Im looking for a recommendation for a standalone DVD player. Nothing fancy - I dont need HD, BluRay, Divx, or Xvid. I want a machine that can play DVDs (be they burned or original) Every time. Ive gone through several cheap (on the order of $50) DVD players. So far, most play original stamped DVD's, but struggle with burned DVD' s. I have several DVD burners - in laptops and desktops, of different brands. I also tend to use cheaper media - usually DVD-R's by Verbatim or HP. I author my own movies using Nero 6 and Nero Vision Express. I also make backups from originals using DVD Decrypter -> Daemon Tools -> DVD Shrink -> DVD Decrypter. Even when they are burned the same way, discs are hit and miss. Sometimes my players will load them just fine. Other times they will sit there and scan and never even start the movie (no disc detected or unrecognized disc). Other times a movie would load just fine, but skip and freeze during playback randomly. Can anyone recommend a relatively cheap DVD player that can play anything consistently? Thank you in advance.
Several months ago I purchased a Philips 5960 upconverting DVD player at Best Buy on sale for $70. Since then I have seen several sales that were even cheaper. This player has played everything I've put in it without one problem. I've used different brands of media (some cheap, some better). I've used -, +, Rw, Cds. I've had no freezes or hiccups or anything. In fact I'm thinking of buying another one to replace a good Memorex I've got that doesn't play all formats.
The Pioneer players that Wal Mart sells, tend to play about everything. My stepfather has a Magnavox that plays them all. One thing to help burned movies play in a standalone player, is to booktype them to DVD Rom, when burning them. Booktyping only works with +R, +RW, and +R DL discs. Store bought movies are booktyped to DVD Rom. That's why they play in almost everything. Here is some info on booktyping: http://www.k-probe.com/bitsetting-booktype-faq.php Good luck!
