Philips PD703/37 7-Inch LCD Portable DVD Player with Wireless Game Controller, Black Review

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(More customer reviews)I must admit that acquiring a portable DVD had never crossed my mind but I was offered the Philips PD703 for review and decided it was worth a shot. Impressions follow.
The Philips PD703 has a 7" LCD screen and comes with a wireless game controller that assumes the end user is familiar with its operation (i.e., it has no instructions), a DVD containing a number of games (the instructions for which, unlike the excellent instruction booklet for the unit itself, are provided both in hard copy and on disk in a truly execrable attempt at English), and--I was truly appalled to discover--the means of attaching the unit proper to the back seat of an automobile--what on earth happened to kids looking out the window, listening to the radio, and/or talking to each other and their parents?! ("I see something...green," anyone?) It's no wonder we're in trouble if a ride in the car without some sort of video pacification is impossible, But I digress.
DVD playback, with regard to both video and audio, is surprisingly good. I played both an "Academy standard" and an anamorphic widescreen disk to test the setup: if left on the standard setting, the widescreen disk's image plays in the correct format but doesn't fill the screen and is somewhat vertically compressed as well, hence manual setup is necessary for each title unless your disks are all of similar AR. Setting up and operating the Philips PD703 is very easy.
The games are cute but ultimately dumb. The stickers on the unit REALLY stick; I still haven't decided how to go about trying to remove the residue mine left (some of it on the border near the screen). The battery is rated to last 2.5 hours which I feel is rather short--perhaps they based it on the perceived attention spans of the backseat passengers who comprise part of the target customer base.
Bottom line: for what this is, it seems okay. I used to be a huge fan of Philips--a Dutch company who have never been properly credited for their innovations over the years--I only wish their manufacturing base was still in the Netherlands. I'm not really sure, in these days of inexpensive laptops, why someone would really need this but for those who do, this one seems just fine.

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7" Tft Lcd Color Display; Dvd, Dvd+/-R/Rw, (S)Vcd, Cd Compatible; Mp3-Cd, Cd & Cd-Rw Playback; View Jpeg Images From Picture Disc; Up To 2.5 Hours Of Playback With A Rechargeable Battery; Full Resume On Power Loss; Includes Wireless Game Pad, Games Cd, A/V Adapter, Car Adapter & Mounting Strap; Dim: 6"H X 7.7"W X 1.5"D

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Sony DVPFX810 8-Inch Portable DVD Player, Black Review

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(More customer reviews)Review for the Sony DVP-FX810. Primary use: Aboard our boat and used
with second 13" flat screen.
Well, like most people we've all been looking at these portable DVD
players for years. Remember when they were 400-500 dollars or more? Now
we have a large selection available for far less. The Sony weighs in at
a bit under 200 dollars. If you read the reviews on these players,
you'll generally see some happy users and an almost universal amount of
folks whose units went belly up fairly soon. Here's the bottom line. Just about ALL of these players are built
cheaply. Speaking to a friend and a large retailer, I learned that
almost all see a fair amount of returns, including the pricier units.
No matter which unit you buy BE SURE to buy an extended warranty so you
can get a replacement if it dies. Now....on to the Sony. This unit appears to be better built than most
of the others. It has a solid feel and the screen hinge is more robust
than others. The unit is slim, black and looks more like a 400 dollar
unit when sitting next to entries from Toshiba or Magnavox. The screen
rotates 180 degrees in one direction and will fold back flat against
the unit creating a tablet type player/viewer. This is perfect for
headrest or wall hanging, but Sony has made no provision for this so
you'll need to improvise. Screen quality: Well....here's the meat and potatoes. Based on my many
years of audio and video usage on the higher end of the market, I'd say
the FX810 has average video quality, which is to say less than
stunning. Viewing the screen dead on makes for poor viewing. Tilt the
screen a bit and you get a more contrasty effect. Resolution is
passable, but nothing to write home about. Frankly, none of the small
screens are very impressive and offer less detail than a good notebook
computer. Still, the image is "just fine" for it's intended purpose and
watching a movie is no problem. Color and hue have that less than
accurate LCD look, but again, quite passable as entertainment. Sound quality: Pretty weak, as on every one of these units without
exception. A pair of headphones or even cheap external powered speakers
will help a lot. This is not a flaw, but a limitation due to the size
of the player. Sony did what they could with some very tiny speakers. Battery life: WOW! Sony's battery is a killer and ran my unit for two
whole movies, well beyond 4 hours and had power to spare. This may be
the best on the market in this regard. Charge times are somewhat long,
taking nearly five hours. The unit will charge while playing as well
and will work off the included AC adapter or 12 volt cigarette lighter
plug. Feature set: This is a pretty basic unit. It won't play DTS tracks and
it has only composite out. I feel that without S-Video and progressive
scan, Sony has focused on making this a more solid unit in other areas,
such as overall build quality. The FX810 ships with a remote that is
full size. It's a bit odd to have such a clunky remote for a portable
DVD player, but it's easier to use and won't have you hunting for
little odd batteries used by the credit card remotes. Video in/out
plugs are included with RCA's to connect to a TV. You can also send in
a video game or video camera signal in. A single switch toggles between
AV in/out. Another Bottom Line: Do YOU really need one of these? I have a DVD
player with 7.1 dolby in my van, but I wanted a small player for my 35
foot sailboat that could also feed a larger 13" screen. This fits the
bill. Features like progressive scan would be a waste on something like
this. The long battery life is nice and folks who fly a lot will
certainly appreciate that. If Sony makes a version with a 10" screen,
higher resolution and keeps the battery life they'll see quite a few
sales. In the end I still feel this is one of the better units, if not
the biggest, around. For under 200.00 it's fun and cheap, but looks
pricey. Just spend a few dollars more on the warranty and you'll be
good to go! Capt RB
35s5
NY

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Sony's DVP-FX810 8 Widescreen LCD boasts a rugged design with sophisticated features! The swivel and flip screen offers multiple viewing angle options whether you are in a car, train or plane, or at the beach. Watch a regular full-length movie with its up to 5 1/2 hour battery capacity (battery life may vary depending on usage conditions) or plug in the supplied car adapter for extended viewing.Includes remote control, batteries for remote, owners manual, AV cable, rechargeable battery pack, AC cdaptor, car battery charger, AV cable.

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Coby TFDVD7051 7-Inch Portable Tablet Style DVD/CD/MP3 Player, Silver Review

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(More customer reviews)We've owned 3 portable DVD players over the past few years. They tend to last a couple of years and for

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Portable DVD Player - 7" TFT LCD - DVD+RW, DVD-RW, CD-RW - DVD Video, JPEG, MP3, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, CD-DA Playback

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