Build quality questionable

Author's Rating:

Pros: Big screen, Decent battery life, Plenty of I/O ports, Plays everything

Cons: Cheap feel of disc lid. Screen seems to attract dust.

The Bottom Line: 
Overall I'm satisfied with the performance of this player. Teaching the kids to be gentle with it will be the key to keeping the thing working.

Author's Review
We purchased this portable DVD player about 4 months ago. It's primarily used to keep our 4 year old entertained for long trips in the minivan. I opted for the black version that comes with extra accessories (bag, headphones, car charger, etc.)

The first unit we received (from B&H Photo) was defective. The disc lid had a defective sensor that required you to physically hold down the lid in order to play discs. B&H was great and shipped a replacement (Saturday delivery no less).

The new unit has been working fine, but the lid still feels very fragile and cheap. Some of the plastic clips (like on the battery) also have me concerned.

Finding a case that allows the unit to be secured in the car was a challenge, most of them out there don't fit a player with this large of a screen. Keep hunting, they are out there. The bag that came with the unit is only good for storage.

The battery lasts for right around 4 hours of steady use. We also purchased an extra external battery that we rarely need to use.

The screen is big, bright and viewable from wide angles.
Blacks do look a little gray and splotchy and glare can be a real problem in the minivan. I have to rig up sun blocks on bright days. I'm also finding myself constantly cleaning the screen as it seems to be a dust magnet.

Dual head-phone jacks are nice so both kids can listen without having to carry an extra splitter. The on-board speakers are good enough for a portable, but lack any real punch or bass.

Compatibility wise, it has played every DVD, VCD/SVCD and DVD+R discs without a glitch and no extreme layer change delays. It also plays DVD+R discs with Divx/Xvid encoded AVI files, which is a big plus.

I haven't tried the SD card reader, but I think it's a cool idea. I also haven't tried the video input, but I someday I'm going to hook up the XBOX to it.

As others have said, the remote is lame, but portables are made to be within reaching distance anyhow so I don't even use the remote.