Polaroid PDV-0820T 8 in. Portable DVD Player

I purchased two of these, new, off a seller on eBay a month ago. I really liked the idea of placing them on the back of the truck's headrests for the kids to watch. We used to have a portable video cassette player (VCP) that was suspended between the front seats, took up a lot of room had a relatively small 5" screen.

They both worked well when I got them, though one of 'em had a battery that wouldn't charge. They worked well in the truck (the 0820 is just like the 0800 but includes a thin black case that straps easily & quickly to the back of an auto's headrest) and because of their folding design, were so out-of-the way, it was almost as good as the screens installed in the headrests, except these cost much less and are a bit bigger...and they're portable!

But then one of the unit's hinge cracked and, although it still functions, the screen now flops around quite a bit. I got a return authorization number from Petters Consumer Electronics (the parent company of Polaroid?) and hope to receive a working unit within a few weeks. Battery and all.

I've seen a write-up that said the sound from these units is kinda "tinny". I'd disagree. I think the sound is really good from its tiny speakers. It won't fill a big room, but then these are personal DVD players. They sound great in your lap and int the truck.

The flip around screen is too cool, though it means you must flip it around again to change DVDs and you must use the remote control for all the functions (play, pause, stop, skip, etc.) when it's folded in the "tablet" style.

My only real complaint, besides its fragility, is the picture is not as good as I expected. I've tried several movies now and the result is the same. If you want a clear picture, your display is reduced to between a 5" and 6" screen. If you expand the picture to fill the 16:9 aspect ratio 8" screen, it looks pixelated. Similar to making a 5"x7" print from a 600x800 pixel digital picture. Nice color and decent speed (no ghosting that I could see), but it's a bit frustrating to see such a mediocre picture on such a nice player.

To end on a good note, the battery does last more than for one 2-hour movie (hurray!). I think you could even get two 1.5-hour movies in before it conches out. One other really great feature is the in/out switch. I have the two players connected (you just need to buy a couple of patch cables w/earphone sized jacks on them) in the truck with one player switched "out" (player) and the other switched "in" (receiver). This enables my kids to watch the same movie on their own screens. Sweet!! If they ever decide to watch separate movies...no problem. Just switch the "in" to "out" and press "play". Vioala! Separate DVD players again.

Overall, I'd recommend 'em. But buy from someone who offers a warranty or an authorized Polaroid retailer in case you get one with a defunct battery or cracked hinge too.