If your looking for a new DVD player try this one

[MagicKingdom05]

If you are looking for a new DVD player try this one. It doesn't have a ton of bells and whisles, but the color and clarity is outstanding for a $44 dvd player. It's has a HDMI hook up with 1080p upconvertion so it will play all your DVD's in HD quality.

http://www.target.com/Philips-1080p-HDMI-Player-Up-Conversion/dp/B001TLJY9W/ref=sc_qi_detailbutton

 

[bicker]

Yes for $44 that's a great deal. It doesn't have that many features, but heck for $44 that makes sense. Y'know, for $44, it's almost down to Secret Santa/Yankee Swap gift price.

I do caution folks against buying DVD players these days. Blu-ray Disc is here. It isn't going away. And a good percentage of people who bought a Blu-ray player this year said, last year, that they wouldn't be buying one for many years (myself included). I'd look at a DVD player purchase this year as a stop-gap and nothing more, if I were you.

 

[golfgal]

Yes for $44 that's a great deal. It doesn't have that many features, but heck for $44 that makes sense. Y'know, for $44, it's almost down to Secret Santa/Yankee Swap gift price.

I do caution folks against buying DVD players these days. Blu-ray Disc is here. It isn't going away. And a good percentage of people who bought a Blu-ray player this year said, last year, that they wouldn't be buying one for many years (myself included). I'd look at a DVD player purchase this year as a stop-gap and nothing more, if I were you.

Can you play regular DVD's on a Blu-Ray? If not, DVD players are going to be in demand for many years to come. Heck, we still have a VCR because a lot of our movies are on VCR. Not many people will go out and replace all of their movies to keep up with technology.

 

[bicker]

Can you play regular DVD's on a Blu-Ray?

Absolutely. I haven't encountered one Blu-ray Disc player that did not also play DVDs.

Heck, we still have a VCR because a lot of our movies are on VCR.

Yup, but VHS tapes are a different form factor from DVDs and Blu-ray Discs.... DVDs and Blu-ray discs are the same form factor as each other.

 

[Imzadi]

Don't people need a DVD recorder instead of a player if you want to record TV shows? Is there such a thing as a Blu-ray recorder? I don't have Tivo and the like. My current technology is still a VCR. All these new gadgets make my head hurt.

I was going to get an HD TV but all the numbers like 1080p also were overwhelming. I lucked on recently being given a free, new-to-me, large, (regular) non-HD TV that replaced my old one of 20 years. The picture looks fine to me. This one should last me a few years until all this new technology is standarized.

 

[Micca]

Yes for $44 that's a great deal. It doesn't have that many features, but heck for $44 that makes sense. Y'know, for $44, it's almost down to Secret Santa/Yankee Swap gift price.

I do caution folks against buying DVD players these days. Blu-ray Disc is here. It isn't going away. And a good percentage of people who bought a Blu-ray player this year said, last year, that they wouldn't be buying one for many years (myself included). I'd look at a DVD player purchase this year as a stop-gap and nothing more, if I were you.

Spot on Bicker For $44 you can put it in a guest room or the garage when you upgrade to Blu-Ray down the road.

 

[bicker]

Don't people need a DVD recorder instead of a player if you want to record TV shows?

Yes, but do note that the DVD player in the OP is not a recorder.

Also please note that increasingly, DVD recorders are satisfying the full needs of fewer and fewer cable and satellite subscribers, as those subscribers increasingly switch to preferring HD programming, and those services increasingly encrypt such programming from cable networks. There are no DVD recorders made that satisfy the federally-mandated separable security regulations (which permit folks like me to own my own DVR and still receive all my cable channels), and with regard to satellite, both DirecTV and Dish network have been given waivers so that there is no means of addressing that issue for their subscribers seeking to record HD programming with anything other than the equipment they themselves make available for lease or sale. Effectively, folks who are really aiming towards recording specifically for time-shifting and/or commercial avoidance are going to prefer DVRs rather than DVD recorders.

Having said that, do note that DVD recorders do remain a useful tool for recording SD, and for manually recording down-converted versions of over-the-air broadcast television programming, as well as over-the-air broadcast television programming provided via analog cable service in most areas until at least 2012.

Is there such a thing as a Blu-ray recorder?

Yes, one was just released. It is ungodly expensive.

I don't have Tivo and the like.

You know I stand ready to help you remedy that gap, when you finally come to your senses.

I was going to get an HD TV but all the numbers like 1080p also were overwhelming.

I'll be more than happy to help you work though that stuff, as slowly as you wish, whenever you care to go down that path.

This one should last me a few years until all this new technology is standarized.

It should be noted that the technology was standardized in 1996. All that's happening now is cost-reduction (for both good and ill -- for good in that we get to pay less for the same, but also for ill in that we get to pay less for something that isn't quite as good, in some cases). HDTV did not experience a HD-DVD versus Blu-Ray scenario, like video discs experienced. There were never any competing technologies vying for the marketplace.

 

[Golf4food]

There are many rumors out there for Blu-ray players under $100 on Black Friday. Anyone needing a new player would be better of getting a BD player than this HD-DVD. Bluray is quite superior to HD-DVD (hence why it won the big battle) and BD is here to stay for quite some time. And new release BDs are often $19.99 now, with some BDs on sale for $9.99 and $14.99 on Amazon, etc. and even now in stores like Target. Finally affordable. If you have an HDTV, and especially if you have a surround sound system, you owe it to yourself to go with Bluray. Once you go Blu, you never go back.

 

[Shyvioletisme]

Yes, but do note that the DVD player in the OP is not a recorder.

Also please note that increasingly, DVD recorders are satisfying the full needs of fewer and fewer cable and satellite subscribers, as those subscribers increasingly switch to preferring HD programming, and those services increasingly encrypt such programming from cable networks. There are no DVD recorders made that satisfy the federally-mandated separable security regulations (which permit folks like me to own my own DVR and still receive all my cable channels), and with regard to satellite, both DirecTV and Dish network have been given waivers so that there is no means of addressing that issue for their subscribers seeking to record HD programming with anything other than the equipment they themselves make available for lease or sale. Effectively, folks who are really aiming towards recording specifically for time-shifting and/or commercial avoidance are going to prefer DVRs rather than DVD recorders.

Having said that, do note that DVD recorders do remain a useful tool for recording SD, and for manually recording down-converted versions of over-the-air broadcast television programming, as well as over-the-air broadcast television programming provided via analog cable service in most areas until at least 2012.

Yes, one was just released. It is ungodly expensive.

You know I stand ready to help you remedy that gap, when you finally come to your senses.

I'll be more than happy to help you work though that stuff, as slowly as you wish, whenever you care to go down that path.

It should be noted that the technology was standardized in 1996. All that's happening now is cost-reduction (for both good and ill -- for good in that we get to pay less for the same, but also for ill in that we get to pay less for something that isn't quite as good, in some cases). HDTV did not experience a HD-DVD versus Blu-Ray scenario, like video discs experienced. There were never any competing technologies vying for the marketplace.

for the record I don't know anyone who uses blu-ray or HD tv...maybe I and everyone I know are stuck in the dark ages, but I have NO interest in blu-ray or HD..

 

[Micca]

for the record I don't know anyone who uses blu-ray or HD tv...maybe I and everyone I know are stuck in the dark ages, but I have NO interest in blu-ray or HD..

It's certainly not for everybody. If/when you get an HDTV, you'll be more interested in it both hi-def and blu-ray. Some people just aren't that interested in upgrades in quality and get much enjoyment from older gear and formats. That's cool too

 

[Fire14]

IF I can use a blue ray player on my NON HD Tv I'll buy a blue ray player otherwise I need a old fashioned DVD player.

 

[bicker]

IF I can use a blue ray player on my NON HD Tv I'll buy a blue ray player otherwise I need a old fashioned DVD player.

You absolutely can use a Blu-ray disc player with a standard definition television if they have compatible connections. My Blu-ray disc player has composite video outputs, component video outputs, and HDMI video outputs, so I can connect it to practically any television.

 

[Fire14]

You absolutely can use a Blu-ray disc player with a standard definition television if they have compatible connections. My Blu-ray disc player has composite video outputs, component video outputs, and HDMI video outputs, so I can connect it to practically any television.

the tv is a year maybe 2 at most old I was also told that I couldn't by someone my dh works with and he had never seen our tv.

 

[bicker]

Hehe ... he was so sure without having ever seen your television, eh? I wouldn't take you DH's co-worker's word for it. I can indeed connect my Blu-ray player to my television via analog outputs -- I've needed to because some of the DVDs that I've played in my Blu-ray player didn't have SDH (Subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing), so I had to rely on closed captions (my wife is hearing impaired), and closed captions are only available through analog outputs, the kind of outputs you'd connect to an old technology television. Worked like a charm.

 

[Fire14]

Hehe ... he was so sure without having ever seen your television, eh? I wouldn't take you DH's co-worker's word for it. I can indeed connect my Blu-ray player to my television via analog outputs -- I've needed to because some of the DVDs that I've played in my Blu-ray player didn't have SDH (Subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing), so I had to rely on closed captions (my wife is hearing impaired), and closed captions are only available through analog outputs, the kind of outputs you'd connect to an old technology television. Worked like a charm.

Thanks for the info. I'll get my budget DVD player for now as I can't even get cable or high speed out here in sticks. but when I'm ready to upgrade i'll spluge and get blue ray.

 

[Golf4food]

IF I can use a blue ray player on my NON HD Tv I'll buy a blue ray player otherwise I need a old fashioned DVD player.

You can but it would be overkill. The Bluray can put out 1080p but the old TV can probably do no better than 480p, so you would be paying for the ability to see data that your TV can't output. Like taking too many vitamins - you're body just gets rid of them. Too high input on the TV and it still just shows the lower resolution. If you have a non-HDTV then a $20 DVD player is all you really need. The HD-DVDs and Blurays can only do their thing on a full HDTV. But when the time comes to replace that old TV...

 

[bicker]

Just a small clarification: older television technology was 480i, not 480p.