JVC XV-M555BK 3-Disc DVD Player

• 3-disc DVD changer
• 10-bit video, 24-bit audio digital-to-analog converters
• Component-video, S-video, and composite-video outputs
• Optical digital output for Dolby Digital and DTS decoders
• Multibrand remote control

We like the looks of the player; it sports a clean design despite the abundance of faceplate control buttons that have become a JVC trademark. That's not a complaint--for serious, feature-lovin' DVD users, the more options, the better.

The mechanics of this DVD player are also impressive. For ease of operation, you pack the discs into a stack of three motorized trays, each with its own open/close and start buttons. When you load it up, the push of a button conveniently closes one drawer and opens the next. You can change discs in the other two trays while the third is playing. Behind the trays, an elevator rides up and down to grab the requested (or next-in-line) disc. This operation is mildly noisy and takes about 11 seconds to complete.

We scanned one of our favorite DVD rock musicals and were especially impressed with the picture quality produced by the JVC player, which utilizes a 10-bit, 27 MHz video digital-to-analog converter. For enhanced black-level performance, we clicked the theater mode picture-customizing feature to the first notch. Theater levels 2 and 3 seem to dim the picture, however, and are strictly for pitch-black viewing conditions. The off setting is brightest of all, while producing the rosiest skin tones. Naturally, you'll want to use the player's component- or S-video outputs, if your TV display can accommodate them. A single composite-out video jack is available as well.

Using the player's digital-out jack (optical only), and performing the digital-to-analog signal conversion in our high-end receiver, the JVC sounded just as fine as other first-rate models we've hooked up for PCM, Dolby Digital, and DTS playback. Using the player's onboard digital-to-analog converter to play back analog two-channel/Dolby Pro Logic Surround sound, we found the sound to be warm and well focused with both DVDs and CDs. A 3D-Phonic virtual surround-sound mode, which JVC tosses in for good measure, is strictly for use with a TV's internal speakers. It broadens the apparent sound field a tad--at the expense of clarity.

Both the player and the remote control have dedicated buttons for options rarely seen in DVD models. The digest feature, accessible at any point in the film, grabs a still frame from the start of each chapter for display on a nine-image screen page. (For videos with more than nine chapters, you'll receive more pages.) Move the cursor to the scene that catches your eye, hit enter, and you're instantly there!

A strobe feature is mildly useful as it combines nine consecutive still frames on the screen. The player's excellent slow-motion modes--delivering six different speeds in forward play and five in reverse--does the same job with full-screen images. Picture clarity remains consistently solid in all slow-motion settings, just as it is with the five-speed (forward and reverse) rapid searches. These surprisingly high-quality images make it fun to study, say, Jackie Chan's amazing moves or the creation of some magical computer special effects. A jog shuttle on the face of the player adds to the joy--though we'd prefer if the dial were on the remote instead.

To make way for those extra features, some buttons on the smallish remote are multifunction, with combination taps bringing out the secondary features. For example, you have to press two buttons simultaneously to bring up the setup menu. This is a mildly annoying quirk, since you won't be going there very often once you've set up your system. Other buttons go into different modes when you tap them consecutively. Dedicated buttons are available to change a TV's volume and channel settings up and down, but you have to push two different buttons simultaneously to turn the TV on or off. This minor inconvenience would be less painful if the remote buttons were illuminated.

For JVC loyalists, the XV-M555BK's single cable AV Compu Link is great, since you can connect a JVC TV and receiver and operate them from one component. With the Compu Link, starting up a show requires just three brief moves: turn on the TV power, insert a disc, and press the start button.

If you happen to be a JVC loyalist, or you're thinking of becoming one, the XV-M555BK is a great way to go for the new generation of DVD players.

Pros:

• Impressive picture quality through 10-bit digital-to-analog converter
• 3-disc tray is a smart feature
• Compu Link makes mating with JVC TV and receiver a snap

Cons:

• No jog-shuttle dial on remote
• Noisy, slow-moving disc-changing mechanism