DVD players.(RATINGS)(Buyers guide)

As high-definition Blu-ray and HD DVD players come down in price, it's likely that many consumers will make the switch to a high-def player once the conflict between these two standards is resolved--or when more affordable "combo" players that support both formats become available. For now, though, you might be in the market for a progressive- scan DVD player, possibly the last such player you'll ever buy.

The good news is that fine standard DVD players are widely available, and at very attractive prices. All the players we tested are so-called "upconverting" models that, with the help of video processing, can change the 480i video on all DVDs to "quasi-HD" resolutions that more closely match the native resolution of an HDTV.

Most of the players in the Ratings produced very good or excellent picture quality in 480i (standard-definition) and 480p (progressive-scan) mode. Only the Sony earned excellent scores with both types of content. If you'll be using a DVD player with an HDTV, we recommend that you focus on those players with excellent 480p picture-quality scores. All the DVD players we tested were single-disc players except the Sony, which is a 400-disc DVD jukebox model. All tested models include an HDMI output and coaxial digital audio output.

Guide to the Ratings

Overall score is based mainly on picture quality and ease of use. Picture quality/480i indicates the sharpness and detail of images on regular TVs when the unit plays prerecorded standard DVDs at 480i resolution. Picture quality/480p indicates the sharpness and detail of images on EDTVs or HDTVs when the unit plays prerecorded standard DVDs at 480p resolution. Ease of use is our assessment of the user-friendliness of the remote control unit, console front panel, setup menu, and key playback functions, as well as the number of useful features included. Optical digital audio outputs are important if you plan to pipe digital audio signals--both stereo and multichannel--from the DVD player into a home- theater system's digital receiver. A multichannel analog audio decoder may be connected to the multichannel inputs of your receiver or integrated amplifier. A universal remote controls not only your DVD player but also other components. A screen saver substitutes a moving image whenever the screen image is motionless for a long period to prevent "burn in." Price is approximate retail.