Price Paid:  $799.00 from The Sony Store

Summary:
I have been using this DVD player for 6 years now and it has performed flawlessly. It plays every DVD and CD I have put inside of it and was well worth the money ($799 canadian)I paid for it. I have replaced every component in my home stereo except this unit and I have no plans to in the near future. This player easily out performs many of the newer units friends of mine have purchased.

Strengths:
Flawless perfomance since the purchase date to present.

Weaknesses:
No DTS output but most DVDs are in Dolby Digital anyway. Unit is physically massive, sticks out from my stereo stand, it's deeper then my reciever!

Similar Products Used:
Sony STR-DB930 Receiver Sony MDS-JB920 Mini Disc Deck Sony SEQ-411 Graphic EQ Energy C-3 Bookshelf Speakers Energy S10.2 Subwoofer Sony surround/centre speakers (replacing these someday they were

Price Paid:  $729.00 from The Brick

Summary:
This player is simply amazing. It has definetly stood the test of time over and over again. The whole family uses it and over 1000 dvd's have been popped into the tray. A real brute. Way to go Sony!

Strengths:
Excellent DD5.1 and displays amazing video quality

Weaknesses:
No DTS or component video {oh well!}

Price Paid:  $500.00 from Whole Earth

Summary:
Good bye old friend! After five years of faithful and flawless use I'm retiring my Sony DVD 3000 for a Denon 3800 with video component outputs. I'm glad I got the "little brother" of the then 1997 DVD Benchmark Sony DVD 7000 because I got all the top of the line qualities for hundreds of dollars less. This unit NEVER choked on any DVD or CD I've fed it over five years of contineous use (avg 2-3 movies/week). The picture through the S Video is outstanding with good color and details. The DVD sound through my Denon AVR 3800 with coaxial Harmonic Technology's Copper Cable has always been very good. (Slightly better than the fiber optic.) While great for movies, it was merely adequate" for music. The D/A converters produced music that didn't have "depth" and was "cold". An audphile quality CD player will demonstrate it's musical shortcomings. If you can find a well cared for used unit with no history of problems, I recommend it as a "Best Buy" second unit for direct TV hook up or a modest HT system with only S-Video connections. Yes, I would "bronze" this if I could and nominate it for the Audio/Video Hall of Fame if there is one. Good bye old faithful friend.

Strengths:
* Great DVD picture * Rock solid reliability * Outstanding movie sound * Outstanding value over time and use

Weaknesses:
* "Acceptable" sound for music only use * No DTS, HDCD, or video component output (before their advent).

Similar Products Used:
None

Price Paid:  $500.00 from Best Buy

Summary:
This is the best component I have ever purchased in my life. The video is superb. The audio for movies is incredible. And it has played every DVD, cd and cd-r I have in my collection, marvelously. The cd player, just like a previous reviewer stated is quite decent, but not audiophile quality. Though purchased in 1997, I still hesitate to purchase a new DVD player. I have compared it to numerous Denon, Toshiba and other Sony players and still feel like it is on par if not better than these newer models. I wish it could read and pass DTS signals but it was released prior to the public introduction of DTS. I also wish that it had component video outs. Outside of these complaints, I love this player. Can you believe that it is still my primary DVD player in my system after 4-5 years? I'm willing to bet that those who were fortunate enough to nab one of these before Sony took them off the market would have a similar testimony. It is my baby, and even when I do upgrade DVD players one day, this will go on the mantle over the fireplace. Do they bronze DVD players?

Strengths:
Everything. Truly.

Weaknesses:
No DTS. No component video out.

Price Paid:  $500.00 from Best Buy

Summary:
This is the best component I have ever purchased in my life. The video is superb. The audio for movies is incredible. And it has played every DVD, cd and cd-r I have in my collection, marvelously. The cd player, just like a previous reviewer stated is quite decent, but not audiophile quality. Though purchased in 1997, I still hesitate to purchase a new DVD player. I have compared it to numerous Denon, Toshiba and other Sony players and still feel like it is on par if not better than these newer models. I wish it could read and pass DTS signals but it was released prior to the public introduction of DTS. I also wish that it had component video outs. Outside of these complaints, I love this player. Can you believe that it is still my primary DVD player in my system after 4-5 years? I'm willing to bet that those who were fortunate enough to nab one of these before Sony took them off the market would have a similar testimony. It is my baby, and even when I do upgrade DVD players one day, this will go on the mantle over the fireplace. Do they bronze DVD players?

Strengths:
Everything. Truly.

Weaknesses:
No DTS. No component video out.