help finding a dvd player. (1 Viewer)

[ericLee]

Does anyone know of a site that has a comprehensive list of reviews of the current generation of dvd players? Finding good reviews and comparitive reviews with other players is so difficult. There has to be a way to figure out whice are the best players. Isn't there a dvd player that has it all? good video in any format/progressive? good audio in DD DTS CD audio, Forget about all the useless stuff like mp3 wmv smartmedia, nuon, HDCD, and forget DVDA and SACD. Why is it so hard for companies to get it right. In every review i read theres always a "but". either interlacing is horrible or CD playback is bad. It's like the 4th generation of mass market DVD players and the companies keep adding these extra features without improving the most importaint. Isn't there a concensus in the forums on which are the best dvd players in each price class. everyone here can agree that SVS makes the best subwoofers and paradigm makes pretty good speakers but when you go to buy a dvd player you have no clue to what to even look at. I've been looking at the marantz players but many people say it's picture is way to bright. I bought a samsung player and a philips player but returned them because the 4:3 picture was awful. and for the philips the CD audio was thin and kinda bright. I like the toshibas but theres no easy region hack i could find. Can some help me find a good dvd player that plays dvds and CDs and has progressive scan. as long as it could play dvds and cds well i'll be happy. i don't care for mp3s or any of the other formats. and if possible an easy region hack. all for under 200 street USD

 

[Adam Barratt]

If you're looking for a review archive, you could do worse than this site.
I can't help with the DVD player; I have yet to hear of one that does all things for all people under $200. I wouldn't expect any sub-$200 DVD player to play CDs any more than 'adequately'. You have to go up the ladder some way to get a DVD player that even vaguely resembles a respectable CD player.
Any of the major manufacturers should be able to produce decent picture quality and progressive scan. Panasonics are often considered the current leaders in the cost/performance table in this department.
Someone else will have to chime in on region hackable players. They all come that way in my part of the world so I can't comment.
Adam