first time poster here and I hope you all don't mind this long post. I live in Manila, the Philippines and in this particular country its just imperative that you get a multi-region player. The best video rental places almost all stock a mix of discs from Regions 3 (our "proper" region, and it was sweet getting the Crouching Tiger disc way ahead of Region 1), 2 (Japanese anime is a major part of every kids life here), and of course the indispensable Region 1. I think the Philippines is the only Region 3 country on NTSC, and with a large English-speaking population thus compounding the multiregional necessity.
Anyway, middle of last year I went shopping for my first DVD player with these facts in mind. I also wanted a player that could handle video CDs (a really huge format in Asia, though I personally abhor it), and CD-R/Ws. And the Philips 570M fit the bill and was nicely and competitively priced (around US$300, good for the time and for this country). Also, the salesman whispered that of all their players, it was the most reliable regarding multi-regionality. There was just this thing about it that bugged me, and always has. It's pretty small, roughly as large as a shoebox. I know these days there are players really that small. But for a 2000 model it looked suspiciously small to me. It was the smallest I'd seen, barring the distictly portable models available at the time, and this was being sold to me as a home player. On testing it, the video appeared excellent though, and there was nothing I could really complain about it. It has a complete set of outputs, optical, coaxial, S-video, component, and 2 sets of RCA, and it didn't lack for any features. 'Twas really just the size which was the "issue". I finally took it home and it continues to perform splendidly. Also, it's size turned out to be pretty useful since I commute to a different house in the province on weekends and I could easily chuck it into an overnight bag and use it there. And its multi-regionality is rock-solid, it has yet to have a problem with any disc, even notorious ones like The Patriot Region 1.
So weeks of DVD enjoyment pass until I decide to check out what the net has to say about my player. And I discovered through the combined might Google and Altavista that there was no mention of it anywhere! No reviews, no product listings, nothing. I couldn't help but be a bit worried by this. The fact that I bought it from a very reputable dealer and the packaging and manual are clearly authentic Philips couldn't completely allay it. I looked around the shops and dealers and it was not so easy to track down again, I saw only three others amongst the many, many shops I browsed in. Another weird thing is that most all of the other DVD players that were out at the same time I bought it have all had significant price reductions. But the Philips 570M's is still retailing at exactly the same price I bought it.
So I present my case to the eminent members of this forum. Is there really something fishy about my player? In DVD players, does size matter? Are there any major tradeoffs regarding quality with a smaller-sized casing for a DVD player? I've been trying to "catch" any inferiorities in the image output, but I fear my eye may not be discerning enough to tell. Mostly, good discs show off superbly, whereas mediocre ones tend to display artifacts. But I check these against disc reviews and mostly its the disc's fault. Though I did notice a little bit of artifacting especially in the autumn leaves of "The Iron Giant" Reg 1, which supposedly has a perfect transfer. And I've always thought that the black marquee bars in "Gladiator" both R1 & R3 (no diff actually) aren't black enough. I output using the S-Video connection to a 34" Goldstar Cinemaster, a 29" LG Collins Platinum, and a 25" Sanyo Studio all with similar results and findings. I hope to get a reassuring verdict from you guys.
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