Buy.com DOTD: sampo DVD/MP3 player $149; Motorola FR50 $29; Palm VII $299; and more

[eastjungle]

Never heard of sampo. Don't know if it's good.
How's FR50, compared to other models from Motorola?

 

[Madcowz]

The motorola sounds like a pretty sweet deal... just put something cheap in your cart and tack on a $10 off $30 coupon and you got yourself a nice $20 two-way radio!

 

[bonkers325]

yeah i bought the dvd
hope its good

i mean it plays everything

 

[dude]

I don't know about Sampo DVD players, but they make some sweet monitors. My first 21" monitor was a Sampo until I upgraded to a Sony.

 

[bonkers325]

well its cheap and it works for everything hehe

 

[Raj]

I am not sure where I read this but sampo dvd players are apparently great about accepting cdrs and multi region dvds.
just thought I'd let you know.

 

[CrimsonKing]

I'm curious about the radio quality, too. I've been eyeing these things for a while now, but never bought one because I suspect the ones I can afford aren't very good. They all say two-mile range, etc. Wal-mart had some for $15 or 20 today. Not sure what's best. Anyone use these?

 

[bigbigsavings]

Thanks for the reminder! I completely forgot to check out the DOTD's today!

Alex

 

[T2T III]

Sampo = Samsung. Samsung manufactures the Sampo products.

 

[LordGord]

Dont forget the $30 off $150 coupon from U-know-where. I just ordered the DVD player and added a 10 pack of Yamaha 'metal' CDR's for $4.95.
Total $124.95 ( for those who struggle with Math ). I think thats a pretty good deal considering the DVD will play MP3's as well !!

 

[superdave]

motorola also has a $5.00 rebate for each FR50 purchased.
Rebate info here link

 

[MrBakaSan]

sampo dvd players are quite awesome actually...

I'm the one who bugged the Electronics store guy to finally get more of those puppies in stock...

they have component video out, svideo out, play mp3 cds, vcds, and best of all, using a menu system you can switch region checks.... so essentially, you can play dvds from anywhere in the world...key if you're someone like me who buys a lot of DVDs from Asia..

no more DVD playing on my friggin computer anymore to defeat region coding!

 

[Atrac]

Samsung has absolutely *nothing* to do with Sampo. Samsung is a Korean company, and Sampo is Taiwanese.

This model is "ok" but is supposedly not very good at playing movies that use Seamless Branching technology (such as "The Abyss," "X-Men," etc.).

 

[emaij]

The only $5 rebate I see at Motorola is for the fr60. You sure there is one for fr50?

 

[unclebud]

what's the suggested retail price?

 

[tchan]

Atrac,

Could you please elaborate on what Seamless Branching technology and what the Sampo does when it encounters Seamless Branching technology? I'd hate my X-men DVD to not work!

 

[Atrac]

Seamless branching allows DVD manufacturers to "branch" a movie together, although the segments may be on different parts (or layers) of the disc.

If the laser has to quickly jump from one layer to another (right in the middle of a scene), it will lock up the player if it doesn't handle it properly. Although it sounds like I am describing the standard layer change in a movie, this is actually a little more complex.

OK, I am actually doing a terrible job of answering this question. You'd be better off doing a Yahoo search for "seamless branching."

On a sidenote, the Sampo is actually very similar to the Apex. Except the Sampos can be upgraded using a firmware file downloaded off of the Internet (possibly enabling those most sought after "secret menus&quot.

 

[gr8snakee]

Correct me if i am wrong or this has been stated before.


But the sampo will play Mini-DVD,


That is right. DVD on CDR.

It reads the format type before the disc type.

Others read the disc type and if is a cdr...it doesnt even thing dvd playback is possible.

RobShot has great info on this player. BTW reportedly the Afreey LD2060 and the sampo use the same firmware. Sampo is definately updating the firmare periodically on this model.

I bought it too for 153 shipped with titan AE Dvd. Im all out of 30's and credit cards...so i had to settle for the 15 gc. you know where to find them

 

[bluesky]

some reason I can't find the Redemption, and can't use those coupons.
Any thoughts?

 

[cfactor]

gr8snakee, by mini-dvd, do you mean a dvd that's small enough that you can rip it onto a cd? If that's the case, I'm not sure how useful this'd be. How many dvds can you find that has less than 700 megs? If it's not the case, what exactly is it?

Now only if they come out with dvd players that can play divx(mpeg4, not the old pay-to-play divx)...

For others, basically, the only reason you should get a sampo or other asian cheap brands is if you want the multi-region capability. With cheap dvd players, you'll have a lot of problems with dvds out there. I have the original apex(which has multi-region AND macrovision disabling feature), but the screen gets streteched out in the middle of Sixth Sense, three-disc version Toy Story 2(my roommate's two disc version works flawlessly), and all of Independence Day. I heard T2 does the same thing as well with most cheap dvd players. I've been thinking of getting a dvd player from 800.com with 10% off and 20% MSN. Can anyone recommend a dvd player that 800.com sells that plays Independence Day or T2 perfectly?

 

[tchan]

I already bought the Sampo - but does that mean a lot of DVDs will cause this puppy to crash?

 

[gr8snakee]

MiniDVD is usefull for recording a 30 minute show. cutting out the commercials and re mpeging it to fit. Looks pretty darn well too. that is why i bought the sampo. I have a great sony dvd player that i use for my movies. also owned the apex ad600a as well. it did fine for me. just didnt play mini dvd