Anyone looking to purchase a new DVD player knows that the market is full of different brands and models to choose from. This can make it difficult to make sure you are getting the best deal for your money. Taking the issues of quality, how easy the DVD player is to use, and the cost we have complied a list of the top DVD players for you to consider. There are a few other things you need to take a close look at as for.

Anyone who has HDTV should purchase an upconverting DVD player so that the resolution of what you are viewing will be enhanced. It is important to understand that this is a different concept than DVD players that play HD DVD’s. Our research found that the OPPO DV-970HD was the best type in this category.

It retails for about $150. Unfortunately many consumers classify it as a cheaper model and pass it up for a more expensive one. Those that are up to three times the cost don’t out perform this model though so save yourself some money. They also have an upgrade called the OPPO DV-981HD that has a few addition features and retails for $229.

The best in its class (OPPO DV-970HD)

There are plenty of good extras with the OPPO DV-970HD as well. With the USB port you can play video from a flash drive. It also offers a 4 in1 carder reader you can use with a memory card to display your photos. It also includes the HDMI cable that most manufacturers make you purchase separately.

Sony also offers a good upconverting DVD player with the DVP-NS75H. It retails for $115 but you have to buy the HDMI cord separately and on average they are $60. It offers great quality but it lacks the memory card feature so if that is important to you skip it for the OPPO brand.

Sony also tops the list for a basic DVD player which is a good choice if you don’t have HDTV and don’t intend to get it. The Sony DVP-NS55P/S is one of the easiest DVD systems to use and to program. It also offers excellent quality and it works with surround sound if you are set up for it. It is a basic system but you can use it to burn DVD’s and watch JPEG burned CD’s. It retails for around $70.

For those who are on a tight budget but want a good quality DVD player, the Phillips offers the DVP5960/37 which is a very basic system. It offers good quality though as well as the DivX playback capabilities. It can be found for under $50 at many retailers.

Many individuals love the convenience of a DVD player with a five disc holder. The best one of these models we came across is the Panasonic DVD-F87S that retails for $120. You can continue playing one DVD while you are changing the others. It will also switch from one DVD when it ends to the next automatically.

If the option of five discs just doesn’t do justice for you, consider the SONY DVP-CX995V. It can hold up to four hundred DVD’s at one time. It does take time for them to load though and that is the only problem found with it. This will cost you close to $400.

New to the market are HD DVD players but from what we found and what experts are reporting they aren’t a good investment. They are very expensive, around $500, and offer good quality. I suggest waiting it out for the price to significantly drop. You also want to see if the Blu-Ray becomes dominate as it may influence your decision.

From the previews and trailers from the film The Prestige, I really expected something quite different. This movie is adapted from a novel that was written by one of the very best comic book authors around, Christopher Priest. For the most part I rather enjoyed the movie due to the dark nature of many of the characters throughout it. The actors chosen for the film were perfect for their individual roles.

The setting for the movie is England during the Victorian period and it revolves around the world of professionals and the magic they perform on stage. Two emerging magicians end up at odds with each other and they go to great lengths to cause havoc for each other. These aren’t your simple everyday pranks though. Things go much further with espionage, disfigurement, and murder. I really don’t want to say too much about the details here because the movie is too suspenseful and I don’t want to ruin the experience for you.

I was somewhat disappointed though that I was able to figure out much of the movie before it was even half way over. It was also confusing at times with three different story lines going on. In the defense of the movie though they all feel together neatly at the end. I was disappointed though by the lack of magic used in the movie. I am really interested in that area and would have liked to see more insight to it. That would have made a nice bonus feature as well for the Blu-Ray.

I think the director, Christopher Nolan, did an excellent job of bringing the story from the novel to life with this film. The use of flashbacks, framing, and misleading the audience at times work very well. It flowed in a way that didn’t make the viewer stop and question the transition from one story back to the next. Many films end up being confusing when they try to use too many of these techniques but Nolan definitely has the knack for it.

The scenery for the movie was breathtaking. For anyone who hasn’t seen the movie on Blu-Ray you are really missing out. The Prestige DVD just doesn’t do justice to the Victorian Period or the beautiful mountains of Colorado. I was somewhat disappointed that the Blu-Ray Edition only offers two bonus features. I expected more due to the amount of buzz this movie created.

The first bonus is short, only about 20 minutes, but it is a good one for those who are a fan of Christopher Nolan. This is a short documentary from the director himself about the insight he had for the film. The second bonus offers beautiful art and a look at London England up close.

Overall, I think the Prestige Blu-Ray Edition is a must see film for anyone who likes a good puzzle to solve. There are many suspenseful scenes as well as soon gory action scenes that will have you peeking at the movie through your fingers. Things do move at a good pace so pay attention to what is taking place. You will likely want to watch it again to pick up on all the things you missed once you view the ending.

This is because the movie seems complicated somewhat as you watch it. Ironically though the movie is about professional magicians where everything is an illusion. You too will get the feeling that plenty you saw or didn’t see in the movie was noting more than illusions. As the line in early part of the movie says “Are you watching closely?”

The popular KVT-915DVD (Kenwood)

Many of them feature dual monitors so you can place them strategically in the vehicle to allow all the other passengers to enjoy the movie. Be very careful that you are buying a complete package with a car DVD player. Too many manufacturers only set pieces of the entire system and you will find it costs more than you budgeted to get all those other items purchased separately. Make sure you know what you are after in a car DVD player as well as any attachments you will have to buy separately. This will help you compare prices accurately.

You have the option with many car DVD players to place the audio through your car speakers or to have those viewing the movie use headphones. Panasonic offers a high quality car DVD system that is quite affordable with a price tag of $400. The CQ-VD6503U offers one of the largest screen sizes and excellent quality in regards to both the picture and the sound.

Pioneer offers the ultimate in car DVD players, but only if you have extra money to spend. The cost is over $1,000 for the AVIC-D3 in dash navigation system so you can watch movies and have the directions at your fingertips for any location you need. It also provides a full directory or restaurants, hospitals, banks, and ATM machines. If you travel often this might be a very valuable tool indeed.

If that is too pricey for you but you do enjoy the concept, consider the Pioneer AVH-5700DVD. It is a full multimedia system that supports many types of media including an iPod interface adapter. It also has a touch screen so it can easily be manipulated. It offers a basic navigation system satellite radio.

One of the best buys when it comes to car DVD players is the Kenwood Excelon KVT-915DVD. It has every feature you can possibly imagine yet it is also one of the easiest to use and set up. It also comes with a removable faceplate so you can protect it against theft. It also comes with a two year warranty for both parts and labor if you have it professionally installed. It retails for around $600.

While these complete multimedia DVD players for your car offer plenty of extras they do come with a hefty price tag. Many people are perfectly happy with a simple DVD player to have the children watch a movie on the Sunday drive to Grandma’s house. There are several good basic DVD players that only run a few hundred dollars.

Axion offers the AXN6079 with two color screens that are a full 7 inches. They are easy to install and over very good picture and sound quality. The average cost is $165. The Pyle PLTV74R is also very basic and it offers two screens as well. The cost is $150.

Since car DVD players are fairly new to the market you can be sure there will be plenty of new features and upgrades on the way. The cost of them will likely decrease over time as well. Having the best car DVD player may be out of the question right now due to the price but there are plenty of good ones that won’t leave you penniless.

The Power DVD 7.0 DVD Media Player is an excellent product to invest your money in. You will get a very clear and soft picture for all the DVD’s you view. The colors are very vibrant. It also has self adjusting color and contrast capabilities so it can adjust for the particular DVD you are viewing. This definitely takes the guess work out of it on your end. In addition the DVD will automatically be sized for your monitor screen. This means those annoying black lines at the top and bottom of the screen will be eliminated.

The audio quality of the Power DVD 7.0 DVD Media Player can’t be beat. You have the ability to adjust the sound from each speaker giving you complete control of the overall effect. The updates that have been introduced with this version mean you will have more distinction with the audio. The concept is referred to as Virtual Surround Sound and it means you will feel like you are sitting in a movie theatre. You can use from one to eight speakers for your listening pleasure.

It can be used with all the different formats of Windows software. All you have to do to set it up is enter your name and the key code from the CD. Once you select the default directory to save the download in you can install it in a matter of minutes. It is quite simple to set up shortcuts so you can access movies directly from your hard drive. You can program commands into they keys on your computer as well. This will make it much easier to play, stop, rewind, fast forward, pause, and search through the DVD’s you want to view.

They offer an amazing support system that can help you resolve any issues. There is a help section as well as online help you can access. The contents of the help sections are broken down into sections so you can quickly find what you are looking for. This is available 24/7 at no charge.

It can be quite a let down to not be able to finish the movie because your battery ran down. The Power DVD 7.0 DVD Media Player offers a solution. You can watch a DVD in battery mode to save power. The amount of life it has left will be balanced so you will be able to watch the entire movie. If you need to save a set amount of power then you can pre set it to turn the DVD off when that much is on reserve.

One issue that has been a problem with DVD media players in the past is the issue of subtitles. This particular device resolves the issue. It is easy to turn on the subtitle option. It is moved to the black bars the bottom of the screen. Most other DVD media players have it on the actual screen making it hard to read and distracting.  This new location makes it much easier to read so you can still focus on the movie.

If you are looking for a product to offer you a complete quality DVD viewing option, this is it. The Power DVD 7,0 DVD Media Player offers you everything you need at a low price and it is very simple to set up and operate.

The Power DVD 7.0 DVD Media Player is offered in two packages. The standard model costs approximately $49.95 with the deluxe version being $69.95. The deluxe package offers more coding options and a power saving mode. Since the deluxe model isn’t very much more it is recommended you choose it if you plan to watch a great deal of DVD’s on it.

AUGUST
Announcements of Blu-ray Releases

Twentieth Century Fox
First wave of BD releases: Behind Enemy Lines, Fantastic Four, Kingdom of Heaven (Director's Cut), Kiss of the Dragon, The Omen (666), The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Speed and The Transporter.

MGM
Fourth Quarter Blu-ray Releases
For release on November 28, 2006:  Bryan Singer's thriller “Usual Suspects” (day-and-date with special edition DVD) and Nicholas Cage’s action/war film, “Windtalkers”.

Paramount
First and Second Wave of Blu-ray Releases
First wave releases: Tomb Raider, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Four Brothers and Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow. Second wave releases: U2: Rattle and Hum, Aeon Flux and The Italian Job (October 10, 2006).

200GB Capacity Blu-ray Media is developed by TDK
Bruce Youmans, TDK Vice President of Product Research & Development, says: "The ultra-ambitious technology roadmap for Blu-ray has now been confirmed as realistic, with landmarks such as this proving the long term value of the format against its rivals.

Blu-ray Disc Association Board of Directors is joined by Sun Microsystems
"Sun's announcement today is another example of the tremendous support for Blu-ray Disc," says Victor Matsuda, Vice/President/Chair, Blu-ray Disc Association's Global Promotion Committee, Sony Corporation of America. "Sun has already played a key role in the powerful new interactive features that set Blu-ray apart, and we look forward to working with them as we bring this revolutionary new disc format to consumers."

50GB Dual-Layer Blu-ray Media is now being shipped by Sony
"The arrival of 50GB Blu-ray Disc media is an important milestone in the evolution of this new format," says Mike Lucas, director of marketing for Sony Electronics' Media and Application Solutions Division. "The capacity represents more than four hours of HD quality video, at a 24Mbps transfer rate, allowing users to take full advantage of Sony's Blu-ray Disc burners and VAIO desktop and notebook computers."

JULY
Announcements of Blu-ray Releases

Disney and Buena Vista
Titles will include: Walt Disney Pictures' Dinosaur and Eight Below; Miramax Films' Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and The Great Raid.

Warner
Warner Home Video (WHV) announces the launch of its first titles in the Blu-ray format on August 1, 2006.

JUNE

Industry's First Blu-ray Player launched by Samsung
Samsung announces the shipping of the industry's first Blu-ray player to US market retailers for availability on June 25th. Via a native 1080p HDMI output for films mastered digitally in 1920×1080p, the Samsung BD-P1000 plays Blu-ray software titles at the highest resolution available.

MAY

BDR-101A Blu-ray Drive for PCs is shipped by Pioneer
"In order to serve our clients' needs at the highest level, we must anticipate their needs for uses of new media formats," says Randy Hudson, member of the DVD Association, and president and CEO of Broadness, a media service company which offers A/V media services, digital cinema media services, and online video and audio media delivery solutions. "The professional DVD production community has always counted on Pioneer to deliver technologies, products and support that allows us to exceed our clients' expectations."

Blu-ray Releases are moved back to June by Sony Pictures
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) president Benjamin Feingold says
"The majority of our retail base and hardware partners have requested that we reconsider this date to better coincide with the first commercially available Blu-ray-compatible hardware."

APRIL

Inkjet-Printable Blu-ray Media are announced by TDK and Primera
"Primera is pleased to partner with TDK to bring the first inkjet printable BD-R to market," says Mark D. Strobel, Primera Technology's vice president of sales and marketing. "TDK BD-R is the perfect solution for our customers who will be using high-capacity BD-R media for backup and archival, data storage, high-definition video and a host of other cutting-edge applications."

Blu-ray Drives for PCs in Japan are launched by Panasonic
Panasonic announces the company’s introduction of a half-height internal Blu-ray Disc (BD) drive for desktop computers in Japan (June 10, 2006). The LF-MB121JD BD drive is not only fully backwards compatible with DVD-ROM/DVD±R/DVD±RW/DVD-RAM as well as CD-ROM/CD-R/CD-RW, but it can read and write single-layer and dual-layer BDs.

Blu-ray Recordable and Rewriteable Media is shipped by TDK
TDK announces it has started shipping 25GB BD-R/BD-RE (recordable/rewriteable) media nationwide to retailers. This makes them the very first to market bare Blu-ray media.

Blu-ray Player launch is delayed until June by Samsung
Samsung delays US launch of their Blu-ray player, rescheduling from May 23 to June 25 to make time for complete compatibility testing with a number of Blu-ray test discs which will only be available to them from product manufacturers and content providers near the end of April.

MARCH

Availability and Pricing of Blu-ray Player is announced by Panasonic
"With the DMP-BD10, Panasonic proves its commitment to providing the best high-definition entertainment experience for the home," says Reid Sullivan, vice president, merchandising, Panasonic's entertainment group. "Our goal is to focus on the total solution for an uncompromised high-definition experience."

Availability and Pricing of Blu-ray Products is announced by Sony
Sony’s first Blu-ray Disc (BD) products debuts in the U.S. as well as suggested availability and pricing for the new products. The new products include: a stand-alone Blu-ray player, VAIO desktop and notebook computers, an aftermarket internal computer drive, and recordable/rewritable media

Announcement of PlayStation 3 Worldwide Launch in November 2006
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) announces its simultaneous worldwide launch of PlayStation 3 (PS3) in November 2006 in Japan, North America and Europe. PS3 puts together the final specifications of Blu-ray Disc (BD), which allows playback of Blu-ray software at a high bit rate.

FEBRUARY

Announcement of Titles for Blu-ray Launch by Lionsgate
Lionsgate, an independent filmed entertainment company, announces the release of 10 titles on the high-definition Blu-ray Disc (BD) which will coincide with the first commercially available BD players in stores

May Launch is Targeted by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) announces that they’re targeting May 23 as the availability date of the first wave of Blu-ray Disc (BD) titles in retail. This is set to coincide with Samsung’s launch of the first commercially available BD player, followed by BD players from Pioneer and Sony, as well as Sony’s BD compatible VAIO PC.

AACS (Advanced Access Content System) is available for Interim Licensing
"While next generation HD players are in final assembly, and movies are being mastered, the AACS architects are ensuring consumers can enjoy the HD picture, sound and robust portability potential of AACS without any further delays," says Richard Doherty, Research Director for the Envisioneering Group. "Much more than just HD movies, AACS delivers new consumer interactivity, portability and feature enhancement after purchase on a scale like no other consumer digital entertainment system can."

Pricing for Blu-ray Movies is announced by Sony
Catalog Blu-ray Disc (BD) titles will wholesale for $17.95, similar to the rate of DVDs in 1997 when they first hit the market. New-release BD movies will wholesale for $23.45, a premium of 15%-20% more than the charge of suppliers of new theatrical DVDs back then. Benjamin Feingold, president of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment says "From the retail perspective, this is going to be a hot product, and retailers will no doubt determine their own margin structure. We believe in a free market."

Bravo XR-Blu Disc Publisher is announced by Primera
Primera, the world's prime manufacturer/developer of automated CD/DVD duplication as well as printing equipment, announces its Bravo XR-Blu Disc Publisher. Bravo XR-Blu is the world's first automated burn and print device that displays a state of the art high-capacity Blu-ray recorder and media.

JANUARY

New Photos and CES 2006 Report
In Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2006, the world's biggest technology tradeshow, was held from January 5-8, 2006. The show displayed the newest Blu-ray players, recorders, writers, drives and media. Companies involved: BenQ, Dell, Hitachi, HP, InterVideo, LG, Mitsubishi, Nero, Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharp, Sonic, Sony, Ulead and Verbatim.

Format Specifications for the Blu-ray Disc are Completed
The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) announces the completion of format specifications and the start of licensing for BD-ROM, BD-R and BD-RE. "We are very pleased to announce this very important milestone for the Blu-ray Disc format," says Victor Matsuda, global chairman, Blu-ray Disc Association Promotions Committee. "The completion of these specifications is an important step in establishing Blu-ray Disc as the premiere next-generation optical disc format and provides manufacturers with the information they need to launch products beginning this Spring."

There are plenty of benefits to purchasing DVD player software including better color, better picture, and better sound. This is the perfect way to have the effect of watching a movie at the theatre on your personal computer. To make sure you get the most out of your purchase you need to look for DVD player software that offers a feature set, it is easy to set up and use, it offers you the best quality experience, and it offers full support both online and by phone.

The very best is offered by CyberLink called Power DVD. It offers everything you need from quality DVD player software and it can be purchased for less than $40. It also offers you the chance to hear very diverse audio sounds without upgrading your speakers. If you decide to use surround sound though you will get an even better sound.

This is also the most versatile DVD player software you will find on the market. The system adapts the video to format to the size of screen you have automatically. There won’t be any annoying black areas on your screen to distract what you are viewing.

WinDVD 8 by Intervideo is a good buy as well for about $55. There are some great upgrades with the latest version to assist you. The one most people are impressed with is the image gathering tools. The toolbar allows you to simply control all the different process for your DVD playing. Some people find that they aren’t able to open all the pieces from a file to view particular movies though.

Direct DVD by Orion Studios offers great tools to help you set up your playback and to start particular chapters of the movie with the click of a button. This is one of the harder DVD player software programs to set up but it does offer excellent overall quality. For security reasons you have to register the software with a password and validation code.

This particular DVD player software works very well with DVD’s but it doesn’t seem to do well with playing anything from the hard drive. It also has a hard time recognizing some copies of DVD’s but seems to do fine with the originals. It retails for $50.00.

CinePlayer by Sonic is also found for about $50. It uses less CPU than any of the other DVD player software programs on the market. They run at approximately 23% while the others run at a rate of at least 33%. This is a great benefit for those who are using the software on older computers. This is a very basic system that won’t offer you plenty of perks but it does allow you to play DVD’s without any trouble.

DVD X Player costs more than many of the other top DVD player software programs at about $70. It is worth it though because it is able to automatically detect and bypass region locks. For those of you who hate the FBI warnings on the copies you make this software also allows you to remove it with the click of the mouse. It also offers the best quality you can get with this type of software.

Almost all of the best DVD player software programs out there offer the things you should be looking for in one. They are also very comparable in price. To help you make your decision think about what types of DVD’s and other files you will be viewing on a regular basis. Make sure the DVD player software you choose fills those needs so you won’t be disappointed.