Price Paid:  $350.00 from Local electronics ch

Summary:
The Sanyo DVD5100 was just the right model and price range as I was looking for an entry level player 2 years ago. The dimensions were an added advantage as it is not "regular" in size as compared to other brands.

Strengths:
Very durable with a nice design. Responsive and ease of use in terms of menu navigation. Video playback is excellent, so is audio. No complaints in that department.

Weaknesses:
Rejects some dvds outright with a "no play". Sometimes there is "jerky" or pixellation instances. Eg. when i choose a later chapter towards the end. The discs were in pristine condition. It is a random problem, doesn't happen all the time. Wierd.

Similar Products Used:
Not yet, as I'm still relying on this player. Call me cheap!

Price Paid:  $160.00 from Target

Summary:
This DVD player is a hunk of junk. Unless you are totally unaware of what it is you need or you just want a cheap-o unit for your college kid or bedroom, don't bother. This dvd player has a myriad of faults: first and foremost, if you lose the remote you can't imagine how difficult it is to play a DVD! There is no play button on the actual unit! Second, you have to press most buttons twice (??what the hell??) to get them to work, most notably the power button. Third, about 2 out of ten times when you put in a dvd the player scans it and says "No Play". Then if you put it in again, presto, no problem. The sound is weak, the picture is only a nominal improvement over VHS and the unit is ugly. Go on ebay and buy a Kenwood DV-503 for about the same price, shipping included, and you will be much happier.

Strengths:
It plays DVD's... sometimes. I was able to use it as a cd player when my Onkyo 6 disc broke.

Weaknesses:
Design, quality, value, useability, picture quality, remote sucks etc. etc.

Similar Products Used:
Sony, Kenwoods

Price Paid:  $200.00 from Costco

Summary:
Well, at the time of purchase, I thought it was a great deal, however, it does not play CDRsm,CDRWs or MP3s. However, it does play VCDs... Well, I don''t have too much good things to say except that some of the DVDs work while others such as Charlies Angels and Bedazzled, to name a few, don''t without punching in the "multiregional converter" code... check here if you don''t know what I''m talking about... http://www.dvd.reviewer.co.uk/info/multiregion/full/Sanyo5100.asp

Strengths:
it plays pretty good...

Weaknesses:
doesn''t play all region1 DVDs. Doesn''t play CDRs, CDRWs, MP3s.

Price Paid:  $149.00 from Superstore

Summary:
Technically I got this for free because I used points from getting my mortgage with President's Choice Financial, so maybe I am less critical than if I had paid cash. However, the price tag of $149 Canadian makes it an amazing deal for a mid range DVD player...if you can find it any more as it may be discontinued.

For those of you that say the quality of the output is poor, I recommend using the component video outputs and calibrating your TV with Avia or Video Essentials. It is possible that the default S-video cable is the weak link. I have not had the benefit of side by side comparison on the same equipment, but the output is as good or better than some of my friends' set ups using Toshiba DVD players.

One thing I like is that I rarely notice layer changes using this DVD player. One thing I don't like is that the blue light on the front of the player can sometimes be distracting (which I imagine I could solve with electrical tape if I was so inclined).

It seems to have all the standard features that an average viewer might use, such as zoom, bookmark, time search.

I have had some problems with certain disks. American Beauty and Rushmore (Criterion) will not play, and Sessions on West 54th street breaks up near the end. It is the player because these disks work fine on my computer. However, I have probably watched close to 50 other movies with no problems.

If Sanyo has improved compatability on a newer model, and can hit a similar price point, it is definately worth a look. I suspect it beats the heck out of budget players like the Oriton or Apex.

Lastly, rumour has it that there is a region hack for this player. I have no need for it, so it is untested, but I found this link which mentions the hack:
http://www.avaddict.com/web/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000162.html

Strengths:
Inexpensive. Component video output. DTS Output. Optical digital output.

Weaknesses:
Problems with some disks. Blue light on front is slightly annoying.

Price Paid:  $200.00 from Costco

Summary:
Well you'll that I reviewed this a couple spaces down.. I thought I should give you an update :)

When I bought this unit, as you can tell, I was an absolute newbie... Since then, I upgraded my TV (to a 27" Sony Wega) and bought a DD/DTS audio receiver. I'm not quite HARDCORE yet, but I think my input it a bit more valuable now ;)

Anyway, once I hooked this thing up to my new TV, I saw that I could have quite a better unit... Also, it does not play seamless branching movies well (T2: UE and Abyss). After having to restart Abyss twice in one watching, I decided to bring it back and buy a Sony (to go with the rest of my middle end setup :)

If you can spare an extra $100, go for a Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic, or Pioneer.

If you really don't want to spend more than $200, I'd still recommend this over most other low end units.

By the way, The narrow model has actually been discontinued, but the new model actually looks better! Internally, it should be at least as good, probably better.

So my value rating will stay the same, since it is a good $300 ($200 USD) player, but I am bringing my overal rating down a bit.

Strengths:
Like I said before, it looks cool. Pretty good as a low-end unit.

Weaknesses:
Overall average video quality, had problems with seamless branching (T2: UE and Abyss)

Similar Products Used:
Sony 360