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Initial IDM1731 Portable DVD Player with 7Inch LCD
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4 out of 5
Initial creates cutting-edge digital entertainment products with the highest standards of quality and affordability.PRODUCT FEATURES:Versatile playback formats: DVD-ROM, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, MP3, JPEG, Kodak Picture CD;7 active matrix LCD screen (TFT);S-video output;Composite video output / input;DTS sound output;Digital coaxial audio output;Dolby digital sound output;Optical digital audio output;Audio output / input;Hi-Fi stereo headphone output;Built-in stereo speakers. ....read more
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A mixed bag of review please read mine
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I have owned my initial portable for about six months now. I have had nothign but good luck with it for the most part, a few little things but nothing big. When you buy this, your taking a risk as you can see from all the reviews. I think some are made well and some aren’t so be sure to buy the extended warranty. (circuit city 40.00) Best Buy 80.00 these are the prices for 4 years warranties. I got mine at circuit city of course. I payed 130.00 for it (cheap) and here are the positives and negatives of it.
Positives
1. Nice layout of buttons and controls
2. Cute remote that has all the options
3. Great picture Quality
4. Comes with car charger and to hook it up to your home dvd player
5. Battery life seems to be about 2 hours (good)
6. Very compact can bring it anywhere, still works fine and i’ve dropped it from my bed to the floor!
Negatives
1. Sometimes you can hear the motor but its not too bad
2. The sound quality is average one should use headphones with it if they are in a slightly noisy place. (thats how most of the portable dvd players are though)
3. My biggest gripe, it will not play some of my dvd’s like “Seed of Chucky” and “The Best of Everything” they are region 1 and copyrighted maybe the copyright has something to do with it. I have 130 dvd’s and these are the only 2 it won’t play. It can be moody and or picky with what it plays the disc needs to be clean.
Overall though a great product loses a star for not playing all of my movies but well worth it but be sure to get the extended warranty.
Don’t waste your $ on the Initial IDM-1731
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
The unit worked well for about 6 hours of playing time. By well I mean the screen sharpness was okay but not great, audio volume was poor unless boosted by an external amp. Finally it died! In the middle of loading a disc the video driver succumbed and all I get now is a blurr of multi color stripes. Contacting Initial either by email or telephone is a complete waste of time. If you wait on hold the line simply goes dead. They do not return calls or emails. Kiss away whatever you pay for this piece of junk.
Portable DVD Player with 7″ LCD
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I think that this is a very good DVD player and it serves my needs well. I can use it to attach to my TV and see the DVDs transfer excellently to the screen. It is comfortable to carry with me when I travel and I can use it on the plane for entertainment of my own choice rather than watch a movie that I do not wish to watch that the airplane provides. I recommend the Initial IDM 1731 as being among the best of its type.
Decent player when working
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
This unit worked like a normal portable DVD player during the first 6 months(used it 3 times a week for about 30 minute to 2 hour duration – toddler pacifier in a car). You put in a DVD/VCD(only tried DVD+R, CDRW, CDR) and it will play it. Picture quality is not great(through a 27 inch screen TV) but with a tiny 7″ LCD, everything will be ok. LCD screen seems about right for the price rance. Featurewise, everything seems par with other units(basics – in my case, I just need play, forward, stop, menu). Everything is ok until then unit started not reading discs(basically spins up for a while and give a message that there is no disc). Customer service is virtually non-existent, unless of-course you have infinite time to wait. Contacted them and took a month to get an RMA number and then another month to get it back(of course you have to pay for shipping and around $60 for the unit) – used email and phone to contact them. If you are looking for a player and willing to get a new one every six months(depending on your usage I guess), then this unit will be ok for you.
Great over time
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I purchased this player about 2 years ago, and it has been used hard and often by my 4 year old daughter. I actually would have expected it to break by now – as anyone with a very busy small child will attest to – but it just keeps on working. Recently, the car adapter went out, but with the workout it usually gets, that is understandable. If you want a durable dvd player for the car, this is a good investment.
THIS IS REALLY GREAT!!!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
this is one of the best dvd players that me and my family have used!! THIS TOTALLY ROCKS!!!!! the good thing was that it was cheap and that it worked well. i use it ALL the time when i go on long car rides! this portable dvd player is worth all your cash no matter what price!!!! go Initial IDM-1731 Portable DVD Player!!!!!
Poor Quality & Poor Service
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I purchased one of these DVD players with some hesitation about the substantial amount of poor reviews I had read. I should have gone with my gut and not purchased this. It broke shortly after its first use. Getting Initial to replace it was very difficult, but they finally did. However, the neglected to include any of the accessories with the replacement (power plugs, remote, jacks). When I contacted them about sending me the accessories, Initial refused, stating that accessories are only covered for 14 days from the purchase date, but they would be happy to send them to me for $51 dollars! So, they wanted me to pay to get the accessories that were supposed to come with the DVD player. The supervisor I had contact with was unfriendly about it, and I was forced to file a Better Business Bureau complaint. Amazon finally stepped in to get me these accessories, then I started having problems with the replacement DVD player. The video went out after about 2 minutes of use in the beginning of a 8 hour driving trip with my daughter in the back. We’re probably going to have to just cut our losses and buy a DVD player from a reputable manufacturer for the future.
So, if the quality of this DVD player doesn’t concern you, at least be aware that Initial does not back up its product or provide acceptable customer service.
DONT BUY THIS JUNK
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
Dont buy this piece of junk. I had it for about a year and had no problem, except that the color was peeling which was not a big deal. But one day, after such good treatment the dvd player screen jammed and couldnt open. I slowly pulled the screen up only to find out that the screen was loose and shaky. I then plugged it in to see that the screen was completly blank even though the rest of the DVD player was working. What kind of cheap junk is this- didnt they screw the screen to the player well. When i contacted amazon they asked me to contact the manufacturer which i am still waiting for their response.
If you are thinking about buying this junk then think again, read all the reviews and youll know that this junk is not worth it. You can get far better ones for the same price.
Initially worked good
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I received this initial dvd player one year ago (2004) for christmas. It worked pretty good for a few months, but then I began noticing the poor sound quality and a low humming sound coming out of the speakers. Also, the coloring rubs off of the dvd player very easily. Now, sometimes when I put a dvd in it shows up ‘no disc’ and the laser has to be popped back into place. I wouldnt recommend purchasing this player, even if it means putting a little extra cash out for a better one you will be happier in the long run. I am considering buying a new dvd player.
Overall pretty decent after two years’ use and abuse
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I bought this DVD player two years ago for both home use (connected to the TV) and for entertaining a preschooler on long flights and car trips. It occasionally has some display issues (scrolling and lines), which are usually rectified by altering the angle of the display, or by closing and re-opening it. Overall, really no complaints whatsoever with it; it’s been very functional and held up well. But last week it stopped playing audio CDs, while continuing to play DVDs without problem. Initial’s customer service thinks perhaps the CD laser went out, but they don’t repair anything past warranty. They do offer an exchange program for out-of-warranty items, where you send back the defective piece, and for for slightly less than buying a new one, they’ll replace it and give you a new warranty. For this player, currently offered at $130 on Amazon, they’ll replace it for $100 with a limited 3-month warranty, or for $120 with a regular 1-year warranty, or for $130 with an extended 2-year warranty. Customer service was very prompt at responding, both by email and by phone. I would have rated this as 4 stars until that laser stopped working, as I’ve been very happy with its performance and we’ve used it much more than we originally thought we would.
*Update in March 2006* I am less happy with the player than I was in that review three months ago. Discs no longer load in the player unless we unplug the power and plug it back in. I am searching for a new player, and it won’t be Initial.
Good so far
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
We got this as a Christmas gift. So far it works great. We have not used it lots, but when we have it has great picture and sound. Hopefully it will hold up.
The Initial IDM-1731 Portable DVD Player
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I picked this portable DVD player out for Christmas two years ago. When comparing it to other models, it compared favorably. The Initial IDM-1731 had many of the features (large screen, progressive scan, decent battery life…) I was looking for at an average price at the time (around $250). A year later, I found myself quite frustrated with a virtually unusable DVD player; the hinges on the screen broke after a year of gentle use.
Pros-
·This DVD player has a nice sized seven-inch screen; if the screen were larger the player would be bulky; smaller, and the image is hard see. This screen is also wide, a good shape for wide screen movies.
·Progressive Scan- Progressive Scan is a clearer way of projecting an image. With a regular TV, the vertical lines of pixels (blocks of color) on the screen are shown first, then the horizontal lines. Think of the vertical lines as odd numbers and the horizontal lines as even numbers. In a regular TV the image is displayed (1,3,5,7,9, …) then (2,4,6,8, …). With progressive scan, the image is displayed with alternating horizontal and vertical lines, (1,2,3,4,5,6, …). This results in a sharper picture.
·This player comes with a good accessories bundle. You get an A/C (wall) charger, a car charger, remote control, and A/V cables to hook it up to a TV.
·Good anti-skip system. I never saw this DVD player skip, even on bumpy Michigan roads.
·This DVD player can play several types of media. DVDs, CDs, MP3s, CD-Rs
Cons-
·The Hinges- Within a year the hinges cracked and broke, naturally right after it came off warranty. When they first broke, I was able to hold the monitor in place and continue to watch movies. Now, the damage is more extensive and the player is nearly completely useless. There are two small metal parts located in the hinges that must be in contact for the screen to work, not a wire. The hinges on this player are small, about an inch wide, having broken off; you need to hold the screen just right to get any image (impossible on roads with potholes or expansion joints). When looking for portable DVD players, try to find one with large hinges. Look at the hinge on the Initial IDM-9520.
·Fragile. We were careful when using this player and were not rough with it. It broke under normal use.
·Slow To Load. Some DVDs would take a while to start after being loaded; some DVDs took multiple tries.
·No case included. This was no big deal but a case was definitely needed to carry around player and accessories.
Although this DVD player did its job well, I would not recommend buying it because of its lack of durability. Purchasing this product is a gamble, will it break, and if so, before it comes off warranty? I would recommend a different DVD player, even from Initial, with more robust hinges.
terrible
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
From the start it had trouble playing entire movies (the screen would freeze after about an hour). Then after 6 months of light use it stopped working all together (it wouldn’t even recognize DVDs or CDs).
Worth to buy
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Sound and Picture clarity is good, I dislike the batery usage, not good for more than 2.5 hours movie.
Not worth the price
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
My mom bought this DVD player for my kids this past Christmas. She paid $179, with the promise of a $30 rebate. It stopped working after a month. It runs and runs but nothing appears on screen. Unfortunately, she had purchased it two months in advance of giving it, so that the 90-day warranty had just run out. I called the company and explained that we had only had it since December. After a lot of back and forth, the only solution they offered is for me to give them $49 to fix it, or $79 to replace it. I would rather put $79 towards a real name-brand DVD player. (And the rebate has yet to arrive, two months later…)
Like the Energizer Bunny!!! Keeps going….
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Bought this 3-4 years ago before Portable DVD players became really popular. (I paid like $250+ for it.) It has taken a beating from my 3 yr old..kicking it many, many times, dropping it, etc. and it just keeps going. We mostly use it in the van, but also use the plug in adapter once in awhile. We’ve never used the battery. It has never skipped (only if the DVD is dirty so not a player problem). The only problem we are having right now is we need a new car adapter and will order one. I bought a second player for my older DD so she can watch her own movies (a Panasonic-only because it was really cheap) so I hope that one lasts just as long. I basically just use mine in the car. There were times that it didn’t cut on, but I never power it off so what we do is turn the power button off and then back on and it’s good to go. We really got our money’s worth.
Initial Portable DVD Player IDM-1731
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Sorry to say, my husband has not even unpacked this DVD player! He wasn’t too happy that our daughter bought it. We both told him to hurry up & make up his mind whether we should return it, but he hasn’t done that either…
Sorry I can’t do better than this.
Genie Olson
Big Disapointment
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
When I first purchased this portable DVD player I was quite pleased with it. The picture was clear and the sound came thru nicely. However, after just 6 months of use, it just stopped working. It keeps telling me “no disc”. It has only been used by my daughter while sitting in the car so it has not been dropped or abused in anyway.
Now I know why it was on sale. I won’t buy this brand again.
Does not have video input!
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
This product says that it has video input, however it does not! I even called initial and they said it does not. If you dont need it for video input, then it’s a good product.
Initial plays CD+G (karaoke) format disks
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I like these ‘Initial’ dvd players because they play CD+G (karaoke) format disks; most other brands do not (Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic do not play CD+G). I own three Initial dvd players. The most recent Initial model 1731 dvd player arrived broken from seller DiscountJungle. Kudos to DiscountJungle for responding promptly and sending a prepaid shipping label for the return. I have usually had good luck with Initial; so I recommend this product and DiscountJungle.