Home > Consumer Reviews > Konka KD1800U1 DVD Player

This DVD Player is great! Although when it arrived it didn't exactly look like the picture displayed. It apprears to be all silver, but the only silver part is the face plate, the rest is gray. I did a lot of research before I decided on the Konka. The set-up was easy, the machine is quite, and the picture and sound is great! I don't have dolby digital, I still a pro-logic surround sound, so I can image how much better it will sound when I do upgrade to digital. The remote control was the only glitch, it sometimes has a delayed response. But for the price, the quality is exceptional. I am glad I didn't spend a lot more money for a brand that I am familiar with, like Sony or Panasonic. This DVD Player has all the features one needs. So far, I am very satisfied with this product. I would recommend it to anyone who is not willing to spend a lot of money. It also has other features not mentioned. It does support DTS and it has extra audio and video outlets. The first DVD I played was the Matrix, because I heard from people that some DVD Players have trouble playig that particular disc. It was flawless. Konka definatley did their homework.

I was very nervous about buying a lower priced DVD player by a company I'd never heard of before and was SURE that some sort of problem was inevitable. Not at all! I've only been using it for a little over 2 weeks but so far it's been easy to use (VERY important to me!), easy to hook up, solid, w/ nice picture quality. No problems at all, yet. Very pleased. Contrary to some of the other reviews I've read, I don't find the remote to be terribly slow. In fact, I find the control buttons to be well distributed and easy to use. The less glancing down the better for me! So far I'm really quite pleased with the unit. I didn't want anything fancy, I just wanted it to work well and this really does.

Hope this helps someone else. There were only two reviews when I bought mine and I was definitely second-guessing my choice at the time but for those considering the Konka, I've had a VERY nice experience.

The Konka KD1800 is exactly what is purports itself to be; a budget-priced, reliable, low-end DVD player. The 'low-end' tag applies more to the units electronic response than to its sound or video reproduction.

The Konka is simple to install, using either analog or digital connections. It produces a high quality video image and very impressive sound. There are a variety of fancy visual options which will intrigue some users but probably be ignored by most, such as the variable view angle capability.

The only significant drawback to the KD1800U1 is its extremely slow response to the remote. As almost all of the control features are on the remote, this can be quite a nuisance. The functions are reliable and perform as advertised, they simply take forever to activate. If this is the only problem that manifests itself, however, it is a small price to pay for the dollar savings in the purchase price.

The final determination on any video system should be the quality of the image it provides. In that area, the Konka is superb. The DVDs I have viewed have been everything I expected. They are clean, stable, and visually impressive. In a word, the visual product is excellent.

If you want a high-end electronic toy with which to manipulate your DVDs, this unit is not a good choice. However, if you want a DVD player so that you can enjoy the visual clarity and dynamic sound of DVDs, there is no reason to spend more money. The Konka KD1800U1 will satisfy your needs.

I did a fair amount of research when I decided to enter into the DVD world. Based on my audio reciever's capacity (doesn't support Dolby Digital, for example), I opted for a player without all the bells and whistles--I'll get one of those players when I upgrade my TV and stereo a couple of years from now. In the $200 to $300 price range, I was dizzy with all the choices. I liked the Toshiba 3109, but I kept coming back to the Konka KD-1800U. I had found so many complementary reviews (both editorial and customer) about the Konka, but I was wary because the brand was pretty unknown to me. I am glad I took the chance, though, as my first viewing with the Konka was fantastic.

I should explain, though: I had ordered the KD-1800 and Amazon shipped me the KD-1800U1. I had seen a couple of mentions about this model in reviews, but didn't know that much more about it. There are some differences, including no coaxial out (despite what the description says) and support of Dolby Theater (DTS) (though the KD 1800U did support DTS, even though it didn't say it anywhere). I was pretty confused when I recieved this player, as I didn't know that much about it. The www.konkausa.com site said nothing about this new model. Amazon didn't have any info about it. I eventually got through to a very knowledgable guy at Konka who explained that the KD-1800U1 is the new/replacement model for the KD-1800U, which was discontinued a couple of months ago. It seems that the geographical zones that the KD-1800 was set up for barred it from being used in Asia and Mexico, so this 1800U1 is for North America (zone 1). With this update, they also put in some extras, like another set of A/V OUT jacks (for example, to hook through a VCR, though I loathe to think what a taped DVD would look like). All in all, the Konka rep convinced me that this was indeed a better model than the 1800U for the same low, low price of under $200.

Now, for the test: I hooked everything up with my jury-rigged home theater system (I'm a scrapyard wannabe-audiophile) and my workhorse 27" TV. My first test run was with Fight Club, and the opening credits, with the camera running along a tangled network of neurons and synapses, really looked amazing. Even my friend, who isn't too discriminating when it comes to fuzzy pictures and poor-quality video, was amazed at the resolution of the picture. The sound (during the THX "volume swell") was super crisp and sounded great, even through my hodge-podge of varied-quality speakers. Suffice to say, the movie looked and sounded great and made me realize what a great technology DVD is. After that, we had to take the Matrix for a test run, and skipping through the chapters was a breeze...again, everything looked wonderful. My only complaint is that the remote, which is layed out pretty terribly with tiny buttons and no backlight (which I'd expect with a player of this price), is PAINFULLY SLOW. Not that big a deal and I'm sure I'll get used to it, but still a drawback. If you get impatient easily, you might think about plunking down the extra money for a more responsive player, but I hardly think it will make me (who is admittedly impatient), too antsy.

For the value, the options and the quality--both audio and video--the Konka 1800U1 is a fantastic entrance into the world of DVD. I highly recommend it!

All I wanted was a basic DVD unit for playback. I have a 32" Sony hooked up to a standard component stereo system. The Konka unit delivers superior reproduction of sound and video with all the functions I could ever want. As a matter of fact, I am trying to figure out what it is the expensive units do that this one doesn't.

However, there are 3 small problems. 1. I can't turn the unit on with the remote control. I have to turn it on at the player itself, even if the red-light is lit. 2. Response to the remote is slow, sometimes causing me to punch the buttons again and again (I don't need to; it will eventually accept any legitimate command). But if I repeatedly enter the same command, it will.... 3. Respond with the on-screen warning "invalid operation". Which will sometimes go away and sometimes freeze up the unit. Pushing the command buttons in the wrong sequence will also sometimes cause the same problem.

Experience with the remote will solve almost all the minor annoyances of 2 and 3.

I would recommend it to a friend, but I would tell them about the software-like learning curve. I am happy with the unit, but also wanted to tell others what they might expect.

Also, the aluminum case is quite attractive. The player is solid. It is easy to hook-up

PM