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Are 3 free DVDs worth buying a Samsung?

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Are 3 free DVDs worth buying a Samsung?

Old 10-23-01, 08:44 AM
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Are 3 free DVDs worth buying a Samsung?

I am going to buy my Dad a DVD player for X-mas. He is not a high-end guy & does not really care what he gets. Samsung is giving away 3 free dvds with a purchase of their players. Since I can't afford to give him a player & a bunch of DVDs, I thought this might be a good option but I do not want to buy him a player that is just going to cause him problems.

I was looking at spending approx $150 on the player. Anyone had any experience with one of those players? Anyone have any suggestions for a $150 or less player that is of decent quality. I would hate to buy him one that gets locked up, etc.
Old 10-23-01, 01:47 PM
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Do you get to pick the DVDs? That would make a big difference in what choices you have.

To save $60 or more in DVDs would be cool. But if they were Lost In Space, Lethal Weapon 4, and Blair Witch Project, I would not let them influence my choice.
Old 10-23-01, 01:48 PM
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Re: Are 3 free DVDs worth buying a Samsung?

Originally posted by brianluvdvd
I was looking at spending approx $150 on the player. Anyone had any experience with one of those players? Anyone have any suggestions for a $150 or less player that is of decent quality. I would hate to buy him one that gets locked up, etc.
Then the answer to your question is: no, it's not worth it. If you want a good trouble-free, easy to setup player with excellent performance, try the Pioneer DV-343. It's $150 with free shipping at Amazon.com, use a coupon and get it for even less.

We bought one of these for my parents and they love it. It also plays beat-up rental discs without any problems.
Old 10-23-01, 01:51 PM
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Never mind, just found the promotion

Any Given Sunday, Gone With the Wind and Austin Powers The Spy Who Shagged Me

The DVD-M101 was at Costco for less than $150. If those movies appeal to you, it may be worth it.

http://www.audioreview.com/reviews/D...ct_72543.shtml
Old 10-23-01, 11:51 PM
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Originally posted by randyc
Never mind, just found the promotion

Any Given Sunday, Gone With the Wind and Austin Powers The Spy Who Shagged Me

The DVD-M101 was at Costco for less than $150. If those movies appeal to you, it may be worth it.

http://www.audioreview.com/reviews/D...ct_72543.shtml


Actually I got my parents this player for their anniversary, and so far no troubles at all...
Old 10-24-01, 02:34 AM
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Re: Are 3 free DVDs worth buying a Samsung?

Originally posted by brianluvdvd
Since I can't afford to give him a player & a bunch of DVDs, I thought this might be a good option ...
Then the Samsung would be okay.

On the other hand, you can average under $10 per DVD from the Columbia House DVD Club (including many Criterions, Collector's Editions, Director's Cuts, etc.) using special codes that are found in the FAQ Thread in the DVD Clubs Forum.
Old 10-24-01, 05:39 AM
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I just ordered myself a Sampo DVE611 DVD player to replace my Phillips player. The Sampo will play DVD's, VCD's, SVCD's, Music CD's, and CD's with MP3 files on it. It'll be a step up from my Phillips and it was only $139. Point is, you might be able to get a better more option filled DVD player for cheaper if you look around.

http://www.wholesaleconnection.com/sampodvd.html

That's where I ordered mine from.
Old 10-24-01, 04:25 PM
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Originally posted by wiz
I just ordered myself a Sampo DVE611 DVD player to replace my Phillips player. The Sampo will play DVD's, VCD's, SVCD's, Music CD's, and CD's with MP3 files on it. It'll be a step up from my Phillips and it was only $139.
Sorry to disagree, but IMO the Sampo is not a step up from a Philips in terms of quality, features maybe, but not quality. I have had both and the Sampo really had very poor picture quality and I had two units die in less than a month. Hope you have better luck than I did.

As always, YMMV.
Old 10-25-01, 04:56 AM
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Originally posted by nekobus


Sorry to disagree, but IMO the Sampo is not a step up from a Philips in terms of quality, features maybe, but not quality. I have had both and the Sampo really had very poor picture quality and I had two units die in less than a month. Hope you have better luck than I did.

As always, YMMV.
Well, buddy of mine has a Sampo and he does Video Editing as a hobby and part time job. He makes his own SVCD's and plays them on the Sampo and they work great with a great picture. He also has a Pioneer DVD player and I have seen the picture on both the Sampo and the Pioneer and they are nearly the same in quality. I am not replacing the Phillips to the say the least, one will go in my living room and one in my bedroom. I'll just have to decide which goes where. I have been having some problems with disc's skipping through some scenes on my PHillips though and was sorta hoping that the Sampo would not have that problem (T2 UE had this problem halfway through the movie). However, i guess I'll see next week when it comes in.
Old 10-25-01, 03:03 PM
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Originally posted by wiz
I have been having some problems with disc's skipping through some scenes on my PHillips though and was sorta hoping that the Sampo would not have that problem (T2 UE had this problem halfway through the movie). However, i guess I'll see next week when it comes in.
Unfortunately, Sampo has the same problems and trouble playing some discs. It's one of the reasons ours was sent back. The Pioneer had a clear lead in quality when watching DVDs, especially in terms of pixellation and played problem discs without trouble. It also depends upon the rest of your gear. But then again I did video production for a living, so maybe I'm just picky. Like I said, YMMV.

Head over to the Sampo forum on www.nerd-out.com. There are different versions of the Sampo firmware that help some of the problems.

Last edited by nekobus; 10-25-01 at 03:58 PM.
Old 10-25-01, 04:32 PM
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In the long run it probably is not worth it. You'll enjoy a good player longer than most dvds, imho.
Old 10-25-01, 10:21 PM
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Originally posted by nekobus


Unfortunately, Sampo has the same problems and trouble playing some discs. It's one of the reasons ours was sent back. The Pioneer had a clear lead in quality when watching DVDs, especially in terms of pixellation and played problem discs without trouble. It also depends upon the rest of your gear. But then again I did video production for a living, so maybe I'm just picky. Like I said, YMMV.

Head over to the Sampo forum on www.nerd-out.com. There are different versions of the Sampo firmware that help some of the problems.
Well so far the Sampo is just as good if not better than my old Phillips (which is just over a year old I'd say). Considering that I only paid $139 for it I am happy with it. It seems quicker on the menus and the response from pressing the buttons is a lot better then the Phillips. I am going to watch my T2 disc and see if it skips in the middle of the movie like it did on my PHillips, will let you know on that one.

I woudl have liked to bought a Pioneer, but I wanted to give the Sampo a shot since my friend has done nothing but praise this player.
Old 10-26-01, 10:29 AM
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Someone mentioned the Pioneer DV-343, which i have heard very good things about. I would stay away from Sampo....have heard mixed reviews. Is the extra $30 or so worth piece of mind, i think so. I would also throw the Toshiba 1600 (i think this is the one that replaced the 1200) into the ring. It is a bit more, but I think can be had for a good deal if you look around. Toshiba makes solid players, i have a 2200 and it is still running great. Just my thoughts.

-pedagogue
Old 10-26-01, 11:14 AM
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Considering your situation I'd say the Samsung is okay, but for someone that's really into this DVD stuff, then I'd suggest something else.
Old 10-26-01, 11:57 PM
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Thanks for the opinions so far. My Dad really loves Gone With the Wind & Austin Powers so I guess I am gonna try the Samsung. After some research, I found the 301 model on sale for approx $20 more than the 101 model (including shipping). Also found a 201 model right between them.

Anyone here know whether there is a huge quality difference between the 3 models listed above? I promise this is my last question. Thanks!
Old 10-27-01, 08:55 PM
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I have a Pioneer DV-343. I bought it from Amazon for $120 a couple of months ago. It's really good for the price. Picture and video quality is great (though it's not progressive scan) and it doesn't have zoom. Also, remote sucks. I bought it because it can play CDR/W and VCD/SVCD

You can use the $10 off $50 coupon in this thread and buy 2 $50 GCs for $40 each in this thread

Alternatively, you can buy an extra $10 of stuff, use the $10 off $50 and buy 3 $50 GCs for $40 each.

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