FredC

Just wondering if I should pick up this player. It's an open box/floor model and probably doesn't have the hidden menu. I'll probably use it primarily for MP3's.

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bboisvert

Can you hook it up to a TV in the store and test for the hidden menu? If it has one, it's a steal at that price. If it doesn't, I'd probably pass on it.

Either way, can you return if it proves to be defective? Some of these apparently had problems (overheating, failing within the first few days, etc.)

Mine has worked fine since day one. One of the best purchases I've ever made. Well worth briefly suspending my CIRCUIT CITY boycott.

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Gizmo

YES! If it has the loophole, or even if it does not, GET IT!

jfoobar

Don't even think about buying it if it doesn't have the loophole menu. Also, test it thoroughly when you get it home to make sure you didn't get one of the many Apex-lemons out there. This is not a quality player.

I have one of the few good ones but, secret menu aside, compared to such inexpensive players as the Panasonic DV-30 and the Pioneer 333, the Apex is poor.

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"I will not be threatened by a walking meat loaf!"

IIG

I wouldn't spend more than $50 on this crappy player. Why would anyone want a DVD player that has a list of problems as long as the Nile? So many titles are incompatible with the player, that it is disgusting. The parts used to make the APEX are cheap, and the MP3 player, and many other parts of the player are EXPECTED to go out not long after you buy it (I shudder to think what is wrong with the OPEN BOX). Probably 75% of the people I know that have it, has said that they put in a disc and watched it, with many problems such as skipping chapters. When it came down to ejecting the disc, the tray was empty and the disc was nowhere to be found! Somehow it gets stuck somewhere else inside the system, and has to be disassembled to retrieve the disk. Sorry for me venting, but even the loophole menu is not worth it!

Doccraw

I would pass, I ordered one several months ago from Circuit City when all the hype was out about this player. I was looking to replace my Toshiba since it did not play VCDs or CD-Rs.

I hooked it up, it crapped out on the Sixth Sense in 3 different spots- poor timing too since my wife and I had some company over for movie night!

I thought the mp3 playback menu was poor as well. I took it back the next day!

I got a Pioneer 525 and love it! If you really want to play MP3s or your stereo I would suggest going to the x10.com site and picking up the MP3 anywhere kit for about $50 and use the rest of the money to buy a better player.

Hope this helps.

tavarua88

my roommate got a pioneer openbox on a 525 player, they only used it for a month and a half, all for $180 after tax! I was pissed cuz I paid 300 for my 414. A lot of places seem to be selling these for cheap since they have been discontinued, might want to keep an eye out for these.

bboisvert

quote:<HR>Originally posted by IIG:
I wouldn't spend more than $50 on this crappy player. Why would anyone want a DVD player that has a list of problems as long as the Nile?<HR>

Again, if it has the menu and you have an interest in multi-region and/or PAL playback, that price is amazing.

I've had my APEX for about 6 months now -- it has seen plenty of use and I have not had a single problem. Yes, some of them were lemons. That's why I mentioned that you should be sure that you can return it. However, some/many of them were perfectly fine. I ran mine in a continuous loop for the first 2 weeks I had it to make sure that it wouldn't overheat or break down. No issues at all. It works like a champ.

As far as not being able to play some DVDs, the only titles that I've had a problem with have been discs that use branching (like The Abyss). The APEX cannot play branching titles, period. However, no one is suggesting that this should be your main or only player. As a backup player, it is wonderful...


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gerrytwo

The Apex 600A was a fine low cost DVD player, but the midifications the manufacturer has been making have cut its quality. You should check for th amount of noise the unit makes. To handle the overheating problem that some units had, the manufacturer removed the metal cover from the power supply. Some people at nerd-out.com complained that the removal of the cover may have made the unit run cooler (the Apex cover has no cutouts on the top or sides to let air circlate out of the unit), but the cover acted as a noise barrier. The one I have, a loophole version, works fine. If I don't have access to special features on Stuart Little or some other movies, that is a loss I can live with.

FredC

Thanks for all the input. It's got a 30 day money back on it and supposedly nothing is missing. I may pick it up and use it for a a couple weeks and then return it if it's really bad, noisy etc. I have a Panny A110 that has not given me many problems and is my main player.

If anyoe else wants to pick one up, given all the input here and on other posts/boards, the CC in the Copley Mall in Boston, MA had 2 available as of Sunday afternoon.

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pilot

Moving to the DVD Hardware Forum