i am going to buy my parents a DVD player for Christmas and I wanted some other people's advice. They won't need anything fancy, and the object is to stay between $100-$200 Canadian.

In my travels yesterday, I came across a couple of seemingly good options:

Panasonic S27
Philips DVP 642 (review)
Toshiba SD-3960

From the looks of the DVD Benchmark it appears to be one of the better performing players in the sub $200 category. My big question is, am I missing something obvious? Is there another player in that price range that I should be investigating? (keep in mind that it is for a gift for my parents so refurb, bargain online shopping and places that do not facilitate warranty - are pretty much out). Any and all suggestions welcome.

Scott:
I am in the same position (DVD player for the folks). I think that the Panasonic is the best buy right now for around $100 (suggested retail was around $200). The reviews are pretty good for this unit and I have always had good success with Technics/Panasonic.
Happy hunting,
Shaun

Hi Shaun,
I thought the Panny was a pretty good bet as well, but after looking at the latest Secrets Reviews of them, I've decided otherwise. They mentioned that the latest crop of "RP" DVD players were very poor quality (though like you, I've always had good luck with Panny/Technics brand).

According to Secrets, the Toshiba is the best player in the group (other than the older model RP62). However, they don't list every player available, and I thought their might be another decent option.

FWIW, I have and like the RP62, if you can still get your hands on one.

Scott, the AVS Forum (DVD Players) would be an excellent place to pick up some good direction.

thanks for the tips!

Zarak, RP62 is a great player. If someone knows where to find a new one, I'm all ears!

Ray, good idea. I checked out AVS, including all DVD threads for the past 20 days, and very little talk of budget DVD players. Lots of talk about Denon, Pioneer, etc. They probably scare people away from asking a question like that!

I had been feeling fairly confident in selecting the Toshiba 3960, but we just got the StupidStore flyer and they have the 3860 for $90 Cdn (apparently the older model same player). Looks pretty tough to beat, but unfortunately, no review on the DVD Benchmark.

Scott,
I am going to look at the Toshiba and Panasonic models tomorrow with purchasing in mind. My folks are only going to use the DVD player a couple of times per week so I am thinking either one will suffice? My local store (London Drugs) has both models on sale for $110 CDN. If this was a DVD player upgrade for me I would be looking a little higher end. I'll let you know what I decide. Thanks for the tips guy's
Cheers,
Shaun

if your looking for a universal (dvd/cd/dvda/sacd) take a look at the pioneer 578-as. i just picked one up the other day for 129. it got good writeups but as i havent hooked up yet i cant give you any firsthand reviews

good call AshBroomstick. I had looked briefly @ the Pioneer models, however a couple of things led me away from them:

-slightly higher cost
-my parents don't really NEED a universal player
-slightly lower rating on the Secrets DVD Benchmark

all that being said, the 578 and the 563 did perform well and certainly seem to be one of the best "bargains" available for universal players. Thanks for the suggestion.

Scott