Philips DVP642 DivX-Certified Progressive-Scan DVD Player
good basic machine
This is a great DVD player. I have used DVD players from Pioneer, Panasonic, Samsung, Toshiba, Aphex (no longer around, thank goodness - cheap junk), and JVC. I have used models from cheap consumer types to multi-thousand dollar professional units over a period of six years. This is the model I recommend to most people who want a simple, flexible, reliable machine, without tons of fancy features that nobody will use. <br /> <br />I personally know of six units purchased over the last two years (about half from Amazon), and all worked right out of the box and continue to work today. This player will play most file types in common use, unless there is some exotic variation in the file (too common with today's digital playground). Standard DVD, VCDs, SVCDs, Video DVD-Rs, data CDs and DVDs with various flavors of MPEG audio and Video files and JPEG stills have played easily on mine. I haven't found any format listed in the manual that doesn't play as stated. <br /> <br />It is limited to 8x fast forward or reverse and 3x zoom on regular DVDs. I haven't tried these features on other file formats, but I don't think it is the same for all. It would be nice if these numbers were bigger, but I find that a very small complaint. It functions well, responds to the remote well, and I have never had it damage a disc (Aphex player trashed one of my favorites). Since I have found few remotes I really like, I can't complain about that. They almost always have buttons that are too small, the wrong color, the wrong placement, and goofy shapes (apparently, they do not teach ergonomics in industrial design schools). However, that said, this remote is no worse than any others I have used, and better than most. <br /> <br />I can't say whether the maintenance hack described on the Net will work to make this player region free, but I know that a similar hack does work on the new Philips 5140. This machine is designed to use downloaded firmware upgrades, but I don't think that feature is being supported at the moment. <br /> <br />I realy like the A-B repeat feature for music concerts and videos where I want to repeat a single song or segment several times. You set the A point at the start of the part you want to repeat, and set the B (same button pressed over again) at the end, then let it go. Works very well, cancels easily. <br /> <br />Overall I like this player very much. I give it 5 stars because the minor nitpicks I have do not rate a full star off. It is probably a 4.5 in truth, but we can't give half stars. Unless you have unrealistic expectations, I think you will be pleased.This is a great machine for the price. <br /> <br />One caveat - if you buy electronics from some of the big \\"lowest price\\" retailers, beware. I have been told by an ex-management empolyee at the most notorious of these (recently failed in Germany - you know who I mean), that even though the model numbers might be the same, this retailer allows (requires?) the use of substandard parts in the units to achieve that famous low cost. You might not get the same quality you will at some other place, like Amazon, for example, even on the very same model. Not all manufacturers give in to that pressure, but some do. One more reason to avoid that place and shop Amazon, where you are treated right and get great service. (No, I am not an employee or paid spokesperson. I just like to reward those who do it right and spread the word. Amazon rocks!)