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I'm going to get a DVD player in the next 45 minutes. I'm not a newbie to DVDs or anything; I just want some opinions.

-What brand do you recommend? I was thinking about getting a Pioneer.

-Do you recommend any specific models?

-Howabout DVD/VCR combos? This would be a secondary DVD player for the house, and I thought the space-saving could be a bonus. Any problems you know of with these combos? Any suggestions?

Thanks a bunch. I'll update you as I decide.

Another consideration is getting a PS2 or X-box if it's only a secondary DVD player. Both play DVDs and games.

If you're going to get one, I'd suggest a Sony. They're a bit more expensive but Sony always has good products. And they seem to have less problems with hardware.

I'd skip a combo player. More expensive and once you get a DVD player you'll drop your tapes quick enough anyway.

I've had DVD players for several years now, and I've amassed a large library of DVDs, but I still have my old VHS collection (I'd estimate 200 or 300 VHS), and I'd like to have the capability to play those.

PS2 and XBOX are good suggestions, and I'm considering getting those eventually anyways, but as far as playing DVDs go, they're extremely fickle. I want something really robust.

I'm thinking of a Pioneer DV-333 right now.

I bought a DVD player 2 years ago. This nice black box meant to go on a rack between a tuner and a turntable. Cost me 300 dollars. Now my grandfather got one, it can do 4 times as much as mine can (play dvds, cds, mp3s, etc) and cost 70 bucks. Its smaller too. I pray that the technology does not become obsolete in a year.

Oh, as for a recommendation, i'd go for a combo drive for your computer so you can read and write cds, as well as dvds. Why bother just watching when you can make as well! Best buy has some for ~300 dollars tho i dont know if they write CDs. probably do tho.

Yeah, my comp has a DVD burner, and I have a standalone DVD player, this is my second standalone DVD player I'm buying here. Right now I'm thinking of going with the Samsung SV DVD1E combo player.

Robert Treder wrote:I'm going to get a DVD player in the next 45 minutes. I'm not a newbie to DVDs or anything; I just want some opinions.

-What brand do you recommend? I was thinking about getting a Pioneer.

Not AVEX (I think that is either it or pretty close to what it is) it got fucked up after the second time I used it.

I say you should get a rock bottom price Sony or Panasonic DVD player. Save your money, and then buy a DVD recorder, (NOT a burner for your computer, but a stand alone appliance!) and burn your VHS tapes onto DVD pronto! The biggest problems with VHS tapes is their temperature sensativity,(don't get them hot!) and the slow but steady self erasure of time. Now that DVDs are rewriteable, all my tapes are slated for DVD archives, and the ashheap of history.

BUTT, the DVD recorders are $$$$$$$$$$$! If you can wait, in a few months the prices will fall drastically. If you buy a recorder now, there are compatabiity issuses. In the long run, once your collection is safe from heatdeath, when you buy a second cheaper better DVD recorder in a few years, the transfer will be easy.

If your willing to shell out $300 can get you Sony's New DVD Burner supports BOTH DVD Formats and CD-Burning to Boot(And of course it reads DVDs)

Yeah, a seperate recorder would be nice. I'm not in too much of a rush to transfer my tapes right now, so I think I'll go ahead and get a DVD/VCR combo now and get a recorder later on.

Money's not too much of a problem; I'll look into that Sony.

Thanks for all your help, guys.

All right, I need a few answers. Right now we have a $160 DVD reader in the living room, originally bought by my father for his bedroom. We're going to buy a new one. But the cheap oldie DVD reader does the job - ie, reproduces the DVD. So, what are the advantages of buying an expensive one? Considering that, up to more or less $500, money is no problem.

Get a Pioneer. They play anything. Panasonic sucks shit; can't play DVD's with the slightest surface imperfection, won't play SVCD's at all.

Robert Treder wrote:PS2 and XBOX are good suggestions, and I'm considering getting those eventually anyways, but as far as playing DVDs go, they're extremely fickle. I want something really robust.

I've never had a problem playing a DVD on my PS2. I use it more for movies than I do for games and I have never had a problem.

Darth Wong wrote:Get a Pioneer. They play anything. Panasonic sucks shit; can't play DVD's with the slightest surface imperfection, won't play SVCD's at all.

I was going to mention that. I have an early model Panasonic and though it rarely fails to play at all it is very finicky. It definately picks up on small imperfections causing it either to skip, pixilate or combinations of both.

My parents have a newer model Philips DVD player and the same DVDs I have problems with on my Panasonic don't even show problems on their player. Even my computer's DVD player has less difficulty with "problem" DVDs than my Panasonic.

If I were you I'd avoid Philips products at all costs. Particularly their DVD/VCR combo set-top players. My parents got one two years ago. A few months ago the VCR portion decided to just up and die on em. Of course, the damn thing only had a one-year warranty on it so they were stuck with the damn thing and had to go out and get a seperate VCR unit.