Creekers Have Good Opinions

[Carl Eyman]

So while this is way off topic I am going to ask opinions here. I have a VHS playwe, of course, but not a DVD. My wife and I never watch movies at home - seldom watch television. But I have a DVD and don't have anything to play it on. I bought Franz Klaus's cutting dovetails DVD thinking I could play it on my computer. but alas not so. MY Question, finally, is what is the cheapest way to get the capability to play DVDs? I go to Walmart and they have combination DVD/tape players for $250. They've got cheaper ones too, I guess. If I go to e-bay what should I look for by way of specs?

[Scott Coffelt]

For what little it sounds like you'll use it. Go to Best Buy and buy an enter level one. They often have them for about $40. Other places offer similar models, maybe even Wally World.

I have 4 in my house, the first one is a really expensive one that is only used with the Home Theatre. I have stepped down in price based on usage. The cheapest was a CyberHome that I paid $30 for. Works just fine will even play MP3's. If it breaks, still cheaper to buy another than have my expensive one fixed. You can also add a DVD drive to your PC, but it will cost you more and you will be tied to the PC to watch it.

Just my 2 cents

On Amazon if you go to bargain syou can find them from about $40.

[Tim Morton]

Apex is generally the name to look at when buying "the cheapest" dvd player. in the world of table saws it would be the cheapest plastic "skil" branded saw you can imagine...why not go a little up in price from the $40 dollars it would cost you and get something you might enjoy using. You can buy progressive scan dvd players at the local "warehouse" store for around $100 bucks and that gets you into the low=end delta contractor saw range..HTH!! :D

[Teresa Jones]

Carl,

I've seen them at Best Buys for as little as $29. I was amazed at much the price of the DVD recorders have come down, too.

TJ

[Fred Chan]

I've got an expensive Pioneer DVD and the el cheapo Apex. If all you want to do is watch the occasional DVD on TV then get the Apex. I don't notice much difference in picture quality between the two and it plays MP3s too.:)

[Jim Becker]

Yea, DVD players are really reasonably priced these days, even for the progressive scan units. And once you have one...NetFlix will get you watching movies, too! <G> And a nice subscription to Woodworking at Home isn't a bad idea, either...(Isn't is nice how your SMC friends take such pleasure in spending all your money?? ;) )

[Stefan Antwarg]

Usually I don't recommend getting an el cheapo player. But if you don't watch movies and only want to watch the occasional woodworking dvd (which is typically made much lower quality than a hollywood film), then why not just get a cheap one. I have a very nice dvd player (denon 1600) for my home theater and bought the cyberhome for 30 or 40 bucks for the bedroom. The remote stopped working after only a few uses and a new battery didn't fix it. At this time, the company doesn't sell a replacement. So you have to deal with the possibility of those types of problems. But if you splurge and get something in the very loww 100's, you will probably have something that will last you as long as you need.

Stefan

PS - NO PANASONIC!

[Doug Shepard]

If you're primarily only going to use it for occasional WW DVD's you might want to consider one of those stand-alone portable DVD players with a screen. Might be a bit more money than the $40 cheapos, but you dont need a TV to hook to it and could cart it into the shop for viewing while you attempt to follow along.

[Mike Cutler]

Carl. I have a question, but along a different line. Why won't your computer play the Frank Klausz DVD on the computer?
I was 43yrs old before I bought my first TV. It sits in the basement and I only use it when I ride my bike in the basement, in the winter. It has a $40.00 Apex DVD player that works fine.It's never actually had the cable connected to it, that's for the computer.
My computer however is a different story. I have an Apple Dual 2.0, G5 with the 23" cinema display. It has an internal and external DVD connected to it, a VCR and the sattelite dish reciever( Only for Hockey Games tho' :( )
If your computer has a FireWire 400 or 800 input, or USB 2.0 It can very easily be setup to waych DVD's via an external drive. There are also video adapters to recieve an S-video, VCR, NTSC/PAL input, DVD players, and even the TV to allow your computer to be utilized as a "Viewing Monitor"
I hope this post gives you a few more option that may be helpful. It sounded like you wanted to use your computer. Hope I didin't ramble too much.

[Charles McKinley]

Hi Carl,

I have the cheapo Apex. You will love DVD. You can slow it down or even stop it and still be able to see the picture clearly. You can also zoom in to get a better view.

[Carl Eyman]

Great ideas from all sides. Well, after due consideration I gought a $39.95 Norcent (made in China) job that works fine. and I think will play thru a 12" color TV I have in the attic and will be bringing to the shop. Thus I'll be able to play woodworking DVDs in the shop. It looks like my problem is solved and for a modest expenditure. Thank you all for your help. I told you Creekers have good ideas.