Philips DVD825AT DVD Player
Solid Low-end Player, too flawed for higher end home theatre
After being very scared to purchase a 2nd generation DVD player dure to all the reports of skipping, sych problems etc. I bought this machine after demoing it in a Best Buy.<br />For the first couple of months I owned this  machine, I was very pleased with it... until I started purchasing DTS  encoded DVDs and a projector.<br />The most glaring issue I have with this  player is the lack of black-level controls. I purchased the player the day  the Matrix came out on DVD, and on a smaller screen you don't notice (as  much) the amount of artifacting that's apparent in shadowy scenes.<br />Let's  just say that it's almost un-watchable when projected very large. Although  for the most part this only applies to low-contrast scenes or movies that  take place in a lot of darkness. When you do notice it, it makes you long  for a VHS copy.<br />Secondly, I have to power cycle the player several times  in order to get a DTS bitstream (optical) to come out of it. This may be a  problem in the DVD authoring process (Saving Private Ryan is the most  difficult to get playing correctly) but it's a pretty noticable  glitch.<br />Lastly, this player has a habit of freezing and reporting disc  errors in the same place on a disc that's perfectly clean and scratch-free.  It also puts off a tremendous amount of heat.<br />For the price, it's a  fantastic player for a low-end system, but if you're planning on using it  in a higher-end home theatre system, you'll likely be disappointed.