THG 2003 Holiday Buyer's Guide

DVD Players Make Great Gifts

With the rapid price drop in DVD players, it seems retailers are almost giving DVD players away this year; thus, price is no longer a valid excuses to hang onto your soon to be obsolete VHS player. The difference in audio and visual quality richness between DVD and VHS is measurable, and is similar to comparing cassettes to CDs: VHS technology is not capable of providing the same listening and viewing experience. We have seen DVD players advertised at local electronic retailers for as low as $39. US this holiday season.

Granted, when you are shopping in the $50 and under price range, the quality of the unit and available features of the DVD player will vary significantly. For example, the majority of DVD players in the $40 to $50 price ranges do not have a basic LCD display on the front of the unit, and this can be a big disadvantage for many consumers.

The LiteOn LVD-2002 is the player that has it all, including DivX support. In addition you can find a variety of players that cost less than $60 making it a great gifts for a second TV this holiday season.

The biggest pitfall for many home DVD players is burned DVD +/- media play. Some DVD players are up to the task and perform without problems, while others are far more sensitive to the media or the way that the DVD is written, and just do not perform well as a result. Check the product packaging labels for compatibility, and don't be afraid to take a 'burned' DVD of your own to the store to demo in the various DVD players to check out performance capability and compatibility of various models. We have found that some DVD player packaging is labeled as able to play only one format, while the player actually offered support for more than one format.

For those who are seeking a DVD player that "has it all," we recommend the LVD-2002 from LiteOn. Kevin Rakes and the staff at PC Club told us about this great DVD player. The LVD-2002's biggest advantage is that it offers all of the following: (1) built-in support for DivX; (2) DVD; (3) MPEG 4; (4) CD; (5) MP3; and (6) WMA, in one package that features 480p progressive scan. While the LVD-2002 claims to support just DVD-R, we have had luck with some of the RW formats, as well. The remote on this unit is rather small and clumsy and the player isn't perfect, but it does offer out-of-the-box DivX and MPEG4 support. This fact alone makes this a good offering for those seeking DivX support. Kevin says that PC Club was one of the first companies in the U.S. to offer the LVD-2002, and that they still have ample numbers in stock for delivery. You can find this product on the Web at http://www.pcclub.com.