RCA DRC600N 7 in. Portable DVD Player

I wasn't really looking to buy a portable DVD player, but Target was clearing out these RCA DRC600N units around January for $260 and I couldn't pass it up. Little did I know that this DVD player would be a godsend. More on that later...

The RCA DRC600N is a wonderful DVD player. It can play the following formats: DVD, CD, CD-R/RW, VCD, DVD RW, MP3. The 7" diagonal LCD Display is crystal clear, I did not expect this much clarity but it is viewable even from a distance, Wow!

It has separate jacks for a single headphone (an adapter from Radio Shack can split it for 2 headphones), audio output and video output. The volume controls either the speakers or the headphones, if they are connected. The audio output can be connected to RCA inputs and an optical digital input with the proper cable or adapter, i.e. you can use a regular optical cable and purchase an inexpensive adapter to connect it to the DVD player.

Now, the video output can hook up to either an RCA video input or an S-video input. I did not try it with a component video input since it is not a progressive scan player.

The credit card-sized remote control is quite nifty, I like its compact and thin size. Although, it can be quite difficult to control in dimly lighted areas.

The battery lasts more than I really need to use it for, but I've never tried to use it to its fullest capability. RCA says it should last 3 hours.

Now, I have to explain as to why this portable DVD was a godsend... Before I had this wonder gadget, my wife and I avoided eating out due to having toddlers. We found that it was quite an ordeal for us to eat out since the kids get bored so easily and would not sit through an entire restaurant meal. We were relegated to taking out food most of the time.

After purchasing this player, a lightbulb went off. Why not try to eat out while the kids watch their favorite shows?! It worked like a charm! As the kids enjoy their Baby Einstein and Baby Bumblebee DVDs (you didn't think that we just let them watch anything now, did you?), we were able to have meals in peace and also not bother the other restaurant patrons.

We've also found out that we don't have to spend $1500 (approximately) for an in-vehicle entertainment system since we can just secure this portable DVD player using a Suspension Theater (see http://www.suspensiontheater.com) to mount it. We try not to have them watch very often in the vehicle, only when they get bored because of the length of the trip. I wish it had a car power adapter, but I was able to alleviate this with a small power inverter (which I really haven't used, but is nice to have should the situation require it).

Another tremendous use for this portable DVD player is that I am able to watch DVDs in any bedroom with a TV. The player easily connects to the TV provided that the TV has RCA inputs for audio or video.

And finally, this player comes handy in hotel rooms. No need to rent movies while staying in the hotel. And when everyone's gone to bed and you're still hankering to watch something, you can just pop this player on your lap, clip on the headphones and you're in business!

I guess any portable DVDs can be applied to the above uses but without this RCA DRC600N, I would never have thought of its possible applications.

Oh, and did I mention that I paid $260 for this thing?! :)