Do the Kenwoods have any jamming problems like the Sony models. Any major quirks, bugs or other issues apart from entre.

I have not had any problems whatsoever with my 5050.. Even moved it without removing the discs and no issues (though would not recommend this! just did not want to remove well over 100 discs first!)

Quirk: When powered on it goes to the last disc loaded and starts playing it.. Would also prefer that it only do the "Detection" if you want it to not every time you turn it on!

What are the main differences between the 5900 and 5050 (apart from price).

The two are identical in size and looks, but the 5900 uses the Faroudja DCI video processing chipset, where as the 5050 uses a generic de-interlacing chip.

The 5050 also lacks DVD-Audio and DTS/Dolby decoding. 5050 does not ship with a keyboard, 5900 does.

Steve & Kenny:

Thanks for the info guys.

I've heard that there is as much as a 3 second pause in disk layer changes.

I don't know if everyone is experiencing this.

The February issue of Stereophile Guide to Home Theater gave a great review of the 5900M, by the way.

... Greg

Greg,

You heard correctly. Depending where in the movie the layer change occurs, it can be very annoying. However, the general consensus is that the Kenwood changers offer so many features not available from the other brands that it's still worth it.

My 6050 (similar to the 5050) also makes an audible "grinding" noise for the first several minutes of play, which goes away as play continues. I have two friends with the same model, and all our players do this. Has anyone else experienced this "feature?"
-Bruce

This message was edited by Bruce Burson on 02/10/02 02:00.24.

I have a 5900 and I haven't experienced any jams under ordinary playing conditions (only when I moved it when it was half full of disks - I must not be as steady handed as Kenny) and I haven't heard the grinding noise. As a matter of fact I have no complaint about performance.

My complaints lie with user interface, the on screen display does not show any titles of disks or tracks. I had a sony 200 cd player and the interface was much slicker and more intuitive.

Don

Re: "the on screen display does not show any titles of disks or tracks. "

Yeah, that is a gripe of mine too!!!!

One other difference (deciding factor for me) was that the 5050 is around $700 less expensive!

Besides, my receiver is handling all decoding (DTS/THX/DD) and do not listen to any DVD Audio stuff...

My 5050 has not jammed...but pauses between some layer changes. not only does it pause, sometimes it refuses to play the rest of the movie. It's happened on Scarface, Planet of the Apes, and one other I can't think of right now.

Other than that VERY annoying fact, the picture is great. Also, it doesn't support DVD titles like the 5900..which was my main reason for getting a jukebox (I didn't realise until AFTER I bought it).

uh2

Bruce,

I've also heard the audible "grinding" noise on my 5900M, but so far only on "Goodfellas", which is a two sided disc. Sounds like a low level whirling. BTW, anyone play "The Matrix" on their Kenwood yet? I bought it and there is very disturbing digital artifacts in all the dark scenes and scene changes. I've read of problems with this movie on other forums and DVD player Firmware updates took care of the problem. Any ideas? The 5900M is my first Kenwood product. Have they ever had firmware updates for other DVD players? And if so, where would I find them?
I still love this player, faults and all !

bruce i see that sometimes on some dvds. my theory is that the player is very suceptible to dirty dvds that others wouldn't even blink at. cleaning the dvd has fixed the problem every singe time.

I don't understand uh2's comment about the 5050M not supporting DVD titles, like the 5900M.

The KenwoodUsa.com site says it uses the same NetNamer software as the 5900M.

I know the software is either not available, or does not do what we'd hoped, but it is upgradeable.

I think that in time, it will be just what we want it to be.

... Greg

To explain-

The 5050 does not support DVD Text. Meaning, I can't put a DVD in my 5050 and expect it to get named automatically (via Netnamer). I can name it manually, with no problems.

The 5900 DOES support this function.

uh2

my belief is that netnamer cannot be used for dvds for either product. that is what has been reported.