The Zenith DVB712 is one of the least expensive DVD players to offers 1080i upconversion with HDMI output that we've seen. Priced at less than $50, that in itself will undoubtedly attract attention from budget-conscious consumers. While the DVB712 generally performs well for such an inexpensive DVD player, we experienced some operational quirks that prevent us from recommending it more enthusiastically.

The DVB712 is a slim, compact DVD player and neatly finished in a smart silver color. It is stylish enough to act as the main DVD player in your home entertainment system, yet compact enough to serve as a second DVD player in a bedroom or kitchen. Connect the unit through its component or S-video outputs to a digital or HD-ready TV and it will deliver smooth 480p resolution progressive scan playback. Connect it via HDMI to a HDTV, however, and it will upscale your DVDs to superior 720p or 1080i resolution. Performance in both is generally good, although we did experience occasional freezing during playback while upscaling to high definition.

The DVB712 is compatible with a broad array of disc formats, including DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R and DVD+RW recordable formats along with dual layer discs. As well as standard audio CDs, music fans will also be able to listen to home burned CD-R and CD-RW, including those encoded with MP3 or WMA digital audio files. The unit doubles as a digital photo viewer when loaded with a JPEG picture disc. Unfortunately, we also experienced some operational quirks here as well. While we found the DVD player would play some home recorded discs without problem, it would occasionally reject random discs of the same format.

The DVD player can route Dolby Digital Audio and DTS 5.1 channel surround sound signals to a compatible A/V receiver. There are plenty of playback features including slow motion, repeat play, disc resume and chapter skip. Curiously, with the latter function, the DVB712 only displays chapter numbers on screen rather than on the front panel of the player itself. While this is not a huge deal, it means that if you're playing CDs you'll need to have the TV turned on to look for a specific track number. The parental locks enable you to prevent children from viewing adult material and the search feature lets you jump between bookmarks.

While the Zenith DVB712 offers 1080i upscaling for a very inexpensive price, the operational quirks make it difficult to recommend this DVD player.

Pros: HDMI output, 1080i upconvesrion, slim and compact design
Cons: Struggles to read some discs, occasionally freezes during playback

Warranty
1 year parts, 90 days labor