DVD player reviews: How we test DVD players
Each model is tested by independent experts
Picture perfect DVD players?
Viewing and listening tests in our purpose-built room form the backbone of our DVD player testing. Each player is connected via Scart sockets to a Best Buy TV and compared to a benchmark Sony DVD player connected to an identical TV.
DVD player picture quality is assessed by our expert five-person panel using extracts from Sense and Sensibility, James Bond and The Matrix. They look for vivid pictures with natural colours and lots of detail. Fast-moving sports clips are used to check for blurring, and test cards reveal any underlying weaknesses.
Each DVD player's sound quality is rated by our expert five-person panel, using classical, pop and jazz pieces together with speech and sound effects from film material.
DVD players' HD upscaling
Our viewing panel in action
To check any upscaling claims, we watch the same clips with the DVD player connected via an HDMI socket. This gives you the option to watch different types of video signal – either 576p or 1080i/1080p The number represents the number of horizontal lines that make up a picture, and the letter the way it is transferred to the screen.
It’s natural to assume that the higher the number, the better the picture. But our experts preferred the standard-definition 576p option every time. Using this setting means the TV carries out the digital processing instead of the DVD player. Because our Best Buy TV has top-notch processing software, this makes for the best possible picture.
If you don’t have such a good TV, experiment to see which picture you prefer. For high-definition players, we watch both high-definition discs and normal DVDs.
No bias in our DVD player tests
We mask out brand names on every DVD player to eliminate any bias, and sneak in the same DVD players twice to ensure consistency. No conferring is allowed, and our testers each complete a lengthy score sheet that our statisticians analyse to ensure the ratings we publish represent real differences in DVD players.
Real life DVD player use
Every machine is put through a battery of tests
Underpinning this is a raft of more than 50 technical tests that explore the DVD player’s capabilities and limits, plus around 250 feature checks, where we test and log what each DVD player can do.
Our ergonomics experts then go through an extensive process trying out each DVD player's various functions and features in the way consumers would use a DVD player – assessing how easy and intuitive each DVD player is to use, and whether there are any significant drawbacks that would prevent us from recommending the DVD player.