Whether your living room is currently home to an HDTV or you're merely thinking of "someday," the DVD-C631P stands ready to deliver the full potential of DVDs. Progressive scanning, referred to as 480p for the number of horizontal lines that compose the video image, creates a picture using twice the scan lines of a conventional DVD picture, provides higher resolution and sharper images while eliminating nearly all motion artifacts. In addition, top-of-the-line component-video outputs help minimize digital and line-scan artifacts on compatible advanced televisions, while composite- and S-video outputs bring compatibility with nearly any television.

A set of left/right analog-audio outputs channel audio to Dolby Pro Logic receivers and stereo televisions. Both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1-channel surround-sound signals can be routed through the player's digital-audio output for direct connection to a full-featured audio/video receiver. Another handy feature is EZ-View letterbox eliminator, which makes it easy to enjoy full-screen pictures on 4:3 aspect-ratio TVs--even when you're watching widescreen DVDs. Supplied accessories include a composite-video/stereo analog-audio interconnect, instruction manual, and a remote control.

The manual claims that Random Play will give you the option to switch between discs, but Samsung Tech Support told me that the manual is wrong.

That said, it plays DVDs very well, and the excellent remote control makes it very easy to use. I especially like the "Instant Replay" button, which lets me jump back about ten seconds to catch whatever piece of dialog I might have missed due to room noise. They also took care to make it very easy to view photo CDs. (This was a problem with earlier models.)

I don't have an HD-TV, so I can't comment on the qualities of the Progressive Scan display.

In summary, this would make a fine, inexpensive single-disc DVD player. It's less expensive than many other single disc progressive scan players, so if you're not counting on a useful carousel, it's a very good buy. But if you want a 5-disc carousel, choose a different model.


A great DVD player for people on a budget.   August 16, 2003
 10 out of 15 found this review helpful

Okay. A word of warning. I am not a techie or a/v expert. I can't define "progressive scan" or stuff like that. I am just a guy who needed to replace a first DVD player (a KLH Audio single-disc player) with a better brand/make one. I opted for the 5-disc model in case I ever get a DVD movie such as the Extended Version of Lord of the Rings or have a Steven Spielberg film festival or listen to several hours' worth of music without having to swap CDs or DVDs. What concerned me the most, really, was quality vs. cost.

The KLH Audio DVD player I owned previously obviously had its problems. It would often freeze up, refuse to comply with Scene Selection commands, and had trouble reading DVDs made after 2000. The worst drawback it had was that it would NOT read extra features discs from DVDs made after 2001. It was good for playing movies all the way through from the beginning, but if you tried to start watching a DVD from another scene that wasn't the very first "chapter," forget it.

It quickly dawned on me that I needed a more reliable player, and the Samsung DVD-C631P Progressive Scan 5-Disc DVD Player is definitely reliable. Loading it with more than one disc is, of course, more time consuming, but the carousel is gentler on DVDs and CDs than the loading tray on the single disc player. It has so far played all the movies I have sampled at random, including one DVD that the KLH Audio player always refused to "read," meaning that KLH uses cheaper components than the more upscale Samsung brand has in its players. Because my TV is also a Samsung product there was no need to go into the setup screen.

The remote control takes getting used to if one is upgrading from one DVD brand to Samsung, but that is to be expected.

Overall, if you are looking for a good DVD player at an affordable price, then I recommend the Samsung DVD-C631P Progressive Scan 5-Disc DVD Player wholeheartedly.


90's technology passed off as current   November 30, 2003
 9 out of 12 found this review helpful

I have to marvel at Samsung's engineering on this product. As is mentioned by dozens of other reviewers, it won't play across discs, random or otherwise. Unbelievable. If a team designing this came to me and told me this was what they were planning on sending out the door, I'd fire all of them on the spot, give them glowing job recommendations to my competitors, and bring in some high school kids that had some vision.

I also tried burning some MP3 and Windows media audio files onto 2 different types of CD media, even at 1x, only to be rewarded with a continuous "loading" message, followed by a message that this disc can't be played. I've also had problems with it locking up completely while playing 2 different DVD's, and needing to be unplugged.

I rate this player not "one star", but "5 poopies". I can't believe that this is a product released since 2000. My old Sony, which I was never that fond of, despite not being billed as being able to play alternate media types, performed the basic functions an order of magnitude better. Samsung should make toasters for a living, home electronics is clearly too challenging for them.


Perfect for what I needed, and much better than expected.   October 15, 2003
 8 out of 10 found this review helpful

There is a very good reason why I make it a rule not to read online consumer reviews. I find that in most cases the author means well, but simply doesn't write an accurate review. Usually this is attributed to lack of knowledge on the subject matter, or lack of understanding in how to use the specific product. In typical fashion, most reviews for this product on this site, suffer from both caveats.

I am neither an engineer or top-tier power user. However, I am an afficianado of Home AV with far more than a passing interest. Believe me when I say that this player is worth every penny...if you can get past the one (potenitally huge) pitfall.

The BAD news: Let's get this out of the way right now. The Samsung DVD C-631P 5 Disc Changer, INEXPLICABLY, does not random play any more than 1 disc at a time, and more importantly- does not automatically change discs after it has fully played through a single one. If you want to play through all 5 CD's/DVD's in one deft swoop, I'm sorry to say that you will need to press a button on the remote between each disc. Yes, that equates to roughly 4 seconds of "work" for 5 hours of music (if you consider pressing a button on the remote control actual work). I bought a CD changer with MP3 capabilities so I could keep 5 discs in the player without getting up to change them, and that's exactly what I got.

The GOOD News: The audio/video quality produced by this unit (on my standard definition 4:3 32" Toshiba television) is remarkeable. Watching the "Fifth Element" in all of its widescreen beauty is truly breathtaking. Thankfully, the audio quality is every bit as good. This player is running through a Dolby Digital/DTS capable Yamaha V730 receiver and provides superb audio in all digital modes and even stereo. The difference between this player and my last Pioneer (2nd generation, 525) is astounding. I do not have an HD television so I can not vouch for the progressive scan capability.

This unit WILL play almost ALL CD, CDR, CD-RW, DVD, DVDR, MP3, WMA, and SVCD formats and the player supports simultaneous mixed media. You can load different types of discs all at once (MP3, DVD, CD etc.) and each one will be detected. I found this to be very helpful. Some other players need to be filled with all one type of format. Additionally, 4 discs can all be swapped while one is still playing. A handy feature. So far I have not come across a format that did not play perfectly.

The MP3 playability is what really attracted me to this unit and it performs flawlessly. There is a very easy to interpret graphic interface that shows the CD directory structure and filenames (organized alphabetically). At first it appears not to recognize more than one folder on the CD (which baffled me), but I soon learned that a button press is necessary to view all folders (the "RETURN" buton, for those of you who have not figured this out yet). The display is clear and easy to navigate. One drawback is the inability to program different tracks from different CD's in the player. Again, it only allows programming of up to one disc. A potential deal killer for those of you looking for 40+ hours of uninterupted music spread across multiple discs. Not a problem at all for me.

The remote isn't very sexy or overly functional- but it is layed out well, ergonomic and intuitive. It's also equipped with a few unique features such as "Instant Replay" which allows the user to instantly jump back 10 seconds in a film, and an "on-the-fly" aspect ratio selector. The user can switch bewteen widescreen, pan & scan, stretch-fit and zoom-fit pictures, without stopping the DVD, all at the touch of a button. Not important to me (I watch everything in widescreen, the way films are meant to be seen), but I bet many of you hate the "black bars" and have found the process of limiting them quite laborious. Well, not anymore.

The GREAT News: I could have spent $150 on this player and still been thrilled with it. Fortunately, I purchased it during a sale price and also got a rebate. I had a 10% off coupon good through the weekend as well (at this particular store). My bottom line price was a jaw-dropping $84.00. Simply amazing.

For those of you looking to purchase a player that holds multiple discs, performs remarkably and looks/sounds superb on any set, this is the one you want. If the thought of pressing a button (on the remote control) between discs really bothers you, then buy a different player (this one isn't for you) and please re-evaluate your definition of "inconvenient".

4 Stars. Solid.


Promising--if only it worked   May 6, 2003
 7 out of 9 found this review helpful

I had high hopes for this player. Changer drawer works well and operation is quiet. Neither component video (picture was bathed in red), nor the optical output (my tuner failed to recognize Dolby 5.1 signal) worked. I doubt that my tuner and TV suffered simultaneous failures, however, since they both worked fine with the signal from a previous DVD player. Needless to say, it's going back.