What Hi Fi Sound and Vision 29 NOV 2007

Digilogic DVDH0701

£ 30 4

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After a cut-price DVD player for the kids or a second room? Try this

For
Decent picture considering the bargain-tastic price; HDMI out
Against
Onboard scaler loses detail and adds softness; not the cleanest picture around

You might not think this is a product to get particularly excited about, but the Digilogic DVDH0701 actually marks a bit of milestone: it’s the first bargain-basement DVD we’ve seen with an HDMI out.

It’s not bad, either. Clearly, you shouldn’t expect much in the way of luxury where build and styling are concerned. The unit is small, lightweight and very plasticky. However, it’s far from offensive, with the small size helping here.

Performance is what counts, mind, and Digilogic’s inclusion of upscaling is intriguing. It’s a pity that it’s also the Digilogic’s weakest area. Images processed onboard are a touch soft and lacking in detail. If you have a reasonable-quality TV, we recommend letting that do the scaling – in the majority of cases this results in a better picture.

For the cash, it’s not bad at all
Outputting a standard 576-line image, the Digilogic is a decent-enough DVD player. Colours are natural and bright, motion is fairly smooth, and black levels are more than reasonable given the price. Sound is okay, too, but not hugely dynamic or exciting.

For the price, we’ve no real complaints. Overall, this is a solid buy for the price of two large rounds in the pub.