Sony DVP-FX930 9 in. Portable DVD Player

Working graveyards when you are the only person in the building is a pretty lonely existence.  Fortunately, I have a subscription to Netflix and have managed to keep my queue filled with DVDs.  I was using my notebook computer as a DVD player, but recently worried more about the wear and tear on the computer.  Rather than keep using the computer, I decided that I needed a portable DVD player that I could exclusively use for that function.

After doing research, I chose the Sony DVP-FX930 Portable DVD Player.  Sony seems to currently be pretty much one of the top makers of electronics devices and computers.  My 4 year old notebook computer is also a Sony, as is my 5 disc DVD player in the home.  Overall, my experience with Sony products has been extremely positive.

The Sony DVP-FX930 Portable DVD Player has a 9 inch diagonal screen that swivels 180 degrees as well as flipping up, which makes it easy to watch DVDs in just about any position.  The screen is a high resolution 800x480 display that works well in any format, be it widescreen or DVDs from old television shows recorded for the old square television screens.  I have no complaints about the picture or the quality.  The screen is smaller than I am used to, but the quality is excellent and larger than many other portable DVD players on the market.

One issue I had, particularly with the Netflix DVDs, was that my computer was more sensitive to imperfections or damage on the DVDs.  I would get very frustrated and when I put the same DVDs in the DVD player at home, they would play fine.  So far, I haven’t come across any DVDs that wouldn’t play in the Sony DVP-FX930 Portable DVD Player.  This is largely due to the fact that it works with 12-bit/108MHz video digital to analog conversion.  It will also play CDs as well as photo CDs.  It makes it handy to bring along and show people slideshows of our pictures from our recent vacation.

The sound is also pretty good.  Whether I used the headphones or listened through the speakers, the sound is clear and not muddy.  I can’t say it’s as good as the sound in my television at home, but I do think it beats the sound when I listened on my computer.

The player is simple to operate.  The player loads one disc at a time from the top of the base when the screen is open.  There’s a power switch on the side that has to be engaged, so once it’s switched off it’s pretty hard to accidentally turn it on again and inadvertently drain the battery.  There are touch keys on the frame surrounding the screen, or I can operate it using the remote included with it.  More often than not I’ve used the remote.  I think this will be something easy to lose, so having the option of the touch keys on the frame is a good thing.  These keys are great as just moving my finger along the volume setting adjusts the volume, rather than having to find a specific button to press.

The battery life on the Sony DVP-FX930 Portable DVD Player is excellent.  When not plugged in, it will operate for about six hours.  This means if you are flying somewhere, you can keep it plugged in and charged until you are ready to take off and then be pretty confident you can watch your DVDs while in-flight.  There is a car adapter included as well as a power cable, so using it on long trips isn’t an issue.

There are two headphone jacks on the DVD player, so two people can watch it at the same time without disturbing those around them.  There are also jacks so the player can be hooked up to any television with the audio/video jacks, meaning you have a DVD player anywhere you go.

Since I sometimes end up seeing half a movie and then have to finish the other half the next night, I really like that it will resume from right where it left off, rather than me having to scroll through chapters to remember where I was.

The size is terrific as it’s pretty compact and lightweight.  It’s just about 9 inches across by 6 1/2 inches front to back and 2 inches high.  It weighs about two pounds with the battery in place.  The battery pack does get a little warm, so some people might be uncomfortable holding it in their lap for long periods of time.

Sony designed this in five different colors: black, red, blue, pink, and white.  The case looks like it would be a magnet for fingerprints, but I haven’t had any issues yet.  It’s so lightweight that it almost feels flimsy at times.  The screen wipes clean with a dry or slightly damp cloth to remove dust particles.

I’m really pleased with my Sony DVP-FX930 Portable DVD Player.  It’s far and away better than using my computer for a variety of reasons.  The price might intimidate some, but you get what you pay for and Sony electronic products have been top notch as of late.


© 2009 Patti Aliventi