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Initial DVD-5820 Portable DVD Player with 5.8" Screen

Initial DVD-5820 Portable DVD Player with 5.8" Screen

List Price: $219.99
Your Price: $161.44
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Didja know?
Review: My Initial dvd player has worked perfectly from day 1. Here are a couple of undocumented secrets: 1) It will play CD+G (Karaoke) CDs, with full display of words, etc. Also, it will play PAL discs, as long as they are region 0 or region 1. If you get European discs, you must back them up as region 0, then they will play perfectly.

I am a happy camper with my little gadget.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Didja know?
Review: My Initial dvd player has worked perfectly from day 1. Here are a couple of undocumented secrets: 1) It will play CD+G (Karaoke) CDs, with full display of words, etc. Also, it will play PAL discs, as long as they are region 0 or region 1. If you get European discs, you must back them up as region 0, then they will play perfectly.

I am a happy camper with my little gadget.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good portable DVD player, great price.
Review: The Initial DVD-5820 is my first portable DVD player. Actually, it's my first DVD player(if you can believe that), so I don't know what to measure this unit against. However, from what I can see from this product thus far, it's very good. I, like many others, had bought this unit based on the reviews. I was at first a little weary about purchasing it because I have never heard of the Initial brand. However, the reviews were good and the price was right so I went for it. I'm glad I got this unit because once I got it hooked up and started playing my first few DVDs, I was quite impressed.

First off, when I got this unit out of the box I was amazed at how small it was. I would say the measurements around are about the size of a portable CD player but it is too thick to be size of one.

When I opened it up the 5.8" screen looked quite small but when you start watch DVDs, the picture is so crisp and clear you forget how small the screen is. With the screen being the size it is, you can't really entertain your friends but can think of anything you watch on it as being your own private screening.

I was also fascinated by the sound quality. It's actually better than my labtop's. But the sound gets even more remarkable when you hook up some headphones to the player. I'm not exaggerating, you sound like you are at a movie theater. You get to hear the Dolby Digital Sound or DTS in all their glory.

This product also has the great features that a normal size DVD player would have. It plays DVDs, CDs, DVD-Rs, CD-Rs, etc. with ease. I haven't had any problems with that.

I just have a few gripes about this unit but they are minor.
My first one is that the DVD to TV output is horrible. If you plan on using this unit for your main or home based DVD player you will be disappointed. If you are lucky you will be able to find a movie that you can watch clearly on both the player and the TV but most do not. I have had many movies that played excellently on the DVD player but horribly on the TV. Where they showed beautifully on the player, they showed distorted and fuzzy on the TV screen.

The last two gripes are that the rechargeable battery life(if fully charged) is much too short, around 2 hours or so. If you plan on watching one of those long, 3-5 hour movies, you better plug the unit in instead of depending on the battery.
Also, I wish the remote had a power button(to turn the unit on and off) and a volume button.

Like I said earlier, these gripes are minor. If you decided to buy this unit you will not be disappointed. It's solidly made with great features and an even greater price. You can't go wrong here.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Repairing Can be IMPOSSIBLE!
Review: This DVD player started out wonderful, until it got used frequently. The attachable battery wire is short and must be bent to reach the port in the player. After disconecting the battery to charge on the charger (it cannot be charged while attached to player) and replacing to play a movie, the wire coating began to split and the battery will not work all the time. A replacement battery can be purchased at another store for 50 bucks, but its wire is the same.

I decided to use the wall adapter and car adapter to lengthen the life of the battery wire, and now the port to plug in the adapter has moved. The DVD player will not remain on, the slightest movement of the plug is enough to stop the machine. If the battery is plugged in (both the battery and powersupply cords use the same port) it has an even worse problem because of the short wire it pulls on the port and keeps the machine from coming on at all.

When I went back to the store for help in repairs I was told the purchase was over 90 days and I would have to contact the manufacturer. (It's been four months since purchase.) I am still looking for a way to contact Initial. I have not been successful.

Be careful if you purchase this item. If it breaks you may be getting a really expensive paperweight!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Please refrain from driving and watching DVDs on this
Review: This is a highly portable, highly affordable personal DVD player with a nice screen. 5.8" is not all that big, but perfect for occasional trips. It's wide-screen so it doesn't strain your eyes too bad. Battery life is a bit too short for a 2-hour movie, esp. if you set the volume to high...

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A good player for a good price
Review: This player is very durable, very loud, very cool altogether. There are many good points to this player, and I'm glad I own it.
First of all, I have used this player a lot, I have noticed little nuances, such as the pixely screen and somewhat flimsy construction in certain areas (my 'stop' button completely imploded and I can no longer use the button), but for a small price, this is quite a good player.
As long as you aren't in a noisy room, and aren't showing a movie to 1 or 2 other people, this player comes through with flying colors.
I have compared this portable dvd player to other machines, high quality brands, with outrageous prices, and was surprised to find myself liking this one a whole lot more.
I have watched the Godfather trilogy on this thing. I have watched Scarface, Titanic, Finding Nemo, back-to-back with literally no problems.
This is a good gift for people (especially if lots of people are chipping in bread!) and your reciever will spend countless good hours watching their favorite movies.
DISCLAIMER: I have a slightly crappy old television that this doesn't connect to very well, it's probably just my television, but you might want to check the hook-ups when you get the player. Peace.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good value for price
Review: This portable DVD player is a good value at the current price (<300 dollars) since it comes with AC power supply, battery, and car adapter. It reliably plays DVDs from the library with minor to moderate scratches with little or no glitches. The 5.8 inch screen is pretty good!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good little dvd player for your money
Review: This was purchased as a Christmas present for an 8 year old girl who wanted a portable T.V. more than anything. I felt this might be more versatile since she would be able to watch what she wanted rather than whatever was on at the moment. She has since gotten a lot of use from the unit. It seems to be durable enough to take the abuse a child can dish out as well as easy enough for a child to operate.

I feel my money was well spent on this DVD player. It may not be the top of the line model, but it has certainly earned its keep in our household.

The screen is a little hard to see at certain angles, but this can be recitfied by adjusting it back and forth. I have even taken the unit to work with me on slow days to watch with about 5 of us gathered around the screen. The speakers on the unit are reasonable and small portable speakers can be attached with ease too.

This DVD player can be hooked up to a full sized T.V. set if desired and in this application has great video and audio output. Cables for most newer sets are conveniantly included. The tiny remote control makes it just as convenient as a conventional player.

The battery life seems to be about 3 hours most of the time (just enough to watch your favorite movie and see a few of its special features.) It is perfect for toting along with your favorite movies anywhere you might end up.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Don't waste your money
Review: Two of these were purchased for my kids to use during a long car trip. They had a great picture, decent sound and were easy for a 5 year old to use. However, before the end of the first movie, both devices stopped working. They would freeze and fail to load any other discs until you took out the disc in it, turned it off and unplugged it. Needless to say, I am quite disappointed with these devices, especially due to the frustration that it caused with my two young children during the trip. Do yourself a favor and buy a better known brand. This product is to good to be true.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Don't waste your money
Review: Two of these were purchased for my kids to use during a long car trip. They had a great picture, decent sound and were easy for a 5 year old to use. However, before the end of the first movie, both devices stopped working. They would freeze and fail to load any other discs until you took out the disc in it, turned it off and unplugged it. Needless to say, I am quite disappointed with these devices, especially due to the frustration that it caused with my two young children during the trip. Do yourself a favor and buy a better known brand. This product is to good to be true.


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