Toshiba SD-3950 Progressive Scan DVD Player
Cheap?  No way -- this is the best value out there
I purchased this several months ago from Amazon after reading all the reviews -- including the ones that complained of pixellation and out-of-box failure.  So I ordered this inexpensive unit with some reserve, and saved the box for months, thinking I might have to send it back.<br /><br />But no.  What I've found instead is that it reliably produces a stunningly-sharp, hi-def picture, and sends lovely, pure, unadulterated sound through to my surround receiver (Yamaha HTR-5650).  I've got it hooked to a Toshiba 42\\" widescreen HD-ready RPTV (42H83), with Monster component video cables, and I feed it a fairly fatty diet of 3-4 DVDs every week.  Not a pixel or a plip to be seen.<br /><br />Of course, DVDs of movies made pre-HD-era won't look as good.  Even this super-machine can't remove the grain from older discs.<br /><br />The remote is a bit cheesy, not worthy of the sleek player, and the buttons can be inscrutable in the dim light of a home-theatre room.  But that's a small quibble, considering the great value of this machine.<br /><br />I purchased this when my MUCH-more-expensive Sony 5-disc DVD player died after just 14 months.  The Sony will still play CDs, but I use it only as a \\"jukebox\\" when hosting dinner parties.  When I want to play a single CD or CD-R, whether 80s pop, Linken Park, Joni Mitchell, a Mozart aria, or carpet-rumbling classical pipe-organ music, this Toshiba unit leaves my Sony whimpering in tail-dragging shame.<br /><br />This is an amazing value, an absolute must-buy.  Already have a DVD player in your family room?  Buy this for your bedroom...and switch them when you get the chance.