Kiss Technology DP-470 DVD Receiver

The Kiss Technology DP-470 DVD Receiver is an innovative home theater component that incorporates a standard DVD/CD player with some additional, practical, features, such as a built-in 5-channel surround sound amplifier, AM/FM tuner, and Divx file compatibility. To find out more, check out the following review of the DP-470.

The KISS DP-470 is a DVD receiver that combines the function of DVD player with that of a surround sound receiver.

The DVD player section incorporates the following features:

1. DVD, CD, CD-R/RW, DVD-R/-RW/+R/+RW, MPEG4-Divx, MP3-CD, and JPG Photo CD playback.

2. Composite, S-video, and Progressive scan output. SCART available on European version.

3. NTSC/PAL compatible with bi-directional conversion

4. Digital optical output for connection to external home theater system, if desired.

The surround sound receiver features include:

1. Built-in 5-channelx50 watt amplifier with Dolby Digital, DTS, and Pro Logic II decoders.

2. Connections for five satellite speakers and a subwoofer line output.

3. Three analog audio inputs for additional components, such as audio from a VCR and television.

4. Digital optical and digital coaxial input for connection of an external digital audio source.

5. Built-in AM/FM radio

6. Wireless remote control for on-screen setup, amplifier, and playback functions.

Lastly, the DP-470 is firmware upgradable.

What really makes the the KISS DP-470 different is that it is a DVD/CD player combined with a five channel amplifier and AM/FM tuner; just add a TV, 5-satellite speakers, and a powered subwoofer, to create a complete system.

Basically, the DP-470 is similar to a home theater-in-a-box. However, this unit allows the user to choose and connect their own loudspeakers and not have to settle for the marginal loudspeakers provided with many budget home theater systems.

With the DP-470, the user has a choice; it can be used as a self-contained home theater system, or simply use the DVD player section with your existing home theater system.

During my testing for this review, I simply placed the DP-470 and loudspeakers on a mobile rack and wheeled it from room to room, spreading out the speakers as needed. Then, when I used it with a external home theater system, I simply left the loudspeakers that were conneted to the DP-470 on the rack, activated the loudspeaker mute function, and simply connected the DP-470's digital audio output to the external AV receiver I needed to use.

Using this approach, a user can easily move the unit from room-to-room, setting it up in the same manner. In essence, you can have two systems in one.

Setting up the DP-470 is very easy using the unit's well-laid out and simple onscreen menu system. The setup options even include a test tone for adjusting the output levels of the amplifier.

In addition, the back panel hookup layout is also easy to decipher, with inputs, outputs, and speaker connections clearly labeled and logically placed.

However, the good ergonomics of the onscreen setup menu and rear panel connections did not carry over to the front panel and remote control, whose small buttons and labeling were hard for me to see at a reasonable distance without reading glasses.

For the purpose of this review, I set up the DP-470 as both a standalone system, attaching speakers and a subwoofer to the onboard amplifier, and also bypassing the onboard amp and connecting the DVD player section, via both analog and digital optical output, to a couple of existing comparison home theater systems.

The additional components used in setting up for testing the KISS DP 470 included the following: Outlaw Audio Model 950 Preamp/Processor, Butler Audio Model 5150 5-Channel Power Amp, Yamaha HTR-5490 AV receiver, Olevia LT30HV LCD Television, Optoma H56 DLP video projector (using S-Video connection), Yamaha YST-SW205 subwoofer, and a variety of loudspeakers. Audio and video interconnects from both Cobalt and Accell were used. Comparison DVD players included the Samsung DVD-HD931, Philips DVDR985, Pioneer DV-525, and Technics DVD-A10.

DVD software used included scenes from the following: Kill Bill - Vol1, Pirates Of The Carribean, Chicago, Valley Of Gwangi, Underworld, Passionada, Moulin Rouge, Ed Wood, and Show - A Night In The Life Of Matchbox 20, as well as video content on DVD-R and DVD+RW discs. . In addition, various CD and DTS music discs, as well as music content on CD-Rs were used to check the audio-only capabilities and playback compatibilities of the KISS DP-470.

Proceed to Page 2: KISS DP-470 - Testing and Conclusion