Ugh! Massive artefacting. Picture basically SUCKS.

Argh. Picture quality. Sucks. Dying. Need to switch off, take back to store. No more. Can't take it. *Glub!*

Okay, so most people probably aren't as pick as me, but I'm damn picky when it comes to my video signal, as my eyes pick up what most people can ignore. Basically, when it comes down to it, the picture quality on this unit sucks. Can't work out quite what's causing it, but there's obvious blockiness (tested on T2:Special Edition, The Matrix) especially in dark areas of the picture, plus massive banding on gradients (particularly on the opening 'V' [village roadshow?] logo on The Matrix). Add to that a certain amount of 'poppiness' which seems to be interlace related, and you get a major pain in the butt for anyone with trained eyes.

Which, unfortunately, I have. So this unit is heading homeward to the warehouse and being swapped out for another one. I hear there's a Pioneer out there with my name on it...

Nice and cheap though. And hey, if you're not worried about visual quality, be my guest. Or if you absolutely need a way of getting lots of video formats onto your screen - go for it. But it's not for me. Test before you buy -- take a movie or two in with you. Bring *up* the brightness on the TV you test it on in the store, so you can see the picture problems more clearly. Then watch again with the brightness back on normal. Add salt to taste.

Similar Products Used:

JVC 501BK

Karaoke, MP3 playback, Multi-disc

Poor video display

This is a very good karaoke machine and great for playing MP3 discs but as for watching movies the display is unacceptable. I used the S-Video on a RCA 27" and on my Toshiba TN50X81 HdTV and found way too much pixelation, especially in darker scenes. Some movies were so bad I had to turn it off. I guess I'll just wait to watch them when I get a progressive scan.

Similar Products Used:

None

Lots of great features, 3 trays, plays MP3,CDR,CDRW,etc...

No power button on the remote, remote not backlit, pixelation

I bought this unit because it had so many features for such a small price, but as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. The audio was great and picture decent, but the picture looked horribly pixelated whenever it displayed dark flat surfaces(like walls or shadows) and smoke or mist. I think it has trouble with shadows in particular, it doesn't transition from black to greys very well at all! The picture gets VERY boxy, it drove me nuts. and I've watched about 9 DVD with it so far, some are worse than others("Bait" was horrible looking), but all had it. Needless to say it's going back, I wish I had found this site BEFORE I bought it! Never got to try the MP3, CDR, or CDRW features. Don't waste your time or money if this will be your primary unit, go buy a Toshiba or Pioneer.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer DV-333, Toshiba SD-2150

I am thinking about buying this unit. Does anyone know if it plays SVCD's and XVCD's? Thanks in advance for the assistance.

Multi format

As shown on other reviews, 8 character file name for MP3's

No one seems to have reviewed this item for its CD and MP3 playback values. I purchased it for MP3 usage with DVD as a bonus. I played standard CD's and self made MP3 discs and found that this unit plays back at higher speed than was recorded. I initially noticed that everyone sounded like a chipmunk, so I experimented. I play guitar and it is tuned correctly. The CD and MP3 CD played in my PC played exactly to the tuner. The Apex 703 however, was a full tone higher, meaning that the discs were playing too fast. Additionally. the directory 'split' each MP3 format song into multiple parts. After 42 seconds, the unit would switch to another 'part' of the song, but not without complete signal drop out. Standard CD's and homemade CD's burned as wav files played without the segmenting, except too fast. I have immediately repackaged this unit for return to the store. If it is not a flaw inherent to this particular unit, I will attempt to try the AIWA MP3 player.

Similar Products Used:

None

Plays it all (CD,DVD,MP3,etc), holds 3 discs and plays as well as anything else I've seen for $50-$75 more

Yep, the remote...

I think this is a solid DVD player for the price and the features that you get. Yeah, the remote sucks and I was disappointed with the lack of a power button on the remote, but I can live with it. I've never had a single problem with any DVD. The one thing you have to consider is that DVD discs are much more complicated than CD's. I've never bought a CD where the recording was screwed up, however, about 30% of the DVD's I've bought or rented were. Case in point....the very first DVD I bought, The Matrix, wouldn't work in either the Apex or the DVD player on my computer. I took it back and got a new one and voila everything ran perfectly. DVD is far from a perfect technology and any time I've run into a problem with a disc playing, it has been the disc and not the player everytime. The picture is good and the sound is very good. One or two DVD's I've bought do have parts where the soundtrack isn't synchronized well, but more often than not you can chalk it up to a problem with the DVD recording once again. Bottom line this is a good player for the price and if you're not too picky and want the experience of DVD and the features that Apex offers...you can be happy and ignore the few short comings.

Similar Products Used:

Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic

MP3 capability, 3 discs

it wont load anything

HELP! i have had this for 3 hours, so far it only will load and play 3 out of 11 DVD's that i own. it just sits and flashes "loading, loading, loading" and then skips to the next disc. i had read all the bad reviews but just had to try for myself as i really wanted the MP3 options. guess it'll be going back to the store tomorrow.

did anyone else have similiar experiences that eventually you could get to work? or is it just a POS?

e mail me please if you can help

thanks!
jason_plott@hotmail.com

Similar Products Used:

Sony

Built in dd decoder, 3 DVDS, MP3 playback, multiregion, no macrovision (just an FYI- I wouldn't dream of defeating it), great picture quality, VCD playback on cdrs, svcd, easy set up

Crappy remote (but come on, who uses the included ones anyways?). Hooking it up to your tv using the "MIXED Left + Right" sounds kinda hollow - use a receiver or take the outs from the main left right out, not a brand name (oh no! :)

The player that put the fun back in home theater! Really!

I just wanted to spread the word about this awesome dvd player.. I had the incredible Sony 530D dvd player and loved it - gorgeous picture, great sound, etc. etc. etc. My parents were so into this "new technology" that they wanted me to help them buy an affordable player for casual viewing. So I went to circuit city and picked up their cheapest player - the Apex 503a (don't quote me on the model number though).. What a piece of trash! The first disk I put in it skipped like crazy (it was a brand new dvd as well)! So, pissed, I jumped on the web and did some research this time- turns out the 503a is plagued with problems while the 503B (made by another company - shinco I believe) had none. The 703, also manufactured by Shinco was supposed to be a great player that was relatively free from flaws..

Instead of playing a buy and return game with the 503, I just returned it and paid a few bucks more for the 703.. What a change! While it didn't have the component video outs like my beloved sony, this things picture quality rocked! The sound quality's decent- but it doesn't matter to me because I use Yamaha's awesome htr-5240 for all my decoding (you guys helped me make a damn educated decision on that purchase! thanks!!!!). Anyways, notice that I used the word MY instead of my parents - I was so impresssed with this player that I gave them my 530d and took the apex! It plays 3 dvds, has a built in dd decoder (well, I don't use it but it's still nice for a 3 disk player that costs less than $200), MP3 playback (the crap about it playing it in the wrong pitch is either absurd or a rare occurance - they actually have a pitch control button- perhaps some1 pressed that by mistake?), it plays VCDS, SVCDS, and every type of cdr I've thrown at it.. And get this- it's mult region too!! My fav part is being able to throw 3 cdrs with mp3 music on it.. That's 30 hours of uninterrupted music! And I picked up the buffy region 2 dvd box set and crouching tiger hidden dragon region 3- they both play FLAWLESSLY.. It's really incredible when you think about the deal. oH YEAH, it has a nice karaoke feature that, for the sake of my man hood, I shall not discuss how much my gf and I enjoyed ;)

Final thoughts: buy this player! The hype about apex sucking is probably due to their 503a! I would GLADLY have paid $250+ and up for this player and would have probably spent $400+ if it had the SONY name on it. My next player (though I'm sure this will keep me happy for a while) will also be an APEX but one with component out (I can't tell the difference really, but I've been TOLD that it's the way to go). Get this from circuit city and audition it yourself- my tv (36" wega) happens to make everything I play on it look incredible- maybe the picture quality will not be as good on some tvs (that's a maybe). *** ONE FINAL NOTE: I DID HAVE ONE SKIP PROBLEM THAT DROVE ME INSANE!!! I DON'T KNOW WHY THIS HELPED BUT I FLASHED IT WITH A NEW UPGRADE THAT I DOWNLOAD AND THE PROBLEM WAS GONE AND I ALSO GOT THE REGION FREE MENU! NO SKIPS FOR OVER A MONTH (20 PLUS DVDS).

Similar Products Used:

Sony 530D, various players by panasonic and toshiba, a crappy rca, etc. etc.

Everything it does.DVD/MP3/ECT.

ONLY THE REMOTE AS FAR AS I CAN SEE.(AND IT DOES SHUFFLE)it takes a few seperate key stokes on the remote only to enable.

I have never had any problems with it. It does what it says it does and unlike most products that makes me happy.

The only draw back I had was buying the RF modulator to use my limited 27" GTE televison. Those Radio Shack guys get awfully condecending with that type of thing.

Everything.

I use it a couple times a week and I haven't found anything wrong with it.

I think that for the price that I payed for it, it is one of the best investments i've made so far. I found out that if you want to skip to the other disc you only want to push stop once then skip. I pushed stop twice and tried but it didn't work. I don't really call that a flaw though. I really like the player. I was a little skeptical at first about buying it but I asked some people and they told me that Apex has been around for a while, so I decided to buy it. I have been very happy with my decision.