Other Source Component Reviews

To compare the Samsung with our reference Sony DVP-C650D DVD player, I tested both with the Philips PM5662 Waveform monitor using the sweep pattern from the Video Essentials and Avia discs. Compared with the Sony, the Samsung produced some slight roll-off at high frequencies (aka fine details). With regular video material (which is what counts), this very small roll-off wasn't noticeable. Also keep in mind that the Sony costs more than three times what the Samsung does.

Armageddon and The Phantom Menace are two DVDs that demonstrate how well (or poorly) a DVD player handles a 3:2 sequence. In chapter 2 of Armageddon, the camera pans past a building, creating diagonal lines. On lesser progressive-scan players, these lines break into jagged edges that look like stairsteps. The Samsung catches the 3:2 sequence right away and displays the shot without artifacts. In chapter 10 of The Phantom Menace, as the droid army advances down a hill, there are many diagonal lines on the gun turrets and tanks. Once again, the Samsung takes a second to catch the 3:2 sequence, then it compensates for it, which smoothes out all of the lines. You only need to worry about the speed at which the Samsung catches 3:2 if you're watching a DVD that breaks a film's 3:2 sequence, like a documentary that switches from film to video. Thankfully, in those cases, the DVD-P421's video processing kicks in almost seamlessly and does so fast enough that it does not cause distraction.

My final video test involved downconverting an anamorphic image to a letterboxed 4:3 image. As almost all progressive-scan TVs are 16:9 (and those that aren't at least have an anamorphic mode), this test is becoming less and less important. Then again, for those of you who are in the market for a new DVD player now and an HDTV later, this test will show you how the player will perform on your current 4:3 TV. In chapter 8 of Tomorrow Never Dies, the camera pans across an ornate English building. The Samsung didn't do a bad job processing the anamorphic image to get it to fit into a 4:3 shape, but it did create a few artifacts. A shimmering, stairstepping effect occurred on the tops of the windows. I've seen players that cost far more do a lot worse with this test.

As far as the audio goes, the DVD-P421 passed Dolby and DTS without incident. If you're so inclined, the DVD-P421 also plays MP3s off of CD-Rs.

This is one of the least-expensive progressive-scan DVD players we've tested, and I was very impressed by how well it performs. I recently saw this player at a national chain for $170. You may be able to find it for even less online. If you have a 4:3 interlaced TV, this may not be the player for you, as it doesn't downconvert quite as well as a few other players on the market. If you think you'll get an HDTV at some point or are just looking for an inexpensive progressive-scan DVD player, check out the DVD-P421. It's great to see a product at such a low price point perform like one that costs far more.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Very low price
• Very high performance
• Two remotes