Coby DVD-207 Portable DVD Player without Screen

When I first bought this player, I was very enthusiastic. I purchased it from a vendor who sold it as a region free unit. On the surface, this player has a lot of things going for it. It's got a small form factor and weighs next to nothing, making it very portable. It has a built in video converter that allows it to be used with NTSC and PAL television sets. It plays nearly every format of DVD, DVD-R ,VCD and CD. It has a 110/220 universal power supply built into the unit. In a world where manufacturers opt for plug in transformers to cut costs when designing portable electronic devices, this was an unexpected and welcome bonus. I would have gone with a modular power cord, like the type found on laptop power supplies, instead of the captive cord Coby installed, but it's still a cool feature which allows you to use the unit overseas with only a plug adapter. Then there's the price. Most vendors are selling the DVD-207 for between $30 and $40. If you just want a portable player without a screen, it's almost perfect.

Coby would have a hit on their hands if the reliability of this unit wasn't, in a word, abysmal. I'd like to think that my experience was due to one bad unit that slipped through quality control, but since I bought 2 units and had problems with both and one replacement, I don't think we're talking random occurrences here.

The first unit failed within 6 weeks of ownership due to a fault in the power supply. One day it decided not to turn on anymore. Prior to that, it played DVDs and VCDs very well. The unit did run hot, which I thought was explained by the faulty power supply, but the other unit ran hot too, so I guess that's just what the DVD-207 does. The vendor where I purchased the DVD player was very good about replacing it. That is, they were good after I reminded them that they advertised a 1 year warranty and we weren't even at 2 months yet. By the way, Coby's warranty is 90 days on DVD players. Their policy is very strict. They only do replacement, not repairs. If you have an extended warranty you'll have to negotiate replacement with the vendor that sold you the unit. Since these units are not making it past one year without a problem, you'll find some vendors resistant beyond 90 days as well. Since the DVD-207 is so inexpensive, I imagine most people cut their losses and chalk it up to lessons learned. My replacement played well for another 3 months and then the spindle, the black plastic hub where the disc mounts, cracked and broke.

The second unit lasted 5 months before the spindle broke. Having purchased that from a different vendor, my experience in getting a replacement has not been positive. They sent me to Coby and Coby sent me back to the vendor. When on the phone with Coby customer service I asked if they track product defects, because it seems to me that there is a design flaw that would cause a spindle to break during normal use. The laptops I've had use a similar hub mounting mechanism and I've never known one to fail. In this case I had 2 failures in a 5 month period. Coby Customer Support referred me to Coby Technical Support. Tech support denies any problem with the spindle on the DVD-207. They also state that the return rate is very low with this model. Hmm...

I don't think companies should get away with dumping poor quality product on the market. The great price of the DVD-207 is indeed to good to be true. What you get for your money is an unreliable device that seems to be guaranteed to break in short order. Coby gets the ca$h, you get the shaft. Coby now has 2 new players in the same form factor as the 207; the DVD-707 and the DVD-717. Caveat Emptor.

I have a suggestion for everyone that purchased a Coby DVD-207 which has met an untimely death due to poor quality materials, manufacturing defects, or bad design. Since Coby technical support thinks these units are doing so well, spend a little more money to make a statement to Coby USA and businesses like Coby who think that it's OK for products to last 90 days or less. Pack up that broken DVD-207 and send it to the Coby USA address in your product manual. Write a little note letting them know what you think of their product and put it in the box. Tell them that's the first and last time you're taken in by a low price and a Coby label. That's what I plan to do with my units. Maybe then they'll have more realistic data on return and defect rates.