Customer Reviews

Apex AD2600 Progressive-Scan DVD Player

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(18)
1 star:		(69)

 

 

Well, I ordered this puppy around the time of the Crimean War, but it was worth the wait. Yeah, it plays (and well) everything the literature says it will play ... and more.

Check this out: The AD2600 will play DVD-Rs of mp3s, .mpgs, and jpegs. I'm talking DVD-R *data* discs filled with mp3s, music videos, cartoons, etc. The AD2600 won't play .avi or .ape, but we can't have everything ... yet. Nowhere in the manual does it say anything about playing data disc DVD-Rs, not as far as I can tell.

So, I am one very happy customer. I bought an optical cable and run the audio into my Logitech Z-680s and even mp3s sound pretty good - and I hate MP3s.

Just to note: the catalog of any data disc I'm throwing in here will show up on screen, even if the AD2600 can't play the format of the files. So far its read every disc real fast, unlike the DVD-ROM in my computer, which goes into an annoyingly long spin cycle on many DVD movies I've backed-up on DVD-R.

I'm giving this 5/5. Let's just see if the unit has staying power.

radioman

After reading the positive comments here and elsewhere, I ordered the Apex 2600 around noon on Nov 24th. I chose the Free Shipping option and was given an estimated delivery date of Dec 3-4. Well, here it is Nov 26th and the player has already arrived. 5 *'s to Amazon and UPS for that!

Had the player hooked up and working fine in a couple minutes. Instructions? We don't need no stinking instructions to figure out how to use all the features of this bad boy. Remote and menus are clear enough to find anything.

Definitely does everything mentioned in previous reviews. Reads CD and DVD data disks. Shows JPG photos and MPEG movies. Full screen images and MPEG movies are sharp and not distorted (that I've noticed so far). Can't comment on progressive scan as I do not have a HDTV.

Can't help but feel that for $39 after rebate, this is the best value I've gotten for an electronics item in a long time, if not ever.

I own an APEX AD-2500 and recently purchased the AD-2600. The 2600 is a nice upgrade with the new slim-line appearance. Both units work very well and will play every format that I have tried on it. I took two CD's containing two of my basic requirements, JPG picture files and VCD videos to five electronic stores with the intent of verifying a DVD Player's ability to play back in an acceptable manner. I was shocked that at any price, I could not find a unit that even compared with the APEX units for compatibility. These APEX units play back easily created video files on plain CD's without going through the hassel of creating a DVD. The file and sub-file displays for JPG slide shows are very friendly and the speed of loading each picture is excellent. I am about ready to buy another one of the AD-2600 Units as It can't be beat.

Excellent DVD player for the money. Quality picture, and you're not paying for features you'll never use.

One word of caution just in case your picky about color. The picture on Amazon made the device look like it was charcoal/black in color. It's not. It's silver.

No big deal unless you're trying to match it with your other devices.

This is a great dvd player for anything, from the perfect piece to complete your home theater system or just a dvd player to have in a side room. It has many of the features of a expensive dvd player ... Progressive scan looks incredible on my new HDTV, and it plays nearly every format i could throw at it. VCD SVCD XVCD all play great. I recommend this dvd player without hesitation.

This is a very nice looking dvd. It plays almost all of the formats that are out there (excluding XVID and DIVX) including SVCD, VCD, MP3, WMA and so on... The picture quality is great. Trust me, Apex is going to become a leading producer of DVD players very soon. The price for their products is low and quality is actually better than SONY or Pioneer...

This is my fifth post on this machine since 2003 and the first to post a troubleshoot. People need to look at what other people have written, like my post! Many of the people who are unhappy with this machine have problems with the picture. Learn to read the manual people!!! If you are currently having problems with the picture on your machine, I'll save you the trouble of hunting down the manual... please skip to Troubleshooting Tips.

Review:
This is in fact the best machine for the price. I am amazed that it plays pretty much every format it says on the box and all disk media CDR/CDRW/DVDR/DVDRW. Today I have two Apex DVD players and they all work perfectly since 2003, except for the occasional motor hum from spinning. Despite the hum, I am very very happy with this Apex machine. In fact I recommended this Apex DVD player to a coworker of mine and he also bought two of these fantastic machines. He has not had any problems either. I highly recommend this machine because of performance versus price. My machine still works perfect! If you should have a problem with picture in the future, please remember to look at Troubleshooting in this post.

Troubleshooting Tips:
Does your Apex DVD player only play audio and no video? Or does it play audio but the video is scrolling in black and white? Before you try to return the player or waste hours calling Apex tech support, or run the player over with your car, try these simple troubleshooting ideas first.

No picture: Hopefully you still have the remote control. If you tossed it out the window, you need to fetch it. But first check to see if your video is hooked up correctly and your TV is switched to the correct video input. If everything is correct, using the DVD's remote control, press the I/P button located on the bottom right corner of the remote. The I/P button switches the TV display between interlace and progressive. If this doesnt bring back the picture, try pressing this button without playing a DVD. If you dont get video back, now you can run the player over with your car!

Picture scrolling in B/W: You need the remote control for this so you better get it from your dog before he burries it in the backyard. Press the P/N button located on the bottom right corner of the remote. The P/N button switches your DVD players video output signal between PAL and NTSC. By pressing P/N, you should be able to get a good picture on the screen.

For other problems go to http://www.apexdigitalinc.com/support.asp

I hope I have helped you continue to enjoy the Apex DVD player with these troubleshooting tips. I have done some research and experimenting with the remote when my Apex AD-2500 seemed to have lost its video signal. Im a more happier person after discovering the I/P button! The button was probably accidentally pushed to cause the black screen in the first place.

I'd purchased a total of 3 Apex DVD players prior to getting this model, and all three have been working loyally, with the oldest one still doing well after two years, so I figured for this price, if I could get 2-3 years of service out of it until the next technological advance comes along, it would be worth it.

The AD-2600 is not Apex's first progressive-scan model, but it has a more solid feel than Apex's prior offerings. Like with all Apex players, the 2600 plays lots and lots of formats, from DVD to VCD to Kodak to CD to recordable and rewritable discs. This is not a fancy player, and some of the functions are not well documented and feel kinda crude to operate, but hey, it works well and you just can't beat the price! Progress scan is only evident if you have a digital TV (DTV). If you do have one, you'll notice the difference, big-time. Images become so much sharper and clearer, and you'd never want to go back to interlaced pictures again. Notice that progressive scan only improves video, not audio. For best video results, get the component (not composite) cables. All DTVs have component video inputs, and you *must* take advantage of those.

Recommended if you watch a lot of DVDs.

I bought this one just to test if it can also play miniDVD in addition to other video formats mentioned in other reviews. And I am very delighted to know that it plays very well my DVD videos made into CD-Rs. MiniDVD is the same as regular DVD but is burned to a CD-R instead of DVD-R. It's cheap to make compared to DVD-R disks, but can only store about 15 min of high DVD quality video. Most DVD players will not play miniDVD videos. Now only costing $39 with rebates, it definitely is a great buy!

I ordered this Apex 2600 DVD player late in the day on Sunday, it was shipped out on Monday and I have just received it today, Wednesday. You have to love Amazon for overestimating the amount of time it will take to get their merchandise delivered. It's always a pleasure to get something early! The Apex is exactly what I wanted. Low and sleek, much more refined than my older Apex 1100 and 1500. It also plays my newly burned DVD+R and DVD+RW disks which is the reason I purchased this for usage. I can now get rid of my Apex 1110 which did not play either of these formats. Otherwise, the machine is well made, solid and the remote is much better than previous models and easier to understand. The new AFF (Active Fullscreen Function) is a bit of a gimmick in that it just stretches the picture to try to fill the screen when you play a widescreen version of a movie. Other than that, with the $10 rebate (which some reviewers say you'll not get), the player will only cost $40. Even without the $10 rebate, it's a great progressive scan DVD player that fits my needs. Thanks Amazon and Apex!