Price Paid:  $299.00 from Circuit City

Summary:
I was talked out of purchasing my original choice--a Pioneer--by a Circuit City salesperson. Given that this unit broke after 7 to 10 plays, I'd never purchase another RCA product or make a purchase at Circuit City again.

Strengths:
Good quality picture for the short time it worked

Weaknesses:
"no disc error" after only a few plays. Lousy customer service and repair/replacement policy

Similar Products Used:
Sony and Toshiba similar priced models

Price Paid:  $387.00 from Bose Outlet Store

Summary:
The product gave "no disc" error after 5 plays. Tech support polite but not sympathetic. The unit was beyond the warranty period (in household goods storage for over one year) consequently stuck with the $149.00 for a refurbished unit. That would make this unit very expensive and I do not feel worth it. There are newer and better products available. Based on other reviews ProScan does not appear to have a good frequency of repair.
I am researching for a new DVD player and have found this sight to be most helpful as a source of first had information on many products. Keep up the good work.

Strengths:
Picture quality good when it played.

Weaknesses:
Poor quality control. Fast forward jerky. Universal remote did not work on my other equipment even though codes were listed in the manual.

Similar Products Used:
First experience with a DVD player.

Price Paid:  $179.00

Summary:
I wanted to post a follow up for this player.I have had it
for more than a year, and have had no problems with it.I had
one disk that cause the unit to hang up(the wild wild west)
but not all the time.The picture on this thing is great!
Just to pass on some info,I changed the S video cable.I was
using the monster S video that came with it,and never had
a complaint about the picture.I changed to cable to the AR
S-video cable.what a change!!!!! This cable was only 14.79
from A4L.com.

Strengths:
very good video,value for the price I paid for it,and it was
new in the box.

Similar Products Used:
1st DVD player

Price Paid:  $399.00 from Audio Universe

Summary:
I had to send my first unit back to the factory in exchange for a new one. It stopped playing discs altogether and this unit is not a unit that can be repaired at your local repair shop. The picture and audio quality are of course very good, but it does not want to play some CDR discs even though they are of the same manufacturer. It also seems to make a humming sound like so many other DVD players which at times during the quiet moments of a movie can be annoying. My Panasonic players have the same problem, although my Sony players are absolutely silent. So it has something to do with the design of these units. I haven't had any problems with this unit and it seems to play each disc without a problem. It does a good job of playing discs that are scratched as well which isn't something I can say for my Pansonic RV50, which has nothing but problems playing discs with just a mild scratch. So overall my experience with this Proscan 8600P has been very good.

Strengths:
The picture quality is exceptional and the Dolby Digital Chip seems to work very well.

Weaknesses:
It does not want to play all audio cd's. And it seems to pick and choose which CDR's to play even though they are the same.

Similar Products Used:
Panasonic RV30 and RV50

Price Paid:  $200.00 from high end audio shop

Summary:
I not going to say that this is the best player just because I own one, but, I must admit, it is a very good dvd player.

I bought it because of the built in decoder, which is fantastic, the sound is distinct and crisp.
The picture is very good. Excellent color and contrast, extremely sharp.

Unlike other people who have submitted reviews, I haven't had one problem with this unit. Either I'm extremely lucky or you guys are extremely unlucky, either way, I am pleased with my purchase and am confident that this player will endure a lifetime, approximately 1 year in audiophile years.

Strengths:
Excellent DD Decoder, Picture is fantastic, dts compatible, reliability, cables, slim design

Weaknesses:
Menu surfing is (very) slow, slight jitter when changing layers.

Similar Products Used:
toshiba, sony, pioneer