H & B DVD-5415S Multi-region DVD Player

Full-width but standing no more than the depth of two video cassettes in height, the 5415S is slimmer and more attractive than the Amazon snap suggests. A SCART lead and a set of audio and video RCA (red/white/yellow) cables are supplied. Armed with those, hooking the player up to my TV (via SCART) and hi-fi system (via analog stereo RCA), followed by playing a DVD took a couple of minutes and didn't require cracking the user guide (which is probably just as well; see below).

Navigating a DVD's menus via the remote is as intuitive as you'd hope, and when the action starts picture and sound quality are both excellent; sharp, smooth, and immersing.

Just to confirm or deny a few things that were raised in other reviews:

1. The default language on my machine was correctly set to English, although the default locale was actually set to the US (for what it's worth)

2. The default sound setup is not least common denominator, which confusingly results in lost audio channels (notably centre and rear) until the player has been told via its setup menus that dedicated speakers aren't hooked up for those channels

3. A number of skip/search modes are indeed available on the remote, with the current mode indicated by an on-screen caption after a mode change (see below for one negative implication of that)

Just for the record, those minor (for me) niggles I mentioned at the start:

1. The user guide can best be described as minimalist; heavy on abbreviation and rather short on explanation, diagrams, or examples. No wizards or step-by-step setup guides here! If that sounds daunting, something more user-friendly (or just plain better-documented) than the H&B might be a better choice. On the other hand, if you're comfortable experimenting with setup menus, there's not really a problem.

2. Audio CD playback via the H&B's conventional analog stereo outs is a little dull and disappointing when compared back-to-back with a dedicated CD player. Not being a card-carrying audiophile I can live with this, but the more demanding hoping for a multifunctional unit capable of replacing their CD player may not be satisfied. The digital audio path may perform better; I don't know.

3. Modal skip/search control works well when playing DVDs because there's on-screen feedback as to the current mode. However, when using the H&B as a CD player with the TV off there's no such feedback. Trial and and error is the only guide to the mode you want. Entering the track number always works, though.

4. The multi-coloured LCD display, although attractive, is not entirely practical. While the elements displayed in blue are clearly visible up to 15 feet away, the darker red elements (e.g. current track) are only visible close up under normal room lighting.

But the bottom line is that this H&B is oustanding value for money; a versatile and high quality DVD player for surprisingly little, and a purchase that I'm more than pleased with.