I just purchased this player as a first time DVD user, and I am more than pleased. The picture is perfect and the sound is amazing. For those who said that the video didn't play well, I am wondering if they tried hooking it in through a VCR, as that will mess up the picture (either no picture, or a picture that fades in and out). THIS IS EASILY REMEDIED. If you have an older TV, one with only a cable input and no video input jacks, you have to buy an RF Modulator (which the directions could have more clearly explained in my opinion), for about $30 at any (local store), in order to properly split the connection. This allows me full function of my two VCRs and my cable box along with the DVD player. The machine is easy to hook up, is lightweight and attractive, and works very well. The directions are a little unclear, but it is a great "starter" machine, especially for the money. Read more
Like other reviewers here, I could care less about anything other than playing a movie. I got this because it can play any format I've put in it. CDR, CDRW, DVD, VCD, SVCD, MP3 - you name it, this thing plays it. We've had this one a few months, but other APEX machines we have are over a year old and still going strong. Picture quality is fine and we have one hooked up to a surround sound system on which it has performed flawlessly. The price is certainly right, too. Read more
...Just got my AD-1500 from Amazon; it is very versatile. Plays my home burned SVCDs and MP3s well(make sure the MP3s are not VBR). Also, if the serial nr of your AD-1500 begins with A, B, C, or D, you can flash the unit with a free program (check the net), and remove the Region and Macrovision stuff from the unit. This means it will then play any Region DVDs AND record DVD on VHS tape for personal use... Read more
Unfortunately, the player had technical issues initially when opening the DVD/CD bay. I would not recommend this item. It does not play latest DVDs...and it has issues with some VCD formats. Read more
This player stopped working after 6 months. I sent it off to be repaired for a fee that was about 2/3 of the purchase price and I believe they sent a me new one. The new one didn't last much longer and I replaced it with a Sony around 2004. I still have the Sony and it has always worked. Read more
I bought this simply because I'd read it could play region 2 DVDs (that is, DVDs from UK; actually, it plays any DVD from anywhere unlike normal DVDs which are tied to the country of origin). It does. But it's a clunky piece of equipment and I would not recommend it unless you need this feature. To 'get' the feature, you have to download firmware from the web, burn the firmware to a CD, then load the CD into the unit (search google for Apex AD 1500 region firmware). Once you've done that, it becomes a 'region free' DVD player (it also defeates macrovision, which means you can play the DVD through a VCR, which most DVD players cannot). Otherwise, buy a more popular, well known brand. The picture quality is only so-so and it just looks like it was made extremely cheaply. But, I'm ordering another one right now so I have a backup, since I really need to be able to play region 2/PAL dvds, which almost no other (cheap) player does! Note that there is no guarantee that the above technique will work, and you are absolutely voiding your warranty! Some models have a serial number that is known NOT to work. Note also - I bought the Apex model 3201 from Amazon as well, and it too is 'region free' - without having to mess with firmware. BUT - the quality of that player is poor (locks up playing well known DVDs) and it's PAL->NTSC conversion looks decidedly worse than that of the 1500. Read more
I bought this player after an expensive player I owned stopped working. This player actually plays better than my expesive one did. It plays everything I throw at it. I had planned on buying it until I got a better one, but I don't see a need to get a better one. When you first open the tray on the player, you may have to press in on the tray hard until you here a click. You only have to do this the first time. The only reason I gave it a 4 instead of a 5 is the remote control. It's too small and not as convinent to use as my old one was. Also, you have to get up and turn the dvd player off by hand to get the red light to go off on the player. The remote just partly shuts it off. I would say if you don't want to spend a lot of money, but want a good player, this is the one. It is the best model of the Apex players. Read more
I consider DVD to still be an emerging technology so I was not willing to spend a lot of money on a high tech DVD player that will be out-of-date in a year. After having purchased this one and playing quite a few DVD's I am happy to say I am very satisfied. I'm not into fancy sound setups or expensive TVs, so maybe this DVD player wouldn't work on a high-tech setup, but from my standpoint this DVD player is great on every DVD I have played from The Matrix, Enemy at the Gates, Nightmare Before Christmas. Read more
