RCA DRC600N Portable DVD Player with 7" LCD Display
Pretty decent little machine for the price. . .
I have to admit I'm a bit surprised by the quality of this little unit.  While the overall build quality might not be as sturdy as the Panasonic units, and the picture may not be perfect, the RCA DRC600N is a pretty good machine.  <br />On the downside, the main gripe I have is that the remote is essential for full functionality of the unit (why they could not have FF/REW and On Screen Display buttons on the machine is beyond me).  Also, in widescreen/enhanced mode, when there is a panning shot, the picture tends to shimmer quite a bit (see the opening shot of Rear Window as an example).  And the quality control on this product may be a bit shaky (I had to return the first one I bought which would not load any discs).<br />However, the unit does have quite a few positive features.  The most important thing, naturally, is picture and sound.  The picture is very good on the RCA, although some artifacting is noticeable in darker scenes when the screen is viewed at a very close distance.  The sound over headphones is also quite good.  There is a nice dimensionality in its reproduction of 5.1 soundtracks.  Can't say the same for the sound produced from the tiny speakers, but I also can't imagine using them very often.  The unit has played the few VCD titles that I have and seems to do a good job with discs that are scuffed up a bit (the RCA is the only machine of the three I own that would play one disc that had quite a few scratches).  It's very nice to have the widescreen LCD to take advantage of DVDs that are anamorphic (enhanced).  Check out the first scene in in which Frodo appears in \\"Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings\\"; it has an incredible 3-D quality to it with rich, vibrant colors.  Battery life seems OK at 3 1/2 hours or so.  Thankfully, the DRC600N does not suffer from overheating, a problem which plagued the predecessor, the 5400.  Having a digital output and S-Video output makes this unit worthy of home use as well.  And the RCA also has an input mode and can be used as a monitor for videos taken on a trip.<br />If you don't want to spend $ on a Panasonic or Toshiba with similar features, and after all, this is not a high use item for most people, then the RCA is certainly worth a look.  However, I would recommend purchasing an extended warranty on this unit (or any portable DVD for that matter).  Considering how many things can go wrong when components are miniaturized, and the high cost of repairs these days, adding a Repair Master wty would seem to be a wise investment.  For anyone interested in a carrying case for the player, the DRC600N and all its accessories fit nicely into the Case Logic PDVK1.