List Price: $109.99
Sale Price: $66.00
Today's Bonus: 40% Off
I purchased my unit on sale at Target. I have seen these units on sale or online for about 40 percent off list price and Amazon usually has a similar discount but Amazon's prices "float" all the time so be sure to comparison shop and shop weekly or even daily on Amazon if you are price sensitive. While I purchased my sample of this review unit from a "bricks and mortar" retailer, in the past I have purchased other items from J&R, the seller currently listed for this unit, through the Amazon Marketplace program and they are a very reliable Amazon Marketplace seller. You can also log directly onto the J&R Music website, comparison shop, and use your Amazon account to place your order directly through J&R which is very convenient.
I am very happy with this 7" Sony. It has the "standard" resolution (which is to say, 1/2 DVD level) of most portable DVD players. Subjectively speaking, the image quality is about the same as pre-digital TV broadcasts which is more than enough for entertaining kids, the most common use of these players. The sound quality through the built-in speakers is also pretty decent, enough for kids watching DVD's at home in their room, and there are dual headphone outputs for better quality listening (or listening in a car without annoying parents).
If you want higher resolution, this is the only unit I know that offers true DVD resolution (800 x 480 pixels):
Sony DVP-FX950 9-Inch Portable DVD Player
It costs a lot more due to that higher resolution and the bigger screen, and it is not usually discounted as much, proportionately, as this smaller unit.
(I searched and found two different 9"/high rez models, the FX950 and the FX930 and I am not sure of the differences; I think I have the FX930; currently these are only offered by Amazon Marketplace sellers, but Amazon usually stocks them.)
This 7" unit has excellent "on machine" controls which should suffice if the remote is lost; the remote makes access to some buried adjustments (as noted by another reviewer) easier. The remote is as large as a TV remote, much larger than the small ones that come with most regular DVD players (that hook up to TV's) these days, and in fact much larger than the remote that comes with the 9" high rez edition.
Battery life is sufficient unless you are taking a long flight (not many portable DVD players go on flights anymore, what with netbooks and iPads and Touches). The player comes with both a home charger and car charger. I don't think the unit will charge and play at the same time, but it WILL play on external power, either on the home charger or the car charger, which is probably the most important issue.
Build quality is EXCELLENT. My wife picked up an RCA 7" portable player for only 10 dollars less than this one at Target around Thanksgiving and the build quality on the RCA is very disappointing in comparison, as are the controls.
Colors and brightness are EXCELLENT. More importantly, this Sony has good view angles. The RCA my wife bought has a peculiar view angle you have to tilt the screen slightly toward you to get optimal image contrast and brightness. The Sony has MUCH better viewing angles.
All in all this is one of those instances where paying a little more (perhaps) and buying a brand name (Sony) is well worth it. I highly recommend this Sony portable player.
Also, if you don't really need the higher resolution, there is no point in getting the 9" edition, since the difference in screen size doesn't add up to much at typical viewing distances. The 9" is much larger and heavier if you have to lug it around.
Finally, I really like the "resume" feature which lets you re-start DVD play where you left off after powering down, assuming you haven't changed discs in the meantime. It means not having to search for the spot where you left off.
A note on how I use mine: I have bunches and bunches of instructional DVD's I like to watch. I have been searching for an easy way to watch them, since I usually only watch 5 or 10 minutes at a time (it's the most I can absorb before brain freeze). Resetting the main home TV center from whatever device it has been running last (Roku? Apple TV? DVD?), and turning on the TV, player, amplifier, and pulling the last DVD left in the player (and finding where it goes) and putting my current one in, are steps that add up to more trouble than they are worth. Using this DVD player means I can turn it on with one switch and watch anywhere in the house...or in the car...or in a mall while the family is shopping. Turn it off, and it resumes on last chapter I watched. Very handy for golf players, tennis players, martial arts, or hauling to the patio or spare room for an aerobics or yoga session etc. These things aren't only for kids and Barney.
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