I originally ordered a refurbished Philips DVP642 from Overstock, and it was a comedy of errors (did not work at all -- could not read any discs -- came with a photocopy of the manual instead of a real manual, and came with the wrong remote such that even if the machine had worked, I would not have been able to use it [no "setup" button on the remote or on the front panel]). I am glad to say that I immediately returned it (and told Overstock [who I found out often/always ship the wrong remote! Bad!!!] I wanted a refund, not a replacement, and I'd go and order it from Amazon instead).

Amazon, you are wonderful! My refurbished/remanufactured Philips DVP642 arrived in great condition, perfect working order, had the real manual, and had the correct remote!

As for the player itself, it does what it claims. It happily plays regular DVDs (and even over composite and through a video switch, it outputs a really clear, sharp picture--far, far better than the Sampo player... Read more

I've enjoyed this unit and just bought my 2nd after the first one died ... lasted about 1 1/2 yrs. Other reviews indicate that these units seem to die after some time and I've read it's related to a power capacitor (probably an easy fix for someone skilled in electronics). Other problems are that some DVD-Rs won't load in this ... seems really arbitrary though, not any specific brand. I like it to play .avi files from the computer. If I were just playing store bought DVDs, I think I would choose something a little more reliable. I bought my second one from a retailer that offers a 4 year extended warranty for $20. I figure the extra money is worth it as 4 out of the 5 DVD players I've owned have died within 3 years. So my advice ... make sure you have a good warranty and expect to replace it, enjoy it while it works.

Worked well for 30 days and then started having problems turning on. Really a pain. Won't turn on normally and have to spend 10 min. or so pushing the stand-by button to get it go on. Don't be a remanufactured one.