Looking for reviews of a dvd player that can ...

[videohelpuser]

I bought Panasonic dvd recorder - DMR-ES25S and have been very happy with its performance.

My knowledge about this "techno gizmo" stuff is very limited. After some months of using the dvd recorder, I realize that I needed additional features too.

I used the dvd player search in this website but I would like to hear about your usage experience.

I want the following from a dvd player.

a) ability to play rental discs (double or single sided)
b) ability to play mp3 stored on a disc (cd, cdrw, dvd+r, dvd-r, dvd+rw, dvd-rw - single layer is fine)
c) ability to play avi movies stored on a disc (is this called divx?) (cd, cdrw, dvd+r, dvd-r, dvd+rw, dvd-rw)
d) upconversion to 1080i (not sure if there is a diff between 1080i and 1080p)
e) ability to make it region free (either factory supplied or by remote control)

Is this too much ask for? I am not even sure how much a dvd player like this will cost. Hopefully not a fortune.

I can downgrade my requirements like For example: +rw but not -rw, +r but not -r etc.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

[Krispy Kritter]

a) all players can do this
b) all players seem to support mp3 on cd, few seem to support mp3 on dvd
c) a list of players can be found on divx.com (if you want this in a recorder, you have very few options)
d) upconversion is hit or miss and largely dependant on your TV. AND if you already have a decent HD TV, it can and likely is already performing the conversion

You best bet, would be to get support for these in a player to use in conjunction with your recorder. If you want these options in a recorder, then it isn't a matter of choosing the "best" unit a available, it is a matter of finding a unit that supports all of these options.

[lordsmurf]

Philips 3575 160GB DVD recorder, Walmart, $298

- Not tried MP3 on DVD or ISO (AVI) on DVD, just CD.
- Fat chance on region free. Copy your disc to remove regions. Then all you have to worry about is PAL or NTSC, and I believe this one will do both.

90-day return to Walmart, if you hate it.

The SP mode recordings from QAM (widescreen HD feeds) looks fine. No quality issues like the Panasonic ones.

Magnavox has a similar record, but 80GB, and unsure on the upconversion or the AVI/DIVX/XVID.