Apex Digital AD-5131 DVD Player

Pros: Improved from the 703, still low price and versatility
Cons: Some glitch with the control

In my review of APEX AD-703 (ht tp://www.epinions.com/content_ 28972519044), I have stated why I like the APEX boxes. They are versatile, and affordable. After using my 703 for 3 weeks, I found one series of VCD ...

Pros: Kareoke capability, 3 disc changer, Reads: MP3, VCD,DVD, Software EQ
Cons: Haven't found one yet!

I have owned my DVD player ( Apex AD-5131) for over six months now and have had no problems yet. It is reliable and reads clean CD/DVD's well.

The Remote Control:

The remote to the Apex DVD has tons of buttons on it. This model...

Pros: Price, insane number of features, and plays virtually anything
Cons: cheaply made, unreliable JUNK!

(UPDATE AT THE END OF THE ORIGINAL REVIEW)

My old DVD player went on the fritz so I wanted a cheap replacement as I'm on a semi-tight budget. I had purchased Apex's 1201 model and returned two of them for weird defects...the first one...

Pros: Inexpensive, mp3 compatible, 3-disc changer, plays raw mpeg and jpg files
Cons: Limited range on remote, large, poor company history

I bought this unit in December 2001 from Sam's Club for $129.99. So far I am very pleased with unit. I have played standard retail DVDs on it, mpeg files burned from my PC, jpg files burned from my PC, and VCDs (Video CD's). It also has compatibility...

Pros: Many features for a low price
Cons: Questionable quality

ORIGINAL POST 2-21-02

I purchased the AD-703 and had problems from day 1, however since I only played about 8 DVD's in the first 6 months I owned it, I blamed the problem on Blockbuster rented DVD's. I began to use it more after Xmas and found...

Pros: inexpensive, play-while-change feature, plays any MPEG/JPG
Cons: reacts slowly on commands; glitches with SVCD?

I've tried quite a few DVD-players so far but I was slightly reluctant to get any of the APEX machines due to their faulty reputation. I have been really impressed so far with the one I've got.
DVDs: Sound quality is very good. No DVDs that I've...

Pros: Supported formats: MP3 audio, CD audio, MPEG Photo, VCD, SVCD and DVD video
Cons: First one died, slow to change discs - ignores disk change commands during INIT

I bought this primarily to play my own SVCD home movies (SVCD = Super Video CD - these are movies that can be burned onto a standard CD-R using a lower quality compression algorithm than traditional DVD. If you're interested, see www.vcdhelp.com).
...

Pros: Affordable, 3-disc capacity, lots of features, plays all media.
Cons: Large--not very streamlined, "old-fashioned" buttons, feels & looks "cheap."

We just received this as a gift and are satisfied so far. While the actual component looks and feels cheap (it's large & reminiscent of 80's-style electronics), it has a ton of features. I was able to hook it to my TV, VCR & Dish fairly easily. My TV...

Pros: Plays Practically Anything!! Sound And Picture Are Great, Value, 3 disc Capacity, Ton Of Features...
Cons: Not Sure Of Reputation, design is generic but it does the job excellent

Good:
I have had a Sony DVD player for years. Overall they make a good quality unit with all the basic features. In the past few months I have really gotten into MP3's and Downloading movies that are VCD format. The Sony player did nothing for me...

Pros: Alot of extras for a player in this price range!
Cons: That which seems too good to be true...

The Apex AD-5131 player was my first true dvd player, having
previously put up with the hit or miss compatability issues of the Playstation 2. When I saw the AD-5131 with a $90 price tag at a local retailer, naturally I picked it up. A 3-disc...

Pros: Greatest disc compatibility, superb features
Cons: Unreliable. Broke before 6 months of age

I bought this unit (AD-5131) in March 2003 from Circuit City. It worked fabulously until July (amaze ...

Pros: This player is all Pros! Can't get much better than this.
Cons: only con i can think of is that its not one of the popular brands

This would be my second Apex DVD Player purchase. My first was the AD-1200 Model, of which i have sold.

This model like many Apex models has many features, including being able to play media types most the name brand players aren't including...

Pros: none
Cons: terrible quality

I recently purchased one of these units. The first one I got refused to play DVD's. It would play anything else but DVD's. Nice feature for a DVD player.

I took it back to get a replacement, got the replacement home, and it would play...

Pros: MP3, Kodak picture discs, 3 disc tray, and karaoke. Optical output
Cons: difficult remote, slightly poor looks, only works when it wants too.

After lots of research I finally decided on the 5131 over the Panasonic 51 because of the karaoke and Kodak picture disc. I could not find and better deal than getting it at Circuit City for $180. Got $20 off later when it went on sale, but is now $130...

Pros: Inexpensive, great picture and sound.
Cons: A bit bulky.

I have only owned this unit for a few weeks and it is my first DVD player. Unfortunately my TV is about 7 years old and does not have an S-video input. However, it has played rented DVDs flawlessly and my CDs with the same quality as the Sony CD player...