I've got a
DV-410V-K hooked up to my TV. Well worth the $90 I paid for it. It has a USB port on the front. I download the avi file that I want to watch, put in on a USB flash drive and stick it in the DVD player. Very good quality with no pauses or hesitation.
I would think your "friend" might want to take a look at what else is running on his PC.