Home > Consumer Reviews > Apex AD-5131 3-Disc DVD Player

This player handles all formats and is adequate for Karoake. The system changes disks smoothly and has excellent playback. Remote covers all features well. Definitely a great buy!

I bought the APEX based on it's value and Karaoke capability. I'm on my 3rd unit as the first 2 were dead out of the box. The first wouldn't do much although the tray would open and close. The tray jammed on the 2nd unit I bought. I gave APEX 3 chances and the 3rd was the charm. I almost thought it was defective too, as I was only able to get black and white out of the S-video output. However, I finally determined that it was a defective cable, replacing it enabled the APEX to deliver an outstanding image, equal to the Toshiba DVD it replaced. Funny, the old cable worked with the Toshiba but I may have damaged it during the installation of the 3 APEX units. I love the unit, the features are easy to use and all is well so far. The mic input for the Karaoke works well and I look forward to trying a DVD Karaoke disc which I will be ordering from Amazon. From the other reviews, I already know that the CD-G discs will not work as hoped.

This thing plays anything you throw at it. It plays my SVCD's (Main reason for purchase) without hesitation. My old player (Sampo 620) plays SVCD but is VERY picky about it (sometimes it will play -- others not; on the same disc!). The 5131 also plays JPG files & Kodak photoCD, mp3's and has a 3-disc changer for us lazy types. The only feature I wish it had was progressive scan but I'm sure by the time I need that for a HDTV (Don't have one yet), the progressive models will be lesser in price.

This is a great product with a great price. The only thing I don't like is the remote control design. Some buttons are functioning
properly. In general, I'm quite happy with it.

Best investment I ever made. Now for fixing the remote... It's easy. The problem is that APEX mispositioned the phototransitor that senses the remote signal. The transistor is partially obscurred by the square opening in the chassis. Here's how to fix:

(1) Pop off the plastic window (it's just adhesived on). You can just leave it off (not recommended) or proceed to step two...
(2) If you want to replace it, look for the sensor in the lower right side of the unit. Now, CAREFULLY using a pair of needle nose pliers or tweezers, bend the transistor leads to shift the face of the transistor more towards the opening. This is not a delicate operation, but should be done by degrees - if you've never worked with electronics before, get someone who has a feel for such components.
(3) Stick the facplate back onto the doublesided adhesive that should have remained attached to your unit. If it needs more adhesive, you can use common rubber cemeent.

Your operating range should be about 3 to 5x what it was before!

That's it. APEX makes a fine unit (mine has been working for almost 3 years with daily use, and has performed flawlessly. Too bad QC didn't catch this sensor mis-alignment problem!