Fantastic so far

Author's Rating:

Pros: * Big screen * Fantastic picture (progressive scan) * Versatile * Low price

Cons: * No resume feature * Remote doesn't control some features * Unknown brand

The Bottom Line: 
So far, this player is fantastic. It was a great purchase!

Author's Review
I got this a week ago at CompUSA and except for a couple of minor quibbles, I couldn't be happier with this dvd player.

The picture quality is terrific; way better than almost any other player I tried. If I hadn't compared picture quality between several different brands and models, I wouldn't have realized how important Progressive Scan is. The difference in picture quality was incredible between the non-progressive scan models and the 3 progressive scan models I used (this one, a Samsung, and a Philips). After seeing these, there's no way I could buy a portable that wasn't progressive scan. And at $280, the IDM-1250 was a lot cheaper than the Samsung and the Philips.

Sound quality through the tiny speakers is tinny, as you might imagine. It's clear but completely lacking in bass. But with headphones, the sound is excellent.

I really like that this one has so many outputs and inputs, and I find it amazing that a little guy like this has component video and digital audio outputs (although I haven't used them yet). I did use the composite output, though, to hook it up to a tv in a hotel this weekend, and the picture was excellent (much better than when I've hooked up my Dell laptop to a tv before).

This unit will play mp3 cd's and I suspect it will play mp3 dvd's but I haven't tried that yet. I hooked up my digital camera to the usb port, and while it was slow and not very high-res, I was able to show the pictures on the dvd player's screen. Very cool.

I also love the fact that it came with an a/c adapter, a car cord that plugs into the cigarette lighter, and a battery.

The only complaints I have are minor. There's no resume feature, so when you turn the unit off and then back on, it doesn't remember where it was. Kind of a pain, but not a deal-breaker for me. Also, while it's great that it comes with a remote, there are things you can only do using the remote, and other things you can only do *without* the remote. Not an ideal situation, but in a bargain basement unit like this, I think it's a reasonable trade-off for all the great features you get.

I'd never heard of the Initial brand before and I'm a little nervous about reliability. But my kids and I have watched probably have a dozen movies on it so far and it's been perfect, so I'm glad I took a chance on it.

I have too many "Pros" to fit in the box below, so I'll list them here:
* Big screen
* Fantastic picture (progressive scan)
* Looks nice
* Quality feel
* Lots of inputs and outputs
* Can play movies and music and digital photos
* 2 headphone jacks
* Component video outputs
* 3 ways to power it (home, car, and battery)
* Low price compared to competition