Memorex MVDP1102 10.2 in. Portable DVD Player

Portable DVD prices are lower than ever. As of this time(Christmas 2010) prices are as approximately $80 for an 8-inch, $100 for a 9-inch. The Memorex MVDP1102 stands out with $100 for 10.2 inch screen. So, I decide to get the Memorex. Here's my report:
 
- Image:
The image is not as sharp as the other competitors but it's acceptable(Image resolution is 800x480, which is pretty good, but on 10 in it should be 800x600) given the cheap price. Its aspect ratio is 16:9 or 4:3 (format 16:9 is used by most movies or HD TV, format 4:3 is used by old TV or old movies). A good feature on this player is that it has a switch that allows you to toggle between 2 formats. The default setting on the color brightness is not good, resulting in an image too bright and therefore washes out the color, making it too white. However, after changing the brightness to -3 I got the correct color. The image color is not as vibrant as I want, but having looking at other players(for example Toshiba SD-1900) I think, it’s score a B.
Loading time on this player is quite good, the movie is played within reasonable time..

- Anti-shock feature: one potential problem with all portable devices is skipping. If anti-shock feature is bad skipping problem occurs at a slightest shake, the device would stop playing and start from the beginning, a very annoying problem. Most players have anti-shock feature but its effectiveness differs greatly. I found the anti-shock feature on this unit average to good. I tested it by different degrees of shaking and found that it only stops playing when the shaking is pretty strong.

- Body: bulky, quit heavy for a portable DVD. The body is not a slim as I like. The battery pack attaches to the back of the body, making it bulky. Although the case is all plastic, the body look pretty sleek, not cheapy at all.

- Sound:
Surprisingly good for a portable DVD player. The onboard sound is very loud at max volume, which is better than most other competitors. To do justice to the sound you have to connect it to a stereo system. Sound listened from the headphone is also very good, but you need to use decent headphone. I compared a $20 Sony and a $6 Coby headphones(both made in China) and notice a big difference in volume in addition to bass and treble.

- Battery:
Battery lasts only a little over 2 hours, and this with a brand new battery. I know for sure when it's old it won't hold as much charge, or sometimes not even half the charge. So, when this unit is old battery time will be a problem. You won’t be able to finish the whole movie. I searched on ebay for a third-party battery but none is available, so when this battery die you have to use the regular electric power. So, for this unit I rate battery rather below average. The unit comes with an adapter and a car adapter.

- Input/output:
1. Lack of card reader: this is a big minus point of this Memorex DVD. Card reader allows you to display pictures captured from digital camera. In a trip you can show your pictures to friends using this DVD player. If you plan to double your DVD player as a picture display definitely avoid this player.
Note that although it doesn't have the card reader it can still read JPEG pictures if you put them to a CD or DVD.

2. Video/audio input: I personally find this feature helpful. I frequently copy my video clips from a camcorder to a DVD recorder. The Memorex video input allows me to monitor what I'm recording. In the past I have to make my recordings near my big screen TV so that I could monitor the recordings.
If you have a blue-ray disk and want to play on this player, then you need this video input.

3. Video/audio Output: this is a common feature on all DVD player. You can connect this player to a big screen TV. This way you don't have to buy a regular DVD player, you can use this portable DVD instead.

4. S-video output: this unit comes with S-video output, which carries high quality video signal. You can connect it to a big screen TV

5. Headphones: very common on portable DVD, this unit come with 2 headphone outputs, allowing you to share the same movie with your spouse(or boyfriend/girlfriend for that matters)

- Playing format: not much to say, it plays all the standard video formats on the market. It can also play regular audio CD and mp3 files

- Playing region limitation: this unit can only play Region 1 but it probably doesn't bother you. Region 1 is USA, so any movie bought outside of USA won't be able to play on this unit(this is a gimmick of the movies industry, forcing you to buy movies in the region you are living)

- Conclusion:
Overall this DVD player performance and features are just average. However, with its low price (at screen size 10 inches) I do recommend it. For those who prefer better quality/feature or those who intend to double its use as a picture display you should avoid this one.