Best HDMI DVD Players for TV

The video quality that one gets from most Blu-Ray players is exceptional, as Blu-ray Disc playback delivers exceptional Full HD 1080p video performance. But what about your DVDs? If the advance of technology has taught us anything, it is that older media tends to look less than spectacular on newer playback devices. Fortunately, that won't be the case here. The included DVD upscaling technology scales video playback to 1080p, which makes this media almost as sharp as Blu-Ray content. In fact, you'll be amazed at just how much better your DVDs look when playing them through this player on your 1080p television. You'll often not notice much of a difference in video quality between a well-mastered DVD and a Blu-Ray disc.

There's much more to this player than just physical media playback. The player includes Smart functionality that gives you access to many of the most popular streaming services out there, including Netflix, YouTube, Hulu Plus, and many others. This will be a great feature for those who either don't have a Smart TV, or find that their current Smart TV's functionality leaves a bit to be desired. Either way, anyone looking to get the best out of their DVD collection will find this Blu-Ray and DVD player to be an excellent choice.

This is a simple and relatively cheap DVD player, however, when it comes to the quality of video streaming, it firmly outperforms most of the similar players within the same price range. For whatever TV screen you’ve got at home, the device will have no issues playing back high-definition videos in 1920 x 1080p Full HD quality. Sure, people love the model's compact size and all. But one could argue that the best part here is the model's automatic shut-off function that will turn the unit off after some time when it’s been out of use.

The Panasonic DVD-S700 comes equipped with an HDMI-port that ensures high throughput, multi-channel transmission of audio and video. A DVD player paired with an HDMI port hardly needs any additional jacks for the use of other cables.

This makes most modern DVD players stand out from other analog devices - the HDMI port is equally good for high-speed cables and those that you’ve already got. At the same time, you'll be able to view media content from USB flash drives, which is nice considering that these budget players rarely give you that option.

Finally, the player is also dustproof, so you'll be able to place the device on dust-prone shelves without worrying about any DVD/CD performance issues coming from dust buildup.

All of the above will probably sound great to most people, but what is really important about any DVD player is the quality of its DVD playback. We're quite happy to say that those who are sticklers about this won't find anything to complain about here. This DVD player features progressive scan and upscaling technology that makes all of your DVDs look fabulous on any 1080p television. You won't have to worry about the video looking blurred or distorted, as all images should appear sharp and detailed, giving you nearly full HD quality from your DVD collection. Just be aware that the upscaling and progressive scan features require the DVD player to be connected via an HDMI cable.

It is not just DVDs that will be the primary benefactor of this player. The device includes a USB port that allows you to playback both audio and video media files on your TV in all of their glory. The player supports many of the most commonly used file formats for audio and video media files, so you can do everything from watching downloaded Internet content to using your TV to display your favorite photos from your latest vacation. Most burnable CD and DVD media types are also supported, so those who have older catalogs of burned DVDs and CDs should be able to make full use of them as well. If you're looking for a solid, easy to use DVD player that is guaranteed to hold up well over time, then this model deserves a close look.

Aside from everything we've said earlier, there isn't that much that makes this model different from your typical budget DVD player. The multi-brand remote is pretty nice as it can be used with a variety of different devices. The player supports multi-format DVD and CD media playback but, again, that's not something that can't be said about most of these players.

It is pretty compact, featuring 12.6 inches in width, 10 in length, and precisely 1.26 inches in height, so it won't take away too much of your space. The model supports the JPEG image format, so you'll be able to enjoy a slideshow playback with some MP3 music in the background if you ever feel so inclined. Aside from JPEG and MP3, the device works with MPEG-4, WMA, AAC, and LPCM, more or less your usual lineup of audio and video formats for a budget DVD player.

In short, considering the price tag that it comes with, the Sony DVPSR210P is a pretty damn impressive player. On top of everything else, the model features a variety of playback options, including fast playback with sound as well as the slow playback with sound. At your disposal, you'll have high-speed search, instant replay, instant advance, and just about everything you could ask out of a budget DVD player.

Although this is a relatively simple DVD player, there is still much to be said about it. This remote control DVD player makes watching movies, playing music and viewing pictures from your favorite CD easy and fast. The remote features clearly labeled buttons that will let you select the needed function in a minimal amount of time without having to hunt for it. It is convenient to install in the living room or in the bedroom due to its small size, with its overall footprint taking up only a little more space than a DVD box. In fact, you'll be hard-pressed to find a DVD player with a smaller footprint.

Just like with most other DVD players, this device is capable of doing more than just playing DVDs. This player supports the use of various burnable CD and DVD formats including DVD-R, DVD-RW, CD-R, and CD-RW, and allows for playback of video and audio files from burned discs.

Not everything is gravy here, though. In order to keep the costs down, it appears the manufacturer left out a few things from the package. For one, the 2 AAA batteries required for powering the remote are not included. The device includes an older A/V cable for connecting to older televisions but does not include an HDMI cable for connecting to HDTVs, so you will need to purchase your own separately. Considering the bargain basement price of this DVD player, though, these are but small complaints about an otherwise excellent device.