Who makes a cheap, reliable DVD Player?

[dr*audio]

My Panasonic DVD player just died, the spindle motor is shot and a new one costs $35. The whole player cost me $79. Now I am looking for a replacement player. This one lasted 5 years, with not heavy use. Phillips players suffer from early laser failure, so they are out. Sony has had quality issues recently. Does anyone own an inexpensive DVD player that has lasted at least 5 years?

[dr*audio]

What, am I being unrealistic? Is 5 years good mileage now???

[thedelihaus]

I've heard great things about the Oppo brand's sound for audio playback.

Dunno about their reliability, but as they are fairly well-regarded here and in other forums, I'd check out that brand.

My network of friends and I have had failure with every "major" brand so far, except Panasonic. dunno if we've just been lucky, or what.

A close second has been Samsung.

Everything else has been shockingly bad. Many failing within a horribly short 6-9 months.

I splurged and got an Onkyo this last time.

Not cheap, but an excellent player so far.

[bigstereo]

Warren, I've got a Sony NS325 that's into it's 4th year with no problems. Around $75 when new.

[Celt]

Oppo is suppose to be good. Had my best luck with Pioneer LD and DVD players.

[Fisher-Dave]

My old one lasted about a year and started still framing sound and picture and it was only used about twice a month.My new Sanyo is just over a year old to and only lasted five movies before the sound started chirping and the screen would go blank. It's still in it's spot untill I unhook it and throw it away.The Sanyo stayed hot even while turned off unless it's unplugged,I never knew why it pulled juice while off.The two last DTV receivers we set up in the kids rooms stay hot full time to, on or off but our old DTV receiver in the living room don't stay hot,it'll turn cold after turning it off like I thought they all should. I wonder if the constant draw and heat is to blame for the short lived life? If so,what should I look for that won't stay hot while turned off?

[saltwater]

I use a symphonic dvd, cd player probibly first generation. I watch at least 3 movies a day had it for 4 years not quite 5 but still works good. Remote has made it threw a dog chewing other than that works great. Maybe $20 at wallyworld in the states. Never had a prob with getting hot either! model # wf104.

[Duffinator]

You didn't state a budget? The Oppo's are more than $100. Pretty much pick any Sony, Panasonic, or Toshiba and run with it. Better yet check your local CL and you will find many for $20. What features do you need?

[brokenbroken]

Of all the dvd players we've sold at the shop I work at, the Samsung dvd/vcr combo units have been by far the most reliable. Although I can't comment on the current JVC players, they were also very reliable when we sold them in the early years of dvd.

[Cosmic]

I have a Toshiba that just keeps marching on :thmbsp:
I think it was about $170 when bought. Always liked their playback units from their VHS days, and so far, after maybe 6 years, it works just fine.

Best,
C.

[Kuma]

I was in the exact same quandary in February of this year. Our first generation Toshiba couldn't read newer DVDs for some reason. So I picked up a Toshiba SD-3990 for $40 at Kmart.

It's got a weak tray, but if you use the button instead of pushing it in with your hand, it should last a while. Features a zoom, "color synch" (which allows separate color transmission to your Toshiba TV), and a remote which is difficult to read with the lights dimmed.

But all in all, it's been flawless. I like Toshiba products, for the most part - especially when they're so inexpensive.

[dr.ido]

I've had better luck with noname chinese DVD players than any of the big brands. I've got a Magnavox MDVD-100 that's at least 5 years old (it was old when I got it) that has only recently started to get a bit flakey on some discs. It uses an IDE DVD drive, so I'll replace it next time I pull of DVD-ROM from a PC.

I have an Austek that hasn't given any trouble despite being bounced around the warehouse on the testing trolley several times a week.

The Austek/Xlogic/Pyrod/whatever name they were sticking on them that week players that I've given to various friends are still going.

I've found that when these no names players die it is often the power supply. Replace the capacitors and they are good to go again. I can fix 3 in an hour with $5 worth of parts.

When the big brand players die it is almost always the laser, motor or something else that isn't worth ordering the part for.

The older Philips players won't play DVD-R. The newer models are better, but they are all useless without their remotes.

I've tried various Pioneers, but they have all been fussy about what discs they will play. My DVL-9 is great Laserdisc player, but completely useless for DVD.

I just scrapped a Sony RDR-HX710 DVD recorder that was less than 2 years old. It skipped even on new discs and wouldn't play DVD-R at all. I bought it purely to rip out the 160GB HDD.

[dr*audio]

Well, I have decided to take a chance on a Phillips DVP642. It can play DIVX and MPEGs, and it's $30 at Circuit City. Not much of a risk, and 2 guys at work have had them for a year with no problems. If that dies, I'll try a Samsung or other Chinese brand. Thanks, guys.

[gyusher]

I use a Panasonic 77 I think. . .Next to the TOTL 97. . .anyway about 60 bucks and it is HDMI and has killer video and features. I've been using it hard for 2 years now. Started as a temp backup unit but it does so good I thought I'd call her 1st string and use it. . .Never looked back. . . This was down from a Denon 39xx something or other. . . very spendy Denon anyway. . It broke so I returned it. Then out comes HD. . . Thought I'd wait and see. . . still waiting. . .

[dr*audio]

I ended up with a Phillips DVP-3140. Couldn't get the 642 anymore. This seems to be the same, just newer. It's tiny, and light weight. Plays my Dr. Who DIVX and MPEG files, and anything else I've thrown at it. Eventually I will sit down and see what it does with the sound of my CDs. At this point, I think the idea is to buy the cheapest decent player and see what happens. If it lasts another 5 years, I'll buy another one. Apparently that's what the manufacturers want us to do now, keep consuming and throwing our old crap into land fills. My thinking is the expensive players won't last any longer than the cheap ones, because there are only so many transports and laser assemblies being manufactured.

[ShaneC]

I have a Phillips DVP-642 that's been going strong for a couple of years now and still plays anything i've thrown at it (to include burnt CD-R, DivX, VCD, KVCD, SVCD, DVD-R, DVD+R and DL DVD+R) My burner doesn't support Dual Layer DVD-R that I'm aware of.

Problem is, it's a bit noisy. :(

The wife has an older KLH something or other DVD player. It's not great in terms of playing burned discs or differing formats, however, it's been reliable. I believe it has an IDE drive as well, so if it comes down to it, i'll eventually swap the drive out and see if it will support other formats then.

[jlindsey86]

I have a Pioneer DV-414 from 1999 and its still going strong.

[bully]

I've had an Apex AD-1500 since around 1997 or 98. Been a great player.
Plays CDs great, too.

[bilboda]

Yep, then Apex's were the bang for the buck champ. Toshiba may have that rank now. You could get a pc and throw in a ton of features instead, of dvd. That's what I do. My onboard video on my Biostar mobo plays up to 720p or 1080i without a hitch. 1080p is too much though. Music, satellite, hd recording, downloads, etc. are all pluses from the pc vs a stand alone dvd.

[Avocado Dream]

How about Yamaha? I have a DV-5750 that has been very good, sounds great too, a little warmer than the Toshibas.

They seem very well built though I have never looked inside, bit of a premium price, I paid about $150.

- Dave

[redcoates7]

5 years is a great run for a sub $100 DVD player...these things aren't exactly built to last :)

That said, I've been very happy with the $79 Sony DVP-NS555P single discs...I carry one around as an audio/video source in a Pelican case, and it's held up remarkably well. Weekly shipping via airline, FedEx, sales rep, whatever...it just keeps playing! I have one that's really the A10 warthog of DVD players...even with most of the fron plastic fascia gone it still plays like a champ!

The other thing about this player is that it has a VERY usable remote control, and a great looking, easily navigable on-screen display...not something often found on inexpensive players!