detail information

Setting up the NeoDigits NVD2085:

While the setup of most DVD players is as simple as hooking it up and turning it on, this player does require at least some basic setting up to get the most out of it.  When powered up for the first time, it outputs an NTSC 480i video, so if the user only has a standard definition NTSC TV and stereo speakers, the player will work well with just its default configuration.  But then again, chances are that the average user would not go about getting a high definition upscaling DVD player just to use on a standard definition TV!

When the player is first powered on, its display shows 'LOAD' for a brief moment, followed by 'NO DISC'.  At this stage it is possible to switch between the different resolutions and TV formats using the remote's VGA, HD, PAL/NTSC and 50Hz/60Hz buttons.  The main advantage with having these selections as buttons on the remote as opposed to just placing them in the setup menu means that one cannot accidentally switch to a mode which their TV cannot handle without having to blindly navigate the menus in order to switch back again! 

When powered on from standby, the following screen shows until the user loads a disc or brings up a menu:

The setup menu can be accessed at anytime, whether it is at the above stop screen or while playing a disc.  However, if a disc is playing, it is paused while the setup menu is shown and remains paused until the user presses 'Play' again or selects the 'Play' option in the setup menu.  The following screenshot shows the main setup menu:

Navigating in and out of menus is fairly straight forward.  The player shows a '>' symbol in the selected option if a sub-menu is present.  A menu option can be selected using the vertical arrow keys and a sub-menu can be selected by pressing either the right arrow button or the Enter button.  Selecting options can be a little tricky to get the hang of as there are several types of option menus where there is a different method of selecting an option.  For example, on some menus, the user uses the arrow keys to highlight an option and press 'Enter' to select, while some others use the 'Enter' key to toggle an option and finally there are a few where the arrow keys are used to toggle between options. 

The initial sub-menu is shown to the right of the main menu, while each sub-menu within a sub-menu is shown on a separate screen.  The left arrow navigation key navigates to the previous menu. 

The contents of the setup menus, submenus and options are as follows:

Play / Resume Play
(Requires a loaded disc to select)

Play Mode (Requires a loaded disc to select)
          Start

          (Further options hidden if disc only contains images)
          Random Play
          Program Play
          Edit Program
                   (Playlist editor with track selection shows)

Lock
          Enter Passsword (4 Digit code required)
                   (Menu revealed after correct password entry)
                   Change PWD
                             Enter New Password
                   Ratings Limits
                             (Threshold level slider shown)
                             LV8, LV7 NC-17, LV6 PG-R, LV5, LV4 PG-13, LV3 PG, LV2, LV1 G

Display
          TV System
                   NTSC Only
                   PAL Only
                   Progressive (480P)
                   Progressive (576P)
                   HDTV 720P Output
                   HDTV 1080I Output
                   VGA Output
                   SVGA Output
                   XGA Output
                   SXGA Output
                   HDTV 1080P Output
          TV Image
                   4 x 3 Letterbox
                   4 x 3 Standard
                   16 x 9 Widescreen
          HD Scan Freq
                   Auto (Multi-System)
                   60Hz
                   50Hz

Sound
          Digital Output
                   On (Reveals menu)
                             Dolby Digital (Toggle)
                             DTS (Toggle)
                    Off
          Stereo
                   On
                   Off
          Speaker Setup (Revealed if Stereo option is 'Off')
                    Speakers
                             Front
                                      Small, Large
                             Center
                                      Small, Large, None
                             Surround
                                      Small, Large, None
                             Subwoofer
                                      Exist, None
                   Distance (All options in steps of feet from 3 to 20 feet)
                             Front
                             Center
                             Surround
                   Volume (All options in steps of dB from -10 dB to 0 dB)
                             Left Front
                             Right Front
                             Center
                             Left Surround
                             Right Surround
                             Subwoofer
                   LPCM Output
                             48K, 96K

Languages
            Player Menus
                   English, (Chinese)
          Disc Menus
                   English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Swedish
          Audio
                   English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Swedish
          Subtitles
                   Off, English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Swedish

Setting up the display configuration

As this player has most of the display configuration modes as buttons on the remote itself, choosing the correct display mode is actually very straight forward.  This is best done when the disc is fully stopped (if one is loaded) as the picture can become distorted or 'jumpy' if the disc is left playing while changing screen modes.  For standard definition TV's, use the 'PAL/NTSC' to select the right TV standard as well as to put the player in standard definition mode.  For VGA displays such as over-head projectors and PC monitors, use the VGA button to put the player into VGA mode as well as select the resolution.  Each further press of the button changes to the next display resolution.  Finally, for HDTV displays use the 50Hz/60Hz button to select the frame rate and then the 'HD' button to select a choice of 720p, 1080i and 1080p.

Finally, the aspect ratio menu can be accessed in the 'Display Menu' as shown in the screenshot below:

Setting up the sound and speaker configuration

While the majority of DVD players give a few sound configurations such as a choice of 2, 4 or 5.1 speaker setups and what type of encoding to send over the digital audio output, we have never came across such a sophisticated sound setup as we have come across with this DVD player.  Not only is there a choice of five different sound connections at the rear, but there is enough options in the setup menu's sound configuration to cater for pretty much any speaker configuration one may ever encounter. 

The main sound configuration menu is shown in the following image:

Due to the method this player uses to select between options, the first option may appear like a simple toggle option between 'On' and 'Off', however it holds a sub-menu for choosing whether to output DTS and/or Dolby Digital.  This option is toggled by pressing 'Enter' and the sub-menu can be accessed by pressing the right arrow.  The 'Stereo' option below enables the Stereo Mix output, however when enabled, all advanced sound configurations become unavailable.  The 'LPCM Output' option gives a sampling rate choice of 48kHz and 96kHz.

At a first glance, the options visible in the above menu may seem quite common on DVD players until one goes into the 'Speaker Setup' menu:

In this Speaker Setup menu, the first option allows one to chose which speakers are connected to the player as well as the size of each speaker group:

Most DVD players typically give a speaker choice of 2.0, 2.1, 4.0, 4.1 and 5.1.  With this player, the user can select between 'Large' and 'Small' for the Front speakers, 'Large', 'Small' and 'None' for Centre and Surround speakers and whether a Subwoofer is present.  This can be very useful for custom speaker configurations or reusing an existing 5-speaker Dolby Prologic amplifier which has individual phono inputs for each speaker.  For example, some users may have two large front floor-standing speakers instead of a subwoofer. 

One quite common issue with surround sound systems is trying to position the speakers and seating area such that the listener is seated at the optimum spot.  This player overcomes this by allowing the user to specify the distance they will be from each speaker group such that the player controls the sound delay to each speaker group in order to effectively shift the 'sweet spot' to where the user is seated:

The distance can be set for the front, centre and rear speaker group in steps of feet from 3 to 20 feet. 

Finally, as very few consumers place the TV and seat dead centre in the room, one quite common issue with surround sound systems is where sound from one direction sounds louder than sound from another direction.  A good example would where the front and left speakers may be mounted on a wall, while the right and rear speakers have wide open space around them.  As a result, the speakers from the front and left may sound louder than the surround and right speakers.

Each speaker can be individually adjusted in steps of decibels from -10dB to 0dB.  The only drawback we found from the speaker configuration is the inability to produce a test tone, so one will need to have a DVD with speaker tests in order to properly calibrate the speakers.