The Apex AD-1225 is a budget priced DVD player that offers basic playback and features for a modest price tag but don't expect great things in either performance quality or reliability. Since many brand names offer their own budget models for only a few bucks more, it's really difficult for us to find a reason to opt for this Apex brand player.

With its silver chassis and neat styling, the AD-1225 looks the part of solid single disc DVD player. It offers only basic disc compatibility and is unable to handle any home burned DVDs. If you only rent or buy DVDs and have no interest in accessing home movies, this won't prove much of a negative. The player can handle home burned CDs, including CD-R and CD-RW format discs loaded with MP3 or WMA digital audio files. It can also display digital stills from JPEG image CD or Kodak Picture CD.

The playback options available on this unit include slow motion, fast forward, still or freeze frame, a 2x and 4x zoom and multi-angle viewing on applicable discs. There is also an aspect ratio control for viewing widescreen movies on a full screen. Parents can utilize the parental lock feature to prevent young eyes from viewing unsuitable material and the AD-1225 comes included with a functional remote control. If you're looking for a very basic but easy to use DVD player and there is no way to stretch your budget an extra few dollars to buy a brand name unit, then the Apex AD-1225 may well suffice. The unit loads both noisily and slowly and will struggle to read certain discs for no discernible reason. It also fails to play any disc that is in less than perfect condition. So if you were planning on using the AD-1225 in a child's room, for example, we'd recommend against it. Sticky fingerprints or minor scratches on a disc will make it unplayable in the AD-1225.

The AD-1225 DVD player can route Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 channel surround sound signals to a compatible A/V receiver. There is no progressive scan output on this player though, so you won't achieve the optimal picture quality if you hook it up to a digital or HD-ready TV. Aside from the low cost of the Apex AD-1225, we can find little to recommend this DVD player.

Pros: Inexpensive
Cons: No progressive scan output, offers only basic features, poor disc compatibility

Warranty
90 days, labor and remote; 1 year, parts