Philips DVP642 DivX-Certified Progressive-Scan DVD Player
Bites the dust
Had this unit for 1 year 7 months and it just died. At the time I purchased it the cost was ~[...]. I have an Orion DVD progressive scan player that's ~2-1/2 years old and cost [...] at the time. It still runs. I bought this Philips one because it handled other formats, but now I realize I don't need them unless I'm into video... Not! Others I see give it 4 or 5 stars. That's great, but they just bought theirs and hooked it up. These units should work and should provide a good picture brand new. A [...] unit provides all this. So why review saying it does this? And I can really care less what system the others have, mine is just for watching movies. A TV and DVD... SIMPLE!!! Anyway, here's some of the problems I had since FIRST hooking it up;<br /><br />- It can't handle fingerprint smudges on a DVD. It pixelates and takes an ungodly long time to get through this. Make sure you clean the smudges. My Orion has no problems with the same smudges.<br />- Sometimes it's not the smudges! It just does the same as above, maybe from oxides between the layers of the DVD? But, then why would it continue to work on my Orion?<br />-Sometimes the unit just shuts down when you select a remote option. Ugh! Very irritating when viewing interactive DVDs!!!<br />- Sometimes the unit jumps back to the main menu. Another Ugh!<br />- Sometimes after insert the DVD the unit just continues to search for it. Probably because the player doesn't center properly. Remove DVD and try again.<br />- Had rental DVD that popped out of the holder. Had to open the unit to remove the DVD.<br />- The remote's buttons are not layed out well and are too close to each other. When I go to press FF I might accidentally hit the move to end button. Then I have to wait for the menu and restart the movie and find where I was. The same mistake happens on pause.<br />- The zoom only works when the unit jogs forward. If you jog backwards it won't zoom.<br /><br />There's probably more, I just never wrote them all down. I'm sure someone is going to say I should have performed a firmware upgrade. Why? Shouldn't it work right to begin with? My TV's work! My VCRs work! My other $20 ORION DVD player works! None have I had to upgrade!!! Then none were Philips! Why should I upgrade the Philips? I paid for a working DVD player, not some hack!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<br /><br />10-01-2013... I just wanted to update this for fun and let you know that my Orion DVD player still works. It's about 10 years old now and cranking along. Probably the best twenty bucks I spent on home electronics. I was given another Philips DVD player as a gift a few years ago. It too, just as it's older sibling, died. However, it was less than a year old. So, you can buy a Philips labeled Chinese no-name brand or by from a branded Chinese MFR who's trying to make progress... your choice and your money. Outside of that gift, I have not bought another Philips labeled (they do not make any consumer electronics, it's all purchased and labeled for them today) product since 2006. The Chinese companies that display their brands seem to do pretty well for me and are much more cost effective. I also have not had any problems with the Chinese Branded products! Funny and somewhat ironic!!!  :)