I had a need for this so I scooped it - but does anyone know if it comes with an HDMI cable or not? It looks like just the player & remote...

One review said it only came with an RCA cable.

no HDMI

#3, this has HDMI. That's were the video is upconverted to. It also has component but sadly the component output is only 480p.

#1, considering HDMI cables cost ~$100/each, do you really think this $30 player comes with an HDMI cable?? Are you really that dumb?

Last I checked you could get an HDMI cable for like $10.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240

Wow, #6, way to prove you know absolutely nothing about A/V equipment. Don't you realize that with an HDMI cable it is absolutely necessary to buy the most premium cable to get optimal sound and picture quality?

Sure, with component cables, RCA cables, S-video, etc. you can buy crap from monoprice or other generic cables, but when it comes to digital cables you need to buy only the best - which means Monster brand or equivalent.

Good luck with you $10 HDMI cable. HAHA! rodeo cowboy.

Okay, "burp," first of all any clown knows that Monster Cables are generally a huge rip-off and are many times unnecessary. Secondly, I've read plenty, and the consensus is that with short cables (all I need), Monoprice's stuff is equivalent to Monster Cables'. Only at longer distances does it make a difference, and even then, only a fool would go buy a $100 Monster Cable before trying a $10 Monoprice one.

So, first, read this blog post
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/hdmi-cable-battlemodo/the-truth-about-monster-cable-part-2-verdict-cheap-cables-keebaconpusually-268788.php
Second, get a clue before you run your mouth.
And third, go burp yourself for being a know-it-all little bitch.

#7 It proved you know absolute nothing about electronic and science. The interface in pure digital when using HDMI will work the same as between a expensive wire and inexpensive one... as long as it meet the same spec. Will you spend $200 to buy a Ethernet cable for "better" quality signal Xfer ?

For component, I am using all Monster video cables. The traveling of analog signal thru 3 different component cable will affect the signal quality. I can see the different in quality with component cables.

Analog signal thru cable DOES requires good quality cable for the fidelity and realiability.

BTW, I am a electrical engineer by profession.

Ladies, burp is a troll. Don't feed into him.

With that out of the way... anyone know of a cheap but good player that upconverts to component?

If you want a player to upconvert over component you probably need a player that can be hacked like Oppo. All HDTVs upconvert to their native resolution. An upconvert player isn't really a must have unless your TV has poor upconversion. On my HDTV it makes no difference between an upconvert player and letting the TV upconvert and that was with a Toshiba HD player.

#1 I bought this exact player refurb from P Outlet few months back. So I can definitively tell you that it does not come with HDMI. I bought a cheap $10 ones and it works great. It does a good job of upconvert to HDMI. It plays from the hard drive very nicely. However, it can't handle dvd files from hard drive you have to burn it to disk and play it that way. One big annoyance is that the movie list from the hard drive essentially shows only 6 characters with the last 2 character being ~1 etc for file names larger than 8 characters. Overall a very nice player.

Thanks #12.

Anybody that frequents this site a few times knows that #7 knows nothing about everything. Do yourself a favor -- look at the name and skip to the next post.

There is one package with a HDMI cable that Costco has sold in the past. This one does not have the HDMI cable.

My only issue with this player is that the USB is 1.1 = SLOW. Any DivX/AVI file I play breaks up or "stutters' when there are scenes with a lot of movement, like water flowing or leaves blowing. The same scenes viewed from a DVD do not have this problem for the most part. It does this with a fast USB flash drive and a hard drive formatted with FAT32. Someone here has mentioned that variations of this player have been around for seven years with no fundamental design changes -- thus the 1.1 and not 0

#11 you might as well talk to a wall... People don't seem to understand that there's no point upconverting in the player when their HDTV probably already has a much better upconverter anyway.

#11, I have an older 36" CRT that does 1080i. It does not have built in upconversion, so this would be nice to use. It has DVI and component video input. Can I get one of those HDMI to DVI converters to pipe in 1080i?

#16 You can use this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MTVAU8 but it's likely that it won't work unless the DVI port on your TV supports HDCP.

anyone has comments about the refurbed units? do they arrive all messed up looking or do they still look new?

Apple factory refurbs (from Apple, not what some resellers call "refurb" that really are open box returns) look factory new and are individually tested. The only thing you don't get is the pretty box (they come in a generic brown box).

just get a new one, with USB port for added fun