(Dec 03, 2008)
Matthew Moskovciak
The DVD player has officially become a commodity, available for sale at Wal-Mart and Rite Aid for $40 or for free with a subscription to a magazine you really don't want. But that just opens the door for specialty DVD players, units that can do much more than just spin discs. At CNET, we've given up reviewing standard players and have focused on the cool stuff.
See all recent DVD player reviews
See all recent DVD recorder reviews
Oppo DV-983H
The Oppo DV-983H is pretty much the ultimate standard-def disc player, but its high price means videophiles on a budget can get a better bang for their buck.
Price: $999.99 (check prices)
Review date: Apr 17, 2008
Excellent
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Oppo DV-980H
If you're not ready to get a high-def player, the Oppo DV-980H DVD player delivers excellent performance and an unparalleled feature set for the price.
Price: $169.99 (check prices)
Review date: Aug 29, 2007
Excellent
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Oppo DV-981HD
Performing nearly as well as players costing four times the price, the Oppo DV-981HD is an unbeatable bargain for videophiles and enthusiasts.
Price: $229.99 (check prices)
Review date: Feb 8, 2007
Excellent
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Denon DVD-2930CI
We were floored by the Denon DVD-2930CI's image quality, but we were also floored by its high price.
Price: $664.95 - $849.00 (check prices)
Review date: Sep 7, 2006
Excellent
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Panasonic DMR-EA18K
Outstanding recording quality and tons of features, like flexible recording speed and chasing playback, make the Panasonic DMR-EA18K an excellent all-purpose DVD recorder.
Price: $179.99 (check prices)
Review date: Jul 16, 2008
Excellent
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Philips DVP5960/37
The Philips DVP5960/37 HDMI-upscaling DVD player is an excellent choice for budget-conscious HDTV owners and multimedia aficionados, and its DivX playback is a nice bonus.
Price: $37.99 - $89.99 (check prices)
Review date: May 8, 2006
Very good
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Philips DVDR3575H
The Philips DVDR3575H is pretty much your only choice if you want a DVD recorder with a hard drive these days, but it's not as good as it could be.
Price: Sorry, pricing not available
Review date: Nov 5, 2007
Good
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Sony DVP-CX995V
While the Sony DVP-CX995V has some annoying quirks and takes forever to load with disc information, this 400-disc megachanger does a great job removing clutter.
Price: $229.95 - $399.99 (check prices)
Review date: Oct 28, 2005
Good
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Nu CinePlayer PDP100
The Nu CinePlayer PDP100 is an extremely small DVD player with a great feature set for traveling, but it lacks the niceties of larger standalone players.
Price: $114.00 (check prices)
Review date: Sep 24, 2007
Good
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