Philips DVP642

Pros: Inexpensive, easy to set up and use, good performance for the money..

Cons: Only basic controls on the unit itself.

Summary: I don't know what player some of these folks are talking about, but it certainly isn't the same DVP642 I have. Just to clear up the mystery, yes, it does play Xvid. Yes, it does play DVD-R\RW. And yes, it does support DTS. Some of the other reviews I've read saying it doesn't do this and doesn't do that make me wonder if those people are reviewing the thing before they even take it out of the box.

I can't really address the complaints about long-term reliability becaue I haven't had the unit that long, but as of now it has well over 100 hours of use without so much as a hint of the playback glitches some others have mentioned. Image quality isn't outstanding, but it isn't bad either. Certainly nothing like some have claimed. And for the record, the "crappy" remote doesn't bother me a bit.

The best part is I found this player at my local Wal-Mart for $54.89. Overall, it isn't the best player money can buy, but if you need or want DivX capability and don't have a lot to spend, I don't think you'll find anything better for that price.