Sanyo DWM-390 DVD Player

Pros: Low cost. Better than average performance.
Cons: Clumsy, slow tray loading. Questionable durability.

I purchased the Sanyo DWM-390 at Wal-Mart in the Summer of 2003. At the time I paid approximately $75 before tax. Although I'm what many would call a neurotic audiophile, I'm really not into home theater. With this being said, I really can't say that the Sanyo could compete with the "high end" DVD decks made by NAD, Rotel, or Marantz, but it suited my needs well. It was, in fact, my first DVD player, so I was impressed with the sharpness of the picture and the fluidity of the color patterns as compared to my VCR.
Unfortunately, after about 10 months of use the color went out. Everything else continued to work---I just had a black/white picture. Considering that any repair would be around $50 and that would be ridiculous for a $75 machine, I opted to pitch this one. Within 3 months of buying this one Sanyo replaced it with the larger 395. A few more months later, the 395 was replaced with the 400.