I buy this model about a year ago . a year ago , I would have give it 4 star . I like that it be small , and the blue light on the face be very attractive . the speaker sound good and the dvd player function fine at first . the thing I notice immediately be that the JVC xv-thm45 would stall during dvd play if there be the slightest blemish or dirt mark on the dvd . never have that problem with my old Panasonic -lrb- which I give away to my parent -rrb- . and when I say stall , I mean it will pause with a jumbled picture for a few minute sometimes right in the middle of a movie . I have to stop , start the movie again from the beginning and skip past the blemish if I can not clean the disk adequately enough for the machine . sometimes , there be not even anythign visibly wrong with the disc . another difficulty I have be I could not receive even the strongest radio station adequately on the FM radio , and I live in a major metropolitan area . so I go to best buy and buy a $ 60 power FM attenna and attach it to the attenna jack in the back . it do not improve the signal whatsoever , not a bit . well , I have another radio in the living room , so I be annoy that I have waste the money , but could get past it . then about 6 month after purchase the player , I notice it would often stop recognize dvd 's if they be insert into the 1st disc position . any other slot work fine . whatever , it be annoying , but I could live with it - it just become a 4-disc changer instead of 5 . now , it be a year into it . Tonight , I go to play a dvd and the machine do not respond to certain button on the remote - namely all the button that control the dvd player . all the menu and navigation button , pause , rewind , play , stop , etc. . the volume and power button work fine . that mean I can no longer navigate dvd menu . that be not a workable situation . so in short , this product have major durability issue . I do not have anything against JVC , and this be the first time a buy a jvc-anything , but it will be the last . it be extremely frustrating when a expensive piece of equipment crap out left and right . it would not make economical sense to fix it . so I spend ~ $ 200 on a piece of equipment that last a year . so here 's my advice to you : 1 . definitely do not buy a JVC xv-thm45 2 . do not buy a product unless you read several review that comment on it be long-term durability -lrb- I guess 1 year be long-term -rrb- . Let 's face it , most thing work fine out of the box , and everyone be proud of the decision they have make , so they'er go to rate it high . but if no one be say `` it be be a year and I love this product '' , think twice . now , onto my search for a replacement dvd player .