Slocko

The documentation states that the 5900 can and will support this, as opposed to the 5050. Netnamer is full of bugs...so I don't doubt what you're saying at all. If the functionality is not there for the 5900, it's not the 5900's fault. I just don't expect the 5050 to ever support that, because the documentation says otherwise.

uh2

Have any of you guys used DVD-R media in the 5050M or the 5900M? I really want a changer, but a big part of my collection is made up of DVD-R media so I need to know that it's supported before I buy. Documentation says NO, but I've seen a bunch of posts that indicate YES, and would like to hear from some owners as to whether it will play DVD-R's.

Roveer

given that their is no existing competition in this market, i don't why kenwood didn't wait until they had a better player. i don't understand why they rushed it out along with the entre.

of course if they would have waited any longer i would have bought a second pioneer. Outside of the gui, which is fine once you've set up your categories, there are really only two annoying things. not being able to turn off the subtitles from the remote, or even from the kenwood display menu. The second annyoing flaw, is not being able to bring up the guide while a movie is playing. I don't own the entre yet, but probably will buy it soon even with it's flaws.

I buy dvds frequently (in bunches) and having to input them is too time consuming when compared to having the information download automatically. I also have about 300 cds I want to convert to mp3s and put them on the hard drive of the entre. I no longer really collect music any more and i don't want to deal with cds anymore. Just want to have them on the hard drive, accessible for those few times when i am in the mood for music.

i would buy the hp product for mp3s, but then i won't get the video goodies of the entre. the entre is so tantalizing with it's potential!!!!!

Roveer,
From what I know the player reads ONLY DVR+RW. DVD-R, DVD-RAM or DVD-RW are other kind of dvd-formats supported by Pioneer, Panasonic and other brands who use these formats. DVD+RW can be used in any dvd-player.
Gupper

Gupper,

I burn DVD-R and they play fine in my 5900. I have found very few units that won't play my DVD-R's.

Don

I own the Pioneer 300+1 changer and am thinking of upgrading to the Kenwood, so I'm very interested in what is different. Some questions I have:

1. How long will the "memory" last if the power is cut off? The Pioneer is suppose to last about 30 days.

2. Can you over-ride the title of a DVD that has DVD text in it? I don't mind entering titles, and sometimes I come up with better abbreviations.

3. Did someone say that the DVD titles and artists do not appear on the screen at all? Really? You mean that I can't tell the unit to list all the titles, or list all the Comedy's, and I scroll select which once I want from the TV screen display?

This is important to me, as the unit will be in a different room and not visible from where the actual TV screen and remote will be.

4. Can an individual disc be set with over-riding settings from the player defaults? For example; If I set the player to ENGLISH, can one disc be set to "French" so that any time that disc is played it automatically chooses French?

5. Do you HAVE TO have an internet or phone hookup in order to do titleing or see anything on the screen?

6. Can you upload your OWN cover art for a disc -- say for a disc I create myself?

7. If you are playing a VCD, will the next one automatically play whenthe first runs out?

8. It was mentioned that powering on the unit plays the last disk it was using when pwoered off. I have a programmable (Pronto) remote, so can this be delt with by instantly pressing STOP, or by me selecting a disc of my choosing just before power off?

9. Any Pronto remote issues with this unit?

Thanks in advance

Keith Barrett
Raleigh NC


This message was edited by kbarrett on 02/14/02 12:20.53.

Actually, I found a great source for user experiences with the Kenwood:

[Link: avsforum.com]

Kenwood support says 5 days. I have disconnect the unit for about one minute to move it and didn't lose anything.


Can't be done. The Gui doesn't let you write over it. haven't tried from the unit itself. There are like 20 characters instead of the 12 the pioneer has for titles.


What was probably meant was that at one time I thought you couldn't enter title and artist information from the gui. You can. What you can't do from the gui is assign them categories or rename the default categories (called userlists). You have to rename them using the unit display and assign the dvds also using the unit display. That really blows.

Don't think so. That setting is in the universal menu. anytime i have changed the default language, next time i play that dvd it's back to the default.

No you don't. The internet connection is for the entre-hub. A seperate device.

It doesn't support cover art at all.


Sorry. No idea.

Nope. You have to select disc, choose another dvd and then you can hit stop.

Just would like to add that the picture and sound this dvd player produces is fantastic. I did a comparison using disney's dinasour on both my pioneer 727 and the kenwood 5900, using side by side picture in picture, and flipping back and forth, and it blew the pioneer away. This given the fact that my hitachi hd widescreen monitor has a good line doubler that performs as well as most progressive players. That give you and idea of how good the kenwood progressive chip is.

I'd like to share an idea I'm using at home. I have never bothered trying to program the Kenwood's internal GUI -- like many other half-baked "features," I think it's more trouble than it's worth. Instead, I down loaded a freeware copy of DVD Profiler, which is a great, easy to use catalog program that includes cover art and custom reports. In the notes section for each entry, I list the changer slot (or slots) it occupies, plus any other notes for double-sided discs, etc. Adding a disc or disc set generally takes 20-30 seconds only.

It then took me about 15 minutes to modify one of the provided report templates to include my notes information. Now I have a color catalog of all my discs, in alphabetical order, with cover art and all the details I want, including which slot to select on the changer. The format I chose has fourteen entries per page. I keep a hard copy next to the remote for now. All for free, and considerably less time and effort on my part than I think I would have spent trying to program the Kenwood.

In the next few months, I plan to put a PC in my equipment rack. When that's done, the catalog will be available "on-line," displayed on the big screen.

Just an idea, but it sure works for me! :)

-Bruce

while i respect the paper approach, it's not for me. I like the automation too much.

I have been trying to convince a salesperson at a local A/V dealer that both the Sony and the Panasonic 300$ players (retail) have the DCDI processing,but it isn' stated anywhere on the player or the box for the player. I would think that they wuld want to advertise the fact that they use that type of processing????? I am new and glad to have found a group of people that share my interest. Let me know if I do anything that is a forum faux paus.

I've read somewhere that the Panasonic has the Faroudja chip. I'm virtually certain, however, that the Sony does not.

This site is where it's at for Remote info. If you want to get info on all things video, including DVD, go to www.avsforum.com. You'll get a much better idea there. Peruse or search the DVD Hardware forum, and your answers will be there.

Nick

Just purchased two 5900m's and the entre. Entre only supports one 5900m, but Kenwood says later this summer there will be a fix to let it control three players. Also out of the 400 dvd's, entre only recognized and downloaded information on about 275 dvds, the rest had to be manually input. No worse than the pioneer, but it sure cost a lot more. Non-Entre interface (the one that comes with the player is the worst between Sony and Pioneer's) Both 5900m units have a loud whirring noise for the first five - ten minutes of playing - a complaint I understand is common. Also, without Entre, 5900m will not download DVD titles (only cd title and tracks), Kenwood said that it was to expensive for them to get the license to download DVD titles from the standalone units. I recommended that they look at DVDProfiler and they responded that they were looking into it. Since the 5900m has a computer interface, it seems to me that it should be possible to download DVDProfiler title and coverart, but I am not a computer developer, only a user.

I have to disagree about the interface. I find it better than the Pioneer interface. Pioneer only accomodates 12 characters for title information while the Kenwood is like 22 I think. The look of the UI on the Kenwood is also a lot smoother.

The only real advantage of the Pioneer is that you can categorize movies while with the kenwood you have to do it from the console of the player.

I too am waiting for the new interface to come out to support 3 changers, I currently have a 5900 and I want to get 2 more 5050's for CD's only. When I bought the 5900 I wasn't aware of the problem controlling 3 from the Entre, but because I didn't want an outboard line double, or quadrupler, I sprung for the more expensive 5900. I have heard the whirring problem, but it doesn't bug me much, I suspect the lack of DVD recognition has more to do with the external softwares and services, than the player itself. The layer change really is a pain in the ass, but I'm living with it. I'm not gonna complain about something that can't be fixed, maybe eventually after they release the new bug-free version, I might get it and sell this one, but for now I'm very happy with it. I find that for all it's bugs, it's still worth it for the Entre interface and various other things I like. I guess I just bought an expensive changer to do something I don't really care if it does or not. Hope they get some of the major kinks worked out though.

~~Adam