Media players for on stage use

[DeZine]

Hi all :)

Have been in the market of late asking advice on additions to my current lighting set up for my band, but following a series of technical disasters last weekend, I have decided that my priority is to update my playback system.

Currently, I am using PCDJ Red VRM on my laptop in order to play back my mp3 backing tracks. However, at the weekend I kept getting sound drop-outs (have had a few recently) as well as it crashing on about 4 occassions SERIOUSLY affecting our performance and annoying the hell out of me in the process and coming to the conlusion that the PC route isn't reliable enough for us, but will do as a backup system.

I have read with interest various threads and posts on the new generation of hard disk/media players , eg the Denon DN HD-2500, the Numark D2 and the Cotex Hd1000 and 3000. I have also been looking at the NUMARK HDCD1.

I have become so accustomed to viewing a PC monitor on stage (what, with my dodgy eyesight!) that I am not sure how fiddly it may be utilising such smaller displays to load up tracks as required. (And easily as I will be singing and playing guitar while trying to do all of this - can anyone recommend a good plastic/orthopaedic surgeon to give me another set of arms and hands? LOL!)

So I am looking for one that has ease of use, is naturally intuitive in design, reliable and quick. I've always wanted to say this, but the price isn't really an issue!

Can any of you guys give me some pointers and tips.

Cheers

[spin mobile disco]

Of all of them the cortex hdc 1000 is the simplest to use and the screen is bright and easy to read. The numark and the dennon are both good units but have a lot of extra controls that can be confusing and are probably unessasary for what you want. As for the hdc 3000 I havent had the chance to play with one yet but the pictures indicate it has a lot of controls same as the numark and dennon.

I would definitly say the hdc 1000 option is the easiest to learn, although you said price isnt an option it is also the cheapest of the availably units. I have had one since christmas and other than some minor teething problems (my own fault i may add with my labelling) its been fine.