Pioneer DV-588A-S Slim Progressive Scan DVD Player
A great bargain
I told someone I had purchased this player, and that it was a great deal for the price I paid--around $129. He kinda raised an eyebrow, because he thought I was going to say $50. When you can get a DVD player at Costco or WalMart for $30, then yes, this one's expensive. But, it's one of the few, if not the only, player at this price that can play DVD-Audio and SACD discs. In that respect, the DV-588A-S is a steal.  <br /> <br />Now, I'm pretty sure that this player isn't a fantastic DVD-Audio or SACD player. I can't say for sure, because while I have used other, more expensive players, such as a $500 Onkyo, I haven't been able to compare them side-by-side or even sequentially. But I remember being wowed by the Onkyo, and this player just sounds...pretty good. My hearing is going downhill, so I won't claim to be able to hear every little \\"nuance.\\" But that's a big reason why I'm big on DVD-Audio and SACDs--I can hear big differences in them over regular CDs, and the clarity helps me understand lyrics. <br /> <br />I like its video quality, and the remote control is nice, too--it's easy to use; no nonsense, no stupid button arrangements, no \\"what's this button do--oops\\" moments. My 16-month-old kid knows how to use the remote to turn the player on and start up a Baby Einstein DVD. It's so much better than using an Xbox as a DVD player, as I was doing; heck, it's just nice that the remote has a power button. <br /> <br />I usually spend more for things like this, but I'm waiting for the HD DVD/Blu Ray thing to work itself out. I almost pulled the trigger on the $500 Toshiba HD DVD drive, but thought better of it (and apparently, with good reason). For $129, I think I made a  fantasic stopgap purchase.