Stupid Consumer Grade Junk

[avkid]

I'd say get both, if you can. Just don't get whatever's cheapest...

Umm...no.
Blu-Ray plays DVD's and CD's in addition to Blu-Ray media.

 

[Anvilx]

So can anyone recommend a good DVD player or should I buy a DVD drive for the computer?

Forget the drives. If you want a robust solution convert the media to a digital format and store it on a ssd.

 

[GreyWyvern]

Okay, I am going to throw in my two cents on something that bugs me.

Cheap means low or poor quality.

Inexpensive means low cost.

It is possible to buy an item that is inexpensive and high quality, or expensive and cheap, or even inexpensive and cheap.

/rant

 

[SHARYNF]

Just because it is expensive does not mean it is even different than the inexpensive offering

Blu-ray Maker Re-Boxes $500 Player, Charges $3,500 | Gadget Lab | Wired.com

Badge engineering has been going on for a long time

Sharyn

 

[photoatdv]

Interestingly enough, one of their biggest complain about the Lexicon/Oppo was the boost above 20k. Since most people can only hear to 17-18k, that doesn't seem like too big of a deal.

 

[Lotos]

So can anyone recommend a good DVD player or should I buy a DVD drive for the computer?

Figure out how much you're willing to spend... Then find a DVD/Blue-Ray/Whatever player for half that price, and buy two.
Make sure both are hooked up and ready to go, and you're able to switch at a moments notice.

You now have a backup. Just remember to make copies of anything you plan to use as media in case the original is eaten, scratched, trashed, whatever.

 

[museav]

Don't buy a DVD player now, it's far too late in the game.

Get a BluRay disc player.

And in less than 12 months you either have to upgrade all your video system to be HDCP compliant and accept the digital outputs of the player or else be limited to 480i SD resolution. And at the end of 2013 the analog outputs will stop working at all. As I understand it, these 'digital sunset' constraints are part of the Blu-Ray spec and would be applicable to any Blu-Ray players currently being sold.

This is indicative of some of the challenges with consumer products and technologies as many of them were never developed with professional applications in mind. And DRM adds a whole new wrinkle to that. I also think that consumer products are now often driven more by the ability to keep up with the latest and greatest technology and buzzwords rather than by durability and reliability. People now seem to almost expect to replace electronics every few years in order to stay up with current technology rather than expecting to buy an electronics product and use it for many years.

I always suggest checking the warranty, you'll find that many consumer product warranties specifically exclude 'commercial' or 'industrial' use, basically anything other than residential use. That not only means you may have no warranty but it is also a pretty good indication that the product was not designed to withstand the rigors expected with professional use.