The technology for dvd players has been around long enough now that it has matured and most dvd players on the market these days can be considered quality units with solid, useful features. But some are better than others. We decide to review dvd players that are available today and see which ones offer the best value for the buck.

If you read most independent reviews of dvd players these days it becomes apparent that the top manufacturers including Panasonic, Sony, Toshiba and Apex all produce excellent quality equipment that perform consistently well. However one trend becomes apparent though. Many dvd players are sold with DVI(digital visual interface) or HDMI(high-definition multimedia interface) as an alternative to the composite and S-video connections commonly seen on dvd players in the past. The difference is supposed to be that the DVI and HDMI connections are straight digital to digital connections when used with HDTVs, whereas the digital signal is converted to analog for transmission through a S-video and composite video cable and then converted back to digital on HDTVs. This is supposed to provide cleaner video since it avoids the conversions between analog and digital.

However many consumer reviewers report that the difference just isn't all that apparent and may not be worth paying the extra money for the DVI or HDMI connections. So most people can actually do just fine with most conventionally priced dvd players on the market instead.

Here are a few models that have scored well in many dvd player reviews:

1. A very popular and inexpensive dvd player is the Pioneer DV-578A. It is a progressive scan player which has a component video output for improved video performance and a built in Dolby 5.1 surround sound decoder. It also is capable of playing various DVD formats including DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW and both CD-R and CD-RW as well. It's a high quality versatile single disc player that would do a great job in any home entertainment setup. Cost - around $100.

2. The JVC XV-N510B is another dvd player in this single disc category that rates very highly on many consumer dvd player reviews. It also can use component video outputs for better video display, supports both Dolby and DTS 5.1 surround sound as well as virtual surround sound for those that have only a two speaker system, and features audio dynamic range control to help limit excessively loud sounds. It also displays practically all DVD disc formats that you could use even including DVD-RAM. Cost - around $120.

When you read a dvd player rating here on the web or elsewhere you often see these two models listed very highly and given excellent reviews. So why pay more for features that don't really offer more value? By choosing models like the ones mentioned above and their counterparts you can get great performance and great value in the same package.