby Digital compatible
• S-video output
• Plays CD-R discs
• Supports up to 8 different languages for soundtracks and up to 32 languages for subtitles

The name is Konka, and judging from its debut DVD player, the company has done its homework. The KD-1800U is extremely well made. In fact, it weighs 10.5 pounds--roughly four pounds more than competing models. Although weight isn't necessarily a barometer of good build quality, if you're attracted to metal, you'll love the KD-1800U, which has a solid aluminum faceplate wrapped around a metal chassis lid.

Although the KD-1800U admittedly stands out like an overzealous star amid our other audio-video components, which are all dressed in standard black, we found its brushed-aluminum design to be very cool.

The KD-1800U's silver finish is prone to reflecting light, but Konka still seems to have learned what many other manufacturers have forgotten: big, bright display lights are a distraction when you're watching a movie in a darkened room. Konka uses small, faint-blue LCDs to display disc information such as chapter, track, and elapsed time. An unobtrusive red DVD logo appears in the center of the display, while a tiny green standby button resides in the left corner.

Front-panel controls include open/close, skip forward, skip back, play, pause, and stop, along with a power button that rests flush when engaged. Unlike some front-panel buttons that feel like they're going to fall off if you jiggle them too much, Konka's controls are strong and reliable. The shiny silver disc tray opens and closes smoothly, with no hesitation.

Glancing at the back panel, we were delighted to see the presence of both coaxial and optical digital audio outputs, enabling us to use our preferred coaxial digital cable for DVD playback, while simultaneously connecting the player to an outboard digital-to- analog (D/A) converter for music listening.

Although the KD-1800U doesn't have component-video outputs, we have no qualms with this omission, given the fact that most consumers who are searching for a bargain DVD player don't own TVs with component-video inputs. Konka did include an S-Video input, however, so most home theater enthusiasts should be pleased with the KD-1800U.

Another, perhaps less forgivable, omission is the lack of DTS-compatibility. Depending on your point of view, this is either a gross oversight or a wise decision. We think it's smart, given our experience with several DVD players under $200 that carry the Digital Theater Systems logo but are unable to satisfactorily pass the DTS signal onto an audio-video receiver. Kudos to Konka for playing it safe and recognizing that most consumers shopping in this price range will not fret at the absence of DTS compatibility.

Since all DVD videos are encoded with Dolby Digital audio tracks, the KD-1800U is compatible with virtually all of the movies and concert videos that are available on DVD today. Indeed, Konka's player performed flawlessly on all the discs we played--from action flicks to high drama to U2's Rattle and Hum rockumentary. Although the KD-1800U doesn't offer any video-enhancing circuitry, such as black level expansion, we were satisfied with the player's ability to produce accurate images on our 54-inch rear-projection TV. Contrast levels, colors, and image depth were impressive during both daylight and night viewing, with no digital artifacts or other anomalies that could be attributed to the player's video decoder.

In 5.1-channel Dolby Digital, the KD-1800U's audio D/A converters were equally impressive. Channel separation from center to left and right was detailed, while the surround signal steered its way effortlessly around the room. On music CDs, the KD-1800U was able to reproduce the audio spectrum--from the highest highs to the lowest lows- -better than most DVD players we've heard. Granted, Toshiba and Sony DVD players still reign supreme when it comes to offering exceptional D/A audio converters, but the Konka KD-1800U is the best music machine we've auditioned in this price range.

When it comes to ergonomics, Konka has demonstrated that it understands consumers. The remote control isn't fancy, but it's very intuitive. The select button and navigation arrows are located in the center of the remote, where they're easy to access with a thumb. Stop and play buttons are located just above the select button. A door slides open on the bottom of the remote to load the batteries. It also reveals a setup button, which gives you quick access to the player's most important functions, such as choosing Dolby Digital 5.1 audio and selecting the screen's aspect ratios (4:3 standard, 16:9 widescreen, or 4:3 letterbox). Konka also includes a return button, so you can get out of the setup menu with ease.

The power and eject buttons are isolated at the top of the remote, where they're easy to find, and disc skip, fast-forward, and rewind buttons are clustered together near the upper-left corner. A subtitle button enables you to glide through the options available on a given DVD, while an on/off button makes it easy to get rid of the subtitles if you fail to deactivate them when you start the disc.

The onscreen menus are distinguished by very large letters that are super easy to read--just one of the many thoughtful features that make the KD-1800U a tremendous bargain.

Other rare features include the ability to connect the player to NTSC or PAL TVs, the ability to play CD-Rs, the ability to play DVDs encoded with up to eight audio tracks (including Chinese, of course), and the ability to display up to 32 subtitle languages--from Afar to Zulu. (The audio language and subtitle features are dependent on whether the disc itself offers these options.)

In summary, Konka's KD-1800U is a well-built, attractive, and extremely affordable DVD player that incorporates all of the most important features you'll need for a basic home theater system. --Eric Gill

Pros:

• Extremely impressive build quality
• Attractive brushed-aluminum design
• Remote control is simple to use
• Good sound and image quality

Cons:

• No headphone jack
• No backlight on the remote