Insignia 10,2 16:9 Widescreen TFT Portable DVD Player with Swivel Screen
Much better than I expected
I received the Insignia IS-PDVD10 to replace my 8.4\\" Kawasaki unit, which lasted me about 5 months. I wasn't expecting a whole lot from the Insignia brand, but I have been pleasantly surprised by it thus far.     I found the build quality to be much better than I had expected and far better than my prior Kawasaki player. The satin black finish gives the player a more refined look. And while it may not be a feature worthy of the specs sheet, I was very happy with the player's use of magnets to hold the player shut, it makes the unit much more solid and adds to its build quality and class.     Pros:   From a functionality stand point there are many good things to report about this player. One is that the wide 10.2\\" screen is among the largest you can get in a portable DVD player. Also the way the battery has been integrated into the form of the player allows you to leave the battery attached to the player at all times without it being in the way. The battery charging system for the battery is also integrated into the player so any time you have the AC adapter connected to the unit, it will automatically recharge. The included remote is very well featured despite a lack of volume control. The player is also able to play back a very wide range of media formats, including MP3 / WMA / VCD / SVCD / MPG and of course DVD. The unit is easy to use and the controls are intuitive with most all necessary controls readily available on the unit. But to me the most important feature is the swivel screen, which allows for better viewing when in a tight area such as the tray table in an airplane.     Cons:   There are a few nagging details that do detract from the unit. One is that the built in speakers and amplifier are of fairly poor quality. The volume is controlled by a rotary dial on the side of the unit; this is why it isn't possible to adjust the volume from the remote. Some people will be upset that it does not include headphones, though if Insignia had included headphones they would have no doubt been of inferior quality and I wouldn't bother using them. The image quality is a little less than I would prefer, however this player is not intended to be used as an everyday player and a concession should be made for that fact. Upon initial spin up of a disc the player sounds like a line trimmer, though this sound goes away once it begins playback and is never heard again. The buttons on the unit itself can be fairly unresponsive and I sometimes have to press them twice before it will respond. All of these are very minor concerns and don't weigh heavily in my opinion of the player.     There are a few other concerns that I believe are more pressing. One is that when the screen is swiveled around, the only button controls that are usable are Play, Pause, Stop, Next, and Prev. I would very much like to see the direction pad and enter buttons available when the screen is turned around. Another concern is the lack of a battery level indicator. Though the largest problem I have found is that I routinely experience a screen flutter that normally will occur after I change the screens aspect ratio or makes some other change that involves how the player outputs to its screen. The flutter usually only lasts a few seconds, though it could worsen with time.     Overall:   Overall, I am quite pleased with this player. Its build quality is much higher than what I expected and the swivel screen makes it very user friendly in areas where such a large screen would typically be a liability. Aside from a few nagging details it is a fine player that I would recommend to anyone looking at getting a player of this screen size.      In addition:  I wanted to add in responce to the first review, that I have never experienced any compatibility concerns with recordable media. The player has seemlessly played back all DVD-R, DVD+R, and Dual Layer DVD+Rs that I have attempted to play in it.