Really, That’s The Price?

You gotta love the world of technology. It wasn’t long ago that DVD Players were $400 for even a basic model. Now you can find decent DVD players for around $100.

But just like everything else in a home theater, there are certain features you’ll want. You’ll find that DVD players with these features all fall within the same price range. You’ll probably find a DVD player with a bonus feature or two that will charm you into a purchase.

Your Comparison Checklist

Use this checklist as you shop for your new DVD Player.

[   ]	Type of Player—What’s the best DVD player for you? DVD players come in all shapes and sizes. From portable to recordable to multi-disc players, some are even found within videogame systems. The trick is to compare players in the same categories. Choosing between a thousand-dollar DVD recorder and a $200 5-disc changer can get complicated. So discipline yourself to compare DVD players in the same realm.
	THE PROS AND CONS OF DIFFERENT DVD PLAYERS   PORTABLE Pro: goes with you on trips Con: limited inputs and outputs INSIDE A VIDEO GAME CONSOLE Pro: one unit that does two functions Con: can have extra cost to activate and limited outputs DVD RECORDERS Pro: record video on a DVD disc Con: big price tag SINGLE DISC PLAYER Pro: simple, inexpensive Con: simple, holds only one CD at a time MULTI DISC (5 or less disk capacity) Pro: instantly switch between movies and music Con: extra moving parts that could break DVD CAROUSEL (100+ disk capacity) Pro: stores all your movies in one convenient place. No more hassles with jewel cases Con: extra moving parts that could break
[   ]	Progressive Scan—Does the player produce a progressive scanned image or not? You may not need to worry about this if you don’t have a progressive scan TV and don’t plan on getting one for a few years. But keep in mind this feature doesn’t add much to the cost of the DVD player, so why not have it ready to go for your future system?
[   ]	Formats Supported—What else can the DVD player do? Players can do more than just playing DVD movies these days. Many have the ability to play discs containing MP3 files, VCD (video CDs), digital images, SACD, DVD audio, even karaoke tunes. Jot down all the different formats each DVD player says it can handle. The more the merrier.
[   ]	Features—Is the remote intuitive with obvious navigation? Is the remote programmable? How quickly does the player engage and disengage the disk? Do all of the player’s features work without the remote? Are the buttons a breeze to use?
[   ]	Connections—Is it quantity or quality you need? Make sure the digital audio output will work with your receiver (either coax or optical out). Many DVD players have both types of connections so you’re covered either way.
[   ]	Warranty—What is the manufacturers warranty? Is the player made by a company you trust will honor the warranty?
[   ]	Return Policy-Make sure you can return the DVD player after you’ve lived with it for a few weeks. That’s when any shortcomings will surface.
[   ]	Price—What should you expect? Don’t expect huge price differences between similar DVD players. More importantly, get the DVD player that’s going to best fit your system while giving you the experience you pine for.