Cheap. MP3 playback. VCD playback. Secret menu shuts off Macrovision. Allows all region playback

Won't play seemless branching or complex discs. Sound synch problems. Artifacts. To fix these problems, player must be upgraded and that gets rid of the secret menu, making the player a waste of $$$

We all know about this player's problems. I have an original AD-600A and it was a pain in the ass. Sure, I could watch DVDs from other countries and could shut off Macrovision, but otherwise this unit sucked.

Got it upgraded with a duel boot system. Boot 1 is region 1. Boot 2 is region 0. This fixed the branching and sound problems, so now it is a spare player I use to watch DVDs like the uncut British DRIVE SE and restored French METROPOLIS. Otherwise, I stick with my Toshiba.

So know what you are getting into before you buy. And be warned, many Apex players cannot be upgraded like mine. It's hit or miss.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba 3107 and 5109

Price

Fails to play DVDs 90% of the time tried so far

This was a first DVD player for me, and I don't watch my TV so didn't want to spend a lot of money. However, this thing isn't even functional, let along good for my once-in-a-while viewing habits. I set it up and got images that skipped between blue and the image, so plugged it directly into the TV. Great, no jumping but now 90% of my tries to play a new DVD gave me either a broken disc symbol or no disc displayed. I tried the DVD out on my computer DVD and they played great. I agree with one of the above reviewers, this unit seems to be a low-end thing to get people to buy and then spend more money on a better one when they realize it's junk. I'm refunding it tomorrow and buying a better one at another store. I don't feel like coaxing my DVD player into doing what it's made to do!

Similar Products Used:

None, first DVD player.

Plays MP3's on CD-RW's,

Where do I begin?....Severe pixelation and colour artefacts in dark scenes, occasionally locks up, remote, cheap RCA and component outs, Player bakes your DVD's.

Well I must say I was very happy with this unit when it was used with my 27" Zenith. Now that I have moved to a 52" HDTV this unit's flaws are brought to light. Dark scenes in most movies (The Matrix for example) look terrible, with pixelation and green colour artifacts in the background. Occasionally the signal from the component outs will stop and start for a short period of time.

I think I will still keep this unit as a dedicated MP3 player but that is about all it is good for. When I bought it there was alot of hype about this player and I was hoping to get the 'loopholes' secret menu. I was very disappointed to find out my unit did not :(

Stay away if you want a decent picture from your DVD player.

Similar Products Used:

none

Macrovision and region code loophole menu (old model). Plays MP3s.

Audio sync.

I'm very dissapointed in this DVD player. I got an older model with the loophole menu on E-bay. Don't buy this player because it has audio sync issues. Yes you can temporarily fix it with fast forward but why not buy a player that works right?

The S-Video output looks better than the component out. The component video signal is dark and has an elevated blue signal in the blacks.

The Apex does not output the right signal for my Sony XBR TV to squish anamorphic material. I have to use the service menu in the Sony XBR to squeeze the picture down.

I'd say you get what you pay for - but there are other inexpensive players that will do better than the Apex.

Lots of cool stuff. mp3 decoding was awesome

reliability blows

Absolutely sad. it would stop in middle of movies and the picture and sound were way off. A crap experience. I will only buy name brands. At least I exchanged it for a phillips that didn't work. I have a panasonic and it kicks ass.

Similar Products Used:

phillips DVD711(sucked) and Panasonic players(the best)

plays MP3, CDR CD RW, VCD

IT HAS A MIND OF IT OWN, IT DID NOT PLAY A FEW DVD, BUT THEY PLAY FIND IN MY COMPUTER'S DVD DRIVE. IS NOT REGION FREE. APEX CHANGED THE FIRM. BAD CUSTOMER SEVICE AND NO 1800 #

I HAD APEX AD-600A FOR ABOUT 4 MONTHS. IT IS MY FIRST DVD PLAYER. I WAS LOOKING FOR A REGION AND MACROVISION FREE DVD. IT IS OK AND IT WORKS MOST OF THE TIME. THE ONLY PROBLEM IS IT NOT REGION AND MACROVISION FREE BECAUSE APEX DIGITAL CHANGED THE FRAM. CHANGING A CHIP INSIDE CAN MODIFY IT TO PALY ALL REGIONS. APEX HAS THE LOWEST PRICE DVD, APEX 500 AT WAL-MART IS $88

plays MP3, CDR CD RW, VCD

IT HAS A MIND OF IT OWN, IT DID NOT PLAY A FEW DVD, BUT THEY PLAY FIND IN MY COMPUTER'S DVD DRIVE. IS NOT REGION FREE. APEX CHANGED THE FIRM. BAD CUSTOMER SEVICE AND NO 1800 #

I HAD APEX AD-600A FOR ABOUT 4 MONTHS. IT IS MY FIRST DVD PLAYER. I WAS LOOKING FOR A REGION AND MACROVISION FREE DVD. IT IS OK AND IT WORKS MOST OF THE TIME. THE ONLY PROBLEM IS IT NOT REGION AND MACROVISION FREE BECAUSE APEX DIGITAL CHANGED THE FRAM. CHANGING A CHIP INSIDE CAN MODIFY IT TO PALY ALL REGIONS. APEX HAS THE LOWEST PRICE DVD, APEX 500 AT WAL-MART IS $88

Build ok for chinese made

There is no such thing as a reliable AD600a

I would advise to steer clear - buy a name brand dvd- you really can't go wrong with them , but with this you can!!

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Hi end hifi gear

Karaoke function, VCD zoom, low price

Poor zoom quality, poor outlook.

I compared these dvds one by one with the same dvd, vcd and cd on my 52" RCA TV and on my Sony sterio system with Bose 301 speakers. There were little differences among these machines in sound and picture. They are all very good. Pioneer DV-440 and Toshiba SD-2710 got a little bit better in sound and picture. Apex-600A seems to be a little bit incompetent. Sony DVP-NS400D were between. Hard to tell the differece between S-video and Component-video out. They all play dvd, vcd, cd and mp3. Their major differences are as follows:

Toshiba SD-2710 ($195, made in China): Best zoom quality in DVD but not functioning in VCD. With 24-bit/192kHz audio DAC

Pioneer DV-440 ($195, made in Malasia): Nice slim desigh, With 24-bit/192kHz audio DAC, No zoom function.

Sony DVP-NS400D ($195, made in Japan): Have built in Dolby Digital decoder, With 24-bit/96kHz audio DAC, No zoom function. !!Disk stucked when machine flipped over!!.

Apex-600A ($160, made in China): Poor zoom quality, Poor outlook, but can zoom VCD. Have karaoky function but not sensitive enough, With 24-bit/96kHz audio DAC.

Due to these factors, I have not finally decide which one I am going to keep.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba SD-2710, Pioneer DV 440, Sony DVP-NS400D,

Inexpensive, plays everything.

Awful heat sinks, crappy original A8 firmware.

This is *not* a player for anyone who doesn't like to tinker. The first thing one must do is get inside and remove the crappy factory heat sinks. Then, you can get some gasket shellac and attach your own heat sinks. Secondly, you must then update the firmware to N6. Nerd-out.com has lots of info. After doing these things you will be amazed at what a great unit this is. Gone will be the heat and lip sync issues, as well as other issues with newer dvd's. And when it's all said and done, you'll still have region 0 and macrovision 0 settings. Enjoy.

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All sorts of DVD players