Toshiba SD-1200 DVD Player
Best Entry level DVD player
This thing has a noticebly better picture than my sony digital satellite sytem, even when using composite cables. The refresh rate is great. The black level expansion does  wonders for some movies that have too much brightness. It makes them seem  more cinematic. But  for dark movies, the blacks will blend with dark  blues. I don't know how I could live without the zoom feature. It allows  you to convert any widescreen movie to 4:3. All I can say is that the   picture will amaze you. My dad could even tell a huge difference and he was  all the way across the room.<br />Sound: The sound is crisp, clear, and  explosive. I haven't hooked up the player to a surround system yet. The  N-2-2 spatializer didn't have much affect on my TV's stereo speakers. But  anyways, this thing sounds just as crisp and clear as the movie  theater.<br />Other comments: The remote is not logical. The play buttons are  on the very bottom of the remote, which is uncomfortable. The remote also  has a somewhat weak signal. You have to point it at least a few feet from  the sensor. But the remote works and I don't think anyone buying a $250 DVD  player can be picky about a remote. It gets the job done fine.<br />The unit  is lightweight physically, but its performance is reliable and solid.<br />I  have had no problems playing any discs. <br />There is no optical digital  output for Dolby Digital, but the coax digital output is supposed to be  better.<br />I've heard that the component video output is awesome, but I've  personally never used it.<br />The drive does make some noise when going from  menu to menu, but its not very loud when playing a movie.<br />You can  completely turn off the digital display panel, but the red power button  stays on. This is still cool. <br />The instruction book is easy to use.<br />Check  for cheap prices online <br />THIS HIGH QUALITY UNIT IS MADE IN JAPAN. Don't buy cheap, inferior  players.