Apex AD-1200 DVD Player
Frustrating, frustrating, frustrating.
Ok, so I guess its true.  You get what you pay for.  I paid almost nothing, and that's what I got.  I'll start off with the good stuff:<br />Usually, if the kids want to see a movie, I can put the movie in, press play, and the kids get to see their movie... no problem, no issues.  Worth the (minimal) money I spent.<br />Now the bad news: Movies freeze.  They just stop.  The machine locks up and I have to turn it off. That has ruined about half the movies I've seen. I seem to have better luck with the kids movies.  I don't know why.<br />The remote control is terrible.  Really.  Trust me on this one.  You don't realize how important a good remote control is until you have to deal with one that is this bad.  Get this: you have to be within 7ft of the DVD Player for the remote control to work (this is by design, if you can believe it!)  When's the last time you sat within 7ft of you TV?  So if I want to use the remote, I have to get up off the couch, walk two feet forward, and then click.  Also, a DVD remote control needs to have some kind of lit buttons/labels. Think about it. You watch DVDs in the dark.  You can't see a thing on the remote when its dark.  You need to get up, turn the light on, walk two feet forward, then use the remote.  And, don't even talk to me about the miniscule size of the buttons, and the inexplicably pale text on the remote... are they purposefully trying to hide the names of the buttons?<br />More bad news: The electronics are fussy.  Here's an example.  Try to get a disk out of the player... just try it, and good luck! Press the eject button... nothing happens. Press it again, and the door opens a quarter of an inch then immediately closes.  Press the eject button again... nothing happens.  Wait longer... nothing happens.  Press it again, and the door opens a quarter of an inch then immediately closes. No kidding.  I once sat in front of this thing for five minutes trying to get the DVD out of the player (because it was freezing!), unsuccessfully. If there was a hammer within my grasp, I would have smashed the thing to bits.<br />You get the basic idea.  ...  Pay any more and you got ripped off.  I'd recommend spending a little more and getting a player that actually works.