Q: I have a Toshiba DVD player that is about 4 years old. I understand that newer players can read mostly all DVD formats. Can you recommend a DVD player that reads everything?
I don't want a realy expensive model, Something in the $100 - $150 price range. --Dick Kraft, Bethel Park, Pa.
A: I've recommended the Oppo Digital models in the column before, and have no reason to stop doing so.
Lately I've been watching a Panasonic Plasma TV using Oppo's $149 DV-970HD, and the picture it produces is just fantastic. If you do not have a HDTV, the 970H will function well as an everyday DVD player, and if you do have HDTV then its upconversion feature will provide the best possible picture. It plays high-resolution audio formats DVD-Audio and Super Audio CD, and has slots of digital camera memory cards so you can view your digital pictures on your TV.
It even includes the HDMI cable you need to connect it to your HDTV. A lot of big-box stores are selling overpriced HDMI cables for $150 alone. Buy this and get the DVD player thrown in for free!
You can order the Oppo DVD players at . If you want to go the retail store route, the Sony DVP-NS75H is a good choice at $129. It does not play DVD-Audio discs, but it will play all of the home-burned DVD formats and has excellent picture quality, too.
Q: I have read and hear many different opinions on storing photos and 35 mm slides on CDs or DVDs. I keep hearing that both methods have a short shelf life. I hear that after three or four years you should recopy the discs.
I want to transfer 40-year-old slides on something and am very confused as to what to do. I am used to 100-year-old photos, so I am having a hard time accepting the short life span. --Renee Stein, Ventura, Calif.
A: There are differing views on the shelf life of burned CDs and DVDs. If you want to eliminate most of your worry, get archival CDs and DVDs designed for long-term storage. The brand I am most familiar with is from Delkin Devices, located at .
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