Polaroid PDM-0723 7 in. Portable DVD Player

The appeal of the Polaroid camera is the ability to instantly see the pictures that you take. However, with the digital camera craze, the demand for instant print cameras has gone down. Now Polaroid is branching out into other markets to remain profitable. But do they have the same ability to make winning products in other markets? Yes, and this DVD player proves it. For its screen size and price this is one of the best portable DVD players out there.

Out of the Box
Out of the box, this system comes with the player itself, a separately packed chargeable battery, power cord (which also recharges the battery), RCA cable (audio/video), cigarette lighter plug-in, a headphone, remote control (with battery), splitter, instruction manual, and warranty information. The system is about 7"x8"x2" when folded together. Input/output jacks are found on the side, as well as the volume control dial, AC jack, and head phone jacks. The open button is on the front, next to the remote signal reception area. All the function buttons (play, rewind, etc.) are found opposite the screen on the panel. The power button is on the opposite side

Ease of Use
It's as easy to use as switching the power, putting a DVD in, and pressing play. The buttons are straight forward and easy to use. It is also very easy to plug in gaming devices (Gamecube, PS2, etc.). And if you want to export the video and/or audio to an external device, the A/V jacks on the right side act as both input and output jacks.

Screen
The screen is a 7" in corner to corner LCD panel. The screen size is optimized for 16x9 widescreen movies. A 16x9 ratio is not the "true" widescreen ratio seen in the movie theater, but it does minimize the size of the black boxes on the top and the bottom of screens when watching the widescreen version of a film. By going to the main menu of the DVD player, you can adjust the picture to be standard size 4x3, which is helpful if you are exporting the video to an external source whose screen is 4x3. To do this, press the menu button while the player is on, just make sure there is no movie playing. The resolution is 480x234 pixels. The picture quality is excellent for other players in its class. That being said, the picture is slightly grainy. It will be especially noticeable if you're used to HDTV. And, although the screen is still viewable in low light conditions, it is a bit tougher to see, especially if the movie is dark.

Portability
Another great thing about the screen is its ability to swivel. Counter-clockwise it swivels 45* and clockwise it swivels a full 180* degrees. This allows it to be folded over backwards, and it even clicks shut. This makes it really convenient to hang behind a seat while traveling in the car.

DVD Player
The DVD player functions well and has a built in ESP (electronic shock protection) system for driving in the car. It plays region I DVDs, DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW, CDs, CD-R/RW, and JPEG CDs for picture viewing. The player has all the standard controls, chapter skip, fast forward, pause, slow motion, etc. When the screen is shut, the picture turns off and it can function as a personal CD player. Overall it does well, and I've never experienced any skipping around from shock. It also does fairly well with my older, scratched DVDs.

Remote Control
While the remote control is fun, it is somewhat pointless. After all, the screen on portable DVD players is small enough that if you are too far out of arms reach from it, you can't see it. However, it could be useful if the screen is folded over backwards, since this covers up the control buttons. The remote doesn't have any buttons that can't be found on the main unit. Unfortunately, has no volume control button on it. The remote runs off a standard watch battery.

Sound
The system has built in stereo speakers that are pretty weak. But what can you expect from such a small unit. It doesn't even get loud enough to hear while driving. Luckily there is the headphone jack, and the unit comes with a splitter that makes it possible for two people to plug in at the same time. It doesn't come with headphone. One thing I found to be good is to plug the DVD player into the car stereo with a cassette adapter. If you do export the audio through an RCA cable, the DVD player has a built Dolby Digital Decoder. This is a sweet technology that produces a surround sound effect from just two audio inputs.

Battery Life/Power
The rechargeable lithium-ion battery is a bit bulky and sticks out about an inch from the back. While Polaroid claims it lasts 3 hrs, I haven't been able to get more than 2.5 hrs out of it. Fortunately, the system comes with not only a power cord that recharges the battery, but it also comes with a car adapter to plug it into the cigarette lighter. While this does not recharge the battery, it does prevent the battery from being drained while watching movies in the car. Because of this, the limited battery life has never posed a problem for me.

Accessories
All the accessories mentioned above are very convenient (the remote, car adapter, headphone jack). Additionally, Polaroid is committed to providing support for their player, and they have a whole lineup of products to support it. Among these are convenient carrying bags and a 15-in-1 game controller.