Cheapest good sounding dvd player?

Even a Denon 2200 will have great sound and do what you need.

Richard, here's another vote for Denon 2910. I had one for a number of years. As a matter of fact, I brought it to your house several times. I don't think you were impressed, but you were comparing it to your Jolida which was much more lush and smooth. It's not a bad sounding player. The video quality is excellent and it sounds better than any $125 player should.

Just to clarify... The Denon 2910 has HDMI and it came with a remote as standard, but it's a good idea to make sure the remote is included.

You can get a Pioneer dv-393 second hand for virtually nothing. They sound amazing.

I picked up a Cambridge Audio Azure 540D for $75.00.

The sound is okay. My Meridian G98DH in my main system stomps all over it, but for non-Bluray movies in a second system the 540D is certainly more than adequate.

If $800+ is in your budget, a used G98DH is killer. For about 1/10 the price a CA Azure 540D should meet your needs.