Yamaha DVD-S520

Marantz DV-4200

 Ok! The gloves are off and the two newest DVD players on the block have come out fighting. The last generation Yamaha and Marantz DVD players were not only out of the same factory, they were virtually identical. The new models however are totally different, although the stated specifications are remarkably similar, the actual performances differ.

    Functionally, both units do the lot - DVD, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, VCD, SVCD and MP-3 files. The Yamaha having the edge in MP-3 playing in that you can go directly to a particular track by punching the track number on the remote whereas with the Marantz (as with almost all MP-3 / DVD Players) you have to sequentially hit the skip button to reach the required track which is a pain in the butt when trying to access track 150 directly! The MP-3 playback on the Yamaha is sonically better (marginally) than the Marantz , however the CD playback on the Marantz is slightly better.

    All the usual connection are there, Composite, Component and S-Video with Both Optical and Coaxial Digital outputs. The Marantz only allows for either Component or S-Video but not simultaneously whereas the Yamaha outputs the lot all together. The Marantz, however has a PAL / NTSC / Auto switch on the rear panel which can be a boon for those with older PAL only sets. The Yamaha also does the same thing but requires you to access the setup menu on-screen to change the settings which is no use if the TV system in incompatible in the first place.

    Video wise, the results are not as clear. Both units give exceptional picture quality on my new Panasonic 130cm 100Hz Progressive Scan TV, the quality is such that when watching Shrek the other night, I couldn't pick between them. Both use 10 Bit, 27MHz video processing which, while not state of the art (Panasonic's DVD-61 uses 54MHz) it's pretty damn close.

    There are a couple of software compatibility issues which affect the Marantz. It currently has problems playing Star Wars Phantom Menace, Marantz assure us their will be an upgrade to fix this shortly - The Yamaha plays it just fine. Apart from this minor glitch both units appear to play just about everything else. Both units can be purchased from us either Zone 4 or Multizoned for the same price. The Yamaha has a neat feature whereby it has a 5 disc memory resume feature, so if you stopped a movie half way through and played something else, when you pop the original movie back in it will take on where it left off.

    The Marantz DV-4200 is available in Black or Gold for $699 with a three year warranty (1 year on the laser head) whilst the Yamaha DVD-S520 is available in Black only at $499 with a two year warranty on everything.

    To conclude - If your primary reason for purchasing a DVD a DVD Player is for playing your CD collection, the Marantz would be the choice due to its (slightly) superior CD playback, the Yamaha offers equal performance in all other area's with an advantage playing MP-3's. The choice is your's.