7/7     So my old first gen Apex 600 dvd player is starting to show its age.
        It has served me well over the years.  What the new "cool" dvd
        player to get?  Region Unlock and ability to play DVD-R is at the
        top of the requirement.  Thanks.
        \_ when was apex ever "cool"?
           \_ Any dvd player that has the "you should not be here" menu
              is cool.
              For OP - if you don't mind mod'ing, I'd say go w/ an xbox.
           \_ It was the first well known dvd player in US to play every media
              you throw at it and can disable region encoding and macrovision
              right from the secret menu.  It sold out at most Circuit Cities
              when the word got out and had weeks-worth of waitlist.  It
              practically created the hobby of modding set-top dvd players.
        \_ Go to http://videohelp.com, click on DVD Players, Order by Rating, select
           options you want, click Search, identify the ones with lots of
           reviews.  E.g., the Philips DVP642 (available on Amazon for $63)
           supports DivX, progressive scanning, can be region-hacked by
           pressing buttons on the remote, and has lots of positive reviews.
           On the other hand, if you search for DivX + progressive + DVI/HDMI
           output, you only get 7 hits.  Fun.
           \_ Of course the Philips DVP642 has a crappy remote, can't fast
              forward faster than 8x IIRC, and barfs on many DivX files.  I
              returned it within 24 hours of buying it.
              \_ What do you have now?
                 \_ An old AIWA that needs to be replaced.  But its remote is
                    fantastic and I can't find anything else I like.
        \_ I'm currently thinking about getting this:
           http://tinyurl.com/8kjhc (amazon.com)