Dansai in Tesco Sold out, need alternative

[bigalex]

Well I left it too late and apparently all the Tescos' in The Manchester area have sold out of what sounded like an absolutely amazing budget DVD player. So the question is what else that is about this price and MR?

The WHSmith Cyberhome sounds a bit flimsy/noisy
I haven't got a safeway near me (well I haven't got a car so I can't easily travel to one) and I don't hold much hope for there been much stock in the Stockport branch of Richer!

[culabula]

Have you tried Makro for the Naiko?
They were piled high in my local one and it is exactly the same machine as the Dansai.....except it has 4 times as many outputs on the back. Same price, same hack, more for money.

[Alanok]

Any relatives in the North East mate? Two pallet loads of the Dansai player in the Hartlepool Tesco branch as of Saturday.

[bigalex]

Cheers for the replies but i think I'll go for the Naiko one as I need it pretty soon and unfortunately I don't have any relatives in the NE.

[robbiejm]

Reoc A3 - £100 from Safeway

5 stars in the latest 'What Hi-Fi' magazine.

Or the Minato DVD-G1 - £120 from Tesco

[ought]

I was after the Tesco player too.. but none anywhere in North London. What is this Naiko? Does anybody know more about it?

Thanks,

Stephen

[Simes]

The Naiko is the same as the Dansai. It uses the same multiregion hack.
You won't get Tesco's customer service or the customer helpline though (the tesco helpline is displayed on the DVD start up screen)

I wasn't aware the Naiko had any extra connections on the back!!! If it has then it probably has an inbuilt DD decoder( their isn't really anything else to add). The menu options on the Dansai leads me to believe they build a player with a decoder built in.

P.S Don't take the What HiFi review of the Reoc as meaning its a great buy.Its the ONLY cheap player they have reviewed, and it wasn't really glowing praise.CD replay is awfull and they didn't try VCD or MP3. It seems like it got 5 stars because of the price.They haven't compared it with any of the other £100 players (and there are many)- so IMHO its really meaningless.

[robbiejm]

Originally posted by Simes
T
P.S Don't take the What HiFi review of the Reoc as meaning its a great buy.Its the ONLY cheap player they have reviewed, and it wasn't really glowing praise.CD replay is awfull and they didn't try VCD or MP3. It seems like it got 5 stars because of the price.They haven't compared it with any of the other £100 players (and there are many)- so IMHO its really meaningless.

No it isn't the only cheap player they've reviewed, in fact in the actual review itself they compare it to their past reviews of the Matsui DVD-122 and the Minato DVD-G1 - and they even updated their review of the minato with this:

'Another Tesco special offering cracking value for money - but the Reoc has raised those stakes'

The December 2001 issue had reviews of about 20 players under £250 (Bush, Cyberhome, Logix, Scan). The Minato and now the Reoc came out the best of the 'budget' players.

Oh and all the budget players are crap for CDs, they are primarily DVD players after all. So it was a bit premature to dismiss their review as 'meaningless'.

[ought]

Right, so I should get the Naiko from Makro?
But don't I need to be a member or something? Which I am not? :(

robbiejm, do you have the Reoc then? If so it is a good machine, sound, picture, MP3 playback and all? As I may have to go for an alternative if I can't gain access to a Makro...

Thanks,

Stephen

[cjbarker]

If you really want the Dansai, it's worth trying all the Tescos in your area (yellow pages website). On Thursday, there was none left in Sheffield, but a 30 mile round trip got me one :D

Otherwise Netto nave a player for £85 but no-one has reviewed it yet...

[culabula]

The Naiko has 6 phono outpouts and 3 video outputs on the back as oposed to the two phonos on the back of the Dansai.

You do need a card for Makro but it's easy enough to borrow one (and easy enough to find someone who has one).

Just spotted the same machine in my local Video store, this time as a 'Minako' -125GBP plus 100GBP of rental vouchers.

[robbiejm]

Originally posted by ought
robbiejm, do you have the Reoc then? If so it is a good machine, sound, picture, MP3 playback and all?

I've got a Sony, I was just offering advice based on what I'd read. It does have MP3 playback, but then it says it's poor for CD replay - but so are all of these £100-£150 players. You could always try one and just take it back if you don't like it.

[ought]

Ok, robiejim, thanks :)

I have now located a Makro card! Hurrah! BUT... are we sure the Dansai is the same as Naiko? I mean, if it has an extra phono socket maybe they have different insides and just the same box?

Just want to be sure it has the same pic/sound quality, MP3 functionality etc..

Or am I being silly?

Oh.. does anybody have one? And erm what is the model number

Thanks muchly, :)

Stephen

[culabula]

The Naiko is exactly the same to all intents and purposes as the Dansai.

When you go into factory setup it even has the same version number as the Dansai. It also sports a screensaver and chime -just like the Dansai, but fortunately minus any reference to Tesco (or Makro).

Picture quality is excellent and it plays everything that the Dansai does. The only difference that I can see is the extra phono outs. It's also a teensy bit chunkier.

And, as I say, there's yet another clone just appeared -the Minako.

Eamonn

[ought]

Right.
A trip to Makro it is then....

But, do you have the model number?

Cheers,

Stephen

[culabula]

Sure, I have the box in front of me.....but it's the only NAIKO there.

It's the Naiko N2051 with MP3.

DTS/Digital Out/VCD/SVCD/CD and so on.

Exact same remote as the Dansai!

Enjoy.

Eamonn

[ought]

Eamonn, your a star!

Thank you and Merry Christmas :)

Sb

[culabula]

As I'm on the lookout for something other than my Vaio to hook my Dansai and Naiko up to, has anyone any knowledge of the 129GBP Wharfedale 21' TV currently on sale in Tesco?

Eamonn

[ought]

I have to ask, why do you have both a Dansai and a Naiko?

Sb :)

[culabula]

Same reason as i have 13 mobiles and 40+ SIM cards....

Stark r_a_v_i_n_g bonkers!

[Simes]

Originally posted by robbiejm


No it isn't the only cheap player they've reviewed, in fact in the actual review itself they compare it to their past reviews of the Matsui DVD-122 and the Minato DVD-G1 - and they even updated their review of the minato with this:

'Another Tesco special offering cracking value for money - but the Reoc has raised those stakes'

So it was a bit premature to dismiss their review as 'meaningless'.

Hmmmmm

Have they reviewed:
Dansai 852
Cyberhome 528
Denver
Crown
Naiko
Acoustic Solutions

The answer is no... These are the competitors for the Reoc !!!!
The Minato is £30 more expensive ( and just about sold out anyway).The Matsui has nowhere near the feature count of the above and is more expensive.
As i said , you can't claim it is a good buy until it has been compared with the above players (or has some positive detailed reviews from owners).Their review was hardly detailed(no lab tests - just one persons opinion - how long do u think he had the machine !! ).
The Alba 103 got great reviews in certain magazines, but was panned by owners (most of whom returned the machine to Argos for a refund).

I'm not saying the Reoc is bad. I'm just saying it is a risky choice until more is known about it.

The Dansai (and the Naiko - as its basically the same) have many positve reviews by owners (including details of its features and quirks).
The Cyberhome has plenty of owner feedback too ( so we know of the noisy drive unit and patchy build quality).

P.S if the Naiko has 6 phono outs on the back , then it sounds like it has an inbuilt Dolby Digital decoder. Can anyone confirm this ?

[ought]

There, bought 2 Naikos from Makro...
Thanks culabula
And Simes, I can answer your question in a week :)

Sb

[culabula]

Grand job!
2, eh? You're as bad as me! I have one running through the Mitsubishi and TV downstairs, the other is running through the laptop in the bedroom (Mission Control) as the Hitachi DVD drive in the Vaio isn't region-free. I have it connected to the s-video in on my WinTV thingummybob.

Eamonn

[Dear Mr Echo]

Hi there

How is your quest for the Dansai going?
just thought I would let you know that tescos in Glossop had about 8-10 units out last night. I don't know which part of Manchester you live in but it takes about 15 mins or so to get from the M60 to Glossop (M57/A57). They are a 24 hour store. Their telephone number is 01457 726 400.

Hope this helps.

Andrew

I've mailed you this info too.

[philatio]

Got my Dansai Today.

Tesco Extra Bolton (Reebok Stadium) has 3 pallets each piled 5ft high with em!

[Olly232]

I managed to get one today from Tesco Extra Bidston. They got loads in last night.

[Samantha]

Hiya

I just got one of these players for my bedroom any excuse for another player,
There was 10 in Oldham tonight (open 24 hours)
and round about 20 in Rochdale (open 24 hours)
they didnt have the last lot very long just over a day and they was all gone

have u put a mp3 in your player yet :)
it has smart navi reads all the folders with names of the folder name and has pics of the folders 2

Samantha

[dtsrules]

Are there any links to pics so i can have a look at one.

Also does it output pal50 or pal60 ,can you back up R1 discs to tape ?

[bigalex]

Many thanks Dear Mr Echo, got my player last night from Glossop
:D

[Simes]

Originally posted by dtsrules
Are there any links to pics so i can have a look at one.

Also does it output pal50 or pal60 ,can you back up R1 discs to tape ?

Can't help with a picture - sorry...

But i can confirm that it can output NTSC discs as PAL50 , and has no trouble backing up R1 to VHS ( macrovision is also off).
The output can be left in auto (PAL as PAL, NTSC as NTSC) , or you can select PAL (which is PAL50) or NTSC. It seems to do the conversions pretty well :)

[RichP]

Excuse me for butting in, can it definately play SVCDs burnt to CDR/CDRW with Nero?

Dansai or Naiko that is.

Thanks.

[Samantha]

Excuse me for butting in, can it definately play SVCDs burnt to CDR/CDRW with Nero?

Yes (well the Dansai does anyway cant say if the Naioko does)

Samantha

[RichP]

Thanks for reply Samantha, will look for one after Xmas.

[dtsrules]

Not had a proper mess with it but after my first look..

Also the sound options are hopeless i.e..

analog = no sound through amp if you only connect a coaxial out.

spdif/raw = outputs digital to an amp but you get no sound through the tv

spdif/pcm = dts sound through an amp but only 2 channel if you set to digital.

So the main problem i have is that the player cant output digital 5.1 sound and record to tape with sound at the same time (like the sammy 709 does.

Please note if anyone knows different could they post here please as all of the above could be nonsense :p

[dtsrules]

Another thing i noticed when playing a vcd it cuts the last second off.

[Simes]

Not noticed any cut off on VCDs (and i have played about 6 full VCD films on it).Though i'm not sure if i would even notice losing 1 second from the end of a film.
mind you when i think of it there is definately no loss when i have moved from disc 1 to disc 2 of a film (i know cos i recorded it onto VHS and the join matched).

Also the sound options are hopeless i.e..
This is over the top and misleading to other potential buyers !!!The sound signal does ONLY go through the output you choose, i found it strange for a while.Now i've had it a while i think its logical and a good idea.
It makes sense to cut the TV sound when the player is set up to use your AV amp (or in my case Digitheatre).You don't usually listen to sound from the TV and sound from the amp at the same time(and this saves you turning down the TV's volume)
If you are recording to tape , and have the sound output set at analogue, you just listen to the analogue sound (through your video- TV ).Thats if you need to watch at the same time as taping.

How many other players are even capable of taping DVDs (macrovision off and PAL50 output from NTSC films) !!!!!!!

[dtsrules]

How is it over the top and misleading?

If i want to listen to a dvd in dts i have to faff about with the settings on the player.

If i then want to listen to mp3's i have to faff about to change the settings again.

Then if i want to back up to vhs i have to faff about again.

All im saying is that on other players you don't need to do this and i personally think its a bad idea

And every vcd i have tried at the end of the first disc it looses a second and i have tried quite a few.

Don't get me wrong for £99 its not a bad player but the picture is a bit soft (don't say its my scart as its a £30 ixos one)

As for Pal 50 from NTSC how about Yello,Kiro,x wave & samsung all macro off and pal 50 also hitachi,lg & jvc can do it but could need chipping first, so there are a few!!!!!!.

[Simes]

Well i listen to DVD with DD 5:1 sound and also VCDs in pro-logic/stereo (depending how they are encoded) and MP3 in stereo WITHOUT CHANGING THE SOUND OUTPUT ON THE PLAYER.
I only change it if i'm backing up to VHS, but when doing so i have to swap scart leads and change video output to PAL from auto anyway.

Do you really think its a fair comment calling the sound options " HOPELESS "
I doubt many owners consider being able to back up to VHS at the same time as listening to 5:1 sound a priority (or even necessary)
If you find a better £99 player let me know.

If u ain't happy - take it back..
Is much better than i expected for £99.

[dtsrules]

Originally posted by Simes

Well i listen to DVD with DD 5:1 sound and also VCDs in pro-logic/stereo (depending how they are encoded) and MP3 in stereo WITHOUT CHANGING THE SOUND OUTPUT ON THE PLAYER.

I didn't mention DD5.1.I said "DTS" which is a different setting again.

I only change it if i'm backing up to VHS

On nearly all the other players that back up on VHS you don't need to do anything to do this.

Do you really think its a fair comment calling the sound options " HOPELESS "

Yes, they are extremely fiddly and badly designed.

I doubt many owners consider being able to back up to VHS at the same time as listening to 5:1 sound a priority (or even necessary)

I didn't say it was a priority i said..

"the player cant output digital 5.1 sound and record to tape with sound at the same time (like the sammy 709 does)".

Maybe im expecting to much to have such a luxury.

If you find a better £99 player let me know.

Ok

If u ain't happy - take it back..

Have i said im not happy.
In an earlier post i said "Don't get me wrong for £99 its not a bad player" and i still think it's not a bad player, but it's not the mutts doo dahs either.

Is much better than i expected for £99.

Better than i expected as well.

[Simes]

Well...You think the sound options "fiddly , badly designed and hopeless". Even though you say the uses that lead you to this conclusion are not a priority.

I think they are logical and sensible.
I guess this is not a clear-cut good/bad feature (or fault).
Cutting sound to the TV seems to make sense to me when you have set up the player to use an external amp/decoder.There are occasions when you might prefer output to both (for backing up or if you use both analogue and digital output sockets), but i think this is far outweighed by not having to turn down the TV sound every time you play a DVD using digtal sound.

Now if you were complaining about it not sending the signal to switch a widescreen TV into 16:9 mode(when set up for a W/S set), i would totally agree with you. :D

[Rip Curl]

Tesco Extra at Wigan has lots of the Dansai

[Deaks]

Got the last Dansai at Tesco Whitstable for my son this afternoon!

If you're looking for one of these keep checking your local stores, Whitstable didn't have any a few days ago so there must be deliveries coming in!

Deaks.

[Deaks]

Originally posted by Deaks
Got the last Dansai at Tesco Whitstable for my son this afternoon!

If you're looking for one of these keep checking your local stores, Whitstable didn't have any a few days ago so there must be deliveries coming in!

Can someone post the region hack or point me at the thread please?

Deaks.

[omega man]

How to convert your Dansai DVD852 player into a multi-region compatible machine


To convert this player to Multi-Region
1. Press the Setup button on your remote control
2. Press the Stop button on the front panel of your unit
3. Press the Previous button on the front panel of your unit
4. Press the Next button on the front panel of your unit
5. You should now be in a secret menu where you can change the region from 1 to 6, or Bypass for region free
6. You can also disable Macrovision from this menu

[organ-man]

Alternatively get down to Debenhams. Their new Truvox DVD-600 is £99 and seems to perform well and looks good value.

Probably worth a punt ;)

[Dazzle]

Tesco in Huddersfield had a load of these players today (New yrs eve) about 30 of 'em

[NeoMorpheus]

Can any one tell me if the Naiko (or Dansai) can output an RGB signal. My sister got one for xmas and I have given her the remote hack but I can not find any option in the menus or paper manual that refers to RGB. It seems a bit strange if it can't considering the presence of Component Outputs.
At the moments she only has it conected via a scart to scart and the picture quality is not great.

Thanks

[jim60]

The button on the (Dansai) remote "V-MODE" cycles through composite, RGB and S-Video. RGB provides the best result on my setup.

Had my player since before Christmas and I can now confirm that it will play Shrek 5 times a day for a week without any problems (thanks kids).

I canot fault it for a sub £100 player.

Jim

[NeoMorpheus]

Thanks for the reply. Works a treat on the Naiko. Vastly improved picture quality.
Cheers;)

[Olly232]

Originally posted by NeoMorpheus
Can any one tell me if the Naiko (or Dansai) can output an RGB signal. My sister got one for xmas and I have given her the remote hack but I can not find any option in the menus or paper manual that refers to RGB. It seems a bit strange if it can't considering the presence of Component Outputs.
At the moments she only has it conected via a scart to scart and the picture quality is not great.

Thanks
If you are using the supplied scart lead it is rubbish. Throw it away and use a decent one, it make a huge difference.

[mattyp]

Does the naiko have macrovision disabled, or can it be disabled easily?

Thanks
Matt

[NeoMorpheus]

Macrovision can be turned on/off from the same menu as the region codes. Although I haven't tried it yet!

[KeyserSoze]

what are these Dansais all about ?

considering getting another DVD player.

[NeoMorpheus]

The Dansai & the Naiko would appear to be the same player, just re-badged in a different case.
I haven't seen the Dansai but my sister received a Naiko for XMAS.
This was a make I have never heard of but it can be hacked using the code for Dansai - shown on this forum, macrovision can be disabled & it can output RGB/composite/s-video & Component.

Apparently the picture using the supplied Scart Lead is not brilliant but improves if the output is changed to RGB and again if a better quality lead is used.
I have only had a brief viewing but for the money I am impressed.

Unfortunately I am not allowed to buy any more ..already have two players.

Naiko came from MAKRO. I blv the Dansai sold in Tesco although I visited my local Tesco EXTRA in Watford the other day and they had none at all. They were only selling an LG with 20discs or a Phillips.

Apparently Safeways sell a REOC A3 player which is probably comparable for £100. I have just read the review of it in What Hi-Fi ..got 5 stars. Excellent sound & vision but poor CD replay.

The REOC can be hacked using the handset ....Press Open/Close on the remote, key in 9999 or 8421 and a menu screen appears allowing you to select the region. Region 9 is region free..
Also has component output.

[MrSynner]

I've got a REOC A-3 - it's not very good, IMO. The build quality is very poor, the picture is a bit soft, the sound is very harsh and muddy - even in 5.1. If you watch a videocd on it, the sound is approximately 1-2 seconds ahead of the video. Mine will shortly be packed up and taken back to Safeways. Anyone recommend the REOC A-5, as there's no Dansai's available in my area?

[Sachin]

They have loads of dansai's at Tesco Extra in Cheshunt, for anyone who may be interested

[ghorri]

Anybody kmow if they have any Dansai DVD players in Birmingham somewhere ?
I was supposed to get one before xmas, but never quite got round to it :(
Any help much appreciated.

[KeyserSoze]

so whats the Dansai's specs ?

[Simes]

Originally posted by KeyserSoze
so whats the Dansai's specs ?

You're having a laugh aren't you :D (there is loads of dansai threads)
Just to summarise
Easy multiregion hack
Macrovision can be disabled
plays DVD,VCD,SVCD,CDR,CDRW and MP3
quiet drive unit
can output NTSC discs as NTSC or PAL50 :) (so you can back up R1's no problem)
optical and co-ax digital outs (but no inbuilt DD decoder)

A very good player for £99.....I bought it as a second player (for VCD and MP3)but was so impressed i sold my other player (LG3200).

[G-man]

Just got 4 of these for friends & family. Tesco Extra in New Malden has around a hundred on their shelves.
Just going to set my mums up:)

edit - set 2 of these up now and on both the film (charlies angels-just for rce test;) ) starts with subtitles on, no matter what I set it to in the players menu.
Does anyone know how to turn them permenantly off???

Apart from that I'm quite impressed.

[ghorri]

Just picked up a Dansai from Tescos in Shirley, West Midlands. They had about 8 or 9 left.
Customer services said that they had only come in that morning.
I must say it is a top notch player so far. :clap: :nuts: :clap:

[MarkR]

Does anyone have any pictures or links to piccies of either of these babys?

I'm out to hunt a couple of these down this weekend at either Tesco's or Makro so I'd quite like to see what I'm looking for.

[Paul Buglass]

For anyone looking for a Dansai in the York area try Tescos at Askam Bar, they had about 20 odd on the shelves yesterday.

Best wishes

/Paul B, York, UK.

[FLINX]

Anyone looking for the Dansai in the SouthWest / Somerset area should check out Tescos's at Yeovil....

When I telephoned to enquire about stock the lady replied 'Tons'

After a 100 mile round trip to the store there was indeed TONS!
(Easily 100+)

As long as this player is connected with decent scart leads and is used in RGB mode (although VIDEO output mode is good with the right lead) picture performance is spot on especially for SVCD and VCD whatever screen resolution/bitrate....)

Just my 2 cents! (Euros?!)

;)

[culabula]

Nope. two cent is just fine :-))

[tafkab]

I could do with a new cheapy player as the Wharfedale is about to wander with my just moving house-mate.

However, I'm off to Canada later in the year, and thus only buy things I know will work out there.

The Dansai/etc obviously outputs NTSC ok (forced PAL into NTSC??) but does it have a nice little switch to flick the mains supply down to 110V??

[Paul Buglass]

Not that I can find. You would have to buy a suitable transformer from somewhere once you got there.

Cheers

/Paul B, York, UK.

[tafkab]

Of course, having bothered to check the back of the wharfey, it doesn't have a switch either - just the info that it will work at 100-240V

Anything similar on the Dansai?

[jim60]

The Dansai manual states "AC100-240V 50Hz/60Hz"
Should be good for use across the pond :clap: