I am sixteen, and to be honest, I've been living in a dvd equipped house since 1998 (thankfully!) But I am strongly considering purchasing a DVD player for my room, since i already have 30+ dvds of my own, and my parents aren't big on surround sound.
My question is "What should i buy!?" I'm not spoiled, and I have to work for all my money at an ice cream store for $5.50 an hour, so it took me forever to just save up the $350 i have now!
So i want to take that 350 and put it to good use, buy a dvd player for under 200 bucks, and put the rest towards speakers to be bought in the future.
HOwever, i want a dvd player that will last me until i graduate college (a modest 2007). Is there one for under 200 that will do this!? I heard good things about panasonic's RP-65 (i think thats the model) but im not sure.
Help me out if you can...
Note: I am almost definetly looking for one with prog scan and a dd encoder, seeing as how i certainly cannot afford a reciever!
palebluedot
02-13-02, 11:22 PM
Progressive scan is only useful to you if you have an HDTV or a TV that has a progressive input. If you plan to buy such a TV in the future then go with the progressive scan player. If not you can cut some of your costs by not going with a progressive scan player or go with a higher quality DVD player that would be the same cost as a progressive player you are looking at.
There are plenty of very decent DVD players in the $200 range. I would stick to Toshiba, Panasonic, or Sony for reliability. It has been my experience that JVC is NOT reliable(but that has been MY experience with 3 different JVC products).
There are other cheap brands like Apex, Sampo, Minitek, etc...but most of these players are mearly a computer DVD ROM drive built into an enclosure. I am not sure of the reliability as I have never owned these products.
BTW it's the Panasonic RP-56 and it is a very good model.
Also you can usually get the best deal on-line at like www.jandrelectronics.com or www.crazyeddie.com
Welcome to the forum. :)
X
02-13-02, 11:33 PM
I wouldn't spend a lot of money for something to last as long as your timeframe. Prices have plunged and quality has improved on DVD players. In 5 years there might even be a different standard than the DVD that we know now.
If money's tight and you want something that will last at a low price, you might consider adding a DVD drive to a computer (assuming you have one). It will take up less space, provide excellent quality (progressive even!) and be easy and cheap to replace if it dies. Video output can be to your monitor or a TV; audio output can be to headphones, computer speakers, or receiver. Of course this assumes you have a computer.
young
02-13-02, 11:35 PM
what about one of those all in one packages? speakers and dvd/receiver.
my quick search yields this $399 system... there's got to be lower cost ones around...
Originally posted by X
If money's tight and you want something that will last at a low price, you might consider adding a DVD drive to a computer (assuming you have one). It will take up less space, provide excellent quality (progressive even!) and be easy and cheap to replace if it dies. Video output can be to your monitor or a TV; audio output can be to headphones, computer speakers, or receiver. Of course this assumes you have a computer.
:thumbsup: Champion idea X
Assuming you have a computer that is.
Magnepitaph
02-14-02, 04:08 PM
Originally posted by young
what about one of those all in one packages? speakers and dvd/receiver.
Yeah this sort of thing interests me quite a bit, as it would seemingly be perfect for a dorm or a small room...so if anyone has more info/reviews on any product of this type they would be greatly appreciated!
As for DVD-ROM, it isn't really what i was going for but I will take a look at some.
Mr. Salty
02-14-02, 04:26 PM
I second the opinion that you would be wasting your money buying progressive scan right now. You won't be able to take advantage of it until you have a progressive-capable TV, which will liekly be awhile. In the meantime, progressive technology is improving quickly while the price is dropping. You'd be better off saving that portion of your budget for other things.
A DVD player with a built-in Dolby Digital decoder also won't do you a lot of good if you can't afford a receiver. Somewhere along the line you have to have something that will amplify the audio enough to drive speakers, and this means a receiver. True, if they still make "5.1-ready" receivers, they will cost you less than ones with internal decoders, but you'll still have to buy a receiver of some sort.
For the time being, you might be better off with a home-theater-in-a-box type set-up or a DVD-ROM drive in a computer. If your computer's graphics card has a video output (preferably s-ivdeo), you can connect the computer to whatever TV you have.
are you near a best buy? if possible, i'd go over and see/hear some of these systems. the klh system is cheap and cheerful...
btw, i don't necessarily endorse any of these systems as i've never used them. maybe others have and can give you better recommendations. try epinions.com
Buy: