Best Cheap DVD player (1 Viewer)

[Philip Hamm]

All Sony players are good. I'm not familiar with the current models. Sonys have historically had trouble with CD-R, but they are probably compatible now.
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Philip Hamm
Pat's the best!™
AIM: PhilBiker
click on the little green house to see the evolution of my home theater!

 

[Steve Gazi]

This might sound dumb, but if they say they'll play CDR/RWs, does that mean VCDs? Or is that just mp3s, or what?

 

[Mr. Brian]

I've had the Panasonic RV31 for a few months now and I'm very happy with it. I got it for 144.95 at Sears(with internet price matching). It can play DVD, CD, VCD, CD-R, CD-RW, and MP3 burned onto CD-R and CD-RW's. The interface is very simple and easy to use. The picture is great. The remote is ok. I've only had a one problem with a disc, and that was a badly scratched rental disc. I hope this helps.
Brian
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[John Di Lauro]

Martin,
I would recommend taking a look at the JVC XVS40/45. I purchased a 40 (black) unit from a local retailer a few months ago for $180. I think ecost.com has is for $165 and
etronics.com for even less, though their shipping charges
seem high. Check out vanns.com as well.
This unit has the quietest transport out of all of the entry level units I looked at (Panasonic, Sony, Philips).
I know there are a lot of RV-31 fans here, but I bought one
and ended up returning it. I didn't like the user interface
and the transport was terribly noisy, to the point where I had concerns about its long-term mechanical reliabiity. Maybe I just got a bad one; it seems like a really nice unit.
I have played about 20 Netflix discs on this machine without a hitch.
Interestingly, after reading this thread, I watched the
ending credits of "Gladiator" to see how this unit handled
the anamorphic downconversion. There is noticeable shimmering, though I'm not sure how it compares to the other
units mentioned here. This doesn't bother me too much, but
if necessary I'm able to do the "squeeze" trick using the
service menus on the TV set.
Lastly, I think this unit also uses an MPEG decoder which does not have the chroma bug, though I haven't yet tested it for that. Good luck and I hope this info helps.

 

[Steve Gazi]

Anyone have the Pioneer 440?