Seeking suggestion for Stand alone DVD player

[CityK]

Evil dual posting...

Anyways, in Eugene's SACD thread in SR's pub, last night I asked what was so special about the Philips 642 (no replies). It looked like very cheap junk, and apparently does not do DTS (if that matters)...although it appears to do just about everything else except make your bed in the morning.

Besides that model, what other recommendations can be had from the [blantant buttering]esteemed members of the community[/blantant buttering]. The gift is for my sister - she's non technical and not highly demanding, so top of line products need not apply. Just interested in something that works well enough, will last a couple of years (imagine that -- electronics that don't spontaneously break two months after warranty expirary), and doesn't look like it was purchased from Fred's DVD Warehouse Emporium.

Oh, and I can afford about thirty seconds in time to do due diligence on your suggestions....so I will be holding you personally accountable if things go sour :wink:

 

[sechs]

DVD players are highly comoditised, so, all you really need to do is find a brand you trust with a model with the features that you want.

If you want to skip out on the trust business, just buy cheap. Even a $20 player should last two years under normal use.

 

[MaxBurn]

I used to work at the tech bench in best buy part time in college and about half of those $20 players came back in 6 months. I would just stick to middle of the road with a brand name you have heard of, sony panasonic, jvc etc.

Every time we sent a player to service it always came back with a new pickup. That seems to be the common fail for all of them.

 

[Pradeep]

Evil dual posting...

Anyways, in Eugene's SACD thread in SR's pub, last night I asked what was so special about the Philips 642 (no replies). It looked like very cheap junk, and apparently does not do DTS (if that matters)...although it appears to do just about everything else except make your bed in the morning.

It does do DTS, problem is that with the region free firmware, it will say "Cannot decode DTS" when a DTS audio stream is selected. Simply hit OK on the remote, and it will continue on it's merry way, DTS sound intact.

I would recommend the Panny S97, but it's $250 and upconversion via HDMI is probably not high on your sister's needs.

 

[Buck]

Not as a suggestion to buy, but more as a post of amazement:

$9.99 refurbished DVD Player

 

[time]

I would just stick to middle of the road with a brand name you have heard of, sony panasonic, jvc etc.

I'd dispute this advice, because I've seen no evidence that Sony or Panasonic have any hand in the design or manufacture of their current DVD players. I think you're just paying over the odds.

BTW, I can't imagine anyone in a western country replacing a pickup rather than the drive unit!

 

[sechs]

I have to agree. Generally speaking, these are just rebranded versions of the aforementioned cheap units.

 

[Explorer]

I can't say I'm familiar with the DVD "bottom feeder" market. But, I can say for a fact that I like the Toshiba DVD players better than other brands, because they have a 10-bit DAC which results in a noticeably better looking video image with less artifacts.

Not as a suggestion to buy, but more as a post of amazement:
$9.99 refurbished DVD Player

Just last night I was at a new Fry's Electronics that they recently built near my neighbourhood. I saw a literal pyramid of Seagate 300 GB hard drive retail packages that was taller than me (I'm 6'1"). Price: $139 (!) ...after rebate. They were "sold out" of the Seagate 400 GB drives.

 

[CityK]

Thanks for the info & suggestions.

I went with the Philips after all, despite my misgivings about it. If she doesn't like it, it can always go back for whatever.