Audio Video News

As technology marches on, the price of excellence continues to drop. A superb example is Harman Kardon's new DVD 50, a five-disc carousel changer with progressive video output, high-resolution audio decoding, and compatibility with a wide variety of recorded formats. The price? A mere $650.

HK has packed a lot of features into the DVD 50. In addition to progressive video, output options include composite, component (Y/Pr/PB), and S-video. The DVD 50 is one of the first progressive players on the market below the $1000 price point. A parental control feature prevents children from viewing unsuitable material. The DVD 50 sold in the US and Canada is setup to play DVD movies encoded for Region 1. Audio surround modes include Dolby® Digital and DTS®.

Audio performance is second to none, with internal Wolfson digital-to-analog converters performing at full 192kHz/24-bit levels of resolution. HDCD® decoding is standard with the DVD 50, as is MP3 compatibility. Of course, standard CDs will play perfectly in the HK, as will CD-Rs, CD-RWs, and CDs with text and graphics. Four discs can be replaced while a fifth one is playing. Coaxial and optical digital outputs enable the use of external processors. A backlit remote control and easy menu setup makes operation a breeze.