kevin75

ok, my mom wants a dvd player for xmas and i want to go ahead and get it taken care of. my problem is that i am not sure what a good entry model player is. she doesn't need anything fancy, just something to play R1 dvds. doesn't matter if the audio features suck. i have seen the apex that is on sale at sears and read a few reviews. any opinions on that or any other suggestions? thanks.

PhYbEr

Here's a decent quality Zenith player, (69.99) there is also a panasonic in the same price range..

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...nics&n=1065844

NikePenguin

It may not be a big deal to some but it might help "mom" out. Consider getting a dvd player the same brand as her tv. She might like the convenience of using the same remote for dvd player and tv.

renaldow

There's no reason to go with off brands like Apex or Classic anymore as entry level players. Player prices have fallen so much that almost all of the major brands are offering high quality players at around the $70 mark, even less w/ sales and specials. I'd suggest choosing a price limit and then hitting 2-3 electronics stores to see what you can get.

3Js

Last time I was at Sam's Club they had Toshiba and Hitachi DVD players and those are name brands (some lesser brands there too).

Some were progressive scan too. All were under $100 dollars.

I recall seeing similar models at Costco also, but don't remember pricing.

More and more DVD players becoming commodities with very similar features and only a few distinctive differences.

Buying decisions are coming down more to things like the style of the player, the layout of the remote, ease of use, content of the user manual, and available rear panel connections.

The latest edition of Consumer Reports tests and rates several DVD players in both progressive scan and standard models.

Even they said the picture quality varied little within each of these two groups and was uniformly excellent.

They did note that they did not always see picture improvement when upgrading to progressive scan in some particular brands.

But I believe the time is coming when progressive scan will be in all DVD players.

bboisvert

Wait until the day after Thanksgiving. You should be able to find off-brand players for about $30-40. And some decent name-brand players for a little more.

If your 'mom' is like most 'moms', picture quality and features aren't a huge factor. You just want something that'll play discs and not break after a few months of use.

cowanrg

depends on how much you love your mom. if she abused you as a child, go for the apex.

NikePenguin

Obviously abuse isn't a factor in what you want to buy your mom. What can you afford and what will be her use?

There is a large segment of people whose sole use of a dvd player will be to rent movies from Blockbuster for viewing on an average television set. They aren't concerned about picture quality or surround sound. They just want to "see" the movie. If your mom falls into this segment, then just about any player will do.

Apex has been around for several years and, as I recall, the first to bring an affordable player to market. Four years ago, this forum had a lot of talk about the Apex players and how much people like them. I wouldn't consider Apex a no-name brand like some of the others. They just happen to specialize in inexpensive players.

If you can afford more, definitely go with a major brand player.

ngp

If she doesn't have a VCR already or wants to consolidate, you can go for the combo units. We bought a Zenith unit a few months back and have been really happy with it. It's used in the bedroom where we don't have a large cabinet or a lot of space for two components.

Brian_92gsr

I'm looking for one as well and have a $75 amazon GC. Does anyone know of one that can be unlocked to play region 2 discs? Progressive is required as well.

renaldow

Brian_92gsr, check out the postings in the International forum here, there are a couple different players available at Amazon that fit that price range and specs. Most notably the Toshiba SD 3900 and Philips 727.

Brian_92gsr

Thanks! I checked reviews and the Philips 727 looks like a very good player. Looks like a simple remote code will change the region code. It's also $74.89 with free shipping at amazon, a perfect use for the GC (and all I had to do for the GC was walk into a Mercedes dealership and have a card stamped for a test drive).