Product Features:

• Progressive-scan DVD player, compatible with DVD-RW/-R, DVD+RW/+R, SACD (Super Audio CD), and CD-R/RW discs with CD and MP3 audio
• 400-disc changer holds your entire movie and music library; find your favorites with DiscExplorer onscreen management
• Connections include component, composite, optical, and coaxial
• High-speed 108MHz/12-bit video D/A converter; Dolby Digital and DTS output
• Measures 17 x 7.4 x 21.1 inches (W x H x D)

Product Description:

Store your collection of DVD movies and audio CDs in Sony's DVP-CX985V progressive-scan DVD/SACD player, and they'll just be ready for playback at a moment's notice. The DVP-CX985V multiformat mega-changer stores 400 discs and is compatible with DVD-RW/-R, DVD+RW/+R, SACD (Super Audio CD) multichannel discs, and CD-R/RW discs with CD and MP3 audio. Other DVD players detect image changes at the scan line level--Sony's Precision Cinema Progressive (PCP) system detects them at the pixel level. The picture is more faithful to the source--whether film or video--because separate, optimized algorithms are used to handle the differing pixel behavior. Separate algorithms are also used to process the moving and still parts of an image, resulting in sharp backgrounds with moving objects that are free from motion artifacts. The high-speed 108MHz/12-bit video D/A converter employs 4X oversampling for much more effective noise filtering. In addition to standard 2-channel CD playback, the DVP-CX985V plays 2-channel and multichannel Super Audio CDs. It reads the disc information of all the discs and loads the information into memory so that disc type, titles, and other text information can be displayed on the TV screen. It has the following video output options (with number of ports): component video (x1), S-Video (x1), composite video (x1), coaxial digital (x1), and optical digital (x1). It also has the following audio output options: analog audio (x1) and 5.1 channel (x1). Other features include: Included remote operates the DVP-CX985V as well as a number of functions on select brands of televisions and receivers; its keys glow in the dark. Instant Replay feature enables you to go back 10 seconds to review a scene with a single press of a button. TV Virtual Surround feature generates a convincing surround-sound effect using only 2 stereo speakers. Dolby Digital and DTS output. Tech Talk SACD: Super Audio CD (SACD) is a high-resolution digital audio format that promises vast sonic improvements over the current audio CD format. SACD discs can be played back on dedicated SACD players or combination SACD/DVD-Video players. Certain SACD discs feature a conventional audio CD layer (hybrid SACDs) which can be played back by any CD player or computer with a CD-ROM drive. Progressive scan: Also called sequential scanning, a progressive-scan system displays the entire image--providing all the horizontal lines per frame, rather than every other line--once every 60th of a second. This method reduces flicker and increases stability. Progressive-scan viewing requires a compatible digital TV. Component video: Unlike a single video input, component video maintains the video signal as three separate signals through these three jacks. This connection provides optimum quality. To ensure maximum picture quality, use three video-grade cables for the Y, Pb, and Pr connections. What's in the Box Sony DVP-CX985V DVD/SACD player/changer, remote control (RM-DX500), 2 AA batteries, RCA cable (57 inches), and operating instructions.
From J&R Music and Computer World SONY DVP-CX985V -- Forget about space-eating shelf units and wall racks -- this 400-disc changer holds your entire movie and music library, and every disc is ready to cue up and play! SONY jukebox players are so reliable they're used in more retail music demo installations than any other brand! Precision Cinema Progressive output for astonishing clarity 12-bit DAC and 108MHz processing with NSV delivers superb video Playback capabilities include DVD-Video, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, CD-R/RW, Multi-Channel SACD(TM) discs, even MP3 discs Find your favorites easily with DiscExplorer On Screen Management 12-bit 108mHz Video DAC Precision Drive 2 System compensates for warps and other imperfections in the disc being played, resulting in virtually fail safe error correction 96kHz / 24-bit Linear PCM audio decoding Coaxial and Optical Digital Outputs for optional external Dolby Digital or DTS surround processing 5.1 channel output for SACD(TM) playback Component, Composite und S-Video outputs Size: 7.4"H x 17"W x 21.1"D; weighs about 19.2 pounds

Description from Manufacturer:Store your collection of DVD movies and audio CDs in Sony's DVP-CX985V progressive-scan DVD/SACD player, and they'll just be ready for playback at a moment's notice. The DVP-CX985V multiformat mega-changer stores 400 discs and is compatible with DVD-RW/-R, DVD+RW/+R, SACD (Super Audio CD) multichannel discs, and CD-R/RW discs with CD and MP3 audio.

Other DVD players detect image changes at the scan line level--Sony's Precision Cinema Progressive (PCP) system detects them at the pixel level. The picture is more faithful to the source--whether film or video--because separate, optimized algorithms are used to handle the differing pixel behavior. Separate algorithms are also used to process the moving and still parts of an image, resulting in sharp backgrounds with moving objects that are free from motion artifacts.

The high-speed 108MHz/12-bit video D/A converter employs 4X oversampling for much more effective noise filtering.

In addition to standard 2-channel CD playback, the DVP-CX985V plays 2-channel and multichannel Super Audio CDs. It reads the disc information of all the discs and loads the information into memory so that disc type, titles, and other text information can be displayed on the TV screen.

It has the following video output options (with number of ports): component video (x1), S-Video (x1), composite video (x1), coaxial digital (x1), and optical digital (x1). It also has the following audio output options: analog audio (x1) and 5.1 channel (x1).

Other features include:

• Included remote operates the DVP-CX985V as well as a number of functions on select brands of televisions and receivers; its keys glow in the dark.
• Instant Replay feature enables you to go back 10 seconds to review a scene with a single press of a button.
• TV Virtual Surround feature generates a convincing surround-sound effect using only 2 stereo speakers.
• Dolby Digital and DTS output.

Tech Talk

• SACD: Super Audio CD (SACD) is a high-resolution digital audio format that promises vast sonic improvements over the current audio CD format. SACD discs can be played back on dedicated SACD players or combination SACD/DVD-Video players. Certain SACD discs feature a conventional audio CD layer (hybrid SACDs) which can be played back by any CD player or computer with a CD-ROM drive.
• Progressive scan: Also called sequential scanning, a progressive-scan system displays the entire image--providing all the horizontal lines per frame, rather than every other line--once every 60th of a second. This method reduces flicker and increases stability. Progressive-scan viewing requires a compatible digital TV.
• Component video: Unlike a single video input, component video maintains the video signal as three separate signals through these three jacks. This connection provides optimum quality. To ensure maximum picture quality, use three video-grade cables for the Y, Pb, and Pr connections.

What's in the Box
Sony DVP-CX985V DVD/SACD player/changer, remote control (RM-DX500), 2 AA batteries, RCA cable (57 inches), and operating instructions.Average Customer Rating:

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Comment: very good! great features Rating:
perfect for holding and repeated viewing of various dvds.. no more swapping in and out... what a pain it is!
great features... i love the search feature... fast forward and then release the button to continue playing....

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Comment: Don't blame the machine ... Rating:
... blame the dvd/cd manufacturers who don't put any information on their products' menus so these machines can read them! I own a Kenwood 200-disc CD player, a Sony 400-disc CD player, an Onkyo 300+1 DVD/CD player, and recently acquired a Sony ES 400-disc DVD/SACD/CD player (the upgraded ES version -- in a silver cabinet w/a 5-year warranty), and am now researching a DVD megachanger (300 or more discs) which also plays DVD-Audio. The Kenwood 200 player holds my classical music CDs while the Sony 400 handles the rest. The Sony ES 400 player replaces a Sony single disc DVD/SACD player while a new DVD/DVD-Audio player will replace a JVC 7-disc player. By now, it must be clear that I'm hooked on megachangers--all have performed admirably thus far (the oldest is the Onkyo which I purchased more than four years ago). What I have discovered in my experience with these mahcines is that the disc manufacturers are not putting much menu material on their products. Of the almost 400 CDs in the Sony player, only about three or four have menus which are automatically recorded! As with each of the players I own (from various manufacturers) most of the DVDs and CDs have to be plugged in manually. I have noticed on rental DVD's the newer films always have their titles stored in their menu which all my machines read easily, while the older films which I buy rarely do. This further convinces me it's a disc thing, not the machine. The new Sony ES player has a nice feature whereby (if the disc manufacturer has put it there) will show a picture of the DVD, usually the title frame. If it's not there, one just has to go to any scene in the film, press the picture memory button, and, voila! that picture is now in your list where you may or may not need to plug in the title if you recognize the scene! In any event, maybe if enough of us complain to the manufacturers who put out the software, they will get their acts together.

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Comment: The positives outweigh the negatives - with another remote. Rating:
After reading numerous reviews regarding the Sony DVP-CX985V, it became obvious that Sony's interface needed to be avoided altogether. Since I also happened to be looking for a way to avoid another remote in the living room (I'm embarrassed to say I've collected over a dozen somehow) I found the Harmony SST-659 universal remote can catalog all 400 slots and display them on the backlit LCD.

In short, you look at the remote to choose the movie, not the painfully slow and inaccurate Sony "Explorer" mode... which does a great job at making you feel as if you are truly exploring some vast, unknown and mostly empty wasteland.

You might not like the idea of buying a new DVD player and a fairly pricy remote just to make it all work. But if you're like me, and were ready to get rid of some remotes anyway... it's a winning combo.

What's the catch? The remote itself requires patience and an internet connection to program it... remember, it can control all of your systems.

The silver lining? I shopped around and bought both for a little more than the retail price of the DVD player alone.

So I actually love the DVD player now. The quality of the picture is superb. The sound decoding is faultless. It plays every rewritable disc I've thrown at it, and finally, it's just too cool. Watching the blue backlit carousel spin your library around gives my 3 year-old the giggles every time.

And I LOVE the door locking feature. We can keep his DVDs out of his hands and locked in the carousel. This has actually saved us money, since he's been able to find several of his discs in the past and frisbee them to death.

Bad kid. Good player.

Posted at October 11, 2003 03:44 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)