Apex AD-2500 Progressive-Scan DVD Player
Apex AD-2500 DVD is the Better of two evils..
I bought the Apex  AD2500 because of its laundry list of features/compatibilities.  Those of the brand names with similar features were priced twice or more. I have had it for about 1 month now, and I am yet to see/experience those problems reported by others. I recommend it to anyone that want the best/most for the buck.<br /><br />The decision to buy the AD-2500 versus any other on the same price range was not a simple one because I already has Sharp-701 which plays every other VCDs & no CD-R support. Also, after reading several negative reviews on Apex and other DVDs from various sites. Then I was reminded that the world of consumer electronics has no absolute best equipment out there. Despite all the marketing hype being thrown at consumers by  media giants like sony, jvc, and the rest. The fact is,  every electronic equipment  has its short-coming --- yes including the brand names. They are all subject to malfunction at some point with or without proper care.  A perfect reminder is my $450 JVC VCR with such silly features like Jog-shuttle remote, (which a sane person may never-ever use) which gave up one month after my $36 extended warranty expired.  Talking of Apex breakdowns, several factors other than manufacturer defect can be responsible, such as storage/delivery mishandling, or the ultimate one---USER-ERRORs. I know a guy that will NEVER border to read the manufacturer's notes/instructions first, instead prefers fiddling with the equipment until he run into problem (often serious damage) before thinking of flipping thru the documentions. At the end such user will blame it on the product. The documentations are included for a reason, use it first before applying your technical skills. Functionally, all DVDs may be the same but setup/operations varies.<br />=================================<br /><br />[UPDATE: Sep04/2008]<br />-6 years later my Apex AD-2500 is still kicking like no man's business; despite brutal attack by my 5-year old who pops DVDs in and out several times a day, even when no one is watching the video.y, even when no one is watching the video.