Very nice, not perfect… Rating:4 out of 5 stars I picked one of these up about a month ago on the basis I can burn Divx/Xvid to DVD-R discs and play them back.
Good Stuff:
* Yes, if you rename the file from .AVI to .MPG it will play them.
* It has played all but one or two of my .AVI files (Divx/Xvid).
* The screen is good with a good viewing angle.
* Battery life is generally long enough for me, about 2 – 2.5 hours I would estimate.
* If you have multiple AVIs in the same directory when it finishes one it will go right to the next one.
* The size is good (but not one of the “ultra slim” players that are out there now.
Bad Stuff:
* I don’t think it supports subtitles (that I can figure out).
* Haven’t been able to find mention of updated firmware for it, or that it can be updated.
* It doesn’t seem to have any sort of “resume” function — when you turn the unit off it forgets where it was on the disc, if you leave the unit on (sleep-like mode) it uses the battery (although somewhat more slowly).
* To scan forward and backward you DO need the remote (bummer).
* For my use on the train I had to pickup a Radio Shack Headphone Amplifier.
* I am having a hard time finding a replacement battery so I ended up getting one of the “universal” batteries at Radio Shack that I can plug into the power jack on the unit. It works but being external on a cord is kind of a pain.
* When playing Divx/Xvid there is no On Screen Display (OSD) to tell me things like the time into the current video — since it lacks resume this would have been nice.
I guess that it could have been worse Rating:2 out of 5 stars I had the MPD820 for almost a year when it quit working. I was living in Baton Rouge and my family was in Shreveport. I had recently had a baby and was making the 10 hour round trip more than once a month.
So to be honest, I wasn’t much surprised when the screen of my unit developed a short in it from all of the bumps in the road (the screen shifts in the sling as you drive). At first, I just had to readjust the screen so that it would come on. Eventually the entire screen went out.
I say that I wasn’t surprised by the fact that it went out – mainly b/c I have little faith in anyone’s quality of work anymore. So few people take pride in what they build. It is actually cheaper for Magnavox to replace those units which turn up defective within the first 90 days than it is to (a) build the unit correctly or (b) hire someone to fix those that have problems.
I will definatly think twice before buying another Magnavox. I’m now in the market for a new DVD player. I’m taking suggestions as I obviously am not good at picking one out myself. [...]
Should have read the reviews Rating:1 out of 5 stars This DVD player was such a disappointment. It was literally used lightly 3 times and the screen stopped working. It wasnt handled roughly by any means and the screen just went out. The sound and dvd still played but there was no picture. I adjusted the screen a couple of times and it then worked but it no longer works at all. We paid 400.00 for this player and it worked for 2 months and three times. Save your money.
Poor Quality Rating:1 out of 5 stars I bought this portable dvd player for plane trips for our little ones. It worked fine for two trips (over a span of 6 months). However, in preparation for our upcoming vacation, I took the player out of its case and it failed to operate. I always felt that the flimsy on/off switch on the side looked like it could brake, and I guess it did. The battery light is on, indicating it has power, but the thing just won’t spin the disk. What a waste.
Not bad Rating:4 out of 5 stars I’ve had this for about 5 months and have been really happy with it. The image quality on the screen is better than most other portable dvd players in this price range. I love the aspect ratio of 16:9 since I tend to watch movies in widescreen mode. The battery life is pretty good, better than I expected actually. The case is sturdy and it’s taken it’s share of bumps.
The biggest con that I can come up with, and they lose a star for this, is that a number of useful features can only be accessed via the remote control. If you’re on a plane you can’t use a remote. And it seems silly to use a remote for a device that is literally right in front of you. Also, some sort of sadist designed it. My eyes are pretty good, but I have a hard time reading tiny white text on top of light grey. Anyone would. What were they thinking?
DO NOT BUY THIS HORRIBLE PRODUCT!!!!!! Rating:1 out of 5 stars Never in my life have I owned a product so terribly horrific and cheaply made. There are an ungodly amount of reasons why not a single solitary person should buy this, but I will only name a few. First of all, it is very low quality and has horrible overheating problems. I used it for just an hour and a half and it started skipping and messing up. I felt the bottom of the unit and it was very hot. Another reason is it has a horrible time reading widescreen DVD’s. I tried every single widescreen DVD that I had and every single time it claimed that there was no disc in the player. The unit is also huge and clunky and nearly impossible to comfortably sit in your lap. Another thing is that, to do half the functions that the player has, you need the remote. This is a really big pain. First of all, you have this gargantuan monstrosity of a DVD player in your lap, then you have to dig out the remote and then spend five minutes trying to find the button on the remote because the remote is so difficult to use. I will NEVER EVER EVER buy another Magnavox product EVER again. I would reccommend getting in RCA player and saving about $40.00, because the RCA player is less expensive and works about 100 times better. So, do not get ripped off by Magnavox by buying this player for $240.00 and getting in return a product that is worth less then a dime. There are only two words to sum up this product, and they are MAGNAVOX SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mostly dead on arrival Rating:1 out of 5 stars I’ve had the MPD820/17 for a few hours now. Out of 10 commercial widescreen DVD’s I have tested on it, it refuses to play 7. The other 3 play just fine. This makes me think the firmware needs to be updated, but I have not been able to find any way to do this myself. It will play NONE of the DVD+R disks I have burned myself on a DVD recorder. I will be very happy with this machine if Philips customer support can solve the playback problem, but I am not optimistic.
Great Electronic Devise!!!!!!!! Rating:5 out of 5 stars I love this thing. Had it for months now and never have problems! Runs great, Looks great, and it’s nice and light and easy to carry around!! A MUST BUY!!!!!!!!!!
I have no sound..wanna trade? Rating:2 out of 5 stars Someone else here has no picture…well I have no sound. Sound works out of the headphone jack but not from the built-in speakers. We’ve had it for about 9 months and it’s always been kept in a case and rarely moved from the back seat of the car. It does get VERY hot and you need to be careful not to just shut the movie off and close the top as it’s really NOT OFF. It has no auto-shut off so very early on I discovered it would continue to spin away until you actually turn the physical switch off unlike a notebook computer etc. Also the controls are terrible in layout and design. Even the volume switch is reverse of the intuitive motion. When sitting in front of the unit you would think upwards is louder…not according to Magnavox designers! No up is down and down is up. Outstanding!
Simple to use and what a picture! Rating:5 out of 5 stars This is one of the easiest players to use. The screen picture quality is fantastic. About the only thing I think is a little short is the sound out of the speakers but the sound is fine through the headphones. I love it!!
NICE,but. Rating:3 out of 5 stars I got it and was VERY happy with it except it does not last very long with short battery life spam. You have to constantly chargling it when you are on the go…you get to see may be one movie and you are done. Is there anything else on the market that is as good design and quality as this, but last MUCH longer??
Awesome Gift Rating:5 out of 5 stars If I had to name our best gift of 2006, I would have to say the portable DVD player. Our children take it everywhere. Our daughter even sets it up in the bathroom while she takes a bath! It works indoors, outdoors and in the car! This was a great buy!
A good product. Rating:5 out of 5 stars This product is a good one.. I got it for my husband and he really likes it.. The 8″ screen is nice and the dvd player is easy to use. It has a great battery life for viewing movies that happen to be a bit longer then most. The screen quality is good and has a good picture.. Over all it is just what we were looking for.
Nice DVD player for the cost Rating:5 out of 5 stars The DVD’s are very quite when played which was something I really wanted. I had purchased another player elsewhere and the sound of the dvd turning was so annoying I took it back. Great picture quality and sleek look as well. Well worth the price.
Buy Something Else, seriously Rating:1 out of 5 stars It didn’t play and registered NO DISC with a brand new dvd installed. When I got one to work, it was fuzzy.
You have to put the volume at super duper high to even hear it.
Magnavox DVD Player–UGH! Rating:3 out of 5 stars My husband bought me this DVD player for my birthday earlier this month. I fell in love with it. The screen is a great size, picture is crisp and clear, I had these awesome headphones that when plugged into this player made it sound as if I were in a movie theater.
I only give this 3 stars because it just gave out on me 2 weeks after I got it. I thought maybe it was the plug or battery or something but those weren’t the issues at all. It was just that the player stopped working. I was extremely disappointed with this.
With a name brand like this I did expect a hell of a lot more than just two weeks of pure enjoyment. Maybe it was just my luck or something.
I love my dvd player Rating:5 out of 5 stars I purchased this dvd player almost 2 months ago, and am very happy with my purchace.It has a great picture, good optics, good sound, but depending if there are loud noises, you may need headphones. I used my walkman headphones,and they worked just fine. I have a friend with a no name brand, and you can’t basically hear it without external speakers, so this was a concern for me. The sound is suffient, at least for the size of the speakers. I can sit a good few feet away and hear it just fine. The charge lasts a really long time. Well, I never played it for more then 3 hours, but the charge still remained. Plus I always charge it up before I store it, and when I plugged the battery back on the machine after a month, it was still fully charged. It comes with a remote which is a nice feature as well. I felt it was a good choice for the money, I am happy with my purchase.
Magnavox repair Rating:1 out of 5 stars The dvd player worked well for 1 hour. Then the picture failed totally. This is when the pain began. It took over a week to get a customer number to enable me to return the item Promised call backs never happened. Then I returned it and it has been more than 8 weeks. Last story was this model is no longer made and they are trying to decide what to replace it with. Again a promised call back never occured. The item still has not been replaced! I would stay away from magnavox / phillips at all costs.
DO NOT BUY THIS PIECE OF #$@!*&^! Rating:1 out of 5 stars I bought for using overseas (VCD), the picture is very bad, poor, poior quality, if you have a T.V. to plug it into then great! I also bought it for the zoom and slow motion features – AGAIN – buy it if you want to use it as a temporary and have an alternative T.V. screen in which to view. I have had issues with it freezing, but I gues once it warms up, it works. Some DVD’s and VCD’s work in my old DVD player, but do not play on this particular model…I do not recommend this for these reasons.
Extremely durable and reliable player Rating:5 out of 5 stars We bought this player almost 5 years ago right before a trip to London with our (then) 4 year old. This thing has been on planes, trains and automobiles with 2 children and has proven to be about the most durable electronic appliance we’ve ever had. I’m sad to see the 1-star reviews from people because our experience has been so different. It has survived being dropped from the seat of the car onto the floor of the car (more than once, I’m afraid) and is routinely operated by our four year old without any trouble. It’s been just great. The sound and picture still work fine for their purposes and it’s still going strong, knock wood. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another. In fact, ours is starting to show some serious wear and it wouldn’t surprise me if it finally gives up the ghost. All in all, though, it’s been a terrific value and I recommend it highly.
3 out of 5
Posted in
Very nice, not perfect…
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I picked one of these up about a month ago on the basis I can burn Divx/Xvid to DVD-R discs and play them back.
Good Stuff:
* Yes, if you rename the file from .AVI to .MPG it will play them.
* It has played all but one or two of my .AVI files (Divx/Xvid).
* The screen is good with a good viewing angle.
* Battery life is generally long enough for me, about 2 – 2.5 hours I would estimate.
* If you have multiple AVIs in the same directory when it finishes one it will go right to the next one.
* The size is good (but not one of the “ultra slim” players that are out there now.
Bad Stuff:
* I don’t think it supports subtitles (that I can figure out).
* Haven’t been able to find mention of updated firmware for it, or that it can be updated.
* It doesn’t seem to have any sort of “resume” function — when you turn the unit off it forgets where it was on the disc, if you leave the unit on (sleep-like mode) it uses the battery (although somewhat more slowly).
* To scan forward and backward you DO need the remote (bummer).
* For my use on the train I had to pickup a Radio Shack Headphone Amplifier.
* I am having a hard time finding a replacement battery so I ended up getting one of the “universal” batteries at Radio Shack that I can plug into the power jack on the unit. It works but being external on a cord is kind of a pain.
* When playing Divx/Xvid there is no On Screen Display (OSD) to tell me things like the time into the current video — since it lacks resume this would have been nice.
I guess that it could have been worse
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I had the MPD820 for almost a year when it quit working. I was living in Baton Rouge and my family was in Shreveport. I had recently had a baby and was making the 10 hour round trip more than once a month.
So to be honest, I wasn’t much surprised when the screen of my unit developed a short in it from all of the bumps in the road (the screen shifts in the sling as you drive). At first, I just had to readjust the screen so that it would come on. Eventually the entire screen went out.
I say that I wasn’t surprised by the fact that it went out – mainly b/c I have little faith in anyone’s quality of work anymore. So few people take pride in what they build. It is actually cheaper for Magnavox to replace those units which turn up defective within the first 90 days than it is to (a) build the unit correctly or (b) hire someone to fix those that have problems.
I will definatly think twice before buying another Magnavox. I’m now in the market for a new DVD player. I’m taking suggestions as I obviously am not good at picking one out myself.
[...]
Should have read the reviews
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
This DVD player was such a disappointment. It was literally used lightly 3 times and the screen stopped working. It wasnt handled roughly by any means and the screen just went out. The sound and dvd still played but there was no picture. I adjusted the screen a couple of times and it then worked but it no longer works at all. We paid 400.00 for this player and it worked for 2 months and three times. Save your money.
Poor Quality
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I bought this portable dvd player for plane trips for our little ones. It worked fine for two trips (over a span of 6 months). However, in preparation for our upcoming vacation, I took the player out of its case and it failed to operate. I always felt that the flimsy on/off switch on the side looked like it could brake, and I guess it did. The battery light is on, indicating it has power, but the thing just won’t spin the disk. What a waste.
Not bad
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I’ve had this for about 5 months and have been really happy with it. The image quality on the screen is better than most other portable dvd players in this price range. I love the aspect ratio of 16:9 since I tend to watch movies in widescreen mode. The battery life is pretty good, better than I expected actually. The case is sturdy and it’s taken it’s share of bumps.
The biggest con that I can come up with, and they lose a star for this, is that a number of useful features can only be accessed via the remote control. If you’re on a plane you can’t use a remote. And it seems silly to use a remote for a device that is literally right in front of you. Also, some sort of sadist designed it. My eyes are pretty good, but I have a hard time reading tiny white text on top of light grey. Anyone would. What were they thinking?
DO NOT BUY THIS HORRIBLE PRODUCT!!!!!!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Never in my life have I owned a product so terribly horrific and cheaply made. There are an ungodly amount of reasons why not a single solitary person should buy this, but I will only name a few. First of all, it is very low quality and has horrible overheating problems. I used it for just an hour and a half and it started skipping and messing up. I felt the bottom of the unit and it was very hot. Another reason is it has a horrible time reading widescreen DVD’s. I tried every single widescreen DVD that I had and every single time it claimed that there was no disc in the player. The unit is also huge and clunky and nearly impossible to comfortably sit in your lap. Another thing is that, to do half the functions that the player has, you need the remote. This is a really big pain. First of all, you have this gargantuan monstrosity of a DVD player in your lap, then you have to dig out the remote and then spend five minutes trying to find the button on the remote because the remote is so difficult to use. I will NEVER EVER EVER buy another Magnavox product EVER again. I would reccommend getting in RCA player and saving about $40.00, because the RCA player is less expensive and works about 100 times better. So, do not get ripped off by Magnavox by buying this player for $240.00 and getting in return a product that is worth less then a dime. There are only two words to sum up this product, and they are MAGNAVOX SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mostly dead on arrival
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I’ve had the MPD820/17 for a few hours now. Out of 10 commercial widescreen DVD’s I have tested on it, it refuses to play 7. The other 3 play just fine. This makes me think the firmware needs to be updated, but I have not been able to find any way to do this myself. It will play NONE of the DVD+R disks I have burned myself on a DVD recorder. I will be very happy with this machine if Philips customer support can solve the playback problem, but I am not optimistic.
Great Electronic Devise!!!!!!!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I love this thing. Had it for months now and never have problems! Runs great, Looks great, and it’s nice and light and easy to carry around!! A MUST BUY!!!!!!!!!!
I have no sound..wanna trade?
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
Someone else here has no picture…well I have no sound. Sound works out of the headphone jack but not from the built-in speakers. We’ve had it for about 9 months and it’s always been kept in a case and rarely moved from the back seat of the car. It does get VERY hot and you need to be careful not to just shut the movie off and close the top as it’s really NOT OFF. It has no auto-shut off so very early on I discovered it would continue to spin away until you actually turn the physical switch off unlike a notebook computer etc. Also the controls are terrible in layout and design. Even the volume switch is reverse of the intuitive motion. When sitting in front of the unit you would think upwards is louder…not according to Magnavox designers! No up is down and down is up. Outstanding!
Simple to use and what a picture!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is one of the easiest players to use. The screen picture quality is fantastic. About the only thing I think is a little short is the sound out of the speakers but the sound is fine through the headphones. I love it!!
NICE,but.
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I got it and was VERY happy with it except it does not last very long with short battery life spam. You have to constantly chargling it when you are on the go…you get to see may be one movie and you are done. Is there anything else on the market that is as good design and quality as this, but last MUCH longer??
Awesome Gift
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
If I had to name our best gift of 2006, I would have to say the portable DVD player. Our children take it everywhere. Our daughter even sets it up in the bathroom while she takes a bath! It works indoors, outdoors and in the car! This was a great buy!
A good product.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This product is a good one.. I got it for my husband and he really likes it.. The 8″ screen is nice and the dvd player is easy to use. It has a great battery life for viewing movies that happen to be a bit longer then most. The screen quality is good and has a good picture.. Over all it is just what we were looking for.
Nice DVD player for the cost
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The DVD’s are very quite when played which was something I really wanted. I had purchased another player elsewhere and the sound of the dvd turning was so annoying I took it back. Great picture quality and sleek look as well. Well worth the price.
Buy Something Else, seriously
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
It didn’t play and registered NO DISC with a brand new dvd installed. When I got one to work, it was fuzzy.
You have to put the volume at super duper high to even hear it.
it’s pretty heavy, too. am going to return it.
Magnavox DVD Player–UGH!
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
My husband bought me this DVD player for my birthday earlier this month. I fell in love with it. The screen is a great size, picture is crisp and clear, I had these awesome headphones that when plugged into this player made it sound as if I were in a movie theater.
I only give this 3 stars because it just gave out on me 2 weeks after I got it. I thought maybe it was the plug or battery or something but those weren’t the issues at all. It was just that the player stopped working. I was extremely disappointed with this.
With a name brand like this I did expect a hell of a lot more than just two weeks of pure enjoyment. Maybe it was just my luck or something.
I love my dvd player
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I purchased this dvd player almost 2 months ago, and am very happy with my purchace.It has a great picture, good optics, good sound, but depending if there are loud noises, you may need headphones. I used my walkman headphones,and they worked just fine. I have a friend with a no name brand, and you can’t basically hear it without external speakers, so this was a concern for me. The sound is suffient, at least for the size of the speakers. I can sit a good few feet away and hear it just fine. The charge lasts a really long time. Well, I never played it for more then 3 hours, but the charge still remained. Plus I always charge it up before I store it, and when I plugged the battery back on the machine after a month, it was still fully charged. It comes with a remote which is a nice feature as well. I felt it was a good choice for the money, I am happy with my purchase.
Magnavox repair
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
The dvd player worked well for 1 hour. Then the picture failed totally. This is when the pain began. It took over a week to get a customer number to enable me to return the item Promised call backs never happened. Then I returned it and it has been more than 8 weeks. Last story was this model is no longer made and they are trying to decide what to replace it with. Again a promised call back never occured. The item still has not been replaced! I would stay away from magnavox / phillips at all costs.
DO NOT BUY THIS PIECE OF #$@!*&^!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I bought for using overseas (VCD), the picture is very bad, poor, poior quality, if you have a T.V. to plug it into then great! I also bought it for the zoom and slow motion features – AGAIN – buy it if you want to use it as a temporary and have an alternative T.V. screen in which to view. I have had issues with it freezing, but I gues once it warms up, it works. Some DVD’s and VCD’s work in my old DVD player, but do not play on this particular model…I do not recommend this for these reasons.
Extremely durable and reliable player
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
We bought this player almost 5 years ago right before a trip to London with our (then) 4 year old. This thing has been on planes, trains and automobiles with 2 children and has proven to be about the most durable electronic appliance we’ve ever had. I’m sad to see the 1-star reviews from people because our experience has been so different. It has survived being dropped from the seat of the car onto the floor of the car (more than once, I’m afraid) and is routinely operated by our four year old without any trouble. It’s been just great. The sound and picture still work fine for their purposes and it’s still going strong, knock wood. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another. In fact, ours is starting to show some serious wear and it wouldn’t surprise me if it finally gives up the ghost. All in all, though, it’s been a terrific value and I recommend it highly.