# Should I buy a cheap DVD player? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 29, 2004, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-buy-a-cheap-dvd-player/266743 "2004-09-29T22:39:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2004, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-buy-a-cheap-dvd-player/266743/1 "2004-09-29T22:39:43Z")
I’m thinking about buying one of those ultra cheap $60 and under cheap DVD players. Here’s why. I don’t plan on staying where I live for too much longer. I enjoy coming home and having a netflix dvd in the mailbox. However, I need a new dvd player as the old one has given up the ghost. I’m not sure if I bought it in 1999 or 2000, but it has lived it’s useful life. If I should have to dump some cheap dvd player in a year or so, it wouldn’t kill me. So, should I buy one of the el cheapos that I see advertised frequently? I’m thinking about moving from here and buying a new tv, so I’d like to avoid a major expense. Waste of money or great idea? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2004, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-buy-a-cheap-dvd-player/266743/2 "2004-09-29T23:00:53Z")
If a mod thinks this belongs in IMHO then please move it. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2004, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-buy-a-cheap-dvd-player/266743/3 "2004-09-29T23:20:49Z")
I have a very cheap (read: all but free after the rebate) Apex DVD player, and it’s been ok for the past 3 or so years. It does have the “cheap player” glitch of getting hung for a second every now and then, but I’ve gotten used to it. I have the sound going out to my stereo instead of the TV, and it also plays the usual music and MP3 CDs. I use it a lot, too, as I’m a fellow Netflix member. It gets the job done, I’m pretty surprised at how well it’s holding up, and I’ll hang onto it until I can afford to buy/decide on a home theatre system. So to answer your question, it sounds like a cheap player would suit your current needs well enough. Be prepared for no bells or whistles, though, and the occasional glitch. If you can live with that, happy economy electronics shopping. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2004, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-buy-a-cheap-dvd-player/266743/4 "2004-09-29T23:39:31Z")
I’ve been considering myself on whether to get a DVD player, instead of channelling the signal through my computer. What kind of bells and whistles do you get on a higher end DVD player? ---
**Author:** ![SuperNova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SuperNova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperNova)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2004, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-buy-a-cheap-dvd-player/266743/5 "2004-09-29T23:48:22Z")
Check reviews on Amazon before buying a cheap player. Some sub-$50 players work fine, and some are just crap. Buyer beware. But yeah, I would recommend buying a cheaper player, most of the time they work just as well. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-buy-a-cheap-dvd-player/266743/6 "2004-09-30T00:02:45Z")
[videohelp.com](http://videohelp.com) also has a good list of [DVD players](http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers) with prices, ratings, and feature lists. I got my Norcent DP300 ($70) based on the ratings there - it plays VCD/SVCD, DVD+R[W], DVD-R[W], CD-RW, and MP3s/JPGs/MPGs/VOBs on CD or DVD, and it can play imported discs (region free hack + PAL/NTSC conversion). I heartily recommend getting a cheap player. The $50 players today have more features and will play more discs than the $300 players from five years ago. They aren’t physically as sturdy, and the on-screen displays aren’t as pretty, but so what? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-buy-a-cheap-dvd-player/266743/7 "2004-09-30T07:42:16Z")
> [@Mr2001](#): > > [videohelp.com](http://videohelp.com) also has a good list of [DVD players](http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers) with prices, ratings, and feature lists. I got my Norcent DP300 ($70) based on the ratings there - it plays VCD/SVCD, DVD+R[W], DVD-R[W], CD-RW, and MP3s/JPGs/MPGs/VOBs on CD or DVD, and it can play imported discs (region free hack + PAL/NTSC conversion). > > I heartily recommend getting a cheap player. The $50 players today have more features and will play more discs than the $300 players from five years ago. They aren’t physically as sturdy, and the on-screen displays aren’t as pretty, but so what? I’m not sure if it’s still the case, but at one point the cheaper ones just had more features than the more expensive ones in general. Do the more expensive ones still not play VCDs and region-free disks? I remember a lot of complaints about people paying more then finding out that they could have played far more media types if they’d spent less. I have an APEX dvd player and it works fine. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-buy-a-cheap-dvd-player/266743/8 "2004-09-30T08:07:13Z")
I got my Toshiba SD-3950 for $70 eight months ago (it was the cheapest “name” brand at Fry’s) and it works like a dream. It’s seen a LOT of use, and I’ve even taken it on vacation a couple times. It plays DVD-Rs, VCDs, and mp3 CDs. The only thing it won’t play are mpeg/avi files burned straight to DVD…but then, I don’t know if _any_ DVD player can handle that format. 🙂 I’d definitely avoid the el cheapo, no-name brand players, but it’s easy to find an inexpensive & reliable unit. See if you can get one on sale. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-buy-a-cheap-dvd-player/266743/9 "2004-09-30T11:17:50Z")
> [@KGS](#): > > The only thing it won’t play are mpeg/avi files burned straight to DVD…but then, I don’t know if _any_ DVD player can handle that format. 🙂 Many players can play MPG files from a DVD or CD. A handful can play DivX/XviD AVIs, but I haven’t found a good one that’s available in the US yet. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-buy-a-cheap-dvd-player/266743/10 "2004-09-30T14:42:10Z")
> [@Terminus Est](#): > > I’ve been considering myself on whether to get a DVD player, instead of channelling the signal through my computer. What kind of bells and whistles do you get on a higher end DVD player? Higher end (not high end in the $500-$1000 range) but higher being $140 instead of $50 will generally give you progressive scan (better picture for large screen and HD tvs), better outputs for video (composite, component, s-video), and have both DolbyDigital and DTS encoders for surround sound as well as better audio outputs (optical output). They also usually have better displays that can show you time played on disc, time remaining on disc, chapter, time played on chapter, etc. Some of the cheaper players only show a chapter number. ---
**Author:** ![Cherry2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cherry2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cherry2000)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-buy-a-cheap-dvd-player/266743/11 "2004-09-30T17:40:35Z")
We bought our Mc DVD Player ($60 Toshiba) over a year ago, and so far it’s been great. And as another poster mentioned, it looks and sounds better than the older $250 one that died on us. We also run ours through our stereo (as we did the old one). We do not have a big screen tv, so I can’t attest to how it would look with one of those. Most people I talk to tell me their players last about 3-4 years. We figured for $60, when it goes, it goes. ---
**Author:** ![N.Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f19dbf/32.png) [@N.Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N.Sane)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-buy-a-cheap-dvd-player/266743/12 "2004-09-30T18:26:18Z")
I bought a cheap ($50) DVD player just before Christmas for use in our guest room. It sucks. I have DVDs that play just fine on my other player that will not work in this one. For example, I was watching HPCOS the other day–it stuck at the troll scene. I could not get it to play anything else on that disk, even by selecting other scenes or cleaning the DVD. I popped the DVD in the other player and it worked fine. When I put in a DVD from Buffy Season 6, it couldn’t even register that there was a DVD inserted. I cuss at it on a daily basis, and plan to replace it before this next Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-buy-a-cheap-dvd-player/266743/13 "2004-09-30T18:37:05Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > It does have the “cheap player” glitch of getting hung for a second every now and then, but I’ve gotten used to it. I do not think that is a glitch at all. That is the player switching layers on the DVD. Movie DVDs have two layers imprinted on one side. When it comes time to switch layers the player needs to refocus the laser to hit the second layer and therein lies your momentary pause. I have a very nice DVD player and it does this too on occasion. I think (don’t know) that movie makers will often to try and make that layer switch happen in a part of the movie you won’t notice it happens (e.g. during a momentary fade to black in the movie). As such you do not seem to notice the effect everytime you watch a movie but some the switch manages to land right across some dialog and such so you see it. In short, I think this is just one of those things you have to live with. Perhaps some players cache a lot of the movie in memory so the pause passes by unnoticed but I’d have thought my nice player if any would do that and it doesn’t (although it is very rare I see that so maybe it has to do with a scratched to hell Netflix disk or something). As for the cheapo DVD player I’d say go for it. Unless you have a stellar home entertainment system or know you need some advanced feature the bargain basement priced DVD players seem to work very well. At $60 they are disposable compared to high priced players even if it dies in just one year. In reality everyone I know who has one has had them work for many years. My EX still has our first ever, ~$75 DVD player that is now 4-5 years old and it works just great. I doubt she’ll toss it till it dies and when it does she will not be pissed…it has given more than good and plenty of duty. ---
**Author:** ![LordVor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90ced4/32.png) [@LordVor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LordVor)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-buy-a-cheap-dvd-player/266743/14 "2004-09-30T22:27:51Z")
> [@Terminus Est](#): > > I’ve been considering myself on whether to get a DVD player, instead of channelling the signal through my computer. What kind of bells and whistles do you get on a higher end DVD player? Compared to channelling through a computer? A remote control would be the biggest thing to come to mind. -lv ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-buy-a-cheap-dvd-player/266743/15 "2004-09-30T22:39:05Z")
> [@LordVor](#): > > Compared to channelling through a computer? A remote control would be the biggest thing to come to mind. You can buy remote controls for a computer, like the ATI Remote Wonder. Another thing is surround sound. You can get that for a PC too, but most people are more likely to have it in their living rooms. Even the cheapest DVD players can output a digital audio stream suitable for plugging into a Dolby Digital receiver. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-buy-a-cheap-dvd-player/266743/16 "2004-09-30T22:45:36Z")
> [@LordVor](#): > > Compared to channelling through a computer? A remote control would be the biggest thing to come to mind. 😃 My place is so small that I can control my computer using the wireless mouse & keyboard from across the room (which is really only a couple of steps). ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-buy-a-cheap-dvd-player/266743/17 "2004-09-30T22:49:43Z")
My expensive DVD player lasted nine months. My $35 replacement is going on six months. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-buy-a-cheap-dvd-player/266743/18 "2004-09-30T23:03:17Z")
Just a reminder that a PlayStation II will play a DVD. If you have this game system in your personal inventory of toys, you already have a cheap DVD player. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-buy-a-cheap-dvd-player/266743/19 "2004-09-30T23:31:46Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Just a reminder that a PlayStation II will play a DVD. If you have this game system in your personal inventory of toys, you already have a cheap DVD player. And if not, there’s no time like the present. The PS2 is $150 and [Katamari Damacy](http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/918766.asp) is only $20. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2004, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-buy-a-cheap-dvd-player/266743/20 "2004-10-01T00:49:18Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Higher end (not high end in the $500-$1000 range) but higher being $140 instead of $50 will generally give you progressive scan (better picture for large screen and HD tvs), better outputs for video (composite, component, s-video), and have both DolbyDigital and DTS encoders for surround sound as well as better audio outputs (optical output). > They also usually have better displays that can show you time played on disc, time remaining on disc, chapter, time played on chapter, etc. Some of the cheaper players only show a chapter number. I am in the market for a DVD player, having decided that only my DVD drive and 19" monitor are not enough (got to make use of my new 32" widescreen HDTV, right?) Anyways, I was looking at the cheapo DVD players, and noticed that a) some of them are name brand (usually panasonic) and b) they have everything you mentioned, except optical audio (at least on the ones I looked at.) Seeing that my TV is HDTV and has componant video, I want a DVD player that can output the best signal, and I was in Circuit City and saw DVD players with componant video, progressive scan, and digital audio out (though ,as I said, not optical. That’s fine, though, because I don’t spend on paying a crap-ton of money on a receiver, so digital audio is good enough for me.) My advice is not to get the cheapest (i.e., the $40 ones), but the $60-$80 players should be fine. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-buy-a-cheap-dvd-player/266743.md?page=2)