The DVD-557 is Denon's entry-level DVD player, but its outstanding performance and feature list put many other brands' top-shelf units to shame. It is difficult to think of another single-disc DVD player under $500 that can match it, and with an MSRP of $169, the DVD-557 is an excellent value.

The DVD-557 boasts an HDMI connection for up-converting standard 480i and progressive scan 480p DVD images to 720p and 1,080i resolutions. The resulting images display excellent clarity and color accuracy. Keep in mind that up-conversion does not add any details not found on the original DVD, so this is not high-definition playback like you get from HD DVD and Blu-ray players. The DVD-557 is also equipped with a 2MB buffer that ensures that both video and audio continue free of interruption during transitions and layer shifts.

In addition to DVD-Video, the DVD-557 is compatible with DVD-R/RW and VCD, as well as audio CD, CD-R/RW and discs holding MP3 and WMA digital audio files and JPEG images. When listening to digital audio, the easy-to-use onscreen menu system displays both artist and track titles for fast navigation. The DVD-557 can also create a slideshow when loaded with a disc containing JPEG images. This DVD player offers a solid selection of playback functions, including random play, disc resume play and a zoom control so you can enlarge a selected area of the picture by 2X or 4X. You can route surround sound data to a home theater system via the optical and coaxial digital audio outputs.

It is hard to find fault with a DVD player that offers this level of performance at such an inexpensive price. A minor gripe is that the included remote is not universal. Denon doesn't include an HDMI cable, but this is common with many HDMI-equipped units. There is no substitute for quality of performance, and in that regard the Denon DVD-557 is an outstanding DVD player.


Pros:  Excellent video and audio reproduction, HDMI up-conversion, 2MB playback buffer
Cons:  Remote not universal, no HDMI cable included

Warranty
1 year parts and labor