"Lucky for us, much of the good stuff in the top end components has trickled down into very affordable equipment. Digital processing chips, which are the brains of audio and video players, are relatively inexpensive and universally available. But if a DVD player is selling for $150, the manufacturer's costs were probably not much more than $30, and that cost includes labor. So manufacturers skimp wherever they can: on the cases, the capacitors and resistors, and connectors—common components that they can purchase for pennies." I am not sure if this is a crock or not, but if you are willing to void your warranty and are handy with a soldering iron, you can supposedly get the equivalent of a $1500 DVD player for a fraction of the price.