Hi, I'm looking to find a certain type of DVD player for Christmas, and I'm going crazy trying to find what I'm looking for.

The TV is a regular standard definition with component and S-Video input. There is a surround system that uses toslink optical audio.

Now what I'm looking for is a region free DVD player around $100. Image quality is not a major concern, as this is not for the primary TV in the house. OPPO's need not apply.

Most players I see seem to have the usual S-Video and Component outputs, but I am baffled to see many of them do NOT have toslink outputs! Only more expensive ($170 and up) players seem to have this connector, but I'm not interested in the higher image quality they provide, just the region free capability and toslink connectivity. Paying nearly twice as much just to have a toslink connector doesn't make sense to me.

Maybe I just don't understand - are there cables that can go on one end from coaxial SPDIF to toslink optical on the other? I'm used to seeing toslink on even PlayStation 2 consoles, so I'm kind of thrown off by players missing out on that.

Sorry for the long message for something so simple - any advice on what I can do? Are there maybe sub $100 players with toslink that you can manually convert to region free?

If this is not for a gift, consider something like a good condition, used Denon 2200 or 2900 from Videogon. It can be made region free with firmware, will output NTSC and PAL, and has both styles of digital connections. Oh, and it's better than most of the units made today that pass for a DVD player.

Thanks for your quick reply!

Well people never know what to get for me, so I'm always asked to suggest gifts I want. I honestly thought I could just ask for a DVD player, I didn't think I would have this tough of a time picking one out to ask for.

Buying used is a great idea, but I'm having a hard time finding those players, except for two 2900s on ebay (none on videogon), which seem to be going for over $125 (with bidding not finished). One has a Buy It Now of $250! Doesn't seem like a good idea for what I'm after.

But it sounds like a lot of players can be made region free. I could get access to an old Pioneer DV 525 which has all the connectors I want. Is it possible to make this region free?

You could buy a Phillips 5990 which has 1080p HDMI, component, Svideo, and composite with DivX, USB2.0, region free via remote codes (easy to do) and buy a Coaxial to Toslink converter here for $14 shipped:http://www.monoprice.com/products/search.asp?keyword=2947 http://images.monoprice.com/productlargeimages/29471.jpg

That's fantastic. Thanks, I didn't know those converters existed. That pretty much takes care of my audio problem.

However, I was looking at the Philips 5990 (which looks good), and there seem to be concerns about its reliability (not too concerned, since it seems in regards to its HDMI connector, which I won't be using). I read reviews saying the 5982 is more reliable, but then reviews for the 5982 say it has a problem reading discs after about a year.

Video quality is not a big issue, but reliability is. Is this something I should be wary of from these models? I'm used to DVD players lasting forever and never dying on me.

There are a number of Philips players available that meet all these requirements.
I recently got one from 6ave for $45 shipped.

Are you talking about the Philips DVP3982? (http://www.6ave.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=PHLDVP3982)
This looks about the same, but again I'm seeing mention of it having some disc reading problems.

I'm happy with the features of these Philips players, but it is bothering me how each model tends to get people bringing up reliability problems. Or are these accusations unfounded?

Are you talking about the Philips DVP3982? (http://www.6ave.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=PHLDVP3982)
This looks about the same, but again I'm seeing mention of it having some disc reading problems.

I'm happy with the features of these Philips players, but it is bothering me how each model tends to get people bringing up reliability problems. Or are these accusations unfounded?

I don't know how much you can expect from a sub-$50 universal player. But it's a steal for the list of features. FWIW, most "disc-reading" issues are user-generated.

They are definitely steals for their price. The prevailing rationale seems to be 'Buying two Philips players that break is the same as buying one of another brand'.

However, this is a Christmas present. I would rather get a $100 (or even a little above) player that lasts, rather than getting a free $50 player as a gift that I have to replace for another $50 one two years later! ;)

But it seems players like the Sony players don't do region free, so I might not have a choice.

EDIT - And good point about user error for disc reads. I take care of my discs and never have read problems, but I have seen other people not take care of their discs and get problems.

Yeah, region free is tough to find in Pioneer, Sony, or even Toshiba. You have to stick to the Chinese players or Phillips for region free.

You could try the Toshiba XD-E500. It is below US$100, it includes the toslink output and it is region free after apply the appropriate hack.


Marcos

Q.J.A

in your situation, a 1 or 2 year extended warranty that offers in-store exchange might be a good way to go.

Thanks mtavares, the Toshiba looks perfect. I'm not seeing any complaints of reliability (in fact, quite the opposite, with a review entitled "Reliability is the Forte of the ‘Toshiba XD-E500" from one site).

However, a lot of reviews are also recommending the Oppo 980H as a better deal than the Toshiba, despite being a bit more money. I had previously avoided it for being too expensive - but they say it has built in multichannel analog outputs, so does this mean you don't need a receiver/dolby decoder? (my surround speakers use analog 1/8" mini plugs) That's a fantastic deal for me, since I have been planning on buying a new decoder anyway. I'm going to call Oppo today and ask them about this.

Either way, it looks like the Toshiba vs the 980H.

Sorry for the side tangent there, I had no idea how in over my head I was with researching DVD players :).

Thanks mtavares, the Toshiba looks perfect. I'm not seeing any complaints of reliability (in fact, quite the opposite, with a review entitled "Reliability is the Forte of the ‘Toshiba XD-E500" from one site).

However, a lot of reviews are also recommending the Oppo 980H as a better deal than the Toshiba, despite being a bit more money. I had previously avoided it for being too expensive - but they say it has built in multichannel analog outputs, so does this mean you don't need a receiver/dolby decoder? (my surround speakers use analog 1/8" mini plugs) That's a fantastic deal for me, since I have been planning on buying a new decoder anyway. I'm going to call Oppo today and ask them about this.

Either way, it looks like the Toshiba vs the 980H.

Sorry for the side tangent there, I had no idea how in over my head I was with researching DVD players :).

The 980 cannot act as a pre-amp, meaning you will have no volume control among other things. If your speakers have a level control, that's a possibility.
The 980 manual is available for download. It will offer very basic downmix and DD decoding, no DTS decoding.

I see. The analog outs are more for playback of SACDs and DVD Audio through a receiver. And no DTS decoding is a downgrade for me, so it's not quite the bargain I thought. A bargain is a lower price, not a higher priced item with a few extra features (at least in my case). I feel confident in my decision now.

Thank you everyone for your help, I feel I'm making a much more educated decision than I would have a few days ago.

What about a Pioneer DV-410V? You can find it for $99 at A....N :)

I imagine this would be better than any 2 Philips players.

If this is not for a gift, consider something like a good condition, used Denon 2200 or 2900 from Videogon. It can be made region free with firmware, will output NTSC and PAL, and has both styles of digital connections. Oh, and it's better than most of the units made today that pass for a DVD player.

I have a Denon 2200 and was not aware that it could be made region free. Could you provide instructions or a link on how to do it?

http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks?dvdplayer=denon+2200&hits=50&Search=Search

http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks?dvdplayer=denon+2200&hits=50&Search=Search

I appreciate the link...I only see a file in .nrg (Nero) format. If I don't have Nero, any thoughts on how I can burn a disc image?

I appreciate the link...I only see a file in .nrg (Nero) format. If I don't have Nero, any thoughts on how I can burn a disc image?

I was able to google multiple free programs to do the conversion. I burned the .iso and everything seems to have gone well. The hacked firmware changed my TV type to multi, but everything seems to be OK after changing it back to NTSC. Thanks for the help!