DVD player recommendations?

August 10, 2015 3:50 PM

Recommendations for a new DVD player?

I need a new DVD player. My setup is still standard def. so I don't need anything fancy. My only requirements are it has s-video output(s), it be or is easily made to be region code free, and it is not made by Sony. It's be also nice if amazon.com carried it.

Any help, Mefites?

posted by InsertNiftyNameHere to Shopping (16 answers total)

There's a Samsung that Amazon carries that can be region-free, but doesn't have S-Video. And the best region-free player with the highest quality picture output is the venerable Sony DVP-NS575P. Those go for like $400 on eBay these days.

All of those three criteria together? There's this one, and Philips holds major DVD patents so the player will comply strictly with the DVD specification, but I've found Philips players to be not that long-lived.
posted by infinitewindow at 4:03 PM on August 10, 2015

Your requirements are tough... your best bet might be to go with the Samsung mentioned above, and connect it with the component or plain old composite connectors. For $40 you might be able to live with it.

I have a Helios like this that plays anything, and also skips ads and trailers, and has every connection you could need. $150, though, from a new seller.
posted by Huck500 at 4:32 PM on August 10, 2015

That Philips, by the way, doesn't seem to have s-video out. There's a detailed description of the outputs in the questions section and that's not one of them. Plus it has pretty terrible reviews.
posted by Huck500 at 4:36 PM on August 10, 2015

Best answer: This might sound crazy, but have you checked your local thrift stores? Years ago, when everyone was replacing their VCRs with DVD players, I got an amazing high end VCR, in perfect condition, for like $10 from Goodwill...
posted by primethyme at 5:04 PM on August 10, 2015 [1 favorite]

I literally just got a Philips DVP 2880 yesterday, and region-freed it in like six easy keystrokes, then happily sat down to watch a Region 1 disc that had been sitting in its box for a year. It does not have S-video out (just HDMI and USB), but the hack is said by many to be usable for other players in the Philips family.

My advice is to spend time checking the options for sale at your retailer of choice for the outputs/features you require, then start searching for region-free codes -- I've had great luck at the cheaper end of the spectrum, fwiw -- and making sure they have many positive comments on the hacks that you find for them. Just finding a hack is not good enough; make sure the echo chamber resounds with "worked great! thanks!" comments of relatively recent vintage. Maybe also throw the model number into YouTube and look around for enraged "why won't this work!??!!" rant videos, just to be sure. Nothing is more frustrating than finally getting the player, setting it up, thinking you're going to get to watch something you were looking forward to, trying the hack, and THEN finding the internet is full of people ripping their hair out about the stupid samsung dust-catcher you just bought that's still sitting by my tv because reasons.
posted by sldownard at 11:50 PM on August 10, 2015

Primethyme has the right idea. i see stupidly high end(like, $500 at magnolia hifi+) dvd players at thrift stores all the time now. Including samsungs with region free stickers still on the front, pioneer elites, etc. Some have mentioned region free on the front, others looked high end and upon a google i noted they were.

I also very occasionally see multi format high end VHS decks, even still. But yea, I even see really high end blu-ray players sometimes.
posted by emptythought at 12:48 AM on August 11, 2015

Best answer: Another option is to get a cheap HDMI DVD player that does what you want and to get a converter box like this.
posted by Betelgeuse at 6:39 AM on August 11, 2015

I have an Orei BDP-M2 region free player. Love, love, love it. It plays both DVD and BlueRay, and was totally region-free right out of the box, no fussy secret codes or anything, it plays anything I throw at it. (And, the case is a proper metal one with heft, not some flimsy thing.)

Bad news: it might not be available any more? Neither Amazon nor the original seller appear to have it available new. But if you see this or a close relative around somewhere, it might be perfect.

sldownward's comments on looking for region-free players are right on the mark.
posted by gimonca at 8:47 AM on August 11, 2015

Response by poster: Thanks for all the help, everyone. It seems I'm in a pickle because I haven't kept up with the latest tech. I like the Goodwill option. Those places are awesome. Not sure what I'll do, but you have all given me dome great ideas and info. Thanks again to all!
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 1:47 PM on August 11, 2015

Response by poster: Betelgeuse: "Another option is to get a cheap HDMI DVD player that does what you want and to get a converter box like this."

Wow! Many thanks for pointing that thing out. I am most intrigued. Only downside for me is it appears to be USB powered. No USB anywhere near my entertainment center. Although, thinking about it now, I wonder if my newish TV (newest device in the whole setup.) has a USB port on it. Heck, now that I think about it, I bet my TV has an HDMI input on it so I could just bypass the main, ancient receiver and hook the DVD player straight to the TV via HDMI. I must check my connectors.
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 1:53 PM on August 11, 2015

Best answer: That will work awesomely if your old receiver has optical audio input/spdif. you just go player>tv then tv>receiver. It seems weird, but it works perfectly. I just set up a friends system that way.
posted by emptythought at 3:27 PM on August 11, 2015

Response by poster: emptythought: "That will work awesomely if your old receiver has optical audio input/spdif. you just go player>tv then tv>receiver. It seems weird, but it works perfectly. I just set up a friends system that way."

Now I'm confused, sorry. The receiver is a Sony da50es and the TV(PC monitor actually) is a Samsung syncmaster p2770hd. Couldn't I get a new DVD player and simply take the HDMI out from that and connect it to the monitor's HDMI input? Oh!, I think I get it. If I do what I'm thinking, I have to suffer with the crap audio coming from the monitor's speakers rather than using the amp in my receiver and the sweet speakers connected to it.

I've never used optical I/O and am completely ignorant of it. I don't even know what type of cable to get.

There is a photo of the back of the receiver with all the available I/O connectors here. Is that lower left box on the back what I need or is it something different? Thank tons!
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 4:37 PM on August 11, 2015

Best answer: Looking up that monitor, it actually appears to be a tv in that it has a tuner and most of those features... and the newegg page says "Optical digital sound (SPDIF)"

I've never seen a tv or monitor where that was an input and not an output for an amp/speakers. That receiver you linked also has SPDIF, notably the input that says "TV/LD in".

You'd just need a cable like this running from the TV to the receiver, after you plugged the HDMI from the dvd player into the TV.

You'll probably also have to fiddle with some settings on the monitor to set it to like "AUDIO: External" or something, but it should work.
posted by emptythought at 4:58 PM on August 11, 2015

Response by poster: Cool. Thanks a lot, emptythought. I'll see if I can get your recommended setup to work.

Before impulse buying, I better take a look see at the two Goodwill stores I have near me. Maybe I can strike gold and get a DVD player with HDMI out at one of those stores. (Now I'm getting greedy.)

I will report back upon success or failure.
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 5:36 PM on August 11, 2015

Response by poster: In case anyone is still reading, I had no luck at my local Goodwill stores, so I impulse bought this Samsung since it had the optical audio output. However, now that I've re-read the specs, it doesn't mention that it supports regular old CDs. Yikes! How can it not play those?

nb: I don't need the Blu-Ray stuff. I'll simply use it for SD DVDs.

So, opinions good or bad, anyone? Thanks.
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 11:33 AM on September 4, 2015

Response by poster: And, now I see that the digital audio output of the above Samsung player is coax not optical. My receiver doesn't support a coax digital audio input, so it looks to me like I'm back at square one. Yuck.
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 4:10 PM on September 4, 2015