Memorex MVD2022: The Return of Craigmoosh and his $20 DVD Player!

The Self-Indulgent, Liberal Media Intro (aka "Skip this section if you want to get right to the review:):
I’m baaaack! Yes, it’s been four long years since I last wrote an Epinion. Just to show you how much things have changed in those four years: at that time, we had just "elected" a president who couldn’t form a coherent sentence (or spell "DVD"), and he was talking about crazy plans like putting Social Security funds into the stock market. Man, those were some crazy times!

Okay, before I lose all the Bush-supporters (hey, I was just joking about our prez... kind of), I suppose I should get to my comeback review... the Memorex MVD2022 DVD Player.

The Basics:
I’d been thinking of getting a DVD player for my office for quite awhile. This way, I can better use my time watching DVDs than doing unimportant things like, say, work. So when I read about a great deal on a DVD player from Fatwallet.com, I decided to take the plunge and buy the Memorex MVD2022. It’s a slim-line silver unit, measuring just 1.5” high and weighing in at 3.5 pounds. As far as looks, let me just paraphrase Springsteen and say, it ain't a beauty, but hey, it's all right. Granted, I’ve only had this player for a week, but I’ve put it through very rigorous testing, especially for you, the home viewer.

Features and Connectivity:
The MVD2022 is a progressive scan player. If you have a TV with progressive scan inputs (usually found on HDTV sets), this will give you even greater video quality. Otherwise, you'll need to turn off the progressive scan with the switch in the back, and you'll be stuck with just the normal startingly clear DVD picture. The MVD2022 also has features like zoom, slow-mo, repeat, multi-angle, and parental lock (please don't tell my mom about that feature). This player comes with outputs for your choice of component, composite, or S-Video, and comes with composite cables. For those unfamiliar, component cables give you the best quality, followed by S-Video, and finally composite (which still gives excellent quality). Note: don't spend too much on cables. Places like Best Buy and Circuit City jack up their prices on cables to Halliburton-like prices. You can buy good quality cables much less expensively at places like Big Lots or various places online for a fraction of the price.

My only connection problem was when I first connected the player with an S-Video cable and I had no picture. Then I tried the composite video cable and it worked fine. Finally, I discovered I had to change a setting on the on-screen setup menu to use the S-Video cable (so I had to use the composite cables to be able to read the screen to change the setting to use the S-Video cable; who was in charge of that planning, Donald Rumsfeld?).

So What Features Are Missing?
While the Memorex MVD2022 is chock full of features for the price, it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of more expensive DVD players (who needs bells on a DVD player, anyway?). So what doesn’t it have? It doesn’t have a display on the unit that tells the time elapsed, chapters, etc. (however, you can use the remote’s “display” button to see that information on the TV screen). It doesn’t have “resume,” where you can stop play and come back where you left off the next day (of course, you can pause it for short bathroom, food, or bank robbery breaks). Oh, and it also doesn’t make hamburgers (but only the George Foreman DVD Player does that). Other than those few minor things, it does have most major features.

Okay, But What Formats Can it Play?
The beauty of the MVD2022 is it plays just about *everything* you throw at it. It plays the following formats: DVD (duh!), CD, CDR, CDRW, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD+RW, VCD, SVCD, MP3, MPEG, JPG, and 8-tracks (okay, I made that one up). I’ve already played a few regular DVD’s, bootleg Springsteen DVD-R’s, a Malaysian pirated DVD, a VCD burned off my computer with MPEG’s, and a photo CD, with not a single blip on any of them (BTW, if any of those discs are illegal, than I was, um, joking). Not only that, but this DVD player is hackable in case you want to make it region-free and play discs from outside the US and Canada (ie, countries who hate us). I haven’t tried this yet, but see the bottom of this review for the step-by-step sequence at no extra charge!

Hey, What About the Remote?
The remote is fairly basic and the buttons are small, but it is laid out pretty well. One minor, but somewhat annoying thing is the remote didn't come with batteries (geez, couldn't Memorex spring an extra 8 cents for a couple generic AA batteries?). One other negative is most universal remotes don't seem to have a code for this DVD player, so you're probably going to have to use the supplied remote unless you have a universal remote with a "learning" function.

So How Much Will it Set Me Back?
So how much would you pay for a unit that you can play all those formats, and has all these features? Two million dollars? $50,000? $99.95? Nope; I bought this unit for the low, low price of $19.95 + tax (after coupon and rebate). Sears seems to be the only company to currently carry this particular unit (if Epinions doesn't have a link at the bottom of this page, check out Sears.com for current pricing and availability). I paid $34.95 (although I see it is currently $39.95), and as of this writing, there is still a $10 rebate on it. I also used one of Sears' $5 coupons, which are available fairly often.

The Verdict:
Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase of the MVD2022. While it's way too early to predict reliability, for the price I paid, it's practically disposable. 3/21/06 Update: After more than a year, I haven't had any problems with the DVD player. I've played a lot of used discs bought online (some of them badly scratched) and have never had as much as a hiccup on any of them. Oh, and the president *still* can't spell DVD.

Specifications:
Format Compatibility
• Progressive scan DVD/VCD/CD player with built-in MP3 Decoder
• Audio CD, CD-R, CD/RW, MP3 CD playback
• Picture CD readable
Audio Output
• DTS digital output (coaxial)
Other Features
• On-Screen graphical user interface
• 16:9 / 4:3 picture select
• Parental lock function
• Slow motion function (1/2 • 1/4 • 1/8)
• F.B / F.F. Play function (x2 - x4 - x8 speed)
• Multi-angle menu
• Zoom function
Connectivity
• DTS digital output (coaxial)
• Component output
• S-Video output
Accessories
• Full function remote control (batteries not included)
• Audio/Video cable
• User manual & warranty card
Unit Dimensions (WDH)
• 14.2” x 7.9” x 1.5”
Street Names
"Memorex MVD2022," aka "Memorex MVD-2022," aka "Memorex MVD 2022," aka "Larry"

"Hacking" the Memorex MVD2022:
(This makes the player region-free so you can play discs from outside the US and Canada; may also work on hacking Diebold voting machines)
1. Open drawer
2. Press "Clear" on remote
3. Type 1 3 6 9 (nothing will appear on screen, so don't panic!)
4. Enter 0 for all regions (US is Region 1)
5. Restart the player (Standby and On)
Disclaimer: I can't be held responsible for exploding DVD players or the DVD Region Police knocking at your door.

Epilogue:
So there you have it. If you wait around four more years, I just may write another review. Thanks for reading, and I'll meet you back here in 2009!