No comments about Magnavox DVD Player - DP100MW8.

2 comments about LG Electronics BH100 Blu-Ray/HD-DVD Player.

1. One tray solution to the HDDVD/Blu-Ray format war. Put in either a HDDVD or a Blu-Ray disc and it plays. Period. Makes format irrelevant. Both formats look equally good and more and more of these hybrids will be the answer. Price needs to drop a bit still.



2. I am tempted to just write "You can do better than this item" but this probably would not be very useful even though I don't even know if this is still sold.
   
   1. Very very slow load times
   2. No java menu support for HD-DVD's (who cares now really)
   3. It leaves one wondering if there is something wrong or is it really supposed to act this way.

5 comments about Philips DVDR77 DVD Recorder.

1. I bought this from a competitor, wish I had bought from Amazon.
   
   We have had it for a few months, have never been able to get it to record.
   
   The book says 1 year warranty. Philips would not honor the warranty, because they said, they no longer had in their data base, even though we have only owned it for a few months.
   
   After many headaches and shipping expense, and a restocking charge, the competition is taking it back.
   
   We are going to buy a Panasonic or Sony now



2. I bought this from a competitor, wish I had bought from Amazon.
   
   We have had it for a few months, have never been able to get it to record.
   
   The book says 1 year warranty. Philips would not honor the warranty, because they said, they no longer had in their data base, even though we have only owned it for a few months.
   
   After many headaches and shipping expense, and a restocking charge, the competition is taking it back.
   
   We are going to buy a Panasonic or Sony now



3. I bought a DVDR895 for $900 (+ $100 for an extended warranty) when they came out a few years ago. That unit failed multiple times. Ruined a bunch of DVDs. Philips couldn't fix the unit, so they provided me with a replacement unit under the extended warranty (at least they honored the warranty). But the DVDR77 started showing the same problems. This second unit has been serviced twice now and isn't working again.
   
   I had never tried to use the Digital Photo Manager functions... and now that I do, it shouldn't be a surprise that it doesn't work either.
   
   Don't waste your time or money on Philips DVDRecorders. Those people that write the positive reviews are either very lucky to have a DVDR that works or they are telling tall tales.



4. I have bought 3 dvd recorders over the last few months only to be severly dissapointed up until I bought the Philips DVDR77. It is one of the only recorders I have seen with component input and since I am recording video from a Tivo-esque device and had to run it through the recorder having a good connection was important. I am using Philips DVD-R's with it and have recorded about 25 DVD's as of now all without any problems; highly recomended recorder.



5. On June 23, 2006, I bought a Philips DVD Player at Wal-Mart. I could have purchased a cheap DVD player for $30.00 or $40.00, but frankly I spent more than that because I have other Philips products, including another Philips DVD player, and, up until now, was always pleased with the products made by them. The DVD player, even though it was not used much (it was kept at a vacation home), stopped loading disks at the end of September, 2006. I took it back to Wal-Mart, but Wal-Mart would not accept the return because the purchase was slightly over three months old and the limit for store-returns is three months. However, Wal-Mart printed a proof of purchase for me and advised that the manufacturer's warranty still applied. The Wal-Mart proof of purchase even specified the telephone number for the manufacturer.
   
   Accordingly, I called the number listed. I was first advised to use a disk cleaner. I purchased a Philips disk cleaner, but it did not solve the problem. (The first and second times I called, I was at first advised that the purchase date was back in 2005 and so no warranty would apply. I then was able to confirm my purchase date and the representatives "updated" the information and told me it was under warranty.) Each time you call, you get a different representative.
   
   After I advised that the disk cleaner did not work, I was given a fax number to fax my proof of purchase and I did so; I was told the player would be replaced. My letter attaching the proof of purchase was included. After I faxed it, I received a call asking me to re-fax it and I did so. I then heard nothing for two weeks. On October 30th, 2006, I called to find out the status of matters. I was told two inconsistent things: First, I was told it was under warranty but that only parts were warranted and it would cost me $40.00 for a replacement. Secondly, and obviously inconsistently, I was told that my proof of purchase from Wal-Mart was insufficient, even though the store specifically printed it out for me as my "proof of purchase." The underlying message was, "We are not going to do anything for you and even if we did, it would cost you forty dollars." I told the representative that I could buy a brand new player for that price and that I have no incentive to ever purchase a Philips product again. I have all sorts of electronics that are still working fine after years. I do not think it unreasonable to expect that a device will work for more than three months!
   
   I wrote to the CEO of Philips and heard not a thing back. Why would ANYONE buy products from such a company? Never again.

No comments about Supersonic SC-178DVD 7'' Portable DVD Player.

No comments about Dora DVD Player.

No comments about Magnavox MME239 DVD Micro System.

5 comments about Panasonic DVD-L50 Portable DVD Player.

1. Recieved dvd player in 3 days,packed well,all accessories,looks great,works great,I would always shop this way,buy my dvd's from amazon.com and I'm always satisfied, Pete



2. I own an L50 for two years right now. A sharp and clear image, plus great conveniance because it size. Beautiful sound with good earphones. I never had even a slight malfunction. You have all the controls you need. The device is hardly constructed, so you can take it with you anywhere without problems. I use it in my bed, at the office, in hotels rooms (great when plugged on the room's TV) etc... Not the larger image on the market, but surely one of the most precise. Don't even try to search for the pixels. I just say you can buy it without fear.



3. I get only 2:15 of battery life on average, barely enough to watch a good movie.

   I'd love to see cheaper packs, or a camera battery add on option.

   It plays +R but not +RW disks.




4. This little DVD player has been a gem. I have had it for several years and paid much more for it than the current price. The grandchildren have used it and it has been loaned to my daughter to take on trips several times. I use it at least 5 times a week. It still works great. The battery still keeps its charge for approx. 3 hrs. Panasonic made this DVD player right. Don't hesitate to buy it.



5. I bought this player when it first came out in 1999. It's the most reliable electronic product I've ever owned. I've traveled all over the world with it, including to Canada, China, Italy, North Dakota, Vermont, and St Croix. It has saved me from going crazy on long flights. I've shoved it in my backpack and carried it all over the place. It even got wet in a rainstorm once. It's tough. After at least 1000 hours of playing time, I've never had any problems with it. The battery still keeps it's charge even after 5 years of frequent use. The display is just as sharp as it was when I first bought it.

   I highly recommend it if you plan on getting a used player.

5 comments about Sony SLVD360P DVD / VCR Combo.

1. I bought this for our church, as a companion to a new video projector. It's ok, but the VCR is pretty sad: it has a hard time with some older tapes that play just fine in a $40 no-name VCR. The DVD player does a decent enough job, but it's nothing special.
   
   One really stupid thing, mentioned in another review, is that the VCR and DVD sections don't share the S-Video output, so I have to run two separate connections to the TV. Dumb. Isn't that why you buy a combo deck in the first place? To eliminate extra wires?
   
   Given the chance to do it over, I would buy separate components.



2. We were sucked in by the brand name and great price but have had problems with this "Sony" from day one. All of the buttons have slow response times. For example, it takes forever to eject a disk. And when you're playing a CD, it takes forever to advance from one track to the next.
   
   The VCR has tracking issues with every tape we own--tapes that work fine on other VCR players. And when you're playing a tape and you press rewind to go back to something you missed, it stops and goes to a blue screen. You can't watch it rewind.
   
   The remote is problematic too--you have to press "Play" to make a selection because the "Enter" button doesn't do anything at all. It's very unintuitive.
   
   We donated our old no-name DVD and VCR when we "upgraded" to this fancy all-in-one, but we would give anything to have them back again. They took up more space, but at least they worked!! I can see by the reviews that some people lucked out and got machines that worked. I wouldn't risk it if I were you.



3. This product seemed to be a very good for us feature wise. But, basic usage of this item can be very frustrating. Here are a few reasons:
   1) Loading of CD's and DVD's seems to take forever.
   2) Hitting 'next' button had very long lag between starting to go to the next item, and it getting to the next item.
   3) The VHS player has tracking issues with many tapes (even new ones out of the box). Making viewing impossible.
   4) Hitting eject, and many other buttons, seem to have a huge lag between hitting the button-- and it doing anything. Hit 'eject' or 'play' and it might be a minute before the player acknowledges you hit a button. This is a different issue than item 2 above.
   5) The remote in not intuitive. And in the menu, often what the menu items are don't map to the remote buttons.
   6) Often rewind of a VHS tape literally goes at the same speed as playing the tape. Meaning that the speed at which it rewinds is normal play rate.
   
   I simply cannot believe this is actually a Sony product.



4. I bought this unit to replace one of Sony's first DVD players, old enough to have a DIVX phone jack. I wanted to consolidate the VCR space and get something that would load discs faster; one out of two ain't bad. This thing loads discs slower than a 5-6-year-old Sony DVD player, slower than a 'cheaper' brand competitor, and can't play many discs that other units & computers can. I still love my Bravia LCD, but the next media player that gets plugged into it sure isn't gonna be a Sony.



5. I have owned this unit for close to 2 years and have been mostly satisfied with it. I had to return the first one I had after just a week or so as the VCR would start to loose tracking after an hour or so. The replacement works much better, however I notice some excessive noise from some tapes (usually ones recorded on other VCR's). I have recorded hundreds of hours of TV shows and it works wonderfully and is pretty easy to set up if you consult with the manual first. I really like the VCR plus feature. Recently I have noticed that the DVD player has been making a strange noise while playing discs. I have been playing rented discs lately which tend to be pretty scratchy, so that might be the reason. Once in a while it will freeze for a second during playback, but usually it just does it once or twice if at all, not that noticeable. I really wish it were black instead of silver.

5 comments about Pioneer DV C503 - DVD changer - black.

1. First of all, I've read a number of reviews for this unit that mention some issue with laser pickup functionality loss over 1 year of use. In response to this, I have to ask, "what in God's green earth are you doing to your DVD players?" If your laser pickups are failing after a year, maybe you should stop keeping your DVD player on a unit/table/slab next to your subwoofer. No subwoofer? Then stop throwing it around the house like a frisbee.
   I've had this unit for at least 3 years now, and I have not experienced a single loss in quality. I use it daily for DVD production, and I've given it a number of discs (from a well-produced Hollywood release to my crapped-out test productions to scratched Whitesnake CDs) all of which, it's read properly, and without failure. This player is a bad-ass, yes, but it's not tuned to take the severe beating some of the reviewers have given it. Ignore the 1-star reviews on here (because I said so) and buy this puppy.



2. I own Pioneer DV-C503 that I bought for about $250 in 2001.
   
   Pros:
   * I have played endless hours of audio and video and it plays all commercial disks & burned disks (CD-R, DVD-R)
   * Audio sound (coupled with my Yamaha receiver) is simply great
   * Remote hasnt given me any trouble, lots of buttons, so easy menu, subtitle, browse, chapter, etc. buttons
   * Player also works with universal remote (after adding the code) however you dont have the option to change disks
   * I like optical output for hi-fi audio, and the component + coaxial + s-video output is great!
   * Size and color matches other components I own
   * DTS and 5.1 Dolby Surround is exhilarating
   * Plays VCD and DVDs I own, havent tried DVDs from another region
   
   Some cons:
   * For the last 2 years, the tray retracts when I click open, so I have to hold it and put disks...
   * Scratched disks dont play (newer DVD players have better logic of skipping)
   * MP3 support is missing (cant complain a lot as I bought this 4 years ago)
   * Continuous disk spinning/ reading noise, although low, can be heard between pauses in audio/video tracks. I have not compared this with any other player in a quite environment - so I cant compare.



3. I'm using this as the CD player in my studio with a Pioneer VSX-D411 receiver, I needed a Pioneer DVD changer because the VSX-D411's remote is not a universal and has controls for only a Pioneer DVD player, so I had to look to find a Pioneer DVD changer that was cheep as it is not in my primary system.
   
   The sound quality is good, unfortunately it has the typical "bright" Pioneer sound to it, although, when I had it hooked up to my Yamaha receiver, the sound went from bright to flat.
   overall I like it, and the video is dang good too (had it hooked to my TV for a few days).
   
   Perhaps you are wondering why, if I like it, the three stars?
   Well... half the buttons on the front don't work, and at times it refuses to play CDs.
   
   If your not heavy in to sound this should be a good choice.



4. Great for DVD's and playing music. I never had a problem the entire time I owned it!



5. Received this for Christmas in 1999. It has been demoted to bedroom use, however it gets plenty of play and I have not had one problem with it. You'll obviously never find one, but if you do for a few bucks, pick it up! You won't be disappointed!

5 comments about Toshiba HD-XA1 HD-DVD Player.

1. Unit looks very elegant, but It has a few hiccups like it will not play dual format disc the HD version,but it will play standard version.Go figure.Also rentals from netflix cross your fingers that they will play.



2. Frustration after frustration. Bad customer support. It's a waste of money. The lens goes bad after about a year and Toshiba is laughing all the way to the bank!! The discs dont work and Universal will do nothing for you. NOT READY FOR PRIMETIME.



3. HD DVD is a dead format! Warner Brothers is going to stop producing HD DVD discs soon. Do a search and you will see many articles about this. The only studios that will be making HD DVD's are Paramount/Dreamworks and Universal. Disney, Buena Vista, Sony, Warner Brothers, New Line, MGM, and Lionsgate all release movies exclusively on Blu-ray.
   
   Do yourself a favor and avoid HD DVD players. The reason the prices are so cheap is that Toshiba knows it is dead and is probably clearing out remaining inventory. You've been warned!



4. It's sad, HD dvd has died a premature death.I don't think it was given a fair chance against Blu Ray( Warner Bros and Walmart saw to it).I always had this sneaky feeling that Toshiba knew the end was near and began to cut back on production costs(look at the company's HD-A35 as compared to HD-XA1,XA2).The HD-A35 was built to a price and it showed.
   As for the HD-XA1,pictures never did it justice.You must see it for real and you'll appreciate what the market is going to miss.
   Picture quality is superb.I use a Sony full hd lcd tv and maybe the Sony actually flatters the HD-XA1.
   If you can put up with the minor problems(long bootup,firmware updates)
   go for it.



5. I've owned this player for over 1 1/2 years and after the initial firmware updates it has been flawless and even quicker to load now (which was one of it's largest drawbacks).
   
   I know you've read the so called complaints about it only out-putting 1080i signal, but if you have a quality 1080p HDTV it just de-interlaces the signal and you see a full 1080p picture anyway.
   
   I'd have given this 5 stars but it still is just a little slow to start-up, not real bad just slower then a regular DVD player is.
   
   I own both a PS3 and this HD DVD player and while I really like my PS3 my XA1 still delivers a better upscaled picture of regular DVDs (not huge but still better).
   
   Most of the negative reviews are just Blu-Ray supporters posting with hidden agendas or people that were not aware of the need at first for firmware updates or the few problems with early HD DVDs and combo DVDS and got impatient and frustrated.