Philips DVP642 DivX-Certified Progressive-Scan DVD Player
Does what it's supposed to do
As a DVD player, it's what you can expect for a $50-$75 unit.  It plays DVD's and does a good job of it.   <br /> <br />The only \\"negative\\" I can post about the DVD playback is that the disc drive/transport mechanism is a little loud.  It's very easy to hear when the laser is seeking a particular section of the disc and when the disc spins up.  It's a minor irriatation since it's usually just at menu options or layer changes, but it can sometimes be heard over the disc audio.  Not enough to detract from the rating though. <br /> <br />I understand that it is simple enough to remove the region restriction from this unit, though I haven't entered the code since I only have region 1 discs at this point.   <br /> <br />It seems to play any disc format you can throw at it.  I've used DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, CDR and CDRW.  The only medium I haven't tried is DVD+RW and burned dual layer.  I've never put a disc in that it wouldn't read. <br /> <br />Special features are where this unit stands out from the rest.  DiVX playback is something I've looked for in a player for a long time.  I never expected to find it in a &lt;$100 unit.   <br />It's the perfect thing for me since I love to download entire TV series and watch them as I get time.  It's so convinient to be able to burn entire seasons of a show onto a DVDRW and play them from this unit.  No more connecting the laptop to the TV. <br />There is the occasional file that can't be read.  Other reviewers have mentioned that some files play back with no audio, and some will not play back at all.  This is in the vast minority in my experience.   <br /> <br />Overall, the unit is great.  You can get more full featured units if you just want to play DVD's, but if you want DiVX playback, you can't get anything better.