Oritron DVD600 DVD Player

Oritron, famous for its lowest-possible-price approach to DVD players, has a sure-fire winner on its hands with the DVD600. For the most part, the DVD600 is a basic DVD player: it passes DVD-based Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1-channel surround formats, it offers both stereo analog and coaxial digital outputs, and it routes video through two composite-video connections. The DVD600 will let you not only open the drawer, but also remove the disc and start four other DVDs, all the while remembering where you left off on each of them. DVD broadens your A-B repeat options. Now you can savor special effects, dancing, or fast-moving action over and over at the touch of a button.The DVD600's sound and picture quality are very good - that's one area where microchips have helped narrowed the quality gap between cheap and expensive electronics. The sound from the analog stereo outputs is definitely inferior to what you'd get from a better DVD or CD player, but the DVD600's coaxial digital output lets you listen through your surround receiver's digital-to-analog converters rather than those onboard the DVD600 itself. The unit is lightweight and smaller than the average DVD player, but its build quality is lower. With its feature set and remarkably good sound and picture quality, there are no reservations about calling this a great buy and a terrific starter or bedroom DVD.

Oritron, famous for its lowest-possible-price approach to DVD players, has a sure-fire winner on its hands with the DVD600. And while Oritron has made its newer player more reliable than the infamous DVD200, it's still affordable--and still a little quirky in its performance.

For the most part, the DVD600 is a very basic DVD player: it passes (but doesn't decode) DVD-based Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1-channel surround formats, it offers both stereo analog and coaxial digital outputs, and it routes video through two composite-video connections (there's no S-video jack here). Not bad for a budget model!

But this DVD player offers a couple cool, if only marginally significant, features we haven't seen elsewhere: a five-disc resume capability and A-B repeat.

Resume--whereby a player will begin disc playback from the last point viewed--is a common enough feature, but normally just for the disc currently in the player. As soon as you open the drawer, forget it--you have to know where you were or start over. The DVD600 will let you not only open the drawer, but remove the disc and start four other DVDs, all the while remembering where you left off on each of them.

A-B repeat is used mostly on CD players; it's a handy feature for looping and scrutinizing (or digitally sampling!) a riff, a line from a lyric, or a bit of between-song banter; the A and B represent user-definable start and end points for the loop. DVD broadens your A-B repeat options. Now you can savor special effects, dancing, or fast-moving action over and over at the touch of a button. Want to pick up some moves from Gene Kelly? Here's your chance.

The DVD600's sound and picture quality are very good--that's one area where microchips have helped narrowed the quality gap between cheap and expensive electronics. The sound from the analog stereo outputs is definitely inferior to what you'd get from a better DVD or CD player, but the DVD600's coaxial digital output lets you listen through your surround receiver's digital-to-analog converters rather than those onboard the DVD600 itself.

After experiencing the earlier DVD200's difficulty with delivering high-bit-rate audio and video (that is, loud and busy DVDs), we were skeptical about this area of the DVD600's performance. But the player pulled through with none of the picture freezing or excessive pixelization of its ancestor. And while this model does play DTS surround-encoded DVDs with ease, it does not pass the digital signal from DTS-encoded surround CDs, so fans of multichannel music should take note.

The DVD600's biggest drawback is actually something far more mundane than any technical shortcoming: its lack of a front-panel display. There's a red power-on light, a green status indicator (basically saying, "I'm ready for action"), and that's it--no chapter or title indication, no program time. So if you're planning to use the DVD600 as a CD player, you'll have to do so blindly or with the TV on. The onscreen display for menus and commands takes up some of the slack when you're watching DVDs.

The unit is lightweight and smaller than the average DVD player, but its build quality is lower. At one point in our testing, we hit eject and the tray emerged--without our disc! It did come out with no trouble when we tried reclosing and reopening the drawer, and it didn't happen again in our tests, but it's something to consider.

Is the Oritron DVD600 a great player? Not in the growing scheme of all-around great DVD players. But with its feature set and remarkably good sound and picture quality, we have no reservations about calling this a great buy and a terrific starter or bedroom DVD. --Michael Mikesell

Pros:

Great deal for the money
Plays both Dolby Digital- and DTS-encoded DVDs
Unique features
Rapid disc access
Helpful onscreen display
Plays CD-RWs

Cons:

No front-panel display
Cheap build quality
No S-video output
Will not play CD-Rs or DTS-encoded CDs

1 A Good DVD Player,but has some flaws.
This is the first DVD player I ever bought cause at the time it was only $99.It plays well enough but occasionally even if the DVD is new and has no scratches,the DVD will suddenly become like a cheap Japanese movie.The soundtrack is playing while the lips of the characters are off.But for someone who owns this,if you have that problem,simply press "Menu" and then press play once back at the main menu.The film should resume and the problem shall be gone. The bookmark on the player is good,
when you save an entry it stays there unlike some more expensive models.Anyways if you need an exceptional DVD player for a cheap price,get this.

2 Horrible DVD Quality / Riddled with problems
I have had this dvd player for approximately 2 years and have had nothing but trouble. First of all, it doesn't effectively play mp3 cd's. Secondly, a few months ago, my sound quit working right through my receiver, you couldn't hear any voices (although you could hear the background music way too well). Then, my video wasn't working and all I got was black and white video, but then the sound worked fine. Now, neither sound nor video work. Ok, so I got this wonderful idea to call Tech Support. All the guy there did was repeat the same 5-step routine with me for 20 minutes. By the way, tech support is really located in Hong Kong (Oritron is not a US brand). Overall, I would not recommend this dvd player to anyone.

3 Buyer beware!
This is easily the worst product that I've ever purchased on Amazon.com. Unfortunately, I did not carefully read the other customer reviews. Why is this the worst product I've every purchased? Let me count the ways. This unit came with a defective remote control. It only worked when used within three feet of the unit. That really defeats the purpose of the remote, in my humble opinion. Next, the unit stopped working three to four months after purchase. Why? I don't know. It no longer reads DVDs nor CDs. There is no real reason why it no longer works . . . I didn't drop it, store it inproperly, allow it to over heat, use it too often, or allowed it to be affected by power surges. Effectively, I through $84.99 down the drain. (Well, I guess I did get a couple of months enjoyment). Additionally, the unit does not read CD-Rs, which is annoying. Moreover, this unit does not have any additional features like a timer . . . the onscreen display is really a joke. Its terrible. The unit is of such poor construction and quality that you are really taking a gamble when purchasing. If you happen to purchase a unit that is fully functioning, then congrats . . . you won the gamble and purchased an operational DVD player for a great price. If you purchase one like mine, too bad, neither Oritron nor Amazon.com will listen to you wine about it. =(

Buyer beware!

4 do not buy
for xmas I bought two products buy oritron. 1 dvd player, and 1 dvd home theater system. which one worked? neither! the player didn't work, right out of the box. the home theater system worked long enough to see a picture, but as perr the instructions once you see the picture you're to stop so that you can run the set up. after that it never works again. AND....the problem is inconsistant. sometimes it won't scan. sometimes it won't open, which is really frustating when your rental disk is STUCK IN THE DAMN MACHINE. also what's with the long delay on any command you give it? not just from the remote, but even when you use the ones on the console it's self it takes so long before anything happens your sure it didn't register when you pushed the button. AND...the remotes for both units [stink]. even if your laying on the floor with the player right in front of you, you still have to wave the remote around don't while pushing a button repeatedly. now i'm not just some lame tech challanged dork whose not how sure how to get a vcr to stop blinking 12:00. i've been an AV guy for decades, and have stayed up with all the latest, and all i have to say about these oritron products are DO NOT BUY!!! they are crap and a lesson in frustion. OH, and here's the topper. the main reason we bought this system when we did was, cause of the rebate. which oritron di not honor. they sent me an e-mail stateing "we did not qualify because our purchase was before OR after the specified rebate period". my girl friend works at the store where the system was purchased and not only do I have a reciept showing otherwise but I also have the computer print out from the stores register print out dated well within the "specified time period". and apperntly everyone at oritronis one vacation or maybe their computers are down. I hope they don't use thier own products.

5 do not buy this - horrible (I'd give it 0 stars if I could)
This machine goes into some wierd mode every now and then that requires it to be unplugged and reset. It lacks features, is poor quality. I regret buying it. I suspect all Oritron products are bad given they could make this one so bad.

6 You get what you pay for - That's a good thing in this case.
This is a very good unit for its price. I have had 1 for approximately 1 year and have not had any problems. It is very simple to use and the remote control is very good.

This is the cheapest DVD player that I could find at the time. I didn't expect much when I purchased this unit, but it has performed flawlessly. Of course, there are much better units out there for more money, but I rated this one 5 stars, because of its price compared to performance and features.

One last thing, this is just my opinion but I believe the Oritrons are nicer looking units then some of the other low end units that I have seen.

7 You get what you pay for - That's a good thing in this case.
This is a very good unit for its price. I have had 1 for approximately 1 year and have not had any problems. It is very simple to use and the remote control is very good.

One last thing, this is just my opinion but I believe the Oritrons are nicer looking units then some of the other low end units that I have seen.

8 It's good for some bad for others
This DVD player is a good one for people that want no extras. Just put the disk in and play for a normal exceptional movie experience. But if you want the high quality great DVD watching this is not for you. Personally my system has the sound feed faster than the video feed. I don't know if it's just the system or my surround system. Personally this DVD is not worth more than about [money]. With today's market for DVD players it's just not worth [money]. You can get a good JVC or Toshiba for around [money].

9 Occasionally overheats
5 stars for a cheapo dvd player?

Well, it would be if it didn't rarely overheat. For a cheap-o, this machine is great. Search the web to really unlock this machines secret powers.

This is not a DVD player for someone with a massive home theatre - it's missing many advanced features. It's great for occasional use and even low and mid-range theatres. It's international features make it a great secondary player even for big theatres too.

10 gets the job done.
I bought this dvd player around a year ago. I have only one problem I have encountered if you are a wrestling fan you know that the dvds have extras.On one of my dvds it would not play the last two extras forsome reason other than that I believe its a good dvd player. Ive never had any problem with disc getting stuck or anything like that.Basically the two extras I just watched on my ps2.

11 Still working for me...
About a year ago, I felt it was time for me to upgrade to DVD's(finally) but I still couldn't afford those high-end players so I settled for this one. A year later and not only is it still working fine, but until this one breaks I don't even feel the urge to buy a new one. From personal experience only, I haven't run into any problems with my player(ok, except to figure out how to use the parental control option...but that's either my fault or the manuals, not the player itself) and factoring price and functionality(needs direct hook up with tv, picture is terrible running through your vcr), am very satisfied with it. Only sore point is it doesn't play VCD's(but it doesn't say it will either). I feel badly for other reviewers who have had problems with it and in their cases, I'm sure it let them down. In my case I can only say it's still with me, still in use on a regular basis(I sometimes review DVD's at Amazon.com and this is the player I use to watch them), and am pleased I bought it. So if you're looking for that second player, that first 'budget' player, or just require something that will let you watch DVD's, I can recommend this one. Having said that, I'd like to point out it's a year later and you could find low-end players for as low as sixty bucks! Plus, you can get some high-end DVD players or DVD/VCR combos for around two hundred. So shop around for the best prices.

12 Biggest piece of doo doo I ever bought
This piece of junk cost me about $[money]...It never really played well. DVD's would get stuck. You could see digital junk on the screen. I guess you get what you pay for. I highly UN-recommend it. This thing is a paper weight at the moment.

13 Buy an apex or a Playstation 2
I bought this DVD player about 6 months ago. I choose this one because of the price and the fact that usually the cheaper brands of electronics I usually buy work great (such as my Symphonic VCRs and Sanyo TVs and Stereo). Now I have to admit the picture on it seems ok but last month the remote just stopped working. To top it off the DVD player on it doesnt have a pause button (only the remote does) so I'm out of luck. I checked other peoples reviews here and found out I'm not the only one this has happened to. Obviously this DVD player has some serious QC problems. Luckily I got a PS2 for Christmas so I just use that now.

14 great dvd
i ordered this for my son, he says is great for the money, cant go wrong. for simple kick back and watch a movie, i reccomend its cheap and its still working 6 mnths later

15 Disappointment
After having for only a few weeks, it simply stopped working. The DVD player would stutter & would not stop until the unit was unplugged from the wall. This would happen several times per DVD (that worked on other machines). One of the DVDs got stuck in the machine. We are waiting for the return to go through now.

16 Not perfect, but very good for the price!
I was a little reluctant to purchase this DVD player (the DVD600 model) because of some of the reviews I read here. But, I figured, the price is so low I'd give it a try -- besides I could always return it for a refund if necessary. However, I will not be returning this -- I'm quite happy with the quality. It's precisely what I expected for the price. It plays my DVDs quite well, with only the very rare frame skip or sound drop, and that only lasts for a very brief half-second. Also, it plays my CDs perfectly. I've not tried any CD-Rs or CD-RWs yet, but I don't expect any problems there... Having just received the player, I've not had to deal with Oritron's customer service, so I cannot rate the company's customer service dep't -- but if the initial quality is any indication, I won't have to deal with their Customer Service department anytime soon. I'd recommend this player to a friend with no hesitation.

17 Amazing DVD Player!
This is the first DVD player I have ever bought. I have told everyone to go out and buy it! I have watched my friends's players and they don't even compare in quality. Purchase this item. You won't regret it!

18 Buyer Beware
I am in the process of tryingto return this item. The video does not work, though the audio does. The only way to use a coax cable is to run it through a vcr, though the customer service rep says "this only sometimes works". If you buy this, I hope you have better luck with it than I did.

19 Paint it black
This is a good DVD player. It has everything you want (even comes with DTS) at a price you can't beat. I'm sooo glad I bought this player. It's easy to set up and easy to use. A great first DVD player for anyone who is thinking of getting a DVD player. It's a great bargin. I wouldn't use it on my HDTV, home theater, but if you just want something simple that looks great, this is the one. Haven't had any problems with it, what can I say I love it. It was cool.

Big Truck

20 Orbitron has no quality control or customer service!
I recieved this product(actually the 650) for my birthday 6 months ago. It had immidiate problems with white dots appearing all over the image and then the image distorted terribly. Took it back for replacement at local store, new unit worked for two days and stopped responding to remote or front panel. Replaced it again, third unit functioned for two weeks and failed completely, store refused to replace, Orbitron support said they would replace, sent unit back and never heard from them for 4 months. Kept calling for two weeks they finally said they had the unit and sent me a 600 to replace it. I sent that back saying I had a 650, they sent me another 600. I again returned it and demanded my 650 back. They finaly sent me my original unit back and now say its out of warranty and they wont deal with it. They had it for months during the warranty!

This company has no class or humanity, they manufacture low quality products and then fail to support them. Do yourself a favor and tell stores and other retailers that you will never buy a product from this company. I do!

21 Not a review but some comments on VCD playing capability...
I just wanted to point out that there is a menu to enable the unit to play VCDs. Unfortunately, it is hidden and requires a few presses of buttons on the remote to access it but it does work. If you have firmware version 5, the following steps will allow you to enable this feature. (To check what version of firmware you have, just hit the menu button twice and the information should come up on screen.)
#1 - Insert a music cd.
#2 - Press the menu button.
#3 - Press 5
#4 - Press the eject button. (The tray should remain closed.)
#5 - Press 1
#6 - Press the index menu button.
#7 - Press eject again. (The tray should still remain closed.)
If these steps are followed correctly, a prompt should appear saying "Enable VCD:1-Yes/2-No" at which point you simply hit 1. You should now be able to play VCDs on the Oritron 600. According to what I have read online, this should work on all units manufactured from January 2000 onward.

22 BUY THIS AND BE A LAUGHING-STOCK!
Man, this plyer is a complete reck! I know 3 other ppl who purchased one at the same time i did, I figured since it didnt appear to have alot of buttons or any "special-features" that it wouldn't be too difficult to figure out....oohhh if i had only knew..

FIRST THE PICTURE.MY GOD...THE PICTURE! It fades in and Out..CONTINUOUSLY. Mines not the only one either, other ppl (2/3 ppl to be excact) i have spoken too said there Oritron did the same thing. Ands its not minor fading, i could deal with that, it fades so dark that the tv looks turned off (literally** NO JOKE!) then about 25 seconds later it fades back in and becomes extremely bright; kinda like the sun:O...and still you cant see the picture.

Some of my friends Oritron's have really good sound quality though...but i guess it doesnt matter if you cant actually see picture:|

23 worst dvd player
i have the 650, not the 600 (...)...but its the worst! the color fades in and out from normal to dark...terrible purchase - don't get it! i'm looking into other brands...

24 This is the worst DVD player I have EVER seen!
I watched two movies with this thing, and after that it simply refused to work. My Charlie's Angels DVD got stuck in the player and I had to get a screwdriver and pry it open. Horrible quality. Movies would play half-way through and then the picture would break up, and it would say "disc error". I would then play the same part perfectly on another player. There is no front display, either! Don't buy this play. If you want a good player, try the RCA RC5215P. I've had it for two months with no problems.

25 Don't buy this!
I would like to save you from the embarrassment of giving this DVD player to anyone and then finding out that it broke only 6 months later. The act that caused the break down was moving the player from one room to another. Before it broke all together, it skipped, froze, wouldn't eject, didn't respond to remote comands, or did so very slowly. Get a name brand you have heard of; the difference in customer support is worth every penny extra you may pay for it. I have purchased a JVC, a Samsung and a Panasonic DVD player, each for under $150, all of which satisfactorily reached their first anniversary of purchase with ease. This Oritron player is a waste of money.

26 Why waste your money?
Do not buy any product made by Orbitron. The best use for it would be as a doorstop. It totally destroyed my television. You have to open the door with a screwdriver to get your dvd's out, if it accepts them or plays them at all. I have searched online and this seems to be a common complaint. I'm fortunate, it didn't ruin any of my dvd's, only my television.
**** If I could give it a negative rating, I would, DO NOT BUY FROM THIS MANUFACTURER!!!******
Check other reviews online. Don't waste your money!

27 Piece of Junk
I had this same exact player for 6 months. Purchased new. The remote commands were always sluggish. You would press a button and the player wouldn't "take" for several seconds, sometimes up to a minute. Finally, the piece of junk broke down all together. Now plays a static filled picture with low sound. I have two other players that work much better. Recommend you spend and extra 20 bucks and get something that works.

28 A Great Christmas Gift or First DVD Player!
We received this DVD Player as a Christmas gift in 2000, and we love it! It is our 1st DVD, and it is very easy to operate. I've been told "it's not top of the line", but it suits our needs. Eventually we plan to upgrade to a better model, (only because I want a Home Theatre System and I want all the names to be the same), and then it will make it's way to the bedroom. I feel it's definately a good buy for your money!

29 NOT BAD NOT BAD
I recently purchased this Oritron DVD600 as my first DVD player. I figured for under [dollar amount] what do I have to loose. I was very impressed with the quality of the player. Yes it has a few features missing like the front display but I did not care. I have watched many DVD's on my friends players and this one is about the same quality and they spent way more than I did. If you want a first DVD player that is affordable and nice. then this is it. Lots of features are nice but most of my electronics have them and I rarely use them. This is a simple DVD player with good quality.

30 A Good DVD Player for the Price
I purchased the Oritron DVD600 as a second player and it works great no problems. I read the reviews listed here and was skeptical about the product, however, for the price I took a chance and have been very pleased. Maybe the products early release had the bugs and have since fixed the problem? I dunno, but once again give it a try I have been pleased and plan to buy another for a christmas present. Oh one other thing, I had read people could not play Disney DVD's well mine plays all Disney DVD's I have including the Dinosoar DVD and has not had a problem on any DVD I have watched, which is about 25 so far, this is what makes me think the newer product is a better product.

31 A few problems, but good for the money
This is my first DVD player, and I only was able to get it because I could afford this one. I have had it almost a year and am quite satisfied with the purchase. If you occasionally unplug it for a day, the software resets and it works fine. I learned this from tech support, which was helpful and available. Is it the greatest DVD player? Probably not, but for less than 100 clams, it is good enough. It is infinitely superior to a VCR and not much more expensive. Using a good DVD player cleaner occasionally also helps. Since I hooked it up so that there is no electricity to it when it is off, I have had fewer problems. It is constantly resetting the software and avoiding those messy glitches.

i just bought one for my daughter for Christmas.

32 Bzzzzt!
My first oritron died in about 4 weeks. It's replacement
(via the warrenty) died in about 3 months. The firmware
always seemed buggy even when it did work. Even though it
had some nice features, I'd prefer not to have them if I
could be assured that the product would last more than a
handful of plays!!!

33 If I could I would rate this thing.......
Negative stars. I was able to watch MAYBE 4 movies. Now the DVD is stuck in the player. Unplug it, plug it back in, unplug it, etc. Nothing. Ordering my new one right now and gonna spend the extra hundred bucks to get a decent machine. I let my desire to have a DVD player get the best of me on this one. I normally spend the extra for a name brand. Don't make my mistake. ...

34 Not worth buying
I bought two of these dvd players for my daughters,and the dvds got stuck in both players. All we got was an onscreen message stating that it was reading. We didn't get the chance to play one movie in the players, the next day I returned both players back to the store and lost out on my dvd's that were stuck inside. I also decided to buy two name brand dvd's instead,you get what you pay for.

35 buy a brand name dvd player
I brought the Oritron dvd600 for my parents for christmas 2000.. They hardly ever use it and 8 months later it doesn't work. (It doesn't read the DVD or CD)..So my advice is buy a brand name like Panasonic or Toshiba.. You get what you pay for.

36 Decent little off-brand player
I have a friend in California who has one and it's decent - not the sharpest picture, but much better than his PS2 doing DVD, or the VHS systems for that matter.
Being I'm from Europe, when I came over with some DVDs, we found a way to make the Oritron DVD600 region free:
1. Press 'menu' 2. Press 1,6,7 on the remote. 3. Exit the menu. And that was it. Doesn't have the remote control button problems or losing the TV like other reports, but maybe the production has stabilized. Still, he was able to see my Dutch DVDs, and still play his Disney discs (man - I want a copy of TRON on DVD too!)

37 Well....
I saw an ad in local electronic store for even cheaper. However, after I purchased and used it, I've decided to return for a few reasons. 1. It doesn't play VCD 2. DVD player loses connection to TV for no reason. I have to manually unplug the cable and replug it a few times, and I don't even move TV around nor the player at all. 3. The remote control doesn't work half of the time. Not to mention the buttons on the DVD player itself.

38 For an off brand this one seems to be one of the best.
Dear Reader, This oritron DVD is a pretty good dvd player. the only problem i have with this dvd player is if you leave a disc in the dvd player and turn it off it freezes, and nothing works. Then i have to unplug and plug it back in, but it is not as bad as it sounds just make sure you don't leave a dvd disc in it, or the dvd player is a 5 but because of that flaw by frezzing i have to give it a 4, still very good. For the price i well recommend.

39 remote stinks
I have owned my dvd for 1 year.And in that time I have only used it a few times.It is not worth the aggravation.The remote does not work the player.I put in fresh batteries and it will work a couple of times.but if you want to see deleted scenes or bonus material forget it.It will only work for part of the time and then you have to do it at the unit.But all the buttons needed to work it are not on the player.So you my friends are sol.

40 I wouldn't if I were you!!!
I bought an Oritron 300 DVD player, lasted for 4 DVD Viewings, then died! Their service is non existent. They'e send you e-mail after email basically telling you to unplug it and plug it in again, and I can't find anyone to repair it. Makes a good bookend, so if that's what you want, go for it!

41 A good player with 1 bug...
I received the DVD600 player for Christmas and have no problems. It has a crystal clear picture and good sound. It has played every DVD we bought or rented. My only complaint is the inability of this player to convert anamorphic widescreen to my 31" TV. Other than that, this player will work nicely until we upgrade to a higher quality player in a few years. I recommend this player to someone buying one for the first time or to someone who does not have the money for a big brand name player.

42 buttons hard to push, difficult to connect
I don't recommend this player. My friend and I decided to buy DVD players and we both bought the cheapest available, this Oritron. We both spent agonizing hours trying to get the players working with our completely different TVs. Neither of us could get them to work and eventually returned both of them.

Even if we could have gotten them to work, the lack of information on the front of the player is really irritating. Plus, the on light never goes off, and winks back at you any time you use the remote for some other device. But the worst thing of all was the non-reponsiveness of the buttons. I clicked and clicked and clicked and only a third of the time would the unit respond. This was true with both the buttons on the machine and on the remote. My friend had the same experience.

I recommend you stay away from this player and spend a little extra money on something better.

43 don't buy a dvd 600 from curry's
we bought a oritron 600 12/00..went wrong .sound jumps..skips chapters...sound out of sync with mouth movement.....returned product to curry's who upgraded software..guess what still does it and oritron and curry's no help at all

don't do it

44 IT STINKS!!
folks Please dont waste your money on this. My wife purchased this player because we wanted in on the DVD revolution. I was happy to finally get a DVD player but i was skeptical since i am a Panasonic man (they make some of the best electronics) Well It worked great for about 8 months no problems at all. then the audio output jacks just quit working one day. I'm very sure it was that because I worked in a Home theather store for 5 years and i know how to troubleshoot a setup. we phoned the company and they told us theyre was nothing they could do about it since it was out of warranty. Dont buy it people. just because you pay less for something doesnt mean its a good deal. I compare it to buying a Honda or a Yugo. that yugo is going to get the job done for a while BUT you could have spent a little extra money on the Honda and have something thats going to last so much longer!!! Good Equipment pays for itself when you dont have to get rid of it a year after you purhcased it! AVOID THIS PRODUCT AT ALL COSTS!! Save yerself lots of pain and heartbreak. Get a name brand like Panasonic, sony, Toshiba, GE. They will cost you a little bit more but its worth it!!

45 3 month warranty - product stopped working after 4 months
Disgusting! Good luck getting service or support under warranty! I'm out my $100 bucks and stuck with a worthless [unit]. It worked fine for about 4 months then started getting digital garbage patches flickering on the screen. It happens with all DVDs. I guess they have their reasons for only giving their measley 3 month warranty, they know the unit is junk! This was a Christmas gift for my father, very disappointed. Highly recommend NOT buying this item.

46 Good introductory DVD player
I have had the Oritron DVD600 for about 90 days. With only one exception, it has worked very well on the all of the DVD rentals and titles I have bought. At first, I did experience the variations of light and dark picture (especially on "Meet the Parents") that others have mentioned, but it went away when I connected it directly to the television, and not through the VCR. The sound is very good, if not great.

One problem I have had, that I haven't seen mentioned elsewhere, is that the player defaults to a French soundtrack (if that option is available on the menu) if you do not actually select English before starting the movie. This is more an annoyance than a major problem, since I knew it was an inexpensive machine going in and expected some bugs. But one movie I bought, John Boorman's "Excalibur," will NOT play in English no matter what. In fact, after a few minutes of trying, you cannot even access the menu on this DVD. This is the only title so far that has had this problem - the disc worked fine on a friend's machine, so I know it's not the DVD. I have not tried the Disney discs that some others have had problems with.

Other than this, I have been pleased with its operation, and have enjoyed many hours of viewing with no distractions from the player. I have been watching the "Monty Python's Flying Circus" complete series box set (which cost more than the player!) and have had no problems navigating through the many special features. I will probably get a more expensive machine in the future, but I think this was a great way to initially get into the world of DVD.

47 Excellent value
As my introduction to DVD's, I got this player for Christmas. After reading some of the reviews posted here, I just feel that I had to put in a good woord for this player. I find it hard to believe that I managed to get the only GOOD one of these players out there..

I have been VERY pleased with the DVD600. Connecting it to my television and audio system was easy. I have NOT experienced the problems I have heard others talk about with stuck disks or disks that would not play. It has an excellent output for both video and audio. I did notice, however, that unless you have really good cables, you may experience your picture going from dark to light. Once I replaced the cheap cables I was using (which may have even been old audio cables) the problem went away. While I don't have an extensive DVD collection, so far, every DVD I have played has worked flawlessly. From the Matrix to the Cell to Charlie's Angels, each one worked without a hitch.

The bottom line is that from my experience, this is an excellent player if you are on a budget or to use as a secondary unit, kids room, etc..

48 it doesn't play all
I bought this particular dvd player for my son for Christmas. I thought it was a great deal but it turns out it wasn't so great. For one it will not play Disney DVDs and doesn't play all movie DVDs. It's kind of a hit and miss thing. Will it play or won't it. You are better off buying a known brand even if it costs more.

49 Nice inexpensive DVD player
My first experience with this player was very positive. That is until I inserted the second DVD, which happened to be Disney's Dinosaur which I purchased at the same time as the player. For some reason this completely locks up the player. It is quite a trick to figure out to even eject the CD, which requires unplugging the unit, re-powering, and hitting the eject before it locks up again! All of my other DVDs work fine in it, but I think it will have to go back to the store to be exchanged for one that can play Dinosaur. The Dinosaur DVD works fine in the Toshiba DVD in my PC.

50 Disney DVD Drama
The Oritron DVD Player is great for the money but I am just puzzled about the Disney Dinosaur DVD not playing. How many more Disney DVD's are going to have this problem and why is this a problem.I am not pleased about this at all.

51 This guy can't play VCD at all
The tech data section says it can play VCD, actually NO! Plus the front panel doesn't show anything. That bothers me alot. Returning it.

52 This guy can't play VCD at all
The tech data section says it can play VCD, actually NO!

53 Good value for the money
despite the negative reviews i have read from ... customers, i decided to give the product a shot. it seems an excellent value for the money. i've had no lock-up or fading problems that seem to plaque other customers. and the sound is surprisingly good. (actually, my wharfedale speakers sound better when i use the oritron than when i use them with my rotel cd player.)

54 Problem with Disney DVD's
Our oritron will not play Disney Dinosaur DVD. We haven't tried any other Disney DVD's, however we've played other DVD's with no problem. We noticed another review indicating the same problem with the same DVD. We purchased two new Dinosaur DVD's and the response is the same. Does anyone have a solution? Please respond to HalBaker@aol.com Thanks

55 Lousy product
I ordered the Oritron DVD600 DVD-Video Player and frankly -- it stinks. The first one played about 6 DVD's OK, before freaking out and flashing colored static-like blocks all over the screen. Amazon was great -- they immediately shipped a replacement Oritron DVD600 DVD-Video Player, no charge. I thought that was the end of it. But no. This replacement one freaked out too -- after playing 4 DVD's successfully -- the same flashing colored static-like blocks all over the screen. :-(

This was definitely not faulty DVD's -- they all play perfectly in my computer's DVD player. In fact DVD #4 which played perfectly this afternoon -- now will not play without all the colored "static". Remote stopped responding properly too.

Give this one a miss. I am shipping it back and buying the Toshiba.

56 Problems reading Disney DVD's
Does anyone else experience a problem reading Disney DVD's with this unit? I've run over 40 DVD's without problem, but when I tried a rented "Dinosaur" DVD, it failed to load, and locked up the whole unit. I tried another copy, but the same thing happened. The DVD's were rented from Blockbuster, who puts a transparent cover over the label with their name on it. Could this cause a problem? Please email me Chivalrous@mail.com if you have a comment.

Other than this, the player works great, but be sure to unplug it when not in use as it tends to run hot.

57 Does not play CC
I dont demand all kinds of bells and whistles from a no name brand DVD player. However the basics should be rock solid. I purchased one Oritron DVD 600 player from amazon.com as a christmas gift for a family that also has need for close captioning for one of its members. The close captioning that you take for granted in any 100 dollar TV or 50 dollar VCR today, simply did not work on this DVD. Its brochure says it should. We tried all the wiring permutations and combinations suggested by the tech savvy. Otherwise picture and sound quality are tolerable. No doubt brands like Oritron will make DVD players mainstream and help everyone by bringing the price of DVDs(hardware as well as software) down. Does anyone know if there is close captioning for a PC based DVD player ?? May be that will be a cheaper and better option for the audible challenged computer literaty.

58 dissatisfied with orbitron
I have used the player less than a dozen times and It jams up and fizzles out continuously. I need to unplug it for 10 minutes in the middle of a movie to unjam the DVD. I am definitely returning it and getting a better DVD player.

59 JUST SAY NO
This unit is missing even some of the most basic functions for a DVD. For $100.00 more I was able to get a DVD with Dolby digital.

My unit only played 6 hours before it started flinging the disk inside. It was shipped by Amazon with no packing around it--I'm sure that contributed to the poor condition of this machine.

60 Fading problem with DVD players
You should all be aware that any DVD player that is hooked up to a TV through a VCR will experience fading in and out of the video signal. This is NOT a problem with the set, it is due to the Macrovision copy protection scheme that every DVD player sold in the US is required to have. It prevents copying of DVD discs to tape.. If you connect the player directly to the TV, the problem will be eliminated. You may need to buy an RF converter (try Radio Shack) if you have an older TV without a video RCA jack.

I have seen many reviews criticising DVD players for this "problem", and surprisingly sales staff seem to make no mention of this either at the time of the sale, or when the "defective unit" is returned!

61 Returned this item
The unit that I bought would lock up and not respond to any commands from the remote control or control pannel. The only way to unlock the DVD player was by unplugging it from the wall outlet. I would not recommend buying this DVD player.

62 Terrible Piece of Junk
I had this player for a week and had to return it. The picture would fade from real bright to real dark every 3 seconds or so. Same result on different DVD's. When I returned it, the clerk said that a bunch had been returned, and, "It's really not a very good brand." I highly advise you to try another brand.

63 Not bad for the money
I bought this as a gift for my sister, and overall, she is pleased with the performance of the player. As another reviewer mentioned, we did have trouble getting the player to operate after hooking it up to the VCR, however, we found that if you put your VCR in auxiliary mode before inserting the movie, the movie queues right up without a problem. As far as the picture fading in and out, we experienced that also on most of the dvd's we played until it was suggested that we replace the cable/antennae wire. Once that was done, the fading on most of her small collection ceased.

64 DO NOT BUY THIS DVD PLAYER
I ordered this model and was very disatisfied with it. I tried to watch brand new DVDs on it and the picture skipped at least once every three minutes. Every once in a while the screen turns blue in the middle of a movie. Do not waste your money on this DVD player, it only causes frustration. It is less reliable than a $50 VCR.

65 My Oritron had problems!
Got this through Target.com. One side of the box had a dent in it, so I assume it got dropped, which may account for the weird video...it keeps flickering in and out, getting darker and redder, and then coming in light and bright at regular intervals. Totally unwatchable. It didn't with an old DVD called Slipstream, but it has with the Gladiator, the Fugitive, Romeo Must Die, etc. According to one reviewer, his didn't work hooked up through a VCR, so I will try to just hook it up to the TV before I try to return it. Will trade it in and see if the new one works before taking it home! I tried it hooked up to 2 different tv's.

66 Good for the Price
While you won't find a lot of the top-of-the-line features you'll find in more expensive players, the playback is good and the on-screen menus are intuitive. The lack of S-Video out and 5.1 out means you'll have to upgrade if you want better picture or enter the world of surround sound, but if you want a barebones DVD player for watching DVD's, or a cheap 2nd player for the kids or bedroom, this one will do the trick.

67 Bummer!
This DVD player worked great--for three days. It's going to be very difficult if not impossible to get it serviced. I feel bad because the kids were so psyched about it.

68 Not so great first DVD player
I bought this DVD player for my parents. We set it up in about 5 minutes, through their VCR, and it worked great. My folks had no trouble using the remote or navigating through the menus. The picture and sound were fine, and we played several movies with no problems. It's not a fancy model, but it does the basic job of showing movies-which is what I bought it for. I would recommend it as a first DVD player.

Update: One year later- this DVD player had broken and they replaced it with a more expensive brand name. I would not recommend this DVD player anymore.

69 Decent buy
I have to say that I bought this DVD player as a "tide-me-over-till-I-get-some-more-cash" kind of DVD player. It serves that purpose well. I don't have an incredible surround sound system, so I can't vouch for sound quality, but it looks great on my hi-def TV. However, it does get hung on occasion, probably because I am a very impatient button presser and pound away at the remote, pissing the player off. All in all, a good first DVD player that you plan on giving to that 80 year old aunt of yours next Christmas, after you upgrade.

70 Good for the Money
I bought a DVD600 when I saw the price. Finally the prices for DVD players are starting to come down. In playing with it, I found that it is a cheap player, it does not work well running through another component (like a VCR) - when connected directly to my TV, it's great. It does not have 5.1 audio out's. If you want an affordable, entry level or second DVD player, the DVD600 is for you - when connected carefully, the video and audio quality is great. If you want more - spend more.

71 If you need...
...a DVD player and are on a tight budget, then this is the way to go. The MP3 playing feature is very nice, as mostDVD players (even the more expensive ones) don't have it, and it costs $100 just to get a portable MP3-on-a-CD-disk player.

The picture quality is definitely adequate and the sound is, too. It of course is going to lack some of the niceties that other DVD players have, and doesn't look quite as durable, either.

The bottom line is if you can't afford to purhcase a more expensive player that will last awhile, then I would spend the extra [money] to do so. Otherwise, a great choice for being a budget.

72 Works great!
I just plugged this up yesterday and it works fine. I had it up and running in 15 min, with my digital ready receiver. The 5.1 sounds great and the picture is good. I would say for the price this is a good deal. It also has a nice icon menu on the onscreen display. If your looking for a basic DVD player with a few extras, I would recommend. You could always give it to the kids later, when you decide to upgrade.

73 You get what you pay for...
This DVD player was not worth the money, it was returned the same day I got it! The digital out was not in its 'normal' form and it had typos in the menus. As soon as I put a DVD in, it flickered for awhile before the DVD started playing.

I was not impressed by the quality of the workmanship or the quality of the player.

I suppose if you want a DVD player to just play DVD's, this is for you. If you actually want to get use out of the great quality that DVD's have to offer, I suggest spending a little more money and go with a brand you trust.

74 Cool DVD Player at a great low price!
Well, I'm glad that DVD Players are finally coming down in price. And this Oritron DVD Player is a great example for a very good machine at a really low price. Comparing my Sony and this Oritron, there is only little difference in the picture and sound quality. Sure, the higher priced models look more expensive and sturdier while the design and craftsmanship of this Oritron looks a little cheap: plastic and stuff. But, hey, it's a box that fulfills the purpose of playing DVDs at a very affordable price delivering surprisingly good picture and sound quality. Of course, for your home movie theatre you may opt for a higher priced model with some more features and the professional design feel and look. But if you're looking for a DVD player to enjoy DVDs on any TV anywhere, or as an additional DVD player in the various rooms of your house incl. the kids room, the gym, even the bedroom, etc., the Oritron definitely appears to be the best choice of the lower priced models.

75 You get what you pay for...
This is a cheap unit and it behaves that way. I've had trouble with the audio when trying to output DTS. The audio was cutting in and out frequently. The menu system is also clunky on this model. I upgraded to a Pioneer DVD-434. What a different. Spend the money for a nicer player is my suggestion to you.

76 Oritron DVD player
I think that this product is awesome! It never freezes or skips, and the sound is great, with the DTS! I was first infulenced by a friend saying,

"You going to have to pay a lot to get a lot."

I thought,

"Well I'll get it and see if it's good."

And was I suprised! The sound, the picture! I plan to buy another for my house, and a sound system to accompany this bad boy! So want if it dosen't play CD-R's? A DVD player is a DVD player, people don't buy these things to play CD's in them; they want good sounding, great picture DVD technology. So if you want a great DVD player at a great price, then this is what you want!