Need inexpensive and reliable DVD player

[guzziguy]

I often play a movie to help me fall asleep. Of course, this means that a DVD can run overnight or even for days at a time if I forget to remove the DVD. I've gone through a series of inexpensive (<$100) DVD players. They run fine for a couple of months and then I'll find the image frozen on the screen and the player will no longer initialize a DVD. I thought that maybe the laser lens was dirty so I took the most recent failure apart to see what was going on. It turns out that the drive will no longer spin the disk. The machine is a Toshiba SD-K840 (a Costco special) and the drive seems to be direct (i.e. no belt).

I considered getting a new drive, but decided instead to buy a more robust player instead. I'm looking for a reliable DVD player that is < $200 (it would be better if < $150). It doesn't need to have great picture and sound quality. It just has to provide a decent picture and decent sound. What it needs to be able to do is last a while. Can anybody recommend such a beast?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

[Smeggy]

I like my Oppo, can't say how long it'd last running for days on end though. That really is brutal for any player though I do frequently run it for many hours at a time watching tv seasons.

[minivan]

what about this dvd player from this thread

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f7/goldmund-v-s-pioneer-285743/

i saw it selling for $100 usd, if i am looking for a dvd player, i will definitely get this one

i love the fact i can boast to my guest that i pay $100 usd instead of 6000 pound

[Dusty Chalk]

My Pioneer automatically stops spinning the disk after some ridiculous amount of time (10 minutes, I think). When it's in resume mode, you hit play, and it picks up right where you left off. You definitely need something like that. It'll continue playing a movie if you are playing a movie, but I don't know what'll happen if you put it in infinite repeat mode, I've never done that. I don't know if that's an issue with you or not.

I don't think it's spinning the disk if it's just the menu loaded. You should listen to it with a stethoscope.

[n_maher]

Why not just get one of those devices to provide timed-lights and have your DVD player hooked up to it? That way you could have the outlet automatically shut off at 2am (or whatever) to shut off the DVD player. I don't think it'd come back on when the outlet got power again and shouldn't be all that hard on the unit itself.

I'm thinking something like this:

[Smeggy]

Wow, haven't seen one of those timers in years. I used to use those all the time.

[guzziguy]

Thanks for the recommendations guys. I was looking through my boxes of dead players and found a new Toshiba combo DVD/VHS player. I seem to remember having one of them die so this is probably a replacement from Costco. I'll try to go easier on this one. Nate's idea of an on/off timer is a good one and I'll probably try that. If and when this fails, I'll either go with the Pioneer or an Oppo.