The latest trend in DVD players is being able to read DivX and Xvid files. Both are codecs that compress video files to manageable sizes – working just as MP3 does for music. The Philips DVP 642 recognizes not only DivX and Xvid files (movies) but also MP3s (music) and JPEG (photo) extensions and disc formats like VCDs, SVCDs and DVDs – it’s like having your PC plugged to your TV and sound system. Thin and stylish, the player far exceeds the user’s expectations especially considering how information-challenged its manual is. If you are a consummated downloader of movies, TV shows and music, this is the DVD player for you.

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Figure 1: The front

Setting it up is pretty simple. The DVP 642 has all the obligatory connections on its back:

• two audio RCA out
• one video RCA out
• one S-Video out
• one video component out
• one coaxial digital audio out
• one optical digital audio out

We strongly recommend using the video component and optical digital audio connections for the best performance possible.

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Figure 2: The back connections