[ Sony DVPNS300 -vs- Apex 1500 ]

[ddang128]

Which player is better, or which one would you get. also and why would you get it.

-thanks

[spazzman90]

Ahhhh, very good question! I had this very similar question not long ago. I was torn between an Apex and a major brand unit (Panasonic). I am commenting here, because the Panasonic and Sony entry level dvd players are very comperable, however both pieces vary significantly from the apex player. I actualy took all 3 home. I wanted to run them through their paces and see if I could come up with a clear winner. This is what I found.....

The major brand units do an excellent job of one thing, playing dvd movies. The picture quality is excellent, and a very important thing to consider if you have a 27 " or larger TV. If your tv is smaller, it may not be that big of an issue.

The Apex however is a different beast altogether. The unit is able to play a variety of VCD, SVCD, DVD, and even cds with mp3s on them. Many of these machines can be Bios upgraded to remove Macrovision and Region coding. Attractive options, but unfortunatly these machines are lacking in the picture quality area. This can especially be noticed on scenes with deep reds or blues. Instead of having a smooth edge, it looks like a jagged set of stairs. Not a big deal on maybe a 27 or smaller, but on a RPTV (mine's a 56) it gets atrocious. Also, even though it plays back mp3s, whatever decompressor is on board sounds like ass compared to a PC or even the one in the entry level Panasonic.

What did I do? I ended keeping both the Panasonic and the Apex. The Sony would have also been a fine keeper, but it was $20 more than the Panasonic and it didn't do as much. Also kept the Apex because I wanted a SVCD player and a unit I could record DVDs off of. Assuming you are most interested in DVD functions, I would go for the Apex if your screen size is 27 or smaller. It is fun to have all those extra features. If your screen is larger than 27inches, you better get the Sony and stick to watching VCDs and the like on your comp. Take care

-spazzman

[ddang128]

spazzman, thanks a lot for you input
well, i ended up buying both players. the apex & sony, lol... the sony is in my room, and the apex in the living room. i thought the sony would be a good choice for me, but the apex plays more formats than the sony i guess i might return it for exchange for another apex