Slow motion mode DVD Players

The Bottom Line: The Toshiba XD-E500's XDE picture enhancements don't live up to the hype. While it's a solid upscaling DVD player, its high price makes it a hard sell.

Specs: DVD player, Tabletop, Universal remote control, Dolby Digital, DTS decoder, Stereo, 3.5 lbs

The Bottom Line: The Toshiba HD-A20 is a perfectly competent HD DVD player, but it's not worth the extra money when compared to the budget Toshiba HD-A2.

Specs: HD DVD player, Tabletop, Universal remote control, DTS decoder, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, DTS-HD decoder, Dolby Digital Plus, Stereo, 8.8 lbs

The Bottom Line: If you're set on a standalone Blu-ray player, the Panasonic DMP-BD10A should definitely be on your short list.

Specs: Blu-Ray disc player, Tabletop, Universal remote control, DTS decoder, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Surround Sound, Black, 10.4 lbs

The Bottom Line: Offering most of the performance of more expensive players, the HD-A2 is an excellent value for budget-minded buyers looking to jump into HD DVD.

Specs: HD DVD player, Tabletop, Universal remote control, DTS decoder, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, DTS-HD decoder, Dolby Digital Plus, Stereo

The Bottom Line: The Panasonic DMP-BD10 is a very competent first-generation Blu-ray player, but its high price and the comparably affordable PlayStation 3 make it hard to recommend.

Specs: Blu-Ray disc player, Tabletop, Universal remote control, DTS decoder, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Surround Sound, 10.4 lbs

The Bottom Line: While the stylish Samsung DVD-HD960 isn't perfect, it is one of the first players to offer 1080p upconversion, and its image quality will satisfy just about everybody.

Specs: DVD player, Tabletop, Universal remote control, Stereo, 4 lbs

The Bottom Line: With video quality that's impressive but still not as good as its HD-DVD competition, the costly Samsung BD-P1000 will appeal only to those willing to risk a grand on a first-generation player in the middle of a format war.

Specs: Blu-Ray disc player, Tabletop, Universal remote control, DTS decoder, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Surround Sound, 9.3 lbs

The Bottom Line: Pioneer's entry-level Super Audio CD/DVD-Audio player sounds good enough for all but the most critical listeners.

Specs: DVD player, Tabletop, Remote control, Dolby Digital, 4.6 lbs

The Bottom Line: The KiSS DP-500 is a solid--albeit expensive--networked DVD player that's ideal for fans of DivX video and Internet radio.

Specs: DVD player, Tabletop, Remote control, Dolby Digital, Stereo, Black

The Bottom Line: This average performer won't play JPEG files or VCDs, but its compact footprint will appeal to the space-starved.

Specs: DVD player, Tabletop, Universal remote control, Stereo, 4 lbs