Initial IDM-1731 Portable DVD Player with 7-Inch LCD

I purchased this product only 1 week ago, with some hesitation based upon reviews. However, all reviews of this type of produce were luke-warm at best, no matter what the price of the product. It seemed that approximately 30% of people who purchased any portable DVD had some problem, requiring return/replacement. Also, most factory warranties are similarly anemic. I normally purchase online for the discount, but chose to purchase this product locally (same as online price), so that I could have more personilzed service if necessary. Also, I normally do not purchase the extended warranty through the store, but for this product, I did because of the potential for problems (and the poor manufacturer warranty of 1yr parts / 3 mos labor). The first thing that I noticed is that everything I needed was in the box - including DC adapter, video cables (unlike some more expensive models - and these things are expensive to buy separately). The unit had a good feel to it, and the screen...Read more

I purchased this player prior to a 8-hour car trip with my 10 year-old son. The player worked great! When we got back home, I hooked the player up to the TV in my bedroom and am pleased with the quality of the sound and video. Another bonus that I did not realize when I bought the player is that it also accepts audio and video input. Though the documentation that comes with the player does not describe how to do it, I hooked the player up to my son's Gamecube and it worked fine. So next time we take a long car trip the Gamecube is coming too! Some minor nits:
1) The included documentation is mediocre and could be more complete
2) The power connection to the DVD player needs to be securely seated; on a couple of instances it jostled out which is annoying in the middle of a movie

i did extensive research on portable dvd players. Being a toshiba and panasonic fan, I didn't look much into the Initial brand until I saw the prices of similar players. i compared the picture quality of the Initial with the toshiba sd-p1200 and was quite suprised to see that the Initial hung in there with the Toshiba, and at almost 1/2 the price!! Plus, you get all the necessary cables needed to go on long trips (this is why I wanted a portable dvd player) The sound quality through the speakers is ok, although the toshiba sound isn't any better. When you use headphones, the sound is terrific. Plus, this player has an anti-shock system similar to that found in cd players, so it won't skip in the car or when you child drops it a dozen times. If you want a nice size player (7 inches is plenty big enough for portable) that plays dvd's/cd's, this is by far the best bang for your buck. I only gave it 4 stars because it doesn't come with all the frills of the higher end players,...Read more