Looking for under-$100 DVDP recommendations

[Zisguy1]

I'm getting tired of my Philips 642 (hardly playing any DivX's anyway) and am considering a good standard DVD Player.

I don't need optical out, and ATM progressive-scan would just be a bonus I might or might not need in the future (so it's not crucial).

My main criteria are durability, excellent (interlaced) picture quality, good remote control, DVD+R/DVD-R compatibility and priced at $100 or less. Oh yeah, and I'd like a choice between "Time Played" and "Time Remaining" either on screen or LCD display on the unit. Resume capability would be nice too.

Anyone own a DVD player you feel is remarkable? I would consider eBaying for an older unit, if it was compatible with DVD+R/DVD-R.

[ssusca]

I personally have the Cyberhome 320. While it's not a well known name brand, it was really cheap and will play almost anything that you put in it (I actually havent't tried Divx). It will even play Mpegs. It has excellent picture quality (you'll find that in just about all dvd players ) and it has composite and S-video output along with Component in case you want to upgrade to an HDTV in the future. It also has composite audio and a coax digitial audio output. It also has both "time played" and "time remaining" on screen. As for durability, I imagine if you drop it off of your roof, it won't survive. But I had two DVDs crammed in there by mistake one day and I took the thing apart to dislodge them and then put it all back together and it still works flawlessly. You can pick one up at Target for about $40. So if something goes wrong, it's cheap to replace.

[Zisguy1]

By durability, I meant that it'll last a few years at least. Seems like most DVD players made these days have planned obsolescence built in, many of them fail within 3 months or 6 months. Maybe I should get one of the pricier models from a major name brand like Sony or Toshiba.

[ssusca]

I've had this one for over a year now and it still seems to work fine. In fact, I'm willing to bet it will last longer than that $300 piece of shit Toshiba I had. Price and name brand don't always mean better quality. Just look at Memorex media.....

[linetest]

I have used almost exclusively, Memorex DVD blanks. Hundreds of them. I have made two coasters, thats it, and I'm sure it wasn't media related. These disks play flawlessly in every player I have (six units) except a Cyberhome 420 I got free with an HDTV. It may be the off brand players folks are using with Memorex.
Anyway, I've never had a player failure. I spent $300 on one of the first, a Panasonic 120. I own Panasonic, Toshiba, Sony, and Pioneer players as well as a $40 Koss unit I keep in an RV. With the exception of the Koss (used maybe three times a year), I won't buy Oritron, Cyberhome, or many of the other players shown on the DVD player list on this site. Not saying they are not any good. But it seems that the big names consistantly prove to be more reliable, and with a higher satisfaction rating. I'm planning on getting another player this week. It will be a Sony 575. Kind of a get what you pay for thing. Why buy some Cyberhome POS for $40, when a nice Sony is $70.
Good luck.