Which standalone DVD player to buy?

[Executionor]

Ok folks, I am desperately seeking your great opinions as to which stand alone DVD player to buy for my house. I am one of those guys that have literally 400 vhs tapes I have bought over the years, but my 600$ Zenith VCR (bought 12 years ago) is eating my tapes and I have been wanting to get a DVD player anyways.

I would like one that will play DVDs of course, mp3s, home made video cds (gonna start saving my home vhs movies and want a place to play them)...and whatever other formats I can get thrown in there.

Either a good single player or a multiple dvd changer player standalone of course. Suggestions!?!?!?!

Thank you so much in advance!
Buddy Stark

[mrbass]

Get a pioneer 434 for $189 at costco. This has progressive scan so you can hook it up to an HDTV if you ever get one. I plays ever vcd, svcd I've ever thrown at it...over 300+ if not more and on about 8 or 10 different media. Don't need to waste money on cdrw. I've bought and returned about 3 dvd players testing them out. A friend against my advice bought an Apex 703 and he's complaining that so and so svcd the audio skips. Skips my a**....it plays 100% perfectly on my pioneer 434. Apex players picture quality isn't all that great either...doesn't do SVCD's justice.

[Executionor]

Ok, so far I have heard about the Apex 660 and the pioneer 343. Any other suggestions guys and gals?
Thanks a bunch!!!

[Iview]

http://www.technophiliax.com/ToxPages/DVDMP3.html

[incognito]

In a thread that ran earlier today, many prople complained
about apex players. Up untill then, I'd never read
anything bad about them on these forums. There are still
many defenders of apex.

The second most popular plarey on these furums seems to be
pioneer. I've never read any complaints about pioneer
players, and they seem to be very versatile-- on the other
hand, before today I'd never read anything but positive comments about apex players.

They don't seem to make afree/sampo players anymore (I
own a sampo 660) but they play any format (short of mpeg4)
I've read in many places that they have audio synch
problems and skip, but my player is perfect as long as the
DVD is clean.

Hope that helps

[Executionor]

http://www.circuitcity.com/frame1.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0879290898.0996613185@@@@&BV_En...rn&search=APEX

Anyone have one of these or know anything about it?