When I bought this at Best Buy a couple of weeks ago, I thought I was buying the DVP-FX950, which had received pretty good reviews. I didn’t realize at the time that I was actually buying the replacement for that model, the DPV-FX970, but I’m very happy that I did. There have been a couple of significant improvements to address the shortcomings of the previous model. This is the first portable DVD player I’ve owned, but I messed about with a few others in the store. Here are my thoughts.

I like the size and feel of DVD player itself. The swiveling hinge feels very sturdy and has a bit of a snap to it when it closes but there is no latch to keep it closed. The screen can be rotated 180 degrees and then laid flat if so desired. The case does not feel cheap to me. It has a nice texture to it which helps when it’s being gripped. You will probably find, as I did, that the exterior holds fingerprints and smudge marks very well, but that’s not a big problem.

Like the previous model, most of the controls go across the bottom of the screen. They are all touch controls with the sole exception being the 5-way rocker switch that you use to navigate and click on menu selections. The touch controls work very well, but they are at times a little too sensitive. When you go to rotate the screen, the natural place to grip it exactly where the Play or Option buttons are. I’ve inadvertently pressed them a few times. Also, the mechanical rocker switch is fairly sensitive and it can sometimes be difficult to get your thumb square in the center to select a menu option. I’ve found a number of times I’ve tried to select something but ended up clicking up or down instead. I also hit the option button occasionally when reaching for the rocker. All of these interface issues can be gotten around though, by moving a mechanical switch on the side of the player to the “Hold” position which locks out all other controls on the player. Then you can use the included IR remote to operate the player. The on-off switch is a mechanical switch on the side as well, so you’re less likely to turn it on or off by accident.

The remote is a little larger than I expected for a portable unit. It’s about the size you’d expect from a full size DVD player. If the remote were about half as thick and not rounded on the back it would be a little easier to manage on the go. Functionally, the remote works just fine.

DVD’s snap onto the player spindle, which is a must for a portable DVD player. If the player is hanging vertically, you don’t want the disc to fall out when you hit the eject button. The player motor noise was a concern with the previous model. I found that the motor can be fairly noisy when the player spins up or when you’re navigating the menus, but as soon as it starts playing the movie or TV episode, the motor spins down to a lower speed and becomes MUCH quieter. While I haven’t been trying, the player has not skipped on me while I was picking it up, setting it down, carrying it or turning it upside down. I have turned it sideways and watched a movie while laying on my side with no problem.

The first disc that I tried to play with this device was the “Lord of the Rings Extended Edition.” I was immediately concerned that the player was unable to read the disc, because it kept spinning up and stopping and would take almost a minute for it to recognize the DVD. I eventually figured out that the disc I was using also had DVD-ROM content with a bunch of Windows exe and data files, and the player was looking at each file trying to figure out if it could play it or not. Other standard DVD’s and CD’s that I’ve put in have been recognized and play immediately. The disc player supports DVD, DVD+-R, CD, CD-R, and Video CD but not MP3 CD.

Image and audio quality are of course subjective. I’d have preferred that the video be a little sharper but it suits me fine. It automatically detects aspect ratio and displays accordingly. Audio can only be so good from a portable player, but I was pleasantly surprised. There are two stereo speakers below the row of controls below the video screen, so the speakers and screen are always pointing in the same direction. Please be aware that iPod earbuds are NOT compatible with the headphone jacks on this player. On stereo DVD’s the music plays through, but the dialog is muffled almost impossible to hear. Using a different set of headphones solved the problem.

The player also does A/V in and out, but it only does composite video, not component or HDMI. I would have preferred that the player itself have RCA jacks for audio and video, but it uses a stereo mini-plug for left and right audio and a single mini-plug for composite video. Mini-plug to RCA cables are included with the device. There is a mechanical button on the side of the player lid to chose between DVD, Line-in, or USB (more on USB…

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K. Allen (Lake Tahoe, CA) –

  

I have only had this for a few days so I cannot comment on logevity. Granted, I haven’t had much time to experiment but so far I really like it. I do not think it is cheap looking or feeling, as another reviewer stated. I love the picture quality- it’s very crisp and clear. The sound is everything I would expect and it’s much better than an older portable DVD player I have. If I were to compare the two, there would be no fair comparison. This one is sooo much nicer! I love the 9 inch screen. The swivel may come in handy but I don’t see it as a selling point for me. I have taken this unit outside to see how it plays in the sunshine which is not so good. I could watch it in a shaded area just fine but direct sunlight is too harsh. I have not tried fiddling with the controls to change the view settings though. There may be a way to do that. However, I don’t see that I would need to be watching a DVD out in the sun. I don’t notice much spinning noise as I have in other units. Sometimes they are so loud you have to blast the movie to hear over the spin. This one is very quiet. If I hold it on my lap I can feel the vibration of the spin though and that may bother some people. The DVD seems to be solidly in place and I defintely like that. I can move around and carry it from one place to another without the movie falling off track. The one thing I don’t like is that you need the remote for some functions. The basic play, pause, volume and such are on the unit itself but if you want to make adjustments or toggle through a menu, you need the remote. Well, I think that is the case anyway. To fast forward, you need the remote. To skip by chapter, you can do it on the unit. It would be nice to have all funtions on the player itself. It’s possible that I missed something in the directions about that but it’s not obvious to me. All in all, I really like it and am very happy with my purchase.

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D. Ward –

  

So far the reviews are all over the place on this new portable DVD player from Sony. One reviewer states theirs broke after a year and a half but obviously it isn’t this model that has only been out approx. one month. Others complain that it is cheap. Of course it feels cheap. It’s plastic just like most every thing else we receive in the U.S. when it comes to electronics. There isn’t much we can do about that and if some metal alloy was used the cost would be much higher so why complain about plastic? The unit works perfectly and the picture quality is quite nice for casual DVD viewing.
We place this in the back seat wedged in a crevice under the lip of our baby’s car seat during our frequent 10-12 hour trips. It keeps her content during the long travel. The remote works properly and I think this is a fine unit for the price being offered. There probably is little difference between the quality of this model compared to the previous generation. People act as if they have made some terrible mistake in purchasing this model because a few reviewers have had negative things to say about this player.
Let’s not over react and base our life’s decisions over something fairly simple just because someone on Amazon didn’t like it. It’s a plastic DVD player made for DVD viewing. It’s not a high tech device. It is what it is and when you read the overall reviews of most all portable DVD players the reviews always appear quite mixed. It isn’t meant to provide a movie theater or home theater viewing experience. Let’s just hope these units are reliable and we can get a year or two of reliable service from them.

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