Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony DVPNS 508 -ALL REGION CODEFREE MULTI SYSTEM DVD PLAYER

After my old Philips multi region DVD gave up on me after only couple of months, I decided to go for a brand name unit for my non HD TV. I wasn't looking for something with HDMI or USB, but just a reliable all region DVD player. I ran across this Sony and decided to give it a shot. Sony DVPNS508 played all of my region 1 and region 2 DVDs out of the box. It also played my PAL recorded home videos without any change in settings. The picture and sound quality was much better compared to my previous brand. However, it came with an Spanish manual but the seller was nice enough to include a copy of English manual with the box. This unit is also dual voltage 110/220V great for use anywhere in the world. It has a European plug on the cord and US adapter plug is included in the package. I am also purchasing one for a friend in France. I would really recommend this model to anyone looking for a good and reliable region free dvd player.

This product, as other reviewers have pointed out, is first rate, and deserves five stars. But Amazon, uncharacteristically, have not read there own copy, it would seem. I was lucky, there was a photocopy of an English version of the manual in addition to the pristine Spanish edition included with mine. You need it, as the default language is set to Spanish. And there was an adapter to allow the unit to be plugged in to a US socket. So perhaps someone has been taking notice of these reviews. Perhaps that someone can explain why customers frequently by an HDMI cable with this unit when it does not have an HDMI output? Why do they ship silver units but only show the black version? You may not receive what you expect, and for that the rating drops to four stars (but it is a great dvd player!)

Ignore the gripes about instruction manuals-- mine did come with an English photocopy, but it's not really necessary. The very first screen in the setup allows you to switch the language instantly, and after that, it's as straight-forward as any other dvd player. Picture quality is excellent, it doesn't suffer from any video/audio sync issues like similar Toshiba players, and it's free from region restrictions. Excellent choice for any fan of foreign media.

My only complaint isn't with the player at all, but with Amazon's marketing-- this player doesn't have HDMI output, and although HDMI isn't listed in the product description, it is very deceiving to see HDMI cables plastered all over the same page, and to be repeatedly offered deals to buy this player along with HDMI cables. So don't bother adding any HDMI's to your order unless you plan to use them for something else!

Although I was happy with my Coby compact multi-region DVD player that I purchased from Amazon, it lasted only a year. When the action froze in the middle of a DVD, I thought the DVD was defective until the unit stopped playing altogether. Coby's customer service representative said it was "tired." I decided to go with a name brand this time and the Sony unit arrived one day after I ordered it (with free shipping). I've tested it with all my multi-region DVD's (including Asian and PAL) and it seems to work just fine. As mentioned in several previous reviews, a photocopy of an English instruction manual was included as well as a US adapter plug. It was easy to switch the default language from Spanish to English and no other adjustments were required. It does seem a bit odd that no warranty information is included in the package but I am hoping that the unit will have a long life with no problems.

This DVD player is exactly what I'd hoped it would be--regardless of the fact I was prepared to be disappointed. It couldn't have been easier to set up. All cords, English manual, and US plug adapter were included, and I had it up and running in a few short minutes. When I started looking for a new DVD player, I knew I wanted one that was region-free and would play VCDs, and this Sony does it all. A big thank you to all those who posted reviews. All of your positive comments were what persuaded me to make the purchase. It's a great DVD player.