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Check out the Sampo631CF. There's new firmware available for it and other players based on the same chip set that allows it to skip anything and other features.

http://area450.com/hardwaremods/index.html

There's been a hack out for a while where you can remove the DVD drive from certain models of APEX DVD players and replace it with a hard drive full of SVCD movies. With a 250 gig HD, you should be able to fit a couple hundred movies on there.

The caveats are that you have to swap the hard drive in and out of your computer to add more movies, etc. But the plus side is that it's a pretty easy hack and you get a real remote control, nice form-factor, etc. without having a noisy, hot computer in your living room to serve movies.

Here's a link to the hack.

I think that description of the hack talks about adding a seperate power supply, but I've heard if you don't keep the DVD player in there and only put a hard drive in, you can get by on the original power supply...

There's a pretty simple hack for some of the APEX DVD players. You can simply remove the DVD drive and replace it with a hard drive full of SVCD files. It can mount the drive and then provide a menu for selecting what movie you want to watch.

Caveats:

Have to yank the hard drive to add more movies. These are SVCD files, not full DVDs with extras and menus, etc.

The huge plus is that it's a real easy solution for this need. Grab a 250 gig HD for a hundred bucks and rip around 250 DVDs to the drive. Swap it into your Cyberhome player, then you've got a quick solution that has a proper remote control and doesn't require a noisy, hot computer in your house.

Here's a link to a how-to. It talks about adding a different power supply, but I've heard you can get away using the original ps.

The (now grandparent) post is correct and important, but some DVD players can get around even this by reading the DVD region when the disc is inserted and automatically switching the region. Most of the Sampo models from overseas can do this fairly well, albeit with a firmware upgrade. It's possible that others do as well.

I have a Sampo for that :-)

I downloaded the firmware modification, burned a CDROM, and only then ordered the DVD player. :-) In fact, there was some editorial comment at Area 450 that Sampo intentionally makes the firmware of their players easy to crack because it increases sales!

Ah, but there's where you're wrong! >=]

Sampo DVE631CF with hard drive hacking possibilities (and it already comes with a compactflash slot).

Apex, bah! For a low-cost, hacker-friendly machine, what you want is a Sampo. Not only can they play all kinds of discs, as well as all of your MP3's, they also can switch between PAL and NTSC (important if you want to be able to watch those Young Ones DVDs that are out in the UK, or any number of super-cheap chop-sockey flicks from Hong Kong), and all are easily modded to all-region capability through either a remote control hack or a simple .txt file burned to CD-R. Most can also be fimware-flashed to get rid of macrovision. The 631CF model even has a compact flash slot and can output JPEGs and MPEG movies to your TV. And they are really well-built, considering that they are Taiwanese el-cheapos. I love mine.

SAMPO makes some nice, easily hackable (eg. just plop in an ISO-9960 CD with a text file on it and you've got no region encoding) machines that have some great features -- Progressive scan, optical audio out, component video out, even some Karaoke models with frontside microphone jacks. There's lots of information, and under-the-hood looks, at most of their models here.

I found out about Sampo players thanks to a post in another story and I have to pass on the love...

I've used Apex players and frankly, they are trash. Spend a bit more and get an easily hacked player that has a lot more features and is a *lot* better built... a Sampo!

All the info you need is at Area 450

There is one particularly cool player they seem to like there that has a CF slot in it - and you can swap out that slot for a IDE hard drive if you'd like (to play back MPEGs, MP3s or JPEGS!) I didn't need that so I got the DVE661 for all of $160 pre-moded! (Gene Callahan rules! - see the pricing page on Area 450s site, he premod's players and sends them to you quite cheap!)

The Sampo 631CF is easily made region-free and macrovision/GCMS-free. The problem you mention about navigating past or skipping the warnings etc. is generally called UOP for User OPerations. The Sampo can be easily patched to allow full user navigation control even when the dvd requests a UOP lock.

Plus, the Sampo has many other great features such as the ability to play PAL and NTSC discs to EITHER a PAL or NTSC TV. It can play CDs full of MP3 or jpegs. In fact you can even easily hook up a spare hard disk to store and play your entire CD collection (as MP3s or WAVs). Or just put your jpeg pr0n collection on it. And it even has a compact flash slot on the front so you can pop in your latest photos or MP3s without having to burn a CD. You can also easily replace the default background screens as well.

If you can burn a CDR, then you can hack the Sampo. The Sampo has a small but growing and enthusiastic user group. Everything you need can be found at, or linked from, area450.

Check out the Sampo CF631 and Area 450
Cheap, easily modified to add hard drives, ignore region codes and macrovision protection.
Seriously, check them out.