Compared to the low-cost offerings from
Panasonic and
Apex, JVC's XV-S302 is a capable DVD player with a couple of odd quirks. JVC's player offers several quality touches including a comfortable remote, metallic finish, and a dimmable display. However, as you'll see on this episode of "Fresh Gear," the XV-S302 ended up in last place when pitted against
the competition.
Click here for a comparison chart of all three players in our roundup.
Awkward MP3 playback
The XV-S302's video output quality is good, comparable to the Panasonic player's, and even slightly better than the Apex unit's. However, JVC's digital music support is lacking at best. While it will play back MP3 audio tracks, information about the current audio file is limited to the track and folder numbers -- no file names. To make matters worse, the XV-S302 turns off the on-screen track information whenever a different song is selected, requiring the user to press the display button in order to see track and time information.
The manual accompanying the XV-S302 lists several disc formats that JVC considers "nonplayable" with this unit. Most were obvious, but the recordable DVD formats included on the list surprised us. Our own DVD-R creations play just fine on the XV-S302.
Audio and video options
Audio links include standard analog stereo RCA and digital coaxial.
Video outputs include composite, component, and S-Video. JVC uses a two-way switch on the back of the unit for selecting between standard and component video output. We prefer the soft-menu approach Panasonic took with the DVD-RV32. Often the XV-S302's switch wouldn't enable or disable the proper video source on the first try and had to be fiddled with until it switched.
Remote issues
Despite having the most comfortable remote control of our low-cost candidates, JVC's choice of button labels left us scratching our heads. The Setup button is the first button a user would press in order to configure the player for their particular AV hardware setup. JVC named this important button Choice, and we resorted to pressing every key and reading the manual to figure out something that should have been obvious. The keypad layout is adequate but didn't match the clean design of the Panasonic remote.
While JVC's XV-S302 DVD player is free of any critical flaws, we found that Panasonic's comparable player offers far more robust digital music support and a superb remote design. The Apex AD-1500 lacks the aesthetics of the JVC and Panasonic models, but its rock-bottom retail pricing make it a compelling value.
Summary: The JVC XV-S302 is a decent set-top player marred by a few odd quirks. It has a listed MSRP of $199.95, but we found the XV-S302 locally and online for about $140.
Pros: Fading menus; comfortable remote.
Cons: Poorly labeled remote; limited MP3 track information.
Company: JVCPrice: $199.95 (MSRP)
Available: Now
Category: Set-top DVD player
Specs: Format support: DVD video, video CD, audio CD, MP3; video outputs: composite, component, S-Video; audio outputs: coaxial (digital), composite; NTSC compatible.
