Umax DVD (Also sold under the Yamada Brand name) players have achieved near cult status among video buffs for their features -- much to the annoyance of the recording industry. Umax's entry level set-top player, the DVD-2100 Home DVD player /Photo System, in my opinion lives up to this standard.



First Impressions - Out of the box.
Sleek, tasteful and classy all words that come to mind when you first look at the Umax DVD-2100. Although this is a budget DVD player it looks and feels like an expensive Sony or Pioneer DVD player that costs twice as much as this beauty.

Setting Up & You even get a Manual.
In my time I have reviewed a few DVD players and the most annoying thing about budget DVD players is the lack of manual or the Manual arrives in "Taiwanese English". The manual that arrived with this DVD player was well laid out with plenty of diagrams and descriptions on the various features of the player.

At the Movies - Watching a DVD
The picture was razor sharp and crisp in fact it was without a doubt better than the two other DVD players I have reviewed for DVD Recordable. I wont go into the tech spec of the DVD player please refer to the bottom of this article for that.

Multimedia dexterity
It goes without saying that the Umax plays movies recorded onto DVD-R flawlessly. The feature that impressed me was in addition to this the Umax DVD-2100 offers good playback quality and support for a variety of audio and video CDs. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the DVD-2100 supported MP3 audio discs burned to C D-RW media. I have seen C D-RW media confuse other set-top players during playback. The 2100 was able to decode our constant and variable bit rate MP3 files with ease.

Summary:
As entry-level DVD player , the Umax DVD-2100 looks good, in fact looks expensive, and proves to be a solid performer with a good set of features you wouldn't expect to find in a DVD player in this price range. A feature that was important for my girlfriend was that she could view our collection of Kodak Photo C Ds on this DVD Player. Bonus that should keep her busy this Christmas. If you are looking for a DVD player buy this one.
After reviewing this I would have to rate this Dvd player higher than other entry level players I have reviewed for this site

For comparison reviews please see below. I would Rate the Umax higher than the other two DVD players
I have reviewed as below.

Mustek V 520 Review

Mustek V300 DVD Player Review.

Low Points:
I only had this DVD player to review and I have to give it back : (

Tech specs.
Key Specifications:

• Dolby Digital / DTS Ready
  
• Kodak Picture C D compatible
  
• JPEG & WMA readable
  
• MP3 Compatible
  
• Selectable screen aspect ratio
  
• On Screen Display (OSD)
  
• Parental Lock
  
• Slow Motion
  
• Accessories:
  
  • 47-key remote control
  • scart cable
    
  • user manual (English/German)
• DVD / DVD-R/DVD+R/ SVCD / CVD / VCD 2.0 / VCD 3.0 / MP3 / C  D / CD-R / CD-RW / DVCD
  
• 1 x Scart output
  
• Built-in dolby digital (AC-3) Decoder 5.1 Channel
  
• S-Video / RCA Output
  
• Component Video Output
  
• Coaxial Digital Audio Output

Multiregion Capabilities.
The DVD player I reviewed came as multiregion straight out of the box.

MEDIA compatibility:

In My tests the DVD-2100 was tested with the following brands of DVD-R playback was perfect with all brands tested.

• Bulkpaq Generation 1
  
• Bulkpaq Generation 2
  
• Bulkpaq Generation 3 (White Topped)
  
• Bulkpaq Generation 3 (Purple Topped)
  
• Datasafe Generation 3 White Top
  
• Datasafe Classic White Top (1 speed)
  
• Datasafe Classic Silver (2speed)
  
• E-Performance
  
• FWS
  
• FWS (2x speed)
  
• Traxdata
  
• White Label 2x
  
• White Label 1x
  
• Choice 1x
  
• Choice 2x

In my tests the DVD-2100 was tested with the following brands of CD-R playback was perfect with all brands tested.

• Bulkpaq
  
• Datasafe
  
• Traxdata
  
• White Label
  
• E-Performance
  
• Memorex
  
• Unbranded
  
• Precision
  
• Superior
  
• Arita
  
• Prodisc

In my tests the DVD-2100 was tested with the following brands of CD-RW playback was perfect with all brands tested.

• Datasafe
  
• Memorex

Added:  Sunday, December 01, 2002
Reviewer:  Ed

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