Coby DVD-207 Compact DVD Player
Should have trusted prior reviews
I bought this item because I had a special space requirement that benefited from this unusual top load design.  The unit would not select tracks, skipped over the menu screen, and made the aforementioned grinding noises.  I took the same DVD-R and it played flawlessly on my one year old Sony DVD player.  This is my first Amazon return despite many purchases.  Not worth your time even for the $19.99 I paid with free shipping and I guess the manufacturer agrees.  The in-warranty repair requires pre-paid shipping and $6 to cover return shipping so by the time you pay to ship the item, a warranty repair costs more than half the item cost.