Emerson Radio Corporation SB329 DVD Player

While browsing around Toys R Us with my two kids back in March of 2005 I decided to purchase this SpongeBob SquarePants DVD player with Remote Control for the bedroom television. The cost at the time was very reasonable at $69.99. This is known as SB329.

One month later two combo televisions, a portable dvd player, video camera, two digital cameras and printer combo were stolen during a burglary when no one was home one weekday morning.

The SpongeBob SquarePants DVD Player with Remote Control was left in the same spot on a shelf above the portable DVD player. Maybe the thieves thought it was some sort of gaming system, or were simply unaware of the popularity of SpongeBob SquarePants.

This is a yellow DVD player with the face of SpongeBob on the top of the player. The Remote Control is also yellow in a slim and sleek design with the face of SpongeBob at the bottom portion. There are 47 buttons on this remote, making it the most complex remote control I have ever endured.

The actual owner's manual consists of thirty three pages, all in one language too! At first it was a bit overwhelming to contemplate perusing, but the basic features are quite easy to figure out and get hooked up to the television. It is lightweight enough for my child to carry into the room indicating he wants to watch a DVD.

The hardest part might be trying to figure out which button on your television set to press for switching over to video. This did require locating the owner's manual for each television since they were different makes and models. Now we have a DVD/Video combo in the living room so the SpongeBob SquarePants DVD Player with Remote Control gets stored in the computer room for use in the bedroom.

There are five green buttons to the right side of the lid with one located on the left side. These buttons have arrows indicating what their purpose is.The audio and video hook ups are located at the back of the DVD Player. Even the plug in chord is ample, but depending on your plug outlet location you may be limited in where the DVD Player can sit for viewing purposes.

To open and close the lid in order to place and remove a DVD you press down on the lower right corner where it is indicated open/close. The Remote Control will need two "AA" batteries. This is an Emerson product made in China.

The buttons on the lid are for standby, skip reverse, skip forward, stop, pause and play. The remote sensor for utilizing the Remote Control is below the buttons with the infra-red indicator clearly visible for the Remote Control.

The steps to start using the SpongeBob SquarePants DVD Player with Remote Control are to change the television to Video, plug in the video and audio colored plugs into the back of the unit and into the television at the front. Plug in the unit to an outlet, press open the lid to insert the DVD and then close it shut. The standby button on the left of the lid is to turn the system on. The last step is to press the play button located at the far right of the lid to begin the DVD.

The SpongeBob SquarePants DVD Player with Remote Control measures about 8" x 8". It is still in great condition and easy to wipe the lid clean. The plugs are white for the left video output and red for the right video output. The yellow plug is for the video output. There is also a coaxial digital out jack terminal at the back panel of the unit.

Our television set in the living room does have all three output jacks and one for earplugs. The bedroom television unit has two output jacks that work fine with the SpongeBob SquarePants DVD Player with Remote Control. This comes with a ninety-day labor warranty and one year for parts. The Service center number is 1-800-695-0098 or to get help in setting up the unit or to operate it contact 1-800-898-9020.

DVD videos, compact disc digital audio and audio CDs can all be utilized with the SpongeBob SquarePants DVD Player with Remote Control. They are designed with region numbers. Our unit is region one and is printed on the rear of the unit. Depending on the region number the unit may also support MP3, CD-R,CDR-W and Kodak Photo CD.

For moving the volume higher or lower I simply use the television remote control, but there is an audio mode button on the remote control that might do this but has not been explored yet. Page 14 of the Owner's Manual shows how to connect the AC Power Cord and optional component connections. The visual guide is very helpful when first setting up the SpongeBob SquarePants DVD Player with Remote Control.

I find it easier to use than a portable DVD player. Some of the buttons available on the Remote Control include angle, subtitle menu, bookmark, mute, random play and much more. There is a set up button to keep the settings the same each time the SpongeBob SquarePants DVD Player with Remote Control is used. On the television screen you have the option of screen saver, password, rating, language, default and exit.

The rating system has kid safe, G, PG, PG13, PG-R, R, NC-17 and adult. The languages available are English, German, Spanish and French and Japan. These are for either subtitle or audio options.

There is a lot that can be done and explored with the unit, and basically we use it for my nonverbal autistic son who has a few DVDs he likes to watch, which is usually the Free Willy series. This is a handy unit that can be hooked up to any television, but is not the portable kind that can be used while traveling. This does need a television unit to hook up to. I find it easy to store and set up when the need arises.

This is a great product for the SpongeBob fan that will require adult assistance to get it set up and working. I even saw one time at the store a matching small yellow television set for this unit. Remember that the remote control needs to be pointed to the unit and not the television.