Sony DVPCX995V 400-Disc DVD Mega Changer/Player (2009 Model)
So far, so good, but definitely room for improvement...
So far, so good with this player.  Though, I still haven't even scratched the surface on leveraging all of the functionality built into this large beast.<br /><br />Initial comments:<br /><br />1.  This thing is BIG.  I thought it would fit into the deep cabinet where my TV is housed.  No such luck, it wouldn't come close.  Be sure to actually measure your cabinet and ensure that this thing will fit.<br /><br />2.  Out-of-the-box experience was less than desirable.  I put three DVDs into the unit just to see how it would function, and to test my video connections.  Upon closing the bay door, it make loud popping, gurgling, and unnerving mechanical clunking sounds, and then refused to read the discs.  Long story short, after looking the unit over top to bottom for transport lock mechanisms, etc, I finally decided to just give it a chance to stretch its legs.  So, I put it through about a dozen cycles of loading discs and it eventually quieted down and seems to be operating normally now.<br /><br />3.  Outstanding video quality -- really beautiful.<br /><br />4.  Unecessarily complex remote and operation.  Sony really needs a lesson from Apple in developing user interfaces that do 80% of the work but that hide 80% of the complexity.  It has been maddening to try to figure out how to do the simplest of tasks (like simply trying to change to another disc while watching one already).  This is made even more difficult because the remote does not mirror the controls on the front panel of the player.  Now I admit, the I've not yet invested the couple of hours to RTFM.  But, at the same time, I didn't have to RTFM for my iPod or iMac, and both of these systems -- especially the iMac and OS X -- is infinitely more rich and complex in function than a DVD player.  Could definitely use some improvement here.<br /><br />5.  Slow operation.  I ran a test against my other single-play DVD player, and I can literally change discs manually in half the time that it takes this player to swap discs using its robotics.  Why so slow, Sony?<br /><br />So, I'm a bit on the fence so far with this purchase.  I think this is probably my last Sony purchase.  This is something like the fourth or fifth Sony product I've purchased over the last ten years that has had a poor out-of-the-box or reliability problem, and I'll likely start looking at alternatives, such as Denon, Pioneer, and their various derivatives.  At the same time, I love the video quality and am hoping that the experience will get better in the coming months.s this player to swap discs using its robotics.  Why so slow, Sony? <br /> <br />So, I'm a bit on the fence so far with this purchase.  I think this is probably my last Sony purchase.  This is something like the fourth or fifth Sony product I've purchased over the last ten years that has had a poor out-of-the-box or reliability problem, and I'll likely start looking at alternatives, such as Denon, Pioneer, and their various derivatives.  At the same time, I love the video quality and am hoping that the experience will get better in the coming months.