Sony DVP NS315 - DVD player
Third time's a charm
This is my third low-end DVD player.  In hindsight, after two misses, it seems apparent that one can spot a good DVD player pretty quickly.  If the machine seems to have a difficult time loading DVD's or searching for chapters on a DVD, chances are good the machine's a big pile of caca.<br />My first two players were both like this.  The first was an Apex which lasted about a year and the second was a Phillips.  The Phillips obviously had an inferior mechanism that seemed to spin way too long while loading and searching.  Sometimes it would just freeze during playback.  Using a DVD cleaner seemed to help slightly or maybe it was just wishful thinking.  The Apex had similar problems but lasted longer than the Phillips before the problems became PROBLEMS.  Anyway, I took the hint and swapped it for this Sony which is clearly a better product for the same $.<br />Within a few seconds of inserting a DVD, this model begins playing, whereas the Apex and Phillips could spend as much as 30-45 seconds working to find the main menu.  30-45 seconds &quot;feels&quot; like forever when you're listening to a DVD player work and struggle to find the root.  The Sony doesn't seem picky either and plays discs whose playing surfaces are a bit dicey--i.e., Blockbuster rentals, previewed purchase DVD's, etc.<br />5/5 Stars ;)