Features Explained

There's not a great deal to choose between DVD players when it comes to picture and sound quality, but there are some features worth looking out for.

Compatible DVD Discs

Not all DVD discs are the same. There are several different recording formats - DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW and DVD RAM - each with slightly different features and capabilities.

All DVD players and recorders will play pre-recorded DVDs (those you rent or buy) but see our table for details of which other types of disc they can play and record.

Other Types of Disc

Any DVD player or recorder will also play CDs, but some can also play newer types of audio disc (DVD-Audio and SA-CD) which claim to offer better quality sound than a standard CD. Some DVD players can also play discs with MP3 files on them, or discs which have .jpg picture files on them, so you can show your holiday snaps on your TV screen.

Bookmarking

Bookmarking is a feature that lets you store favourite scenes or places in a disk so you can quickly find them again. More sophisticated DVD players let you bookmark a number of discs, and so will 'remember' your bookmarks even when the disc is removed.

Resume means the player will start the disc where you stopped it (instead of at the beginning each time). Players with multi-disc resume will remember where to start playing the disc even after you've removed it from the machine.

Electronic Lock

An electronic lock lets you control access to either the DVD player or individual discs with a Pin number.

Connections

To use a DVD player or recorder, you need a TV with a Scart input, and a Scart lead to connect the two.

For best picture quality, the Scart input to your TV should be RGB or S-video compatible. Not all TVs support this - check your TV instructions for details.