Looking for a cheap and good standalone DVD player

[kweldood]

I'm looking for a standalone DVD player in the affordable but efficient range.

What I need:

- Region free or easily hackable with a one-time process, PAL and NTSC;
- Flawless playback with no jumping or skipping of any kind, including layer changes;
- Good compatibility with different media brands and formats, including +/-/RW and USB2.0;
- CHEAP!
- It would be a plus if it could be effectively turned off with a power button instead of just remaining in "standby" or whatever, but this is not mandatory.

What I DON'T need:

-Blu/HD/high-whatever;
-DTS.

Please advise - thank you!

[setarip_old]

Hi!

What part of the world are you in?

[BigDid]

Hi,

Even if a bit old and half french/half english, see this page:
http://divxtest.surdvd.com/form/divxtest2_list.php?lang=en

Checking "region free", gives me 250 returns.
I have a Peekton and a LG so if these brands are available in your country, it could be a good start.

Did

Edit: only the LG has a front power button, for my Peekton it is at the back ;)

[kweldood]

Thanks for the link and the info, BigDid. Checking it out.

[Pulstar]

http://www.cobyusa.com/?p=prod&prod_num_id=342&pcat_id=2003

Is this player region-free?

[BigDid]

Hi,

Dunno, ask cobyusa.com ?

Did

[Video Dude]

You can find Philips models for between $35 and $50.

[SeeMoreDigital]

Toshiba's SD-290 player has a pretty good spec for the price.

[kweldood]

Thanks for your answers, looking at some juicy Philips models as I post this! I love blu-ray because thanks to it, those of us who don't care at all about blu-ray can now get fantastic deals on DVD hardware :D

[Ghitulescu]

Thanks for your answers, looking at some juicy Philips models as I post this! I love blu-ray because thanks to it, those of us who don't care at all about blu-ray can now get fantastic deals on DVD hardware :D

I cannot tell which player you should buy, but I'll tell you what not to buy: Philips. Their optical pickup is prone to failure, yes it's good but if you keep on buying players on and on I think you'll have soon a budget issue ;)