Product Description Just because a portable DVD player is, well, portable, it doesn't mean you need to squint at the screen. When used in the car where you want to share your view, a larger screen makes more sense. COBY TF-DVD1021 has a 10" 16:9 Widescreen with 180-degree swivel to offer the best possible view. Now you can enjoy mobility and view your DVDs and listen to CDs in style and comfort. Digital Audio Decoders - Dolby Digital Video System - NTSC/PAL Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery / 100-240V UL AC Adapter / Car/Boat DC Adapter - deliver flexible power for absolute mobility Swivel Screen with 180-degree Rotation 10 Widescreen (16 - 9) TFT Color Display DVD, DVD+-R/RW, CD, CD-R/RW, JPEG, and MP3 Compatible Anti-Skip Circuitry Digital and Analog AV Outputs allow for use with Home-Theater Systems Audio/Video Input Jack for Video Games, VCR or Other AV Sources Headphone Jacks for Private Listening - 2 jacks allow shared experience Multiple Language, Subtitle, and Camera Angle Support on compatible DVD Parental Lock Control Unit Dimensions - 10.4 x 1.4 x 7.3 (WHD)
excellent portable dvd playerJuly 3, 2008 I have the coby dvd1021 player and I love it. It has a large screen and it is very clear. The price is excellent and it has lots of accessories. Plus you can play bootleg video without a problem. I would highly recommend to everyone.
Nice to travel withApril 26, 2008 I have found this product just what I wanted for those long airplane rides.
Purchased "open box" and all worked as though it was new.
Price was basically equivalent to those with a small screen. The swivel screen is a nice feature.
Overall, very pleased.
DO NOT BUY ANY PRODUCTS FROM COBY!March 28, 2008 DO NOT BUY ANY PRODUCTS FROM COBY!
I purchased a defective product from Coby. Their customer service is terrible. They even have a recording working at all times saying that it would be better to leave your number and be called back sometime in the next 48 hours. When I finally was able to speak with someone, they never followed up by phone or by e-mail. Same thing the second time. The third time, I also got nowhere. I gave them a last chance for someone from the corporate office to call me back and no response. Don't buy any products from Coby. What I purchased was defective and their customer service is a disaster. Coby is just not trustworthy, either for their products or for their services.
Nice picture if it weren't for the dead pixelMarch 26, 2008 I was really hopeful when I ordered this DVD player, but it just didn't meet my expectations. The very first time I played a DVD I noticed a dead pixel on the screen. That just isn't acceptable to me. Straight out of the box, I believe there shouldn't be any problems. Other than the dead pixel, the picture was very good. I actually haven't seen any DVD players with a better picture and I've looked at Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba, Insignia, Zenith, and Audiovox.
The sound out of the speakers is pretty decent. However, if you wear headphones, you'll hear a chirping/squeaking noise from the spinning of the DVD. It is pretty annoying to be honest.
Also, when you put the DVD in the player, you can feel how cheap the lid is. If you aren't careful, it seems as though you could easily snap the lid off.
Pretty good little playerFebruary 19, 2008 21 out of 21 found this review helpful
I must admit I have never been a big fan of Coby and other off/budget brand gear. I tend to buy only Panasonic, Sony and other name brand video gear. I bought this for a road trip for my 5 year old, to try to make my hours of driving on vacation more bearable for him.
I selected it after comparing it with about 6 or 7 other players. Very quickly, I came to the conclusion that any player with a smaller than 8" screen would not be worth considering. I also found that there are not many name brand players available to choose from. It is best to bring a high quality DVD with you to compare the players one by one. Cars, Happy Feet, Toy Story or other recent animation gives you a pretty good idea how good the picture quality is on each player. Some of the players in the store, when I got there, were playing old Hello Kitty stuff that made all the players look fuzzy and terrible.
After spending about 8 hours with this player this weekend, here are my perceptions.
The good: The 10" screen, besides being a very nice size, has an excellent picture quality with its 480 x 800 resolution, vs WQVGA 480 x 234 on many models. The player came with no dead pixels on the screen, which is always nice. The screen is also matte (anti-reflective), meaning no glare in the car. It comes with a nice remote that controls all the functions except the volume control, (it is also the only way to control the player when you use the headrest mount). It includes a complete set of accessories (see list below). The screen swivels and can be laid flat like a tablet, rare in a budget player. The speakers are more than acceptable for car use, even with some road noise. The anti-skip feature works very well, no skipping observed while driving on some rough roads and various on- and off-ramps. The unit has a video-in port to connect cameras, video games etc. Two headset ports (both controlled with one volume control). The battery is built in, making the player thin (1") and light and is replaceable via a battery door on the bottom of the unit.
The bad: The two headphones are mostly for kids, since they are rather small. The battery life is on the short side, rated at around 2 hours (not tested), probably due to the built in design. If you use the headrest mount, changing DVD's is a bit of a chore. The typical warranty on this player and most portable DVD players is 1 year parts, but only 90 days labor. If they break after 90 days, repairing them in most cases will probably not be worth it. The batteries are also in many cases not replaceable, although this player has a battery port access door.
Problems noted: This player (for unknown reasons) does not care for my Pixar Cars DVD. The audio will skip continuously the first time you start the movie. If you go to the MENU and then return to the movie, everything is fine. Did not see any problems on the 4 or 5 other DVD's I tried. This DVD is new and scratch free, and has no problems on any of my other DVD players.
The details: The player has a 10" screen with 800 x 480 resolution, far higher than most other players that have smaller screens and WQVGA 480 x 234 resolution. The screen brightness and contrast are excellent, and are adjustable from the remote. The WQVGA screens I saw on other players looked pretty bad, even a few feet away. Even with the smaller screens, they were just barely, or not acceptable in my opinion. The credits at the end of movies look especially chopped up, almost unreadable. The viewing angle on this player, and most other typical portable DVD players, is rather narrow, maybe 30-40 degrees. This will make it a bit tricky for other passengers to see the movie using the headrest mount. This appears to be a common limitation on many LCD screens I have encountered on various devices.
The accessory list included is pretty complete: two headsets, car charger, wall charger, video out cable (for playing on an external screen, the Hotel TV for example), cassette adapter to play the movie through the car stereo (assuming you have the rapidly disappearing cassette player), and a headrest adapter. The car charger can be used to power the player continuously in certain airplanes (American Airlines planes for example), and in your car. I mostly intend on using this as a car player (and mostly fly AA), making the battery life for me mostly a moot point.
The headrest mount works well and holds the player securely. It is much more comfortable for your kids than holding the player in their lap, and prevents it from being dropped on the floor in case of tired fingers, car braking, dozing off etc. It can be mounted on headrests and airplane seat tray tables rather easily by adjusting two clip-together straps. This player and most portable DVD players are rather delicate equipment, and probably won't survive being dropped more than once or twice, making the mount pretty useful.
Changing DVD's while using the headrest mount is a bit tricky. The mount is a bag type mount the player slides into on one side, closed by a velcro strap. While inside, the DVD is between the screen and the player, which means not accessible. To change the DVD, you have to take the player off the headrest, remove it out of the mount, unlatch the screen to get to the DVD compartment, swap out the DVD, re-insert player into the mount, re-mount the player on the headrest. Mine was mounted on the passenger side headrest, so leaving the mount on the headrest was not possible. It might be possible to slide it out of the headrest if mounted on the drivers side (not attempted by myself).
Here are some of the players I compared before buying this one: Sony DVPFX810 - a contender but with a smaller 8" screen, low resolution and a great potential for glare with its shiny plastic window.
Audiovox D1917 - With a 9" screen, probably an ok kids player due to it being rather inexpensive with a relatively large screen for the price. Picture quality appeared to be ok, but the QWVGA resolution is again barely acceptable.
Memorex MVDP1102 - With a 10.2" screen, could have been a contender but the screen was very dark on the player I looked at. I could not find a brightness adjustment anywhere to see if it could be corrected. Could have been just this player, but it was ruled out because the screen was too dark (an obvious factor for daytime use in a car).
Maxx Digital PDV8500 - With a 8.5" screen, the picture on this player was excellent, the sound was good, appeared to have the best picture of players with 8" - 9" screens. It is also a flat player (not clamshell type), so it probably can be mounted easily on a seat or headrest. The plastic construction appeared somewhat fragile however.
Wanted but not found: Panasonic DVD-LS850 or LS-82. Probably my first choice sight unseen if I would have found one, and if I was choosing this for myself. Excellent battery life of up to 10 hours (LS-82). I have always been a fan of Panasonic video gear and would probably have chosen this player as my #1 choice. If the Coby ever croaks, this will probably be its replacement. I did not see this player in any of the stores I checked. Has gotten very good reviews everywhere I checked.
Not considered: Accurian(tm) 10" LMD-5108A - The Accurian players appear to have a bad reputation and appear to die prematurely according to the users posting on the Radioshack website. I therefore did not consider them a viable choice in my search.
Conclusion: My conclusion here is that in the budget brand portable DVD arena, the Coby might be getting a bad rap, and is by far the best budget 10" player I have found. I was not expecting much, but was actually very pleasantly surprised that the picture quality of this player was as good as it is. It will be an obvious choice compared next to most lower resolution/smaller screen players. That it can be headrest mounted (although the DVD swapping is a hassle) makes this a good kids DVD player for car travel. Considering that most younger kids prefer watching the same movie over and over, it appears to be a pretty good choice. To overcome the DVD changing issue, I'll probably use my DVD recorder to make a 6.5 hour cartoon/kids show collection DVD. That should easily cover a day's worth of vacation driving. My son likes it and can operate the remote on his own, so I have no complaints so far. If picture quality and screen size are important to you, and you are shopping for a budget brand player, I would definitely put this player on my list.
Radio-Audiophile.com review- For hardcore Radio Audio machine ,buy cheap IPOD , accessories , speakers , electronic gadgets , mobile , iphone , garmin GPS , sound cards,digital audio interface,computer sound machine ,software , radio exciter ,broadcast ,audio power amplifier,RF power amp,AV systems ,DVD player ,HDTV, home theatre , sound effects ,mixer , DJ and accessories.Discount and lowest price "special promotion" everyday.
sponsored links
Onkyo HT-SR800 Black Home Theater System $335.96 - $499.00 from 2 stores. User rating:4.0 out of 5.
Neatly Covering All A/V Formats, Precisely Tailored for Your Home
When it comes to all-in-one home theater, the HT-SR800 has made a clean break from the pack. You're looking at packaged home theater that neatly integrates your high-definition entertainment and your HDTV through an HDMI channel that transports video with a resolution all the way up to 1080p. Ably supported by component video switching, the HT-SR800 will handle most of the A/V components or formats currently available, as well as the spectacular quality of high-definition discs. Also, reinforcing the convenience of matched components, this package is the first to use an Audyssey room-correction technology specifically designed for integrated systems. The options - XM Radio (including 5.1 surround sound radio with Neural Surround decoding) and iPod integration-can really extend your reach, making the HT-SR800 one of the more complete home theater packages available.
Special Features-
HDMI Pass Through (2in/1out , 1080P compatible) - A separate audio connection is necessary
"Audyssey 2EQ" Auto room calibration w/Microphone
XM and Sirius satellite radio ready
Sony HT-7100DH Home Theater System $349.95 - $378.08 from 2 stores. User rating:3.0 out of 5. Grab your popcorn and revel in the intense movie-watching experience that is the HT-7100DH home theater system. Take your entertainment to new aural heights as 900 watts of surround sound fill your room while you watch high definition DVD media or listen to XM satellite radio. For fast and easy setup, the HT-7100DH automatically calibrates the included speakers for an optimal sound field and the most dramatic effects. The Digital Media Port (DMP) is also great for when you want to listen to external sources like Bluetooth devices or Walkman music players in powerful 5.1 channel digital surround sound.
Bose 3-2-1 Home Theater System $958.24 - $999.98 from 2 stores. User rating:3.1 out of 5. If you've been looking for a surround sound solution that doesn't require hours of setup and creative ways to hide the wires, the search is over. Introducing the Bose 3-2-1 system, a revolutionary advancement in home entertainment that's much easier to live with. Designed to provide performance and simplicity unmatched by conventional component or all-in-one solutions, this system delights the ears and the eyes.
Five speakers are replaced by two. A stack of electronics is replaced by a single media center that includes an integrated DVD/CD player, AM/FM tuner, amplification and signal processing. A patented Acoustimass module hides easily in a corner or behind your furniture. And everything is easily connected with just three wires and a power cord, making setup a snap. The 3-2-1 system combines an Articulated Array speaker design with proprietary signal processing to give you much of that same performance. Hear the roar of a train from left to right from just two visible speakers positioned in the front of your room. Enjoy a spacious soundstage and lifelike surround effects whether you're watching the game, listening to a favorite CD or enjoying the latest on DVD.
Philips HTS3555 Home Theater System $250.81 from 1 store. User rating:4.9 out of 5. This state-of-the-art digital home entertainment system delivers powerful surround sounds and a theater-like audio/video experience. The ultimate in both style and performance.PRODUCT FEATURES:Dock included for GoGear and iPod;USB Direct plays photos and music from USB flash drives;MP3 Line-in for music playback from Portable Media Players;1080i HDMI with high definition video upconversion;DTS, Dolby Digital and Pro Logic II surround sound;12-bit/108MHz video processing for sharp, natural images;DivX Ultra for enhanced playback of DivX media files;Plays CD, (S)VCD, DVD, DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R DL;Plays DivX, MP3, WMA and JPEG digital camera photos.
Sony DAV-IS10 Home Theater System $354.95 - $558.99 from 6 stores. User rating:0.0 out of 5.
The 5.1 channel home-theater-in-a-box system features five tiny speakers - each about the size of a golf ball. The system, matched with a compact, single disc DVD/CD player/receiver, includes a unique subwoofer that helps the tiny speakers create sounds typically reserved for full size speakers.
While the system features small speakers, it packs all the power of conventional home theater-in-a-box systems with 450 watts of total system power (satellite speakers 50W x 5, plus 2-way subwoofer 100W x 2). The system is specially tuned to deliver a natural sound field that takes the focus off the subwoofer while supplementing mid range and lower frequencies.
