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Apex AD-3201 DVD Player

Apex AD-3201 DVD Player

List Price: $149.95
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Nice picture but very poor quality
Review: I bought this for one reason only - my friend told me it could be made 'region free' without even having to mess with changing the firmware. This is true - there is a 'trick' you use on the remote control that turns off region locking. Very cool. I bought it and was immediately playing my DVDs from the UK (PAL/Region 2) on my standard US TV (NTSC).

But - this player locks up when playing Apollo 13 (at 44:02, precisely!). Search on the web for this player, and you'll see forums that list lots of movies that all fail. I downloaded patches and applied them but the problem remained. Other than the lockup, it has great image quality! The lockup is severe - must power down the unit!

This unit has very nice features for the price - dedicated r,g,b outputs, optical audio, coax audio, etc - but, the lockups on mainstream movies tell me it's just not worth it.

I was able to watch my UK DVDs but the quality was not good - I noticed poor display quality when there was movement in the image. Searching around, I discovered this is due to the PAL->NTSC conversion that the unit is doing. Not too bad, but noticeable. I also bought the APEX 1500, and it does a better job of this for some reason, although the overall image quality of that unit is not as good.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Did you say GREAT!! I say... AWESOME!!!
Review: I bought this one as a gift for my parents, as they did not need all the frills that many of the much more expensive DVD players have. What I found was an excellent DVD Player. I have a Panasonic that I paid nearly . . . a lot more. . . for several years ago, and this one for less than 20% of that cost is nearly just as good!
I ended up getting one for myself for the bedroom.

I have played DVD's, CD's and even MP3's on this with NO PROBLEMS! APEX has taken DVD players and made them affordable for everyone!

Although the Remote is very loaded with small buttons, you quickly get the feel for it and get to know where the key buttons are and can operate it in a dark room.

I HIGHLY recommend this DVD player for everyone!!!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: I just ordered one
Review: I compared 6 DVD players (...) The Apex had more features then most (including the...sony) and is compatable with the most CD formats. I am buying this as a gift for two young kids....Ill let you know how it holds up.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: To "An Electronics Fan" and others shopping 'cheap'
Review: I couldn't let this slide. In your review, you comment, "I would recomend it to anyone who is living on a budget, but needs a DVD player." I would contend that nobody NEEDS a DVD player, especially someone on a budget. It's great to be frugal, but that means getting value in return for the money spent. Based upon other reviews, it appears that the money saved compared to other models in the price range is not worth it. That's probably why a local grocery warehouse store is selling this same model.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: excellent dvd for the price and features.
Review: i had it over a year now. it plays mp3s, v-cds, cdrw, etc...
it even has 20x speed, 3d sound, a 5 band stereo eq, and zooming.

i have yet to experience any problems playing various dvds and music cds.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: THis isn't a review, but a question.
Review: I have been researching several DVD/MP3/NTSC/PAL players, and I am not sure what the use is for the PAL format? Does one need a PAL TV or will a converter handle this. AND how will I know if my TV can handle PAL conversion or the converter.

If anyone can respond, much appreciated. Just don't understand the use for PAL being that it is overseas, mainly Europe used.

thanks!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Apex DVD Player - Entry Level Unit
Review: I own an Apex unit, and while it serves it's purpose, it is lacking in a few departments. It has a zoom function, which works well enough, and an internal volume control which is also handy.
A few issues though: The RCA audio output level is relativly low, meaning you need to crank your receiver up pretty high. There is also a small glitch with the subtitles; after using the pause/rewind/fast-forward functions, the subtitles automatically turn on. (A minor glitch, but can be a real pain.)
The unit will play MP3s, but only if they were burned on a recordable MUSIC CDRom, NOT a data CDRom.
It's a great entry level unit, if you're not looking for a pro-level consumer unit.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: smells fishy
Review: I purchased this DVD player as a gift for my fiance last Christmas and it has been nothing but trouble. About 3 months after I purchased it, it started skipping and pausing on brand new DVDs. One day I was watching a movie and a loud popping noise came from the player. I went in for a closer look, opened the door and was greeted by an unpleasant fishy smell. The player has popped a few times since, still smells like fish, skips, pauses, and has red lines across the display that make it impossible to read. I guess you get what you pay for. I learned my lesson.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good, but not Great
Review: I purchased this player for my father's birthday. It was simple to connect, and played most discs well, but we found that longer movies, such as The Godfather, didn't play as well towards the end, as they began to skip. Upon removal of the disc, it was very warm, which I have been told, is not the norm for DVDs. All in all, it is a good player for the money, and I would recomend it to anyone who is living on a budget, but needs a DVD player.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Superb for PAL and VCR taping; poor on reliability
Review: I purchased two (2) units based on the fact that they can easily be reprogrammed to disable both region encoding and Macrovision. This enables me to play PAL encoded discs that I purchase overseas. I can also make tape copies on a VCR for use in the car without worrying about Macrovision copy-protection. However, one of the two units failed within a few days. Getting anything resembling tech "support" from Apex was next to impossible. ... I finally returned the defective unit to Amazon and ordered a new one. Of course, if it occurs again after the warranty period has expired, I guess I'll just trash it. Functionally, it is an excellent unit that I am very satisfied with. However, from a reliability and tech support standpoint, it probably rates a minus one. ..


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