Apex AD-1200 DVD Player
By: Apex Average Rating: 2.5 Total Reviews: 81
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 On: 2006-12-05
Ive had mine for about 4 years and its worked really well for the first 3. It does play everything you put in it. The remote is crap and you need to very close to it for it to register. I have also found that banging the remote on the chair arm works as well. The >> feature is great cause you can go up to 16x faster and go back as well. It is noisy when changing discs(holds 3 at a time) and takes some getting used to.
Lately I have to pound it to get it to eject DVDs or open the door so I can put them in. I just got tired of having to bang on it to get it to open/close/stop making loud whirring noises. So I went out and bought a Philips progressive scan player which worked great for a couple weeks then started freezing on me whenever I tried to acces bonus features on DVDs.
So Im returning it and going back to my old Apex.
 On: 2005-12-30
Ok,so the door is a problem,the picture will freeze sometimes, and the remote is a worthless piece of crap.However the 1200 is one of those units that comes around only once in awhile.Plays absolutely everything,including other region dvds.Sturdy as a tank.I bought mine 4 years ago and will always keep it as a backup.Ive had a toshiba player that lasted mabe 6 weeks tops.Thats crap!!! Bravo to Apex for putting together a solid, no-frills piece of equipment.
 On: 2005-09-06
O.K., It looks like a cheap piece of junk, but....Ive had mine for over 4 years - still works great. Most importantly, it plays everything: VCDs, DVDs, homemade video CDs and DVDs, DVDs sold on the street corner for 5 bucks. It plays things that my friends high-end progressive scan players DO NOT PLAY. I advise them: Buy a cheap DVD player like an Apex.
 On: 2005-03-06
I bought this dvd player for 40.00 and it worked for about 2 months now it works about once a month when it wants to i usually have to play with the cables all of the time to even get it to work for a few minutes dont buy it it sucks pay even a dollar more this thing is not worth a penny.
On: 2005-02-06
I bought one of these players used online for 18 dollars. When I recieved it, I recieved the infamous "no disc" error, like many on this forum have. However, after little more than 10 minutes, I had found a solution to my problem which involved adjusting springs within the player. So, if you like to pay very little and dont mind tinkering with things, this player just might be for you.
On: 2004-11-21
i bought the model AD 1201, which is slightly different then the one here, but i dont even think you can buy this model anymore that is sold here. well, it nice for the price. itll play dvds, obviously, cds, cdrw, cdr, mp3 cdr/w, picture cdr/w, and mine will play dvd+r/w and vcds. it wont play dvd-r/w. im not sure if this model will either. i bought it mainly to play vcds
i wanted to buy this model initially because of the fact that you can hack it, menu-1369-left(3x)-right(1x)
this will let you change the region and turn off the macrovision protection, letting you backup your movies on a vcr or connect the unit through a vcr if your too cheap to get an rf modulator.
its decent, but i absolutly hate the fact that you have to use the shift button to activate the arrow keys. it looks tacky and crappy when shift shows up in bright yellow in the corner. its a pain in the [...], but a decent dvd player
On: 2004-11-20
i bought the model AD 1201, which is slightly different then the one here, but i dont even think you can buy this model anymore that is sold here. well, it nice for the price. itll play dvds, obviously, cds, cdrw, cdr, mp3 cdr/w, picture cdr/w, and mine will play dvd+r/w and vcds. it wont play dvd-r/w. im not sure if this model will either. i bought it mainly to play vcds
i wanted to buy this model initially because of the fact that you can hack it, menu-1369-left(3x)-right(1x)
this will let you change the region and turn off the macrovision protection, letting you backup your movies on a vcr or connect the unit through a vcr if your too cheap to get an rf modulator.
its decent, but i absolutly hate the fact that you have to use the shift button to activate the arrow keys. it looks tacky and crappy when shift shows up in bright yellow in the corner. its a pain in the [...], but a decent dvd player
On: 2004-06-05
Ive had this player for 1 year, only used it on the weekends.
Now the the player will not play a DVD completly. Tried cleaning, no help. Try another brand.
On: 2004-05-27
Ive had my Apex AD-1200 for about 4 years now and Ive never had any problems. Ive moved about 8-10 times (recent college grad), transporting the player with me every time which hasnt affected it at all. It plays virtually EVERY format (besides the most recent DVD+/- R/RW, & RAM), including VCD, SVCD, mp3, CD-R. Its not meant to be a top-of-the-line player, so with that in mind it does EXACTLY what its supposed to do! Would highly recommend this product.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-04-11
I got this player as a special gift on August 25, 2002. It was working fine until it started to mess up the first week in December 2002. The player froze in the middle of the movie several times. I had to turn off the power and turn the power back on. After I did that, it froze again. I tried cleaning the lens with my CD/DVD lens cleaner, did no good it messed up again. I returned it to the store and got a better model, the Apex AD-1201, no problems yet anyway. I will never get a low-end piece of el cheapo garbage from Apex again ever. Shoppers beware of that! Get a Sony, JVC, Samsung, or Panasonic DVD player. You wont regret it. I wish you luck!
On: 2004-03-12
I have owned this unit for over 3 months. It has performed flawlessy, my only qualm is that it does not play dvd+r. The unit is packed with features most $300 players dont have. My favorites are dts decoding and optical audio, other options include MP3 playback, and .jpg slideshows. The unit is a great player overall, and you can get it for a even better price.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-03-12
I have to agree with other consumers that have purchased a Apex AD 1200 DVD player that this product should be recalled! I purchased one as a gift for my boyfriend and fresh out of the box error message reads no disc after loading! I purchased the item several months ago prior to giving it as a gift! So the warranty of 90 days has expired before using this product.Im afraid after reading on this forum about customer service I fear that sending it back would be futal mand costly even though the parts are still under warranty. I wish I had seen this forum before purchasing! Lesson well learned! Future buyers BEWARE!!!
On: 2004-03-03
Yes this is a cheap dvd player in every sense of the word. I purchased mine on a long business trip and have been using it for about a year now. I use it fairly often to play home burned VCD and DVDs. I think Ive gotten $40.00 of use out of it.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-03-02
The machine was finnicky from the beginning, often dissasociating the picture from the sound, and then suddenly it refused to work at all. Now whenever I put in a DVD the power turns off a few seconds later. Do not buy this product.
On: 2004-03-01
Yes, I watch DVD a lots. However, just after 8 months, it cannot read mp3. one month later, it can read cd. One month later, it cannot read DVD normally.................
On: 2004-02-20
Ive had this deck for several years now.This deck is fine with black+white movies [almost everything I watch is from the 1930s]. It has problems with higher-bitrate encoded DVDs. DVD is software. The MPEG datarates can vary depending on the manufacturer. The only DVDs Ive had problems playing on this deck are certain Deep Space Nine disks. When I watch multiple episodes the memory defragmentation problems causes shows to stop and get out of sync, etc. The solution to this is to turn the DVD player off and then on again, then go directly to the episode you want to watch. This is a great player. three nine buks it kost me. It plays VCDs and SVCDS flawlessly. And like I said I have only seen problems on certain DVDs with high bitrate encodings.
On: 2004-02-07
My Apex AD1200 is 5 months old.I have played eleven movies and
it is also exhibiting all the various problems,design flaws and
defects that most of the reviewers complained about at Amazon.com
Sure,I know it is supposed to be a cheap no frills product.Fine
as I dont have a $5000 home theater I just want to see a damn
picture on my TV and sound of some kind would be nice.Sorry,it
just isn,t gonna happen with this piece of crap which apparently
lasts just long enough to outlive the exchange warranty.After that the "labor" and shipping/handling charges are more than
what you orginally paid most of the time.Only an idiot would
have any product this worthless repaired in the first place so
the manufacturer is off the hook with a nice profit to boot as I
doubt as they spent very much making the substandard piece of
junk Im stuck with.
Isnt peddling defective merchandise a crime? A reputable
manufacturer would voluntarily recall and replace the AD1200
after so much bad product ended up in the hands of its
customers if they intended to garner any repeat business.
Over the long haul word of mouth is the best advertising.I
wouldnt want this many dissatisfied customers telling everyone
they know to avoid my products like the plague.
I have learned my lesson.First time shame on Apex.Next time
shame on me . I know not to buy it again.
I have shared my dismal experience as a public service.
Incidentally,I did not get my AD1200 from Amazon and thank them
for the use of this forum.I normally peruse this forum to see
what actual purchasers of a product have to say about it before
I buy it also.
On: 2004-02-04
I am frankly very disapointed that Amazon is "Spot-lighting" as highlights two glowing reviews from customers for this poor excuse for a DVD player. When the reviews are running 15 to 1 the other way and most folks who purchased this product are regretting it this is completely mis-leading. Worse still you have your own product review which is completely false. I had this player all of three months before it wouldnt hardly play at all. It finally died all together some months later after very little use. The warrantly was worthless. Also, this product is not made in Korea or Malaysia as has been advertised but China, where quality control, at least for this product doesnt exist. I have written over 65 reviews for Amazon and this is the first negative review I have written. How about truth in advertising. Shame on you for posting glowing reviews of this product. Apex is junk. Thank you, Christian Lehrer
On: 2004-01-25
You get what you pay for people. I bought this very large "paper weight" about a year ago and it basically is garbage now. Gets stuck in the middle of movies making it impossible to enjoy a DVD. And tonight I tried loading BRAND NEW DVDs and it basically wouldnt load them.Youd be better off lighting your money on fire versus spending it on this piece of garbage! STAY AWAY FROM APEX PRODUCTS!!!! VERY CHEAP!!!! GARBAGE!!!
On: 2004-01-16
THIS IS THE WORST DVD PLAYER I HAVE EVER SEEN.
MORE THAN 60% HAVE BEEN RETURNED TO THE STORE WHERE I WORK.
THE ONLY GOOD THING ABOUT THIS IS THE PRICE.
SAVE YOUR MONEY, TIME AND SANITY AND BUY SOMETHING ELSE.
On: 2003-12-28
We were given the AD-1200 Apex when we purchased our Sony TV. We put it aside because we already had a video player. Today, we finally took it out of the box to hook it up to another TV and there is no color. We were trying to set up a slide show from jpeg pics on a cd. It came in but was black and white. We have worked with it for several hours and my husband finally said "trash it".
by: Anonymous On: 2003-12-18
First, it took me forever to get the stupid Player set up, but when I tried to play ANYTHING, I got a "No Disc" error. This is the first day that I have had it and it is fresh out of the box. This is TRASH and should be burned. Dont even waste your time driving to the store to look at it because it is AWFUL!
On: 2003-12-18
I purchased this 3 months ago. The eject button never worked from the start then 2 months after VERY minimal usage it just stopped working. I sent it to APEX to get it fixed as per the warranty and 1 year later I am still calling them to get it fixed - they have the worst product and bad service to match. If you call their support number 909-930-1239 you can not get through over 80% of the time you have to keep calling.MY RECOMMENDATION STAY FAR AWAY FROM ANY APEX PRODUCTS THEY ARE JUNK I HAVE OWNED SONY AND PANASONIC PRODUCTS BEFORE DVD, VCR ETC. NEVER HAD A PROBLEM.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-12-15
I cant believe Apex is getting away with selling these horrible machines! They work well for a few months to a year, and then--- it wont play anything you put into it, it simply says "no disc"; or if a disc plays at all, it freezes and skips like mad. In my opinion, this dvd player should be taken off the market. Both my mom and I have had the same experience with our Apex dvd players. I definitely do *not* recommend buying an apex if you still want a working machine in a year.
On: 2003-10-24
Though the price drew me in at first, as being only 35 dollars, this dvd player did not hold up to my standards at all. First of all, the Mp3 player has such a small string name display that most of the time you can not tell what the song is, only the artist,and it does not tell how far you are through the song.
Secondly, this machine has S-Video OUTPUT, when you normally dont need output, you need input, so you can hook up your computer to the DVD player, and have your computer screen on your T.V. Output is almost completely useless, as long as we have A/V cables.
The Picture viewer is all that gave this machine a one, instead of nothing. It works well to show still pictures, in a slide show fashion, but could have more enhancements.
I have doubts about how long the machine is going to last, as I have had mine for a month now in my college dorm room, and it already creates a loud humming sound like the cds rattle around inside the machine. It still works, but it is hardly a "silent" machine.
My advice would be to pitch in a bit more money, to get yourself a sony DVD player, as they are the best I have seen out, with very few complaints. APEX, this machine is not a good way to make yourself known.
On: 2003-08-26
My Apex worked quite well for a little over a year...there was some minimal problem with noise, but other than that it performed nicely. Then, two days ago, I got the dreaded no disc error, which I have come to learn is the tell-tale death knoll of this particular machine. Ah well. It was good while it lasted, but unfortunately, that wasnt very long.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-08-26
This dvd player was purchased as an extra for a bedroom. It kept opening and shutting by itself and would not read any disc inserted in it. It also makes a loud noise when it opens and shuts. Needless to say it went back the next day.
On: 2003-08-23
This is definitely a starter DVD player. The first one worked out well for a couple of months before the dvd went into the player. Now, the replacement has a different problem - the picture goes bright and dull often. I wonder if it has something to do with macrovision software.
On: 2003-08-19
This DVD player is horrible! When I first starting using the player it was fine. Then after a few viewings the player started to make LOUD vibrating noises. It sounded like it was jumping all over the table! Now . . . it literally plays only 5 of my DVDs without any problems. Any other type of DVD that I try to play either freezes or there is a low buzz that can only be stopped if I use the DVDs mute. Weird. This APEX DVD Player is not even good enough to put in a child/teenagers room as a "My First DVD player." I suggest either a more expensive APEX or maybe a lower-cost player from a more reputable company like Sony, etc.
On: 2003-07-26
there is probably a very good reason why this DVD player costs less than $50.
On: 2003-07-26
If I were writing this 1 week ago I would have given it 4 stars. For the ridiculously low price it has performed well. Bought it about... when I bought an APEX TV (still good) at [store], but didnt use it more than twice in the first 2 months. Then with [store], watched an average of 2-5 movies a week ever since. The weaknesses of the remote were slightly annoying, but there was NEVER a performance, load or picture problem EVER. And then 2 days after watching a movie with absolutely no problems...I got the dreaded NO DISC ERROR. From an electronics-geek website I visited I gather this is very common...but not very fixable by normal human beings. Looks like this hits the trash tomorrow, to be replaced by a [name] or a [name]. I knew a ... machine wouldnt last forever...but LESS THAN A YEAR?
by: Anonymous On: 2003-07-16
Bought this DVD player a litter over two months ago, and played less than 6 DVDs on the machine. Now it is totally broken. What ever disc (DVD, VCD or CD) I put in, it says "NO DISC".Still within the 90-day warranty, but need to pay shipping to send back for repair. My advise, dont buy this one. I will not buy anything from APEX.
On: 2003-06-16
Dont buy this dvd player - Ive had nothing but headaches. First of all, it doesnt recognize the dvd half the time. Then, half way thru the movie, it will freeze and not respond to anything but turning it off - all on perfect brand new discs. And every dvd with a somewhat complex menu - forget about it!! It will freeze when you hit enter on a menu with more than 2 or 3 things. Add to that stutter skips, ejecting a still turning disc(scratching the hell out of it) and sometimes choppy playback(again, all on perfectly new dvds) and this dvd player is NOT WORTH THE HEADACHES! Pay the extra 50 bucks for a name brand - its worth it in the end!
by: Anonymous On: 2003-05-23
I bought an Apex AD-1201, a nearly identical model as far as I can tell. I took it back because the motor made an annoying grinding, rumbling noise during playback of many DVDs. The playback would start out fine, but after 15 minutes the noise would start and get louder. Definitely a major distraction.Other flaws: noticeable lag in machine operations (play, menu etc.); 3-second lag between hitting the tray open/close button and machine response; cluttered, non-intuitive remote. Too bad, because the picture and sound quality seemed quite good for a unit at this price. But I just couldnt live with the motor growl.
On: 2003-05-18
In the specifications of the product says that this can read format VCD / SVCD and it is not this way, this product is a farce, it is of terrible quality.
by: _bernie On: 2003-05-11
This animal is a keeper. For those that are just now starting the DVD world this is the best place to start. This device can open new worlds and make old ones fun. I replaced my older more expensive DVD player with the APEX AD1200 and found that this little wonder also handles many other existing and up and coming formats of media. My only disappointment was the lack of DVD-RAM. However I can now play all the secondary DVD disks such as the Harry Potter extras disk (without a computer.) this device supports DVD-Video, SVCD, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, and MP3 CDs. And it is very responsive. There are not a lot of distracting buttons, dials, and displays on the front; however if you need a function there is an on screen menu for more than you are looking for. You say I forgot to mention JPEG and KODAK Picture CD compatible; well I have not tried them yet but have every confidence in their execution. For the price if anything goes wrong in the future you can just toss it.
On: 2003-05-06
I bought my Apex dvd player at Wal-Mart. After about 10 movies played....it went haywire. At the risk of certain doom of my warranty, I opened the litle boy up and saw its motor was dead. I packed it up and exchanged it for another. The new one works fine and I have no complaints. I will say one thing that might be important to some...I quickly learned that for me dvds are not so hot I prefer vhs tapes, even though the dvd has a sharper picture. So, the cheap price was a nice way to experiment with the new format.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-04-22
Ive only had the unit for a little while, but it works as advertised. To all of the people writing negative reviews, keep in mind that this thing is $! You get what you pay for most of the time. This is no different. I use mine in my office and not as my primary DVD player. My motto: Dont pay much, dont get much, dont expect much.
On: 2003-04-14
It was really [reasonably priced] at Circuit City, and I like the fact that it will read anything, but after 8 months the remote isnt talking to the machine. Either the remote is busted or the sensor on the machine wont receive signals. Unlike the slightly more [spendy] Apex, this one has no navigation buttons on the front (nothing but play, eject and on/off), so if the remote disappears or stops working, you are sunk. Spend more money and get navigation buttons.
On: 2003-04-05
Although this is not the EXACT Apex model that I own, it is very similar, and after having problems with mine I decided to log on and see if anyone else had reported similar problems as mine. And, to little suprise, they had. From the moment I first played a DVD on the player, it made THE MOST annoying vibrqating sound that continued for the entire movie. At one point it became so loud, that I could no longer hear my movie over it! Eventually, however, that seemed to stop, although it would occassionally still make sound. Now, after only a few months, the player repeatedly displays: NO DISC each time a disc is placed inside. To make it worse, the APEX Help Hotline offered no help. After waiting on hold for over 30 minutes, I was instructed that it may be broken (Duh!) and that if I wanted to have it fixed I would be required to send it in for a labor charge of ... + shipping charges. Thats more than ... of what I payed for the thing! My suggestion is that you skip APEX and spend that extra ... on a better brand.
On: 2003-03-30
all the features work to my satisfaction. It is flimsy and requires care, not for kids or dogs. The remote [stinks], way small and sometimes the buttons do not get any response the first time. a firm but gentle touch works best. I bought it for JPG slideshows and that works well although there seems to be a limit on how many images you can access at once. random play within a directory bypasses the limit. also selecting by number, say 201 for an image to start the limit at a later image works from that image up to the limit. It takes getting used to and some experimenting. For the price it is an amazing bargain. I read the negative reviews after I bought it. I probably would have spent 5 times as much to get what I wanted had I read all the bad reviews. I have only had it a few days but so far it works perfectly. The loud grinding noises i heard on the first dvd went away when i ejected it and reinserted. possibly it is overly sensitive to placement in the tray.
On: 2003-03-27
Like so many have said here, you get what you pay for. The player had a problem from day one concerning remote control sensitivity. I had to stand no more than 3 feet in front of the player for the remote to work, As soon as the warranty ran out-you guessed it-the remote function is totally non functional. Spend another $..., and get a quality player that will last.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-03-26
The player started making vibrating sounds less than 2 weeks after we bought it. The problems that followed included freezing, not recognising that it had a disk, and then finally not working at all. All of this took four months. The only good thing is that I will get my money back to buy another brand.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-03-22
I bought this DVD player a year ago. It worked fine at first and then about 4months after having it, I would put a movie in and all I would hear was a clicking noise and then it would tell me there was no disc in there. I am very dissatisfied with this brand and I will never buy an APEX product again. I had bought DVD players for my family members and none of them are APEX. I have told everyone I know never to buy APEX and so far none of them have had a problem with there Panosonic, and Sony DVD players.
On: 2003-03-17
I agree with all the reviewers who give this 1 star (because there is no category for zero stars!)I got this from a friend. She had bought it last year and from the beginning had MULTIPLE problems. When playing DVDs it freezes, skips, and occasionally doesnt want to let them out! She went back to where she bought it and they told her it was the connections and she needed better cables and a modulator. She went ahead and bought all that even though the cost was as much as the DVD player--but hey shes persistent. Unfortunately it still did the same thing. It drove her crazy. She took it to her churchs youth room. It drove them crazy. Then she gave it to me and now its driving me crazy! The eject button works a small percentage of the time, its incredibly loud sometimes making all sorts of whirring, buzzing, and bumpy noises--as if a bunch of gnomes were in their hitting it with hammers! Irritating! The remote is awful and often doesnt work either. To my friends credit she told me about all the problems and her attitude was "hey, its yours. PLEASE take it". Not being one to refuse a gift (especially of a DVD player!)I brought it home and hooked it up. It played the first 4 DVDs just fine. Then it started freezing up, skipping, and just generally doing what all the other reviewers have said it does. Bottom line: You know this product is not worth the money if I have come on amazon.com specifically to say how bad it is--because I didnt even pay for it! Spend a bit more and get a quality player. You wont be sorry.
On: 2003-03-15
Wanna know why this product is so cheap? Because it wont work in a couple of months. I just went to watch a movie, and the picture is in black and white ONLY. NO COLOR. I called Apex, and they agreed that it was defective, and now want ME to pay the shipping + handling, in order to send it to them. Apex is going in the trash can, and now Im off to buy a REAL player.
On: 2003-02-06
The thing worked relatively well for about 6 months but it will no longer play DVDs. Audio CDs and CD-Rs of MP3s still work. From the beginning it had a one-second freeze in the display once or twice per movie. The default display is far too bright, making it difficult to even see the menu selections on some DVDs. You can adjust the brightness, but it resets with the next movie. I called APEX Customer Service and they suggested using a DVD lens cleaner or I could send it in for repair with a [$] labor charge.
On: 2003-02-02
When I used this machine for the first time, I was so delighted that I jumped right into Amazon[.com] and wrote my happy review. I am back just to say that the Apex AD-1200 has not failed me in any way in these past 6 months of use. The picture and sound are still crisp and clear, and I have experienced no mechanical failures whatsoever.
On: 2003-01-30
Somewhat like some of the other comments this player is working well to play a movie two or three times a week. It plays the CDs through the stereo TV adequately as well. The kids have managed to dislodge a spring that pulls the door closed and I may have to give some thought to opening the cabinet and resecuring that. Until then I will just give the door a flip and close it manually. I generally agree with the comments of "you get what you pay for". However, if your six year old knocks it off the shelf it wont survive regardless of how much you pay for it. I feel somewhat the same about furniture at this point. Grape juice is unaware of how much the new sofa cost.
On: 2003-01-26
I wish I could give the Apex DVD player a better performance rating, but given that it was broken in shipping with the door to the DVD player hanging on by a thread...I am forced to give it a rating of one. Ill compile a different review if the replacement DVD is operational.
On: 2003-01-26
Apex DVD players are made for the most budget conscious of consumers, but my philosophy on buying electronics stands firm: If youre going to get one, spend a little extra and get a good one. The Apex AD-1200 is a tough recommendation even at the low price. The strength of this DVD player is simple: It plays DVDs. For people who will only watch a DVD occasionally, that is not a problem. It offers good picture quality and decent sound quality. Surprisingly, it plays VCDs and MP3s rather well, which means that those burned CDs that wont work on your stereo will most likely work here. Basically, you can expect a minimal level of performance from this particular DVD player. But the problems with this model are plentiful. The biggest flaw is the design. This DVD player is light, and feels cheap. Note the absence of a digital display on the player. Also, repeated pushing of the buttons can result in them falling out, so be careful of how hard you press the buttons. Worse yet, the player is loud and clunky. This clicks, hums, and rattles all through the movie. It is like a CD-ROM trying to read the disk. Having said that it is functional is not so true in the long term. As you would expect from a lower-end appliance, the Apex DVD player will stop working properly after a while. Often, the picture will freeze while the player tries to read the disk, and there are certain DVDs that it cannot read at all. This is a big annoyance, and a good reason to steer clear of this player. Buying a DVD player is never an easy decision, but choosing one strictly for the price is not a good idea. Most likely, youll spend more having to buy a new one to replace the Apex brand when it breaks down. Spend a few extra bucks and get a good one instead, and avoid the headaches.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-01-22
Owned the player for about 6 months, and its already unable to read many DVDs. When it was new, it played everything, except for VCDs. Apparently, earlier versions played VCD, but later versions did not. Best feature for me was the ability to play a CD-R full of digital pictures from a PC. It just found all the files and played all the pictures as a slide show. The DVD video quality (S-Video) was only so-so.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-01-17
Well, I guess I get what I pay for. Player just keeps opening and shutting the door with this grinding sound over and over. Never reads a disk. Piece Of ...!!!!!
by: Anonymous On: 2003-01-06
Im not going to write too much. I just wanted to warn anyone who is considering buying this machine. There is obviously a reason why its the least expensive one in the store. It skips, makes this aweful vibrating sound and has ruined at least one of my DVDS. Some stores give this unit away if you buy a Projection TV or something similar. DVD Players have come down in price drasticly. Spend the extra [money]or so and get a better brand. Youll end up saving in the long run because youll need to pay that much to replace your DVDS.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-01-04
This is the worst piece of equipment I have ever seen. It skipped throughout the DVDs I attempted to play, the remote was virtually useless (unless you happen to be sitting directly in front of the machine and no more than 2 feet away), and it was so light it wouldnt stay where I put it! Being that there are few controls on the player itself, the remote is a necessity. I ended up returning the thing and getting a better DVD player for only a little more money.
On: 2003-01-03
Circuit City has a no-hassle return policy, so I decided to buy this DVD player. When it got home, I discovered that this DVD does more than it should at such a low price. It can play DVD, CD, CD-RW (I used a closed-session disc), MP3 and Kodak photo discs. At the corner of the screen, I noticed that a little hand appears when I press the remote at the wrong time, so I dont get frustrated with lack of information. I love the screensaver that prevents light burns on the TV. It is S-video connectable, so I got surprisingly sharp image. The menus are intuitive and can be understood quickly. I dont use the remote as much, because I found the buttons on the unit to be sufficient (yes, there are buttons on the unit, too). The zoom feature is handy, as well as the progressive speed forward and backward scan. I am very happy this product is in the market.
On: 2003-01-03
This dvd player is great, i have read the other reviews of it, and seems that most people dont like it. Its great because it can also play vcds and svcds and mp3s. It also has digital coaxial audio output- if you have a surround sound system. This is a great deal.
On: 2002-12-30
Lets start with the defects that may not (or may likely) exist in other units. First the eject button on the front of the unit only worked half the time. The eject button is poorly designed and hard to push. When it did work, the disc holder was very slow to open up. Secondly the DVD disks in the unit often vibrated and had to be reseated several times to stop this annoying vibrating sound. Now for the design problems. The remote has a power button which does not truely power off the unit. In a dark room the red light always illuminates from the unit, which is fine unless you sleep in the room. Pushing the power button on the unit does shut it off, however it again is a poorly designed push button. Dont waste your money on this unit, when you can buy a quality unit that actually works flawlessly for $15 more. What a waste of time this unit was, it was obvious that the costs cut in manufacturing result in a unit that is flawed even in its best working state. This is my first negative review. Ive bought many electronics and have never seen such poor quality from a manufacturer. This unit also sells at the APEX 1201, same unit different number.
by: Anonymous On: 2002-12-29
Well, let me see. I have a new Sony DVD that costs 4 times the Apex 1200. I put one of my CDs that I use to back up my photos into the Apex and within seconds I get a slideshow of all the images. I put the same CD in the Sony and I get "disk error". Sure the 1200 is a bit "clunky" when loading, but it plays fine and its plays my JPEG files and it costs 1/4 the Sony. VALUE.
On: 2002-12-26
I love this machine, but jeez! The remote control is driving me crazy. It takes on average 8-9 attempts to get it to pause, rewind, fast forward, etc., then once youre in that gear, another round of punching and aiming to get it to stop. Im going to try a universal remote after the holiday and see if that works any better. If so Ill come back and amend this review.
by: Anonymous On: 2002-11-28
I bought this unit to use till I can save enough for a Plasma TV. With my 32" old-style (curved front) CRT TV and a high-end audio setup, the unit performs as advertised. I use the Dolby Digital and the S-Video outputs, and both sound and picture are good enough that my wife is already saying I should be happy with it forever. Im hoping it fails in a year. Circuit City says theyll honor the 1-year warranty with an otc exchange. Overall, this unit seems to fit my expectations well.
On: 2002-11-13
Ok, so I guess its true. You get what you pay for. I paid almost nothing, and thats what I got. Ill start off with the good stuff:Usually, if the kids want to see a movie, I can put the movie in, press play, and the kids get to see their movie... no problem, no issues. Worth the (minimal) money I spent. Now the bad news: Movies freeze. They just stop. The machine locks up and I have to turn it off. That has ruined about half the movies Ive seen. I seem to have better luck with the kids movies. I dont know why. The remote control is terrible. Really. Trust me on this one. You dont realize how important a good remote control is until you have to deal with one that is this bad. Get this: you have to be within 7ft of the DVD Player for the remote control to work (this is by design, if you can believe it!) Whens the last time you sat within 7ft of you TV? So if I want to use the remote, I have to get up off the couch, walk two feet forward, and then click. Also, a DVD remote control needs to have some kind of lit buttons/labels. Think about it. You watch DVDs in the dark. You cant see a thing on the remote when its dark. You need to get up, turn the light on, walk two feet forward, then use the remote. And, dont even talk to me about the miniscule size of the buttons, and the inexplicably pale text on the remote... are they purposefully trying to hide the names of the buttons? More bad news: The electronics are fussy. Heres an example. Try to get a disk out of the player... just try it, and good luck! Press the eject button... nothing happens. Press it again, and the door opens a quarter of an inch then immediately closes. Press the eject button again... nothing happens. Wait longer... nothing happens. Press it again, and the door opens a quarter of an inch then immediately closes. No kidding. I once sat in front of this thing for five minutes trying to get the DVD out of the player (because it was freezing!), unsuccessfully. If there was a hammer within my grasp, I would have smashed the thing to bits. You get the basic idea. ... Pay any more and you got ripped off. Id recommend spending a little more and getting a player that actually works.
On: 2002-10-18
This model 1200 does not allow you to bypass the "macrovision copy protection" which totally distorts the picture for the majority of consumers who are connecting this using the *included* cables. *If* you have a nice TV with S-video inputs and *buy* an S-video cable, it may work fine, but I will never know. The picture fades in and out, and I find out this is a "feature" that cannot be bypassed. Other models can bypass this "feature" so I would look for one of those-check vcdhelpdottcom for info on which models work and which dont. Im very disappointed and hope to return this model.
by: Anonymous On: 2002-09-19
Basically all I wanted was a DVD player that could play rental and library DVDs with no problems without having to spend a lot of money for features that I would never use. I feel the Apex 1200 is a good decent player that delivers on performance at a very reasonable price. There are only a couple of minor nits. Every once in a while the picture pauses for about a second and then continues. It seems to happen mostly near the end of a movie, but not on every movie, so its possible it is a disk quality problem, rather than a player problem. But its minor and barely noticeable, and I can live with it. My other minor complaint is that there is no front panel LED display to let me know where Im at in the movie. However, there is an on screen display you can turn on to either give you just the time elapsed/time remaining or a more detailed display with chapters and titles and a bunch of other stuff, whenever you feel a need to know where you are at. If you are watching a movie in letterbox format you can leave the timer display permanently turned on without it encroaching on the movie area anyway. The manual is very well written, with clear helpful diagrams, making it a snap to hook up the player and look up any features you want to know about. Another nice feature is being able to hit the stop button and having the player remember where you are so when you hit play again it will start again from that point. To conclude, this review is based on about a months use (a total of maybe 8-10 movies) so I cant say anything about durability yet.
by: Anonymous On: 2002-09-16
I was satisfied with the Apex 1500, so decided to try the 1200 to save some money on a second player. Big mistake. After exchanging the first one, I brought a second one home which still didnt work. Complete waste of time. Will not play VCD/SVCD
On: 2002-09-03
I bought this DVD player not only because it was cheap, but also the salesman told me that I will be able to play any DVD from around the world (Regions from 1 to 9) if I set this code 8421. He tried it in the DVD player AD-1200 and wow he was right!!! He also showed me the Macrovision function and I was quite impressed, but something is wrong with mine because I can play only DVD Region 1. Someone told me new ones have limits but Im not sure. Other than that, it works ok.
On: 2002-08-21
Unfortunately, I jumped on the APEX bandwagon with both arms and legs. I bought THREE players. One for the master bedroom, living room and the kids room. In doing so, I wanted to save a buck. Unfortunately, I should have spent the couple extra dollars it would have taken to get into any other brand.
Of the three players, (2 AD500s and this AD-1200), ALL of them had one problem or another right out of the box. Both AD500 series had to go to the shop to be re-aligned. The AD-1200 was the worst. When I received it, the digital display was not functioning properly. I thought, big deal. I bought it to play DVDs, not for the pretty leds. Then, the problems started. ALL movies began to skip, drag and hang up. One time, the door (with three of my DVDs still inside) would not open. Would you send back your DVD player for service with three of your DVDs inside? Me neither. One DVD out of three with damage, I can understand. Two, MAYBE if I am that unlucky. But, THREE IN A ROW? Come on. There must be NO Quality Assurance at this plant. And if there is, someone needs to be beating the pavement looking for a new job.
I gave it two stars instead of one star because all units did boot. :)
Steer WAY clear of Apex brand electronics folks. Spend the dollar and get a little better unit. Im replacing all these DVD players with different brands myself. If youre interested in used DVD players at a good price, talk to me.
On: 2002-08-18
I bought one of these on sale for [money] at a local retailer, and man...its not even worth that. The door is nothing but thin plastic attached with a spring--it breaks immediately (literally as I took it out of the box, that door snapped off); the players a strange shape, deeper than it is wide, so that it sticks out of most standard-sized entertainment centers; and then the actual processor must be so slow that it cannot actually obey commands. It "thinks" for several seconds after every command, and provided a very glitchy, choppy scan a number of my discs....
by: Anonymous On: 2002-08-11
There are many incarnations of this player depending on the build date. Earlier players were capable of playing DVD, VCD, SVCD, JPG, Kodak, MP3, and CDs. Newer (after 4/2002) units have lost the VCD capability. Older units had defeatable macrovision and region code. The newer units no longer have that choice. Sound and picture quality is average to somewhat below average. Unit has no alphanumeric display. My unit has played all formats without problem (have not tested Kodak CDs). Worst feature of this player is the weak remote. Remote control must be used within ~10 of the player and no more than 10 deg or so off axis (you have to be directly in front of the unit) for it to work.Update:
It is now 8 months after purchase of the unit and the machine is on the way out. It no longer plays most DVDs and kind of plays other formats with much seeking of the head. From now on, Ill stick with name brands. Considering small price difference, Id rather have the reliability, better design, and less frustration.
by: Anonymous On: 2002-08-08
I opened "Fellowship of the Ring" and my new Apex AD-1200 DVD player on the same evening and found that the machine paused the playback every 10 seconds or so. It made the movie unwatchable.
On: 2002-08-05
OK, if youre an audiophile/videophile, you are not going to be happy with any Apex product, especially the Apex AD-1200. This unit feels light and cheap. There isnt even an LCD display on the front panel to let you know whats playing. This unit, is as cheap and flimsy as they come. But if you can get aside this stumbling block, you will find that the this Apex DVD player is the best value in the electronics world, plus it can play not only DVDs, but also any CDr MP3 disk, any CDr with digital photos in JPEG format (view like a slideshow!!), and also plays any VCD or SVCD disc that you can burn onto CD. There is no other player that can pack all these features in like Apex can! In short, this unit can play virtually any format and reads any backup/burned disc out there. You will not find such compatability anywhere at ANY price. And to think you get all this for a mere [price] is simply amazing. I figure on average, most decent DVD players cost 2x, maybe even 3x as much. But those "other" players wont play your digital picture discs, nor can it play your MP3 discs, and most are not compatible with your CDr burned VCDs and SVCDs. So far, this unit has worked flawlessly. Video, sound, mechanical...everything is working just perfect, as indicated on the box and manual. Just realize that this unit was not built to be on par with the Denons, Sonys and other bigger name brands of DVD players in terms of quality. This unit was built to be the affordable "Swiss Army Knife" of DVD players. I highly recommend the Apex AD-1200 if youre looking for a multi-purpose player, and ESPECIALLY if you want to play your CDr discs of digital photos, MP3s, VCDs or SVCDs. At a pricepoint of only [price], this purchase was a no-brainer for me. My only concern was whether the unit really worked as advertised....and it does.
On: 2002-08-05
I went on-line and was already convinced about the price. Then I went to a [local] store and found it for [price]!!!! Cant beat this price (sorry Amazon folks :o)
So far it is working fine. The box obviously has limitations (no display, limits to viewing 200 jpgs, the manual seems not accurate) but it does what is supposed to do. Oh, I also noticed a pause during DVD playback. Apparently it happens when there is a layer change in the DVD. But I can leave with that.
I also suggest a look at this website: [URL]
Lots of interesting info about apex products.Cheers
On: 2002-06-13
... I made the mistake of buying this about 2 months ago. Being a novice to DVDs, I thought it was working OK until it would not correctly play almost every letterbox DVD I tried. ...
by: Anonymous On: 2002-05-17
Had no problems with DVD playback.. photo_jeffs review says he had problems with DVD Playback. the problem arises only when you connect the dvd player to the TV via a VCR. It is the copy protection on the DVD that causes the fluctuation and has nothing to do with the dvd player. try connecting your dvd player directly to the TV..
On: 2002-04-30
The MP3 and CD playback of this player are great, but its main function, DVD playback, is worthless. I have tried two of these players (did an exchange), and both have a flaw in which during DVD playback, the video constantly fluctuates from bright to dark, with increased saturation while dark. I know this is the fault of the player because the menu and "screensaver" modes do not present any fluctuation. Also, I made sure I was playing Region 1 coded DVDs to be certain of compatibility.Perhaps the store where I purchased the player received a bum shipment, and Im not saying you shouldnt try it out yourself. Just make sure all the features work before you throw away the receipt.
by: Anonymous On: 2002-04-05
Ive only had the AD-1200 for a week now but its performing well so far. Im no audiophile but the DVD picture looked good on several movies and Ive also watched VCDs and played mp3s with no problems. The remotes range could be better though and showing more characters on mp3 song titles and a shuffle play option would be nice. Having to leave the power button depressed on the unit in order to use the remote is also a minor gripe. Overall, Im satisfied and maybe a little surprised. I had read about problems with Apex quality but the Apex owners I know seem pretty happy so Im keeping my fingers crossed and my receipt handy! For the average DVD watcher, this player deserves a look.Im giving it 4 stars, mostly based on its bang for the buck value.
On: 2002-04-01
I was weary about this purchase, because it was so inexpensive. The features are GREAT -- includes zoom, which many high end DVD players do not. It has excellent sound and picture quality...I just love it!
On: 2002-03-31
Picked this up today, good dvd player for the price-I am pleased!
On: 2002-03-29
Ive had this for a couple of weeks now. It was easy to set up and plays DVDs well. All of the necessary features are there--zoom, slow-motion, etc. Ive also tried the CDR JPEG capabilities by burning CDs with my vacation photos. This seems to work pretty well and is kind of a neat feature. The only complaint I have is that theres a lengthy pause when I press the eject button to put the DVD in or take it out. You have two wait a couple of seconds before it responds. Other than that, its a decent basic player for the price.
On: 2002-03-29
We got this DVD player because it was cheap. It seemed to work alright (we had no problems with it at all and hookup was easy). However, as time went on, we wanted a little "something more". We were upgrading our surround sound system and TV, and this DVD player did not fit with those new plans. For instance, there is no component output for all six channels to be output separately - you only have the regular two RCA jacks and a coax output, so you can forget about taking advantage of component outputs. There is no digital optical output either. Finally, the remote leaves something to be desired. Aside from lacking some features, its also very small and was misplaced a couple of times. Basically, if youre looking for cheap, this will work. If youre looking for something that will last a few years and will grow with your system, look elsewhere.
On: 2002-03-29
The Apex AD 1200 DVD player was the first DVD player that I have ever owned. I decided to buy this product because it was very affordable and suited my needs for playing DVDs. Boy was I happy that I went with this player. The DVD Player is very simple to install and the directions to play a DVD are very simple. Within minutes of opening up the box to this machine I was watching my very first DVD. This is a great buy to anybody that is looking for a very good and affordable DVD player. Whether this is your first player or an addition to your household, this product cannot be beat. All in all, this is a great player that would suit just about anybody. Be sure to check out this DVD player, it is highly affordable, has great quality, and is very simple to install. Buy this player, youll love it.Happy DVD Playing!!!
On: 2002-03-28
I recived this player as a Christmas present from my parents. I was really interested in a DVD player because of the Netflix.com service (which I quit after 3 months of bad service) that rents DVDs over the internet. I have only played DVDs in it so far and havnt tried the MP3 capability. (yet) We have a 48" TV that is about 8 years old and only has RF and stero AV inputs. The picture is great and its nice to be able to rewind and fastforward in differnt speeds, go frame by frame, zoom in, listen in multiple languages (depending on DVD). Lastly there is a coxal output so you can later add a suround sound system. All in all if your looking for a decent DVD player then this is a best buy!
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