The physical appearance of this apex compared to one previous ( ad1100w ) is most appreciated . The prior one looked and felt lightweight , cheesy , and assembled by the oppressed : I purchased it for it 's easy ability to accept cd-r hacks . I used it lightly , and it lasted just over one year ( forgot to kill the power one day , and now it only plays dvds ). Back to the 2600 : 1 . It does n't smell like burning plastic when you open the drive . 2 . Without a doubt the finest looking apex dvd player that i 've seen . 3 . Excellent picture quality - on par with my pioneer , panasonic , and jvc players . 4 . Remote : you can stand it on end ( harder to lose ) , and it 's far better designed than the 1100s . Anyway , the initial impression is much better than when i opened the box on the 1100 over a year ago - you can telll that apex is trying harder to improve their product . I 'd have given it 5 stars , but i 'm waiting to see if this one holds up to more frequent use than the last one : With progressive scan , i expect it to play play play - and give my old pioneer a rest .