DVD Player Recommendations

[Brainonska511]

(Original Question no longer applies_ My mom is looking at buying a DVD/VCR for one of the tvs in my house for my dad for father's day. Anyone have any recommendations as to which one should be purchased?

Edit: Instead of going for the DVD/VCR, we're just going to get a standalone DVD player. Any recommendations on this front?

 

[Gibson486]

On everyone I tried, the VCR always stinks. i say just get a name brand one. any of them.

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: Gibson486
On everyone I tried, the VCR always stinks. i say just get a name brand one. any of them.

Would it just be better to get a stand-alone DVD player? There is already a VCR for the TV.

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: Brainonska511

Originally posted by: Gibson486
On everyone I tried, the VCR always stinks. i say just get a name brand one. any of them.

Would it just be better to get a stand-alone DVD player? There is already a VCR for the TV.

That's what i would do.

 

[mrchan]

I've been looking for a VCR recently and it's crazy now. You can get DVD players cheaper than VCRs.

 

[imported_Trippin315]

The Sammy DVD-Vxxxx series should give you relatively few problems.

 

[Juno]

Originally posted by: Trippin315
The Sammy DVD-Vxxxx series should give you relatively few problems.

i agree. i have a samsung dvd-v4800. it comes with progessive scan, w00t! time to record thru dvd.

 

[torpid]

Get them seperately. Those combo units usually kind of suck.

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: torpid
Get them seperately. Those combo units usually kind of suck.

Yeah, that's what we're going to do now. Any recommendations on stand-alone units?

 

[Eos]

If you're so inclined, make sure the new one plays divx.

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: eos
If you're so inclined, make sure the new one plays divx.

Why would that be an important feature? Are they making DVDs in Divx format now?

 

[funboy6942]

Get him one that not only plays dvds but records on them too for the dad/man/I got better toys then you factor

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: funboy42
Get him one that not only plays dvds but records on them too for the dad/man/I got better toys then you factor

I don't think he would need/want DVD recordability. The existing VCR is sufficient for capturing TV shows, and we never keep them around anyway. Thanks for the suggestion anyway.

Another thing to add, I think my mom wants to keep this <$100.

 

[Kelemvor]

If you want to watch DIVX, XVID, etc files, get the Philips DVP642 (I think that's it). If you just want it for standard movies, then I don't think it makes much difference these days. Just find a good sale.

 

[doze]

Originally posted by: FrankyJunior
If you want to watch DIVX, XVID, etc files, get the Philips DVP642 (I think that's it). If you just want it for standard movies, then I don't think it makes much difference these days. Just find a good sale.

I'll 2nd the philips, it will play just about anything you can burn on a CD or DVD.

 

[Eddieo]

The Phillips doesn't do DTS. Any other recomendations?

 

[conehead433]

Originally posted by: Eddieo
The Phillips doesn't do DTS. Any other recomendations?

The Philips doesn't decode DTS, however it will pass the DTS signal using the Optical output to a receiver if you have one that will play DTS.

 

[yukichigai]

Okay, here's my recommendations:

1 -- Cheap and Easy: the Cyberhome CH300(S). It'll play pretty much any MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 format you throw at it, costs around $30, and can be region-hacked easily. The only issue is that it doesn't handle PAL 16:9 video properly on 4:3 TVs; video is "squashed" on all 4:3 TVs, though if you hook it up to a HDTV or some other 16:9 TV (and set the appropriate settings on the DVD player to match that) it will come out fine. Also, the player has a shelf life of maybe 6 months if you don't keep it on a perfectly flat surface when using it, but if you do it should last about as long as any other player.

2 -- Philips Miracle Player -- It plays Divx and does all sorts of other cool things. Not as region-hackable as some players, but if you're probably never going to watch anything from England/etc. then it shouldn't much matter.

---that's all I got.

 

[Brainonska511]

I didn't even realize people were still posting in this thread...

My mom and I ended up picking up some cheap Sony DVD player at BestBuy. Works great.