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written by on 08/10/2010
I have never had a problem with this excellent DVD player until yesterday. Normally I just switch on, open the door, pop in the disc( DVD film DVDR CD and CDR with j-peg photos) close the door and away it would go. Yesterday and today however I put a DVD movie in and the machine would not play it at all. I was given a replacement of the same film and I cleaned the laser as well as the disc but the same thing happened. Not to worry though it is the disc(s) not the machine as my neighbours machine could play the movie for some reason. I had another movie and it played just as usual.So one small problem with one particular disc in all the years I have owned my ALBA DVD player can't be bad. I would recommend this machine to anyone who wants an inexpensive, reliable, quality DVD player.
written by samrad1 on 05/06/2009
we've had this alba dvd player for about 7 years now and the other day my wife melted the remote control. I weighed up getting a new player, but this one has been so reliable I decided to buy a replacement remote. I can't recommend this player enough, if you pick one up cheap a simple code makes it region free and it never has a problem playing anything. I have another cheaper player ( £15 from tescos) and that one skips and rejects dvd's all the time. A great reliable bit of kit
written by nrdaviesjim on 16/02/2008
I was given this one by a friend who had some problems with DVD movies. I just use it to play MP3 sounds and it works great for that.
written by mikeleics on 30/01/2006
I can't say any more about the Alba DVD108 DVD player than I have said above. Buy one! I'm sure you wont be disappointed.
written by jaisme on 02/04/2004
I bought this Alba DVD 108 DVD player as a cheap addition to my bedroom, as I enjoy watching films in the evening in bed. I found the instructions very easy to follow and had no problems installing or using it. I placed it on the floor underneath the television table about 1 metre away from the foot of the bed, the disc played fine and all was 'dandy' until I tried to use the remote control - the sensor couldn't reach. I then placed the DVD player underneath my 21 inch Hitachi C2125S television, and I must say, the player struggled somewhat with the weight. I then placed it, rather precariously, on the top of my television and the sensor had no problems from then on.
One point to consider, however, is that there is no "standby" option on the remote control, you can either switch the player on or off using the power switch on the console. Now, when your player is sitting on the edge of the television top trying to switch this power button off isn't a doddle. The button itself is rather tough when the player is simply resting on a surface and so you do run the risk of knocking it off things this way. Also, the display is a rather bright blue light which makes it inconvenient to leave on overnight. Because there is no standby function there is also no "resume disc from last place" function either, so if you wanted to leave your film where it was you wouldn't be able to; you'd have to skip through the scenes to find your place again.
The remote control itself, although coming with batteries, smacks of cheap quality - it's springy buttons and plastic-ey feel make it seem more like a children's toy then a piece of remote electrical operating equipment. The actual player is quite attractive, although the disc drawer doesn't quite extend as far as it needs to and so a slight tilt it required to get the disc in. As the disc spins it can tend to get a little noisy; I've often found myself turning the TV sound up in order to combat the increasing 'whir' from my dvd player!
I wouldn't recommend buying the Alba DVD108 if you were planning to use it to play many music CDs; in my experience the sound quality is poorer than that of the normal television, although the poor sound quality is certainly more noticeable when playing audio CDs than in dvd films.
Having critised it thoroughly I'd like to add that this DVD player is OK for it's price and probably is good enough to act as a second DVD player for the bedroom or another reception room. Also the picture quality is fine on my 21" television but maybe a larger, widescreen would challenge it more.
However, I can't help feeling that the Alba DVD108 has had one too many cheap shortcuts taken in its manufacture, and this definitely reflects in the overall 'feel' of it. Indeed, buy it for the children's playroom or a student, or even for your bedroom but please, please, please don't think it will live up to the quality of a typical quality DVD player and install it in your home cinema!
written by benniash on 08/03/2004
I bought my first house almost two years ago and whilst we slowly went about decorating each room, money was tight. Having bought a new 29 inch wide-screen TV I was hoping I'd get a bit of money for my Birthday in November (2002) to put aside for a DVD player in the January sales. As it turned out I got even luckier and my Brother bought me one as a joint Birthday and Christmas present - result or what!?
Personally I wanted one as I knew that it was the way forward and I was missing out on all the DVD extras that didn't appear on video. The one that he bought me was the Alba DVD108 player, which on first impressions looked stylish in its silver surround, and was a good size - a good choice by my brother as the new TV was also silver. This was important to me as I like things to match as well as looking good on view. I was also happy with the make as I've always found Alba to be hardwearing and reliable - a must for any electrical product.
At under £70 this is very much at the lower end of the DVD player scale and can be purchased from most electrical retailers, including Argos. The player was very easy to set up although I warn you that you will need another scart lead to connect it to the TV. The diagram in the handbook is easy to follow and each socket is clearly marked.
Using the player couldn't be simpler and although the handbook is easy to use you probably won't need it. Simply by opening the front draw, placing the DVD in place and shutting it will start the DVD automatically. The display screens are easy to follow and offer all the features required at the basic level. Of course this includes scene selection, angle choice, etc. The player can be used on both 16:9 and 4:3 screens. The front of the DVD player is very plain with few buttons so its much easier to use the remote control which is simple, but includes all the buttons you need to not have to get out of your chair.
Although you can play CD's and CD-R discs, there is no MP3 player function. Its also not multi-region which could mean that some foreign imports will not be compatible - so be careful if you see any cheap DVD's on your travels. The player supports surround sound and has Dolby digital output. I've found that the sound is more benefited from a good TV or use of better speakers to support these functions.
Overall I think that this player is ideal for anyone who simply wants to have a DVD player that you can play DVD's on. It has few flashy features but for the price is great value for money and its slim-line look and silver finish will make it look impressive in your lounge. Its living proof that you don't have to splash out on expensive equipment to enjoy the latest technology advances and the DVD has so much more to offer than video from better picture quality to advanced features.
I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a cheap, simple DVD player or someone that wants one that simply plays DVD's. This would not suit a real film buff who looks for all the extra features to make the experience as fulfilling as possible.
written by widdowson9 on 15/01/2004
i have also purchased one of these Alba DVD 108 cheap ones from argos and am also unable to find a hack that works with it, i need some serious help got over 3000 vcd's and can't watch any of them HELP!!!
Written on: 20/10/2004
Open CD slider, put VCD in, press open/close button and when the slider starts to move back in, press goto repeatedly and VCD menu bar will drop down.
<br>Be patient, timing is of the essence.
Written on: 27/01/2004
Sorry, I meant press 1 when the stop symbol shows!! Hope you aren't confused now!
written by waza272003 on 07/08/2003
tried to put the code into the Alba DVD 108 but it still wont play vcd followed instructions step by step it just opens the draw again anyone have something that can be done about it please help
written by Mallers. on 28/05/2003
Some one pointed out that their TV went from light to dark as the Alba DVD 108 was playing.
One thing they do not state is that if you are playing it through your Scart socket to your TV,
Your TV's Scart socket must be PAL60 compliant.
Again not detailed in the text book.
'Low Score on this item'
written by Ben. on 29/01/2003
I found that the 108 Alba which i purchased from Argos because of its appealing looks and affordability was the worst dvd player i had ever came across. I was looking for an affordable dvd player which would perform better than my PS2. Put on most ocassions the dvd required to be inserted and re-inserted because of it's inability to load most of my dvds. The only thing it loaded properly were CD's. and i wasn't after a cd player. So i changed it for a samsung in the end, which works faultlessly
Written on: 03/08/2003
Hate to disagree,but the Alba 108 is a bargain for the price and has utstanding picture quality etc,the reviewer failed to say if the player was replaced or not or failing that were any of her DVD,s dirty ? You see the Alba has an inbuilt code error detector for discs and this would detect some flaws
<br>
<br>Jack Doyle
Written on: 20/10/2004
Got to disagree, bought it myself and it plays all kinds of disk formats, given the right input, and its a cheap buy when you're broke.
written by brad. on 23/01/2003
I received an alba dvd 108 for xmas 2002 and i believe it to be extremely underpriced at only 70 pounds. The remote control is very simple to use and stylish also the main unit is of a very high standard.
written by Richard Moore. on 02/01/2003
I bought the Alba DVD 108 xi at Argos. What an absolute gem at the bargain price of £70. It comes complete with batteryies and scart lead, that's worth ten quid on its own. I connected the player with the supplied scart and I had no set up problems at all. The player plays VCD with following hack. Press the following key sequence program enter program goto 1 or what ever program you want to play. The playback quality with DVD is excellent, audio CD play very well also. I have not tested Mp3 playback, this is something I would not use any way. All in all a real winner if you want a functional DVD on a budget.
written by Eric Hillis. on 25/12/2002
I purchased an Alba 108 from Argos in Dublin for the ridiculously cheap price of 129 euro. To play VCDs, while the disc is spinning press GOTO and enter 0000. The VCD will begin to play. I've heard it's multi region out of the box but my manual claims it will only play region 2. The picture is fine and it sounds great through my sound system. If it is actually multi-region then it's one hell of a bargain!
Written on: 29/12/2002
Any further info Eric on whether your Alba 108 is multi-region and macrovision hackable? I've read that Argos are now supplying the 108xi instead and that this is a different machine. Is yours the 108? And finally, anyone have any info on the Alba 109? The Blanchardstown Argos branch is displaying the 109 but the catalogue still says 108.
Written on: 07/01/2003
The Alba DVD 108 player is indeed multi-region out of the box. No hack codes or any other such nonsense required.
written by paddy. on 11/12/2002
Can anyone help? Having read other reviews this seemed like a pretty good buy. However the picture brightness fluctuates all the time and is often too dark, then OK, then dark again. My TV doesn't have a scart connection so it is routed through the video. I've tried different dvds and cables and even a different TV, but the problem remains. I've even had an exchange player (Argos) but have the same problem. Can anyone offer any suggestions, or is it just bad luck? Any advice gratefully received, thanks.
Written on: 14/12/2002
It's a shame that people post(bad)reviews based on a technical problem that has a simple resolution.
Have you tried connecting the dvd player directly into your TV? If not, then this is almost certainly the answer to your problem. DVD (as well as VHS) have copy protection which means that when you play them through a VCR, the brightness level fluctuates from very dark to very bright - this is to prevent you from making watchable copies.
If this isn't the solution then I apologise, but if it sorts your problem then maybe you should try and amend the scores you have given the player. It isn't that bad.
Written on: 21/01/2004
Another point worth mentioning here regarding the picture quality is the use of SCART block connectors. I have the Alba DVD-108 and an AIWA VCR which I wanted to connect to a single SCART connector in the back of my TV. I bought a SCART block that has 2 SCART inputs and one output. Even though I wasn't trying to play the DVD through the VCR it still caused a problem because they were linked electronically. I got around the problem by buying a "switchable" SCART block. I now have great picture quality on both VCR and DVD, however the down-side is that I have to switch the swithces on the SCART block when changing from DVD viewing to VCR and vice versa.
Written on: 02/06/2003
Hi
<br>Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions. We have recently bought a new TV with scart sockets and I'm pleased to say that we can now watch DVDs with no problems.
<br>Paddy
Written on: 28/05/2003
This problem of the picture fading is known as 'Colour Burst' for some strange reason.
<br>It is common with older style VCR's and TV's that do not have Scart Sockets 'They do not use PAL60'
<br>in the coding and decoding.
<br>VCR's can have their chips changed, but this is not recomended on any machine under the value of £1000,00 IE cost of the replacement is too high.
<br>This could also indicate that the DVD player may have a problem on the chip.
<br>If you are still in warranty send it back for checking.
Written on: 22/12/2002
well the only reason why it does not work properly is because you don't have a SCART connection at the back of your T.V like is says DVD'S and Videos have copyright on them so it makes the film horrible to watch all you need is a T.V with a SCART connection at the back and then your DVD'S will play in proper picture. If it does not however you will have a faulty DVD player
Written on: 15/12/2002
Waldopepper, thanks for the suggestion. We hooked it direct into a friend's TV (scart to scart) but still had the same problem. His own DVD player worked fine connected direct. I really have tried to eliminate all connection possibilities. I then contacted Alba helpline, explained the problem & was told to return it, which I have now done. Thanks for your advice anyway.
Paddy
written by Ray. on 19/11/2002
Just brought one and I have had no problems getting it to play VCD and SVCD without having to use any hacks. Obviously the sound is not the greatest but for £70 it does not get any better. I was going to buy one for about £140 in order for it to play VCD and SVCD until I saw this one. Overall very pleased and would recommend it to anyone.
written by a;an. on 09/11/2002
well, its new to me!! But I have a friend, who (like me) gets music/video/clips/movies/ off the internet!! This is done in mostly the format of "m peg", and I have to say, my mate bought a dvd player, its a apex, and he just pluged it in, and it all worked!! This alba 108 says on the side of the box - plays mp3, CDR, and CDRW, well mine does NOTHING!! It's useless, I can even find a menu to pick up a format!! As all my music and films are in mpeg format, I would luv a few ideas here, before I though this heap out of the window>> alan m
Written on: 14/11/2002
It's a pity that this review has been entered with such a low score without even looking into the Alba 108's ability to play DVD's.
If the reviewer's machine does nothing, then perhaps it's faulty, and he should return it for a replacement or refund. (I suspect it's from Argos, who are very good at returns normally).
I've seen 3 Alba 108's, and I thought they were all more than adequate, especially for the price.
They play DVDs, CDs CDRs and CDRWs. They also play VCDs with a little coaxing. (Check elsewhere for how.) Unfortunately I can't say about MP3s as I don't have any. (I guess I'll ought to get some burnt to disc, if only for testing purposes!).
Anyway, I wasn't aware you could just burn mpegs to disc and play them raw, but I could be wrong here.
Still, I think the Alba is a very good player for the money, and deserves better than 2 stars. It has a decent picture and sound, is easy to use, requires minimal, (if any!), setting up, and oh, did I not mention, it's multi-region out 0f the box!
Written on: 04/01/2004
I have just bought an Alba DVD 108 from argos, and have tried to play vcd's using the hacks mentioned on this website, but they don't work. You can open the door, and type 2812 and enter (this just changes the region from 9 to 1), then close the door, and no stop sign appears, you just get 'Incorrect disc format' appearing on the screen. Please can anyone help me with this problem??
Written on: 12/03/2003
weird this lot, some plays some dont, mine plays everything, no hacks needed, no special resetting, mp3's are amazing fit nearl 200 songs to a cd and bung it in there you go,
<br>
<br>but the vcd's depends how the mpg file was encoded, im experimenting and i get them all working, you dont just burn mpg as a file, you need to burn as vcd as in nero
Written on: 27/11/2002
I bought the alba 108 a couple of months ago from Argos. For a budget player (£70) it is quite amazing what it will play most formats 'out of the box' and anything else with a little coaxing. The reason I am writing this is that I find its playing of MP3 audio is fine, the limiting factor being my cheapo Hi-Fi unit and 12 year old TV. At this price you cannot expect this to be a top of the range market player, but for the price this is something quite special.
Written on: 19/11/2002
The one trick needs to be done every time you put in a vcd but other than that I have found it to be damn good value for money . The pictures good, it sounds good through my hifi and it will play anything I chuck at it with a little bit of nimble finger work. Fair play to alba for a fine budget dvd player
Written on: 15/11/2002
After I switched off, back to square one, so I guess I must have pressed some combination of keys before. With no reliable hack it's going back to Argos.
Written on: 15/11/2002
Could be that this is the 108xi, I bought one today and it would only play DVDs, the hacks didn't work. I was going to take it back to Argos when I entered the setup menu, selected factory reset, voila everything works. No need to push the door shut or keep pressing 2812. Just pop in a VCD close the door(any way you want)and press 1
written by Paul Lowry. on 05/11/2002
Got this DVD108 on saturday and really liked it being a 1st time buyer of a DVD player. Simple to use, plays all regions, VCDs, MP3 CDs and normal music CDs too. I only have about 10 year old TV so not fussed about decent sound, etc and reviews about suggested this would be good for me. £69 from Argos too is well cheap. Was a bit annoyed at first using the hack to get the VCDs to work, but now found a quaility one which works everytime. Open Door Type 2812 and press ENTER Close door by pushing it Press Button 1 when Stop sign appears I was jumping around the room with joy when I found that hack.
Written on: 24/02/2003
Thanks!
I managed to pursuade my parents to lend me the money to buy this DVD player on the condition that I pay them back £5 a week. I have now finished paying for it as it was so cheap. I was over the moon to finally have a DVD player!!
I have loads of VCD's And DVD's but not a player of my own so i was limited to when i could watch my Films on the family's DVD player in the living room. But when i wanted to watch a VCD i was upset to find that it said 'INCORRECT DISK FORMAT' and i thought to myself, well what do i expect for 70 quid? Well i have read reveiws stating that it is multi-region (which i don't know for sure?? Can anyone help with this matter?)
Well after reading this reweiw I tryed the cheat recommended and it worked. I WAS SO HAPPY!!!
The question all you cheapskates need to ask yourself is can you afford a DVD player that plays
*MP3S
*DVDS
*CDRS
*CD-REWRITABLES
and is
*MULTI-REGIONAL
*STYLISH
Look no further this is the Best budget dvd player arround!!! SUPERP!!!!
(P.S Thanks for the cheat M8!)
Written on: 17/09/2004
My Alba 108 won't play the vcd's and I've tried everything hack wise. 47 quid one from Argos and checked the box...menu.. and all it says is Alba 108 model. I go through the hack but it NEVER GIVES A STOP LOGO. Come on out there......who's the genius who can crack it...The thing's doin' my head in !!
Written on: 02/01/2004
There is confusion with this model... there are several different versions of the alba 108. Mine is the 47 squid one from argos. This hack doesnt work on the 47 squid model and i am yet to find one that does... Grrrrrr typical.
Written on: 07/08/2003
i to am having this problem does anyone know why and how to get around it
Written on: 06/05/2003
alba108 dvd. Just got this dvd player looked on web for hacks and have tried them all and nothing. Maybe i am doing them wrong can anyone help please. When i put in the number code on remote it comes up with hidden menu straight away no need to press enter,do i have to change anything first before trying the hack.no stop sign comes up it just says about the formatand ejects vcd help!!!!
Written on: 23/03/2003
I bought this dvd player ages ago because i knew we wouldn't use it that much in our house, but buying this one meant it didn't break the bank, and on the odd occassion we would watch movies it would be useful. so far everything was fine until today when i put a vcd in and incorrect format came up after which i searched the web and found this review and tried the cheat recommended and it worked fine. Absolutely delighted. Its wkd bargain!!
written by churdy. on 29/08/2002
I've seen three of these Alba DVD 108 players in action, and I must say I'm pretty impressed. For the price the picture is excellent. It does however slightly crop the sides of the image (at least it does on my TV, which has a 4:3 ratio screen). [It does it even if I set the DVD player to 16:9 mode, (maybe it isn't fooled! I believe this is a fairly common problem though.]
I don't have an AV system, but audio through the TV is adequate, despite only having a 16 bit DAC, and low sampling rate. It is, however, a very low level output, so you need to wind the volume on your TV way up.
Outputs are limited to RGB scart, composite video, left/right audio out and co-axial digital out. There is no optical out.
It supports Dolby digital, but has no support for DTS, (which is a bit of a shame, as this is the only really serious ommission with this player).
You can route it through your VCR if you want, (with no apparent macrovision interference), but macrovision cuts in if you try to record from it (quite how this works I haven't worked out). You might also lose the RGB signal and have to make do with composite video output.
Finally, it plays CD-Rs, (I've tried this), and is also supposed to play CD-RWs, MP3s and VCDs, (VCDs with a bit of button pressing!), but I haven't tried any of these.
However, at £70 from Argos, I think it's pretty good.
Written on: 30/08/2002
Just a quick note to say, the Alba DVD108 doesn't appear to function with the denser DVD 9 format. A lot of Hollywood movies use this format to include all those extra bits and pieces we love so much. I don't know if there is any kind of hack to get round this, but it is a serious drawback.
Written on: 30/12/2002
Anybody know how to get the sound working on the 108? the mannual is no help?
Written on: 03/12/2002
It is Multi region.
I went ahead and got it anyway and tried one of my mates Canadian DvDs and it worked fine. Even has a PAL/NTCS buton to switch between.
All in all a great machine for the price.
Written on: 02/12/2002
Multi-Region?
I don't think so. But.....have just read the following:-
<<region free hack
to make the alba dvd108 region free:
1- press the 'pal/ntsc'
2- press menu
3- press 0 >>
Haven't tried it myself yet, but it seems quite easy to make it multi-region.....
Written on: 27/11/2002
This is all very well and good but this is the best review I have read. But it does not state what I need it to state before I purchase. .... Is it a multi region DVD player???
Written on: 13/10/2002
I've got this player and it's very good for the money, the only downer is a little bit noisy and U have to do the VCD hack every time U want to watch a VCD!
<br>
<br>The sooner they come up with a perm hack the better.. I'm keeping my eyes on VCDHELP.COM for any that may come up (Link below)
<br>
<br>http://www.vcdhelp.com/dvdplayers.php?DVDnameid=1310&Search=Search&#comments
<br>
<br>If anyone knows anything plzzzz let us know
<br>
<br>Otherwise 10/10 player
Written on: 03/10/2002
Alba 108: I've just bought one I give 10 out of 10
<br> it plays vcd svcd cdr cdwr dvd
<br>
Written on: 02/10/2002
The DVD 9 comment made me buy the Dansai 1010 instead. I played R1 Disney´s Beauty & the Beast on Dansai and it coped. Would the Alba 108?
Written on: 29/09/2002
I have recently bought it and it does not play any VCD which is a real shame. Apart fromt hat 10/10
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Icklegirlie's Response to widdowson9's Review
Written on: 27/01/2004
Ok, here's the hack... open the cd draw n put the vcd in it. Leave the draw open, and press 2812 and enter. Then push the cd draw in. After a couple of seconds, a stop symbol shows, then press 2. Your vcd will start to play! It's as easy as that!!