I know about the philips 642 and the new ones (5410 I think). and I've been reading about the LG and a few others. but I trust y'all. I've read some bad things about the 642 and the 5410 doesn't have svideo etc. I've been reading up and finding lots of different info. a little too much info ;) now I'm confused. some seem not to play xvid well etc. basically I've found way too much info and it's made it real hard to make a decision. just want something that will play ANY xvid,dvix etc. PAL would be nice but my chepo cyberhome plays them great and I'm keeping it.
Hey, your best bet for finding an "all in wonder" video player is to march yourself down to the pawnshop and buy yourself a used xbox (~$100). Hop online and find a cheap modchip (~$20 usd) then install xbox media center. It's kind of a long process and requires a little tech knowledge but you'll end up with a player that can run any video format you've ever dreamed. I must add that I do not condone using your modified machine for warez, etc. but it is perfectly legal to do as an entertainment center. And if you splurge for a bigger hard drive you can store all your live concert material in a single compact accessible space. The best part is you can do the works for under $200 usd.
went with the philips 5410. has played everything I throw at. plays xvid's great. $55 at walmart.
vintage bump..
i have a co worker who needs a new DVD player that does PAL playback (via hack/setting/etc) that wont break the bank. he digs my oppo but thats just a few $$ out of his range.
Plays everything, but not Blu-Ray:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CF60R4/ref=oss_product