<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: One of the cheapest but sure doesn't seem like it.
Review: My toddler son loves Finding Nemo and a host of other Disney DVD's. I wanted something I can use in the car for those 2 hr road trip we take regularly to Sacramento. I looked at some relatively unknown brands like Initial and Cyberhome. But this Mintek (which I had heard of BTW) was as cheap or cheaper in price. I was not disappointed. The way I look at it, the player alone is worth the price. But Target includes the car charger and carry bag (two necessities as far as I'm concerned). These items may run you about $60 otherwise. The added bonus is we also use it as an in-home DVD player for rooms which don't have a DVD player already.The picture quality is far better than I'd had hoped. The LCD screen is bright and is clearly visible even at extreme side angles. The buttons don't feel cheap (or rather they don't feel any worse than comparable Sony or Panasonic players). And the built-in speakers do a decent job at projecting sound even in a moving vehicle. I normally leave the player plugged in to either car or AC power, but I have played an entire movie on battery power no problem. Supposedly the batteries are good for 2-2.5 hours. I believe it. The casing is mostly plastic, but the lid which covers the back of the LCD panel is a lightweight metal and goes a long way toward giving this unit a quality feel. This unit makes me wonder why Sony charges hundreds more for their players. There are some gripes which prevents me from giving it all 5 stars. The remote can perform most functions except two of the most important. It cannot be used to turn the player on or off and cannot control the volume. The volume control is not that big a deal since the audio output (not headphone) jack is not controlled via the players volume knob anyways. But the power button ought to be one of the most basic remote functions. Furthermore, some functions require the remote control which is annoying. For instance basic setup screens can only be accessed via remote. When I use the unit at home I need the remote to change the setup from 16:9 wide screen to 4:3 Letterbox to fit my son's TV screen. Basic setup options especially on a portable player should be available on the unit as far as I'm concerned. There is a monitor button which has some screen options, but not the ones I need. My player sometimes has difficulties playing DVD+R discs. It will play them fine, but sometimes the playback turns choppy to the point of it being unwatchable, but that may be my DVD burner's fault. Finally the carrying case that comes with it cannot carry the player with the battery in place as the battery hangs off the back making it too deep to fit with the zipper closed. But at least the battery doesn't cover any ports like in some other players I've seen. But for the money this player cannot be beat. As a portable player it performs its task better than I could have hoped. You can't go wrong with this purchase.
Rating:
Summary: very happy!!!
Review: We have had this DVD player for 3 months now and have used it in many locations (car, home, work) so far it has been great.It makes a little more noise when changing speeds from movie to menu then I expected but it doesn't seem to be a problem. We are going to invest in the extended warranty just to be on the safe side since this is a portable device and things do break with use. A 2 year contract is only $50.00. The battery also seems pretty decent. I can get a full 2.5 hour movie out of it with no problem (haven't tried more then that yet). It has everything you will need. I'm still breaking in the headphones, but I haven't need to add anything to it yet. So all in all I recommend it.
<< 1 >>
| 
