SONY | SONY STYLE.COM

Doesn't last....broken within a year

Pros: Long battery life

Cons: Short life span

I bought this unit last Xmas which is in Dec. 2008. I use it every other day. I love the battery life, it's more than sufficient for me. It started giving me problems couple months ago. The screen goes off and on while playing, sometimes it just goes completely off with the disc still running and the sound going. I contacted Sony headquarter because it's still within one year warranty. They will not repair it but they will replace it with a refurbish one plus a $30 fee. If all portable DVD players are built cheaply, I wouldn't spend more than $100 on a new one. Or spend extra dollars because it's a Sony.

Picture Quality & Controls

Pros: Nice large display

Cons: Not suitable for watching in cars - too dark

I choose Sony because I've been a Sony fan for years based on my experience with their quality products. Their manual on this was not very clear, but I did figure out how to do things like fast forward by holding the toggle stick to the right or left. I took a cross country trip with my wife in our car. She does most of the driving. I was looking forward to watching movies on my new DVD player and was extremely disappointed using it in a car. When you're traveling in the daytime you should expect to be able to still see the movie being playes as long as the screen is in the shade. I found the picure so dark that I'm returning this . I did figure out how to adjust the picture brightness and set it to the maximum, but it didn't make much difference. My guess is most people will want to use this kind of product in a car, SUV or VAN. My experience with a half-doze ndifferent movies I tried was mostly dark shapes too indistinct to really watch. It's too bad. I get the impression Sony didn't try to test this out in real life situations. Buyer beware! I've been trying to complete this review process and each time I hit "Preview" it says I need to complete required fields. I have but it continues to do the same. It highlights the Nick Name as a required field which I've filled out trying several different ones. I finally worked through the nickname but now have discovered I'm expected to rate the product at the top using their star system. That's not clear when you start to do this. I'll keep trying, but the review process here is painful.

controls

Pros: Picture quality, 180 swivel & flip monitor

Cons: no FF or Rev on player, screen adj controls

On the player itself, there is no FF or Rev. To do that you MUST use the remote. So you had better keep it handy and not lose it! And the FF & Rev buttons placement on the remote are awkward. Also, screen adjustment (standard vs. wide screen) is like a 6 button selection process. Seems tedious for what should be straight forward. Know what you are buying here. If you like FF'ing through advertisements or Rev'ing to replay a scene, this may not be the DVD player for you.

My son got this portable dvd player for Christmas last year, it lasted about 3 months before the picture went black. Tried many different CD's so that wasn't the problem. Tried trouble shooting as directed in the booklet that come with it, however, have not been able to resolve issue. I can hear the CD but cannot see the picture.

Best of the Best for Portable DVD players

Pros: Great all around system for home, vehicle trips or commute to work machine!

Cons: High price- but quality comes at a price!

Hands down, the BEST portable DVD player I have ever owned in my life. I have had PRTDVD players ranging from $80 for my 1st to $250 for the one before this SONY. The SONY is loud w/o earbuds and clear. The picture is perfect because you can adjust color, bright, contrast and tint, unlike most other DVD players where you can only change one aspect, brightness. It's got a quiet operation and the swivel head screen always turns heads in public! There is nothing bad I can say about dvd player. I use it every day/ 3 times a day on my commute to work on slow public transportation -and they are correct, it does run for roughly 6 hrs / charge! I charge up about every 2 days and it has never died on me yet. Great features all the way around like double jacks (for your wife to enjoy the movies with you) , turning on the subtitles w/o stopping the movie, the screen saver to keep you screen from image burn after a long pause because you forgot the opocorn and candy, the large 9in screen which resembles a small laptop when viewing. Grab this one, though I wish it were $40 cheaper, it's well worth the money!

Great DVD Player!!

Pros: Build, display quality, sound, portability, weight.

Cons: It costs a bit more but it is the best portable DVD player ever.

We bought this from Fry's in Manhatten Beach. At first, we were a bit reluctant to spend $200 on a portable DVD player for the baby - because there seemed to be many other choices available. But, with an 18-month old baby who liked to 'test' anything we handed him (such as his PSP player), my wife kept insisting we needed the 'tilt' swiveling screen and something that could take a few drops and throws. And, I was very demanding in screen display quality and sound. We couldn't have made a better purchase. The 9" display is superb for such a portable unit. It's 480x800 resolution which is more than enough for most movies - but its really the richness and contrast on the LCD screen which jolts this way ahead of any other DVD unit. Compared to the other units on display which were more often 'washed out' or 'dim' - the Sony player really outshined the others. The sound is more than adequate for playing movies in the car or on a plane as well. Our baby loved the unit literally as soon as we handed it to him and he won't let go of it when its playing his movies or music CDs. More importantly, this is a very rugged and tough unit. Our baby already has 'tested' his PSP and the DVD player is no exception. It can take a beating and its one of the more solidly built portable DVD players I've seen. I've had others and usually there is that one thing (loose DVD cover, hard to press buttons, etc.) that makes them seem cheap. This Sony player is absolutely perfect. It is quite simply, the best portable DVD player available at any price - anywhere. Buy it - you won't be sorry - especiallly if your buying it for young children. It is the "perfect" portable DVD player.

Not for SUV/CRV

Pros: Great picture quality

Cons: can't watch it in the car - no mounting hardware -

I had my husband purchase this sight unseen. I knew it was Sony and that was all that mattered to me at the time... however now that I have in my possession I am so very disappointed. It must be the only portable DVD player that does not come with either it's own headrest mount or even the ability to be be mounted. There are no slide guides nor brackets to mount it. I have purchased 3 "mounting" contraptions, all to no avail. If I had the packaging I would return it for that reason alone. I purchased this for a 16 hour drive and still have not figured out how I will be able to display this for my 18 month old. I would rather have an RCA or JVC that I could actually use. Now I have beautiful DVD player as a paper weight!!!!!

Excellent Buy

Pros: Overall -- a truly excellent unit. I am well pleased.

Cons: wish I had one with 10 or 11 inch screen. Yes Sony, this is my not so subtle hint. Any chance this might happen?

I am nearly 60 and have never stopped studying. I had need of a portable DVD player in order to watch the many History,Philosophy,Theology and Science videos that I have acquired over the years.(I'll put in a plug for The Teaching Company here----excellent videos from Ancient History to Neurobiology)) This saves wear and tear on my computer and also allows me to leave the house, for the coffee shop, for extended study time. I did check out other less expensive players before I chose the Sony. Now about this player: The picture is excellent! Sound from the headphone jack is also excellent. This is true whether I am watching a movie or a teaching video.Generally I use noise canceling headphones or Etymotic ear plugs in noisy situations though the built-in speakers do work very nicely. The controls are positioned well on both the player and the remote. The battery is robust. The white case is attractive. Oddly, one lady thought the white case was "sexy". Sexy or not, it does look good. You have done well Sony. Thanks for a truly fine product.