Unbeatable for the Price / Has Flaws
Pros:
Unbeatable Value in a Professional DVD Unit! Beats home DVD players for professional VJ functionality.
Cons:
Needs some TLC! Not the best with burned Media. Slow cue time.
The Bottom Line:
For ease of use, and value/price, you can't go wrong.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
I have used the Numark DVD01 on a regular basis since about May of 2006 (about 10 months). So here is an honest user review of what it can, and can NOT do.
1. CD's - If you need a CD player, skip this product. Yes, it plays CD's and DVD's, but it is designed for DVD's. If you play a continuous mix CD, you will hear an audible "bump" as it passes from one track to the next. This does NOT happen when playing DVD's (i.e. a Promo Only Powerset).
2. Cue Time - Nearly 5 to 6 seconds may pass before your DVD (or CD) starts playing! YIKES! Once you know this, you learn to adjust.
3. Pitch Control - Can be used for "fun effects", but from an actual DVD mixing standpoint, forget it. It's too harsh. And you WILL hear the speed movement if you try to adjust the speed while playing live. No way around it.
4. User Interface - Blows away ANY home DVD unit you can find. Easy to navigate the disc, easy to see time elapsed, etc. Optional on-screen display. One downside - no way to jump to track 28 - you have to keep hitting next to get there.
5. Media - Aside from factory burned, mine plays DVD-R, +R and both forms in RW as well. It seems to prefer DVD -R if you burn at high speeds. I would suggest you burn DVD's as slow as possible or you may have playback issues. As for Dual-Layer -R or +R media, mine has refused to read a FEW DL +R formats. Otherwise, it's happy with most media you stick in it.
6. Installation - I recently started work at a new club. They had 2 DVD01's in their VJ Booth. They were installed ONE on TOP of the other! OOOPS - These units can run very warm, and have vent holes on top! Install them correctly with breathing room or you can expect early failure.
Summer 2007 Update - If you play a lot of burned DVD's, make sure you use a quality DVD authoring program.
Final Word - Unbeatable value in a professional grade product. Lots of minor flaws that Numark should (and I think could) correct. Not sure how the newer Numark single disc DVD player compares. The user interface is sweet, now if the functionality can come up to the same level.
One Note: My first unit arrived with a flawed left drive, and had to be returned (it stuttered and skipped on DVD's that played perfectly in the right drive). The replacement unit worked fine. So make sure you have return/exchange policy and USE the unit a lot during this period with various media.
