Hi,

Recommendations please:

Cheap / reasonably priced DVD player, up to £60 max, with Scart connection.

Able to play mkv and mp4 files, ideally from a USB, but failing that where I've put the files on a data disc.

Ideally (but not a deal breaker) with a decent zoom: not the stupid 3 zoom thing where zoom 1 has already enlarged half the screen, but something with a bit of effort where the first zoom just zooms a small amount.

Has to be under £60 - ideally under £50 or even...
Must have scart - no scart no takers!

Thanks for looking

I got a Samsung BD-F5100 seems OK so far.

I would recommend a Blu Ray player

Failing that go into Tesco/ Asda and check the box to see what File types it supports.

We are struggling to remember what a Scart is !

Does not have a scart though.
But will play Blu Ray to.

Thanks for the ideas.

There's one DVD in Asda where the zoom is dire. 100% - 200% 300% 400%. Who the hell wants that? What for? Where's the subtle 110%, 120%, etc?

You might have better luck chasing unicorns I suspect you are as likely to find one of those as find a DVD player that meets your requirements. Especially at the price point you've set.

Not even sure I've seen any players further up the price range with that sort of control over zoom.

So: off topic, but it still begs: Who the hell wants 200% 300% 400%. zoom?

Probably nobody but on the other hand it costs nothing to have it so no big deal.

Ideally the zoom would be in the TV that way you can use it for all sources.

I think you should look in the local paper for a "bargain" or Gumtree/ ebay

Failing that , buy a cheap blu ray player ............................ and perhaps get a new tv that has a HDMI

or a PC with an output for connecting up to Scart

Still looking!

Recommendations please:

Cheap / reasonably priced DVD player, up to £60 max,

with Scart connection. (a video line out will work for me as an alternative)

Able to play mkv and mp4 files, ideally from a USB, but failing that where I've put the files on a data disc. Still hoping for this!

Ideally (but not a deal breaker) with a decent zoom: not the stupid 3 zoom thing where zoom 1 has already enlarged half the screen, but something with a bit of effort where the first zoom just zooms a small amount. Given up on this.

So:
1. Has to play mkv and mp4 files.
2. From a USB would be ideal

Thanks for looking

have you checked your supermarket ?

I suggest you look at second hand Blu-ray players on eBay, and more specifically a Blu-ray player with analogue outputs. I don't recall ever seeing a DVD player that could play MKVs(MKV is a container used for HD video, which exceeds DVD player specs). You could easily buy a new Blu-ray player with MKV support for under £60 but you may struggle to find one with analogue video and audio outputs.

So far, Morrisons and Asda no.

Thanks for the advice. Any specific recommendations would really help.

You say you need SCART, I am not sure I have ever seen a Blu-Ray player with SCART. You might find a set of phono sockets for composite video and stereo audio which you can connect via a suitable lead to a SCART socket. But that is the lowest quality video option, ideally you want RGB.

From a quick look at Richersounds none of the cheaper Blu-Ray players they stock have any form of analogue output at all. So none of those would be any use if HDMI is definitely not an option.

Why don't you get a blu ray player with DLNA capability and put your files on a NAS hard drive ?

Or simply plug your laptop into the tv ?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/BlueBeach-Co...+composite+mkv buying a blu ray player and an item something like this, might be your cheapest option

Don't buy one the picture quality is appalling. No idea what the upscaler bit means. It converts 1080i50 to 576i. It won't work with 1080p24 and even with a 1080i50 source the picture is lousy. I tested one to send Blu-ray using my AV amp Zone 2 HDMI out to a PAL modulator used to feed a Kitchen TV. Picture is fine from the other feeds to the modulator.

Thanks for the help.

Any type of video line out that connects to a scart would work for me.

I want to be able to put a video on a USB and play it. I don't want to have to transfer it to a NAS hard drive as well. I currently plug my laptop into the tv, and am looking for a simpler option.

Or, I could miss out the DVD bit and buy a Media box that can play mkv direct from USB stick. I just need to find one with the right output. What's an AV output: is that a line analogue video signal? Maybe I could find one with a subtle zoom.

I think you will either have to forget Blu-Ray or forget analogue connections. It would appear from a random sampling of the Richersounds website that you can't have both.

I did find one, the Pioneer BDP-170, that has analogue audio outs but no video. All the others I sampled had no analogue outputs of any description.

AV = Audio Video. Commonly it means analogue though it can equally apply to digital.

But the more common usage is to refer to analogue Composite Video and analogue Stereo Audio.

Can you not play through your laptop then ?

Media boxes will possibly only have HDMI only, or certainly you should ensure at least it has that compatibility.

Now, the media player will stream from your laptop the File you want to play without transferring it to USB first, as will TVs with DLNA ability; and more are playing MKV and MP4's.

I think the easiest is asking your TV make and model, name all your equipment you want to connect to your tv.