I'm not sure whether I should be saying this, but I feel that the chinese dvd players available in the local market (in Pune, its in city, appa balwant chowk) offer more functionality and are available for around 1500 bucks. They come with a 6 month warranty. They play everything. Some of them have built in amplifiers that allow you to attach external speakers (like the ones you get with a hifi). Not sure if there is much of a difference.
I bought the Weston dvd player from reliance mart for 1100, it has the above features. I also got a LG DVD player free with the 42" Jazz LCD (dvd player worth 5000). The only difference was the picture quality through HDMI. You notice it if you have a big screen.
Otherwise, some of the philps players are also good, especially the ones that do not have a tray, its like you just push the disc inside the player, and it sucks it in
(similar to car audio systems).
Also, having a dvd player without 5.1 makes little sense as one of the main feature of a dvd is 5.1 sound). Sooner or later, you will purchase a Home theater and then regret the decision not to go for a 5.1 dvd player.
