Rating: 
Summary: Pleased with my purchase
Review: I purchased this player prior to a 8-hour car trip with my 10 year-old son. The player worked great! When we got back home, I hooked the player up to the TV in my bedroom and am pleased with the quality of the sound and video. Another bonus that I did not realize when I bought the player is that it also accepts audio and video input. Though the documentation that comes with the player does not describe how to do it, I hooked the player up to my son's Gamecube and it worked fine. So next time we take a long car trip the Gamecube is coming too! Some minor nits:
1) The included documentation is mediocre and could be more complete
2) The power connection to the DVD player needs to be securely seated; on a couple of instances it jostled out which is annoying in the middle of a movie
Rating:
Summary: So far, so good
Review: I purchased this product only 1 week ago, with some hesitation based upon reviews. However, all reviews of this type of produce were luke-warm at best, no matter what the price of the product. It seemed that approximately 30% of people who purchased any portable DVD had some problem, requiring return/replacement. Also, most factory warranties are similarly anemic. I normally purchase online for the discount, but chose to purchase this product locally (same as online price), so that I could have more personilzed service if necessary. Also, I normally do not purchase the extended warranty through the store, but for this product, I did because of the potential for problems (and the poor manufacturer warranty of 1yr parts / 3 mos labor). The first thing that I noticed is that everything I needed was in the box - including DC adapter, video cables (unlike some more expensive models - and these things are expensive to buy separately). The unit had a good feel to it, and the screen hinge felt solid, not flimsy like some. My biggest complaint so far, is that the screen does not fold all the way flat (almost), which is pretty important if you will be hanging it off the back of a seat in the mini-van. The battery is a bit awckward, being a rather bulky separate piece that attaches to the back of the unit (limiting screen opening angle), with a wire plugging into the same port as the AC adapter, but you get used to it. With the battery pack attached, the screen only opens up a bit beyond 90 degrees. The picture is sharp, and the colors very good, with an excellent wide viewing angle - even in the sun. In the store, the difference between the model several hundred dollars more expensive was negligible (and the sound better). Unlike other reviews, I found sound quality to be good (for portable), and was clearly able to hear it in the car over the background noise (if you are looking for theater sound without headphones, don't buy portable). With headphones, the sound is outstanding. The battery has lasted longer than the advertised 2.5 hours even after mutliple charges, and I have been able to watch 2 movies before recharge. It attaches very easily to my home TV, and works nicely in that capacity. (unfortunately, my 2 year old thinks that it is now his - "MINE!" - ugh ) I have been using the unit constantly since it's purchase to find any problems while still in the 30-day return period. Overall, I am pleasantly surprised, but did not give 5 stars due to inability of screen to fold flat, and unit's features which are only available with using included remote (both which are acceptable IMHO). Most problems I have seen in reviews have occurred immediately, a few more approximately 6 months out - hence the extended warranty purchase. I have recorded a few MPEGs from the internet onto VCD, and it has played them without any trouble whatsoever. Good luck.UPDATE: 11/27/2003
Still using the player nearly daily. Working great! Very pleased with investment.
Rating:
Summary: A winner
Review: I love it. It does everything (plays DVD, MP3, CD and my home videos burned onto CD). You can play everything on a TV with a provided cable and use it in the car.
This is the best price anywhere for this product (which is the same as Mintek and others)
Rating: 
Summary: An inexpensive but clunky DVD player
Review: I purchased this dvd player 3 months ago as a partial solution to the boredom that occurs during my almost monthly 3-8 hour flights for my job. It does a ok job at what it does... but not great. THE GOOD:
Price - This is one of the cheapest 7" models you are going to find anywhere.
Battery life - I've routinely seen battery life of almost 3 hours. THE BAD:
Screen - its low resolution screen makes watching movies on a flight somewhat harsh as you can easily see the pixels in the screen from lap level.
Speakers - This player's speakers aren't loud enough for a relatively quiet vehicle ride, so using the speakers on a plane is a total no go.
Battery attachment - While the battery life is good as I said above, the placement on the back of the player itself is terrible. It's makes the player clunky and much larger than it needs to be when you attach the battery to the player.
Disc compatibility - It seems to not like some types of DVD-R discs as you have to load them into the unit several times before it wants to read them. OVERALL:
I'd say it's a 5-6 out of 10. It serves it's purpose adequately, but not outstandingly. It's a good player for the kids or a someone of a budget. Otherwise, I'd spend a bit more ($100 or so) and buy a brand name unit from Toshiba or Panasonic.
Rating: 
Summary: A Letdown
Review: When I first saw the Initial IDM-1731 I'd bought for my mother, I was envious. I'd just purchased a little 5-inch GoVideo/Memorex for myself and was impressed with the sharpness and clarity. Now I was looking at a 7-inch screen. Talk about poor timing! But when I turned it on, the envy left me immediately. The sharpness and clarity was more like that of a VHS. There was no shadow detail and even on widescreen, the image looked stretched. When changed to TV ratio, the perspective was perfect, but you lose half of your screen size. Good enough for mom, probably but I was awful glad I'd gotten the little GoVideo. No matter which one of these guys you go with, drop by a Radio Shack and pick up a small amplifier. Powered by a tiny battery, you can plug your headphones in and use it on an airplane. If you don't, you won't have the volume to hear over the engines. And, again, get the 5-inch screen. This and the GoVideo are obviously made by the same company. And why haul around something as heavy as this around when you don't have the benefit of a sharp screen.
Rating:
Summary: good unit for the money
Review: Purchased the unit for my grandson. Unit came with all the attachments for home, auto,and battery for plane. The IDM-1731 played dvd, home burned dvd, cd, home burned cd. The picture is ok the speakers are better then the speakers on my more expensive Audiovox D1830 8". I recommend the purchase of the IMD-1731 because unit appears to be good guality for the money.
Rating: 
Summary: DVD is great value! But beware of customer service
Review: I loved this little player. I spend a lot of time on the road
suttling my daughter around (the life of a divorced dad who
child lives 160 miles away!). My daughter loved it too. But then, tragically, one day it died. We closed the top with the unit still on. The unit overheated and melted inside. Shouldn't have done that, but it did.
AN automatic off button MIGHT be nice... but it didn't have
it. Chearfully, I sent it too Initial for repair. It was out of
the 90 day warrenty, so, it was going to cost 44.99 for repair.
I gave my credit card number. They said it would arrive right
away. THat was... lets see... last November. It is now late
January. After numerous calls and "yes, we will get back to you"
"No, I don't know why it hasn't shipped" etc... the
unit has not arrived. I think there could be a worse customer service department. I
am saying that because I always want to be conservative
and leave room for an extreme case. But it is hard for
me to envision in my mind what worse customer service would
be like. The bottom line is: Consider this a disposable unit.
Then think if the low price is really worth it...
Rating:
Summary: A Warning!
Review: This product worked great for six months, and then it just stopped working. And let's face it, who wants to send their portable DVD player away to be fixed? Once they break, how much confidence can you have in them?
Rating:
Summary: Constantly Freezes Up
Review: I purchased this DVD player as a Christmas gift for my son. It has been a problem since the second movie I put into it. Sometimes it never finishes loading and I have to shut off the power, pull the out the dvd and start over again. Other times it starts and then freezes in the middle of a scene. First few times a light tap on the cover would allow the movie to continue. The problem has gotten progressively worse until it is not worth using the unit. The company felt it was the dvd itself. After I mentioned that it was multiple dvd's and that they didn't freeze in the same place each time, the rep decided to have me return it for them to look at. If they feel that it is a problem with the unit, the best I can expect is that they will cover parts. I still have to pay for the repair. I would not recommend this player at all. Spend the money and get a better brand.
Rating:
Summary: It was neat while it worked (1 day)
Review: I bought this for my wife for her birthday (3 days ago). We watched a DVD that night, in the dark and quiet of our house, and it was great! Small screen, yeah, but it was pretty neat anyhow. She watched a DVD in the car the next day, the sound was not loud enough, and the screen was difficult to see in the daylight. Then we got home and turned it on and it said "No Disk". Tried many different disks. No luck. I returned it yesterday. Bought an audiovox unit (D1710) today. We first saw the Initial 1731 in Wal-Mart. The guy working there said it best. "Yeah, they are great, when they work. Look at these two. They have done nothing but sit in the display case and they are broken". We should have heeded his advice, but nope. Save your money. Or buy a different brand. These DO NOT last!!
|
