Audiovox DV1680 6.8 in. Portable DVD Player

I spent a lot of time doing research trying to find just the right portable DVD player to waste my money on. This is the one I picked. It's hard to compare them because they each have so many pros and cons between them. Most of them are little things - remote doesn't work unless the DVD is running on AC, unit gets too hot to handle, battery not included, etc... but here's the list of things that I like and the list of things that I can live with that made me pick this particular DVD player.
First off, the things I like. The screen size. Wow... it's 7 inches, a BIG seven inches. At first I thought, okay, the smaller screens will just have to be held closer to get the same effect - BUT, a lot of the DVD players I looked at, especially the RCA model at Target, have... well, this is hard to explain. The pixels are large... you can see every pixel. It's almost like a mosaic effect. I found this wasn't the case with the Audiovox - the picture is perfect anywhere from 16 inches to 2.5 feet.
Next, it comes with all the cables you need and a lot you don't need. If you have a newer tv, you can plug this unit right into the RCA jacks and voila, you have a regular dvd player... it even comes with a remote that works anywhere in your living room. This was a bonus feature I hadn't even thought of while shopping around. It comes with a cigarette adapter for the car, the AC adapter, something called an optical cable, S cables... everything. There was a problem if you have an older TV that I'll mention in the things I can live with.
Have I mentioned that I don't believe anyone really NEEDS a portable DVD player, so just about any amount of money you spend on one is too much. If you're like me, you start thinking - If I'm going to spend $500, why not spend $650 and get a better one, or maybe $800 and get an even better one - and for that price, I might was well get a laptop computer with a DVD player for $999. Just for the record, I don't need a portable DVD player OR a laptop computer. I paid $450 for this DVD player at Target, and since I didn't already own a regular DVD player, I was basically getting a portable AND a DVD player for my tv all in one shot. Perfect!
Lastly, there are lots of neat little features. Like I already mentioned, it hooks up to a regular tv, but theres also a little switch where you can run video IN to this player. I hooked up my cable to it from the TV, but you have to change the channel on the TV to change the channel on the player. Not exactly useful, is it? But I have heard that you can hook up video game systems. Now THAT sounds cool. All I have is an N64, but I suppose if I was doing that whole traveling thing - I might enjoy playing a few games in a hotel room.
Now for the things that aren't so great, but that are tolerable.
First off, it's HEAVY. Imagine how heavy you think it might look from the picture and multiply that times 5. Just picture that maybe it's filled with lead pellets. I've read that it's 9 lbs with the battery and I believe it. That's like carrying around a 10lb bag of sugar in your backpack. It's not a back-breaker, but it's something to consider if you're already carrying a lot of stuff. Personally, I like the fact that it's heavy. It's got a great rubber mat on the bottom, and all that extra weight stops it from sliding around.
Next is the one thing that I actually didn't like about this player. I had mostly bought it for use at the gym. Well, when you're using the battery pack, it snaps to the very back of the player, which stops the screen from folding all the way back. (It folds all the way back when you're using the AC adapter) A player that folds flat will fit perfectly on just about any piece of cardio equipment, but imagine trying to balance an L-shaped one. Trust me, it's not easy to do. Now I just sneak the long adapter with me and plug it into a wall, which makes me nervous that someone is going to trip over the cord and yank it to the floor - I imagine that 9lb brick to the head could kill a person. So basically, this DVD player will work fine anywhere EXCEPT in the gym, but don't use that fact as an excuse, ya walrus.
Okay, here's something else that really killed me. I'll admit it - I have an OLD tv. There are no RCA jacks. So when I realized I could hook it up to the tv, I was a little disappointed... but wait! I have RCA jacks on my VCR! Thirty seconds later it was hooked up! But what the heck? I can see the picture, but the brightness keeps going up and down... How annoying. Well, apparently some DVDs use a copy protection method that recognizes when the DVD player is hooked up to a VCR, you know... so that you can't tape DVDs that you rent? Well... I thought about it and remembered the RF modulators that Radio Shack was advertising during Christmas and picked one up for $25. Now everything works great - but $25?!!? Geez...
Overall, I'd say I am thrilled with this player. For me, anyway, picture quality is the most important thing. Sure, the player is big and heavy, but it's sturdy and feels like it could take an occasional drop. (I won't be testing that theory for this review.) Go out! Buy it! You deserve it!