DVD Player Purchasing Help

[Kid Koala]

Hello all,
I have a Kenwood Sovereign VR-5090 receiver and Sony Wega KV-36XBR450 television, and I'm finally looking to upgrade my 1999 Sony DVD player. The first question I have is:

- My Kenwood receiver is THX Select Certified... do I need a THX Certified DVD Player to take better advantage of that fact (or is having the receiver enough)?

Neither SACD, MP3/WMA Support nor DVD-Audio are of great importance to me (should they be?). And multiple DVD carousels aren't really important either. The most important thing I care about is great picture quality... but not at a ridiculous price or anything. Kenwood isn't necessarily a brand I'm married to, but I was thinking about this (it's a bit older, but the refurbished price is right... and it seems to do what I care about most: provide great quality):

Kenwood DV-5700 5 Disc DVD Player

Does anyone have any suggestions/ideas on anything better? I could see going up to $350-400 (even if it's older). Also, any reason why a "refurbished product" shouldn't be considered?

Thanks so much for the time if anyone can lend a hand,
KK

 

[Duffinator]

I wouldn't worry about the THX Select Certification, It's mostly a marketing ploy by THX and doesn't really add much other than some additional sound fields.

You might want to check out the Denon 1910:

http://www.usa.denon.com/catalog/products.asp?l=1&c=4

It can be had for less than the suggested price and has Faroudja processing along with up-conversion to 720P or 1080i (scales) if your set has a DVI input.

I've bought many refurbished pieces of electronics with no problems but I have never bought a refurb DVD player. Check the refurb retailers on Denon's website to see if there are any 1910's available.

 

[Kid Koala]

Duffinator,
Thanks for yout time. I'll take a look at the Denon and possibly have a go.

KK