Best DVD on a budget

Can pick from many. Just make sure it has a Dual Laser Drive. They are newer lasers that won't skip and freeze like many of the old players do on the newer mulit-layer DVDs.

Also get one with progressive scan if you can use it, and desire it.

Stay away from cheap brands like Samsung, Goldmark, etc, to reduce the chance of reliability problems. The well known Japanese players generally are better, like Onkyo, Panasonic, Sony, Pioneer, JVC.

I have a JVC X45S. An absolutely outstanding player for the money. I run the audio through a Soundstream DAC and it is *very* nice. I just ordered a small $15 isolation transformer from eBay to plug this DVD and improve performance. If you want progressive scan, the next model up has it. Here's a link to check out:

http://www.audioreview.com/DVD,Players/JVC,XV-S45GD,/PRD_125616_1587crx.aspx

If you want to spend $300, I highly recommend buying a used Pioneer DV-05 on this site (an Elite model with an original retail of $1000 that sold for $700ish). They're great DVD players and pretty good CD players. If you prefer to spend less, you can buy one of their new basic models (I believe DV-343 or DV-444??) for $200 or less.

Panasonic DVD-RP56. It has the Faroudja chip and is $200 at Best Buy. Only shortfall is that it doesn't have a coax digital out, but an optical. Works fine if your processor or AV receiver accepts one.
I sold my $800 Denon DVD and got this and am well pleased.
Good luck.

The Sony DVP7700 is selling for $325-$350 on Audiogon. I
picked up one used for a HT system and am VERY impressed
with it. Very solidly made, unlike many of the others, and
it has received great reviews also.

If you can possibly pull it off Tweeter is selling new Toshiba 9200's for $499.00. That is avery good deal.
Tim

I have a JVC XV-D2000 DVD player that would probably be a used bargain if you can find one. This was an early DVD player and was made to sound good on CD's and DVD's. It has a K2 Interface which I think uses some of the same technology as JVC's XRCD's. IMO the sound is better than any of the players mentioned so far. This is a rare gem that some sound loving engineers slipped passed the marketing department at JVC.

I have found only one movie that this player will not play, and the company issued another version of this movie since it had playablility problems on several players. I paid about $600 for this player several years ago. I think the retail price was originally >$800.

Nathanziarek:

If you can stretch your budget a little bit (say..... about $200.00), you can opt for the Philips Q50 (retails for $500.00). Delivers a very nicely detailed picture (almost filmlike....... like my Pioneer Elite DV-37), and a very nice sound as well. It has 12/54 video processing and a Faroudja chip, and a zoom feature as well (for looking at widescreen DVDs on a 4:3 display), all for $500.00. Could very well be the ideal budget DVD Player.

Or, if your budget can only go as far as $300.00??? Then, like Mryaj just said, look at the Panasonic RP-56 (for $200.00), or a Toshiba SD-2800 (also for $200.00. ..... and both of them are available at Best Buy).

Or more yet, if you are lucky, when I take possession of a new Marantz 8260 SACD Player, it will replace my Pioneer Elite DV-37 as the CD Player in my audio system, and then the Pioneer Elite DV-37 will return to my home theater setup, which means then that my Toshiba SD-2700 will be expendable. If and when that finally happens, I will be letting my Toshiba SD-2700 go for dirt cheap.

Just some more ideas to throw out to you.

And my $.02 as well.

--Charles--

Tim is right the Toshiba is a killer deal for $495. This was their top of the line machine and looks and performs like it. Works really well on S video. For componet video I got the Denon 2800 for $500 and is excellent even better than the Toshiba but not for s video output.