Price and versatility

Build quality and controls (not a typical control layout)

This is a decent DVD deck, especially for the audio enthusiast and those interested in MP3s. I've found no operational glitches during the first 3 months of operation.

Nevertheless, I feel that for about the same money, others with higher build quality can be purchased for about the same amount of money. I just purchased a Panasonic DVD-RV30 for my sone for $206 at Best Buy, and Panasonic has a $50 rebate on purchases through January 31, 2001. So, final cost on the RV30 is $156. Although we are talking about small monetary differentials, the Panasonic is a much better unit than the Apex, both in terms of video quality and quality of construction (NOTE: The RV30 is built in Japan, if that matters to some).

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo, Panasonic

MP3 Playback, Video CD capability, DVD-Rom Replacement Posibilities, Macrovision Disable!

Skips, Slow to load, Ugly MP3 Playback screen, remote is terrible to navigate.

I purchased this unit shortly after apex replaced the code for the loopholes. However I did manage to copy a friends chip with the loopholes intact and put this chip in. I also took the time to put thermal paste on the heatsink so my unit wouldn't overheat. Also noticing that the DVD-Rom portion of this unit can be replaced by any EIDE Computer DVD-Rom drive was rather cool.
OVERALL: If your not looking for MP3 playback and you can afford something better then by all means DO NOT purchase an APEX!

Similar Products Used:

Any DVD player(minus mp3 playback)