Best DVD player < $250

[Jeffrey]

Hi,

For X-Mas, I'm getting my brother a DVD player. I was gonna get him a DVD/SACD player but I could not convince him that there would be a need for an SACD player in the yrs. to come. His gift, his choice. :)

What is the best current production DVD player available for less than $250? Where is it currently available?

Thanks,
Jeffrey

[danstone]

The Panasonics generally get very high marks. There have been some good deals on the RP62 (single disc) and RP72 (5 disc carousel) lately. These are generally available at the big mass merchant dealers (Circuit City, Best Buy, Tweeter, etc.) both online and in-store.

Hope this helps,

Dan

[Jeffrey]

Hi Dan,

Thanks for the advice. I appreciate it! :)

-Jeffrey

[mcow1]

Before you buy panasonic make sure it has the connections you want. If I remember right the panasonic does not come with some kind of connection, I can't remember what (maybe co-ax?)

[cwon]

It is his choice, but I'd think a DVD/SACD deck would be more desirable. You still have all the DVD functions, and you can lend him a SACD disc to try. If he doesn't notice a difference, he never needs to use the SACD option - but the combination beats needing to buy a separate SACD deck later.

But like you said, his choice.

[Jeffrey]

Hi,

Thanks Mike! My brother has an Onkyo receiver from the early 90's so I don't think it has any digital ins so that co-ax thing is pretty important! :)

I hear ya, cwon! My 32 yr. old brother is responding beyond his years. Ya should have seen him when I showed him a printout of the Sony DVD/SACD player I was gonna get him. When he saw SACD, he started responding like my Grandmother would have. :D

Thanks,
Jeffrey

[cwon]

Jeff,

You can lead a horse to water....

Well, at least you know he'll be happy with what he asked for. And you can give him his SACD deck for some other birthday in the future.

I've been impressed with the Panasonic DVD players too. Their inexpensive models seem to have easier access (to chapters) on their remote controls. My advice is to check to see if you can punch in chapter numbers directly on the remote. Some inexpensive SONYs need to go through an on-screen menu to jump around.

[Jeffrey]

Originally posted by cwon
My advice is to check to see if you can punch in chapter numbers directly on the remote. Some inexpensive SONYs need to go through an on-screen menu to jump around.

Hi cwon,

That's nice to know! :)

Thanks again for the help,
Jeffrey

[ezio gallino]

I don't know how it actually cost in the US but take a close look to pioneer dvd656. Plays fine and has SACD too.

Ezio

[Jeffrey]

SOS, bump. :)

-Jeffrey

[mcow1]

I shopped around quite a bit and ended up with a JVC. I'll have to look up the model number when I get home. It's pretty good and has a cool zoom function.

[Jeffrey]

Hi Mike,

THANKS, I appreciate it! :)

-Jeffrey

[Gary Freed]

Panasonic has the best MPEG decoders for DVD. Generally speaking they
have give the best picture of all the players out there.

Many companies buy the Panasonics, add their own features and change the box.

The AVS Forum is the best place to get information about DVD players.:righton:


http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=18

[GoldenBoy]

Well, I still think you should get him a DVD/SACD player anyhow, as it'll have all the same features of a DVD player and be capable of playing SACD's whether he uses it now, later, or never, it won't really have an impact on his pleasure from the unit. If not, then I'll toot my own horn here and say that you should look into a JVC XV-SA600/XV-SA602 - the 600 is black, the 602 is silver. It's the player I own and I'm pleased with it. Sound & Vision 2 or 3 issues back had a comparison review of this player and a Sony and Panasonic in the same price range and they chose the JVC as best overall for sound quality. The picture is nice too. It does DVD-A, .mp3, CD-R/RW, JPEG picture discs, Video CD, it is switchable between progressive scan and interlaced, it has composite, component and S-Video outs and it has both coaxial digital and optical digital outs, plus analogue 5.1 outs. I bought mine for US$225 a few months ago, but you can probably find it for less.

[Gary Freed]

Here is another link to DVD Player Shootout sponsored by Secrets to Home Theatre.

Lots of important information regarding what to look for.

Happy Hunting.

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_8_3/dvd-benchmark-progressive-shootout-2-8-2001.html

[GoldenBoy]

Gary is correct. The Panasonics usually score higher marks for their picture quality than any of the other brands, at least in the price range we're talking about here.

[Jeffrey]

Hi Gary & GoldenBoy,

THANKS! I see why the good reviews on the JVC's sound quality would appeal to us :) but my brother doesn't really pay much attention to sound (evident by his lack of desire for SACD :)). Since the picture is almost everything to him, it sounds like I should score him a Panasonic, eh?

Thanks all,
Jeffrey

[GoldenBoy]

Probably, but keep in mind that the differences in picture quality are usually only a measure of degree. I think the picture on my JVC is great, and I've seen Sonys and Panasonics that looked beautiful too. Of course, when I purchased my DVD player I was thinking DVD-A playback first, picture second. But, yes, if you want to make sure you're getting the best possible picture, most other considerations aside, then a Panasonic would probably be the way to go. All I can say is, to take into account what kind of television it's going to be played back through and to go and try them all out for yourself and determine what you and your brother consider to be the superior unit and go with.

[Gary Freed]

Jeffrey,

Whatever you wind up deciding, check the threads on the AVS Forum closely before making your purchase. The folks over there are savy buyers and frequently offer great leads. Also read some of the threads to make sure you get the right model. I'm sure you've seen that not all Panasonics or JVC 's are equal.

Happy Shopping!:)

[GoldenBoy]

Just one small Q, Jeffrey. You said you were getting your brother a DVD player for Christmas, but wasn't that a month ago? Or are you on the Orthodox calender? Just being nosy. Feel free to ignore me if you need to. :)

[Jeffrey]

Originally posted by GoldenBoy
Just one small Q, Jeffrey. You said you were getting your brother a DVD player for Christmas, but wasn't that a month ago? Or are you on the Orthodox calender? Just being nosy. Feel free to ignore me if you need to. :)

Hi GoldenBoy,

What? :confused: It's not 2002???:confused: Geez...... I never got that memo. Doesn't HZ send one to everybody???

Seriously, my brother is a hard person to buy for, so I gave him a brochure on X-Mas day of the Sony DVD/SACD player I was gonna buy for him and asked him if he would like that for X-Mas. That's when he started acting like my Grandmother on the whole SACD thing. So, I was instructed to get him a DVD only player and figured I would come here for advice before making a purchase. As always, I'm glad I did because you guys have been very helpful!! :righton:

Thanks,
Jeffrey

[Jeffrey]

Hi All,

Just scored a Panasonic RP62 for $150 for my brother. Seems like a very nice DVD player, especially for the $. I liked it so much I got a second one for myself to play DVD rentals in instead of using my new Phillips SACD 1000.

Thanks to all for the help :righton:,
Jeffrey

[BradOlson]

My GE is excellent.

[cwon]

Jeffrey,

Thanks for reporting the outcome. There are a lot of times when advice-seaking threads just end without closure.

[Jeffrey]

Originally posted by cwon
Jeffrey,

Thanks for reporting the outcome. There are a lot of times when advice-seaking threads just end without closure.

Hi,

You're most welcome, thanks again for the help!

I agree. :agree: I wish everyone would report back on advice-seaking threads so that we could all learn and benefit from the outcome even if the decision was to just ignore every damn one of us. :D

-Jeffrey