I've looked through the reviews on Amazon and cnet, and although it got a decent overall rating on both sites, there are some REALLY bad reviews on this player. So I was wondering what kind of experience people here have had with this unit.

I'm not that concerned about it losing memory, since my collection isn't that big, and I'll just keep a list on my computer.

BUT...there are some things I've read about it that REALLY bother me.

1: I've seen a few reviews claiming it scratches discs, some people claim it ruined their entire collection

2: Multiple comments about it having a lot of problems reading DVDs, including even SONY DVDs that came out this year with a new type of copy protection

3: Complaints about the unit, just breaking down, or not reading discs that it was able to play in the past (maybe related to #1?)

4: Someone claiming that the HDMI out can only be connected directly to a TV, and not to a HT receiver

5: Another claim that it will only up-convert when connected to a Sony TV

Anyone?

Come on there's not one person on this board who owns/ has owned this unit?

Grunzster, there's a monster thread on this unit here already:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=569321

I know it's sometimes daunting to look through all the post here, but the search can often help you find what you're looking for.

I have only had my unit for a few weeks, but I really like it. The unit definitely upconverts with my Philips TV. No problems with scratched discs or unreadable discs so far, although some people have claimed certain movies don't seem to play in the unit. There are a few flaws with the unit, like the automatic autoplay and some unintuitive/clunky menus, but overall it's still a great unit. Set up a Harmony remote to work with it and you'll have it rockin'.

If you live near a Sony outlet store, you can get a refurbished unit for a phenomenal price.

How do I access the CX995V with the remote to play a specific disc? I can see the Skip with +10 or +100, but there should be a way to go directly to a specifc slot, like the 386. I also find that less than 50% ot the DVD titles are read by the player - is that normal? Finally, is there any wisdom in upgrading the software?

I've owned this unit for about three or four years now and have had none of the problems you are concerned about.

How do I access the CX995V with the remote to play a specific disc? I can see the Skip with +10 or +100, but there should be a way to go directly to a specifc slot, like the 386. I also find that less than 50% ot the DVD titles are read by the player - is that normal? Finally, is there any wisdom in upgrading the software?
Yes your going to have to input the names of alot of titles manually.

To go direct to a disc. Slide the toggle to DVD:

press display button.
right arrow once.
enter the number DVD you want on number pad.
enter

hit display button to exit twice.

I never upgraded software.