Above normal disk spinning noise. My cousin got a JVC and it doesnt play movies from BlockBuster. Sony plays them. The package included 7 free DVDs and 10 free DVD rentals. No lip sync problems.
Wires make a big difference people.
Good wires have less noise and no distortion. Remember not to whine or blame any of these components until 100 hours of viewing to allow these to break-in. This player currently has firmware version 2.3. I bought it in December '99. If you don't care about playing cd's that you make yourself, I recommend this unit.