Portable DVD players on sale - Are they good?

Those portable DVD players at BB and FS, are they worth it?

They are only $90 I believe, which is dirt cheap, but am I going to run into problem after problem? Will they play burnt DVD's? Will they properly output audio and video?

I searched Google but didn't seem to find anything negative about either.

Anyone with any thoughts?

Also, I'm going to be buying one of the internel DVD burners, which would be the better buy, the BenQ at FS or the Pioneer at BB? Or should I wait and pay a bit more for a better one? It has to be FS or BB though, because I have all kinds of GC's for both stores.

I am also looking for details on the portable DVD players, as my sister is thinking about getting one for her husband.

Bump for an answer

Im gonna wait for the divx capable players to drop in price

Don't know much about portable DVD players, but DVD burners are my forte.

If I were you I would avoid both DVD burners. The BenQ DQ60 is really a rubbish drive; it's not a real BenQ anyway. I believe it's a TEAC designed drive build by BenQ.

The Pioneer is a so-so drive, certainly not worth the hassle with all the rebates.

Wait a couple weeks for the BenQ DW1650/55 OEM. They should be about $50, and $70 respectively.

I wouldn't buy another one. I got two rather expensive ones, a 7" Samsung and an 8.5" Daytek, and both burned out within 4 months of sporadic play - maybe 30 DVDs. I heard very bad things about the cheap units, so I spent a bit more - still no luck.

It was never the motor or any mechanism that went, but a cracked link between the unit and the display - something that used to happen a lot with early laptops. The movies still play and I can hear audio, but the screen is garbled and works sometimes if I jiggle the screen. They're both going in for warranty work in 2006, but I will never buy another one.

These things are built dirt-cheap, and I would hate to think how long a $90 no-name unit would last.

I got this cheap one for $129 several months ago, and it's been rock solid. We've used it mostly while in the car, but it gets used at home sometimes too.

I wouldn't necessarily shy away from the cheap ones. Take a look at the customer reviews of each one on Futureshop.ca and it will give you a better idea of how good that particular one is.

i'd rather wait for the divx capable portables

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Originally Posted by Rehan

I got this cheap one for $129 several months ago, and it's been rock solid. We've used it mostly while in the car, but it gets used at home sometimes too.

I wouldn't necessarily shy away from the cheap ones. Take a look at the customer reviews of each one on Futureshop.ca and it will give you a better idea of how good that particular one is.

um... Rehan,... i'm sure u know this already but FS "filters" the -ve reviews.... :P (some if not "all" )

better if u googled the reviews online instead.

Well I'm going to buy the Insignia portable DVD player from FS for $90. That price just can't be beat and I have no interest in waiting any longer. I've been waiting a long time as it is.

As for the DVD burner, I found a much better one for the same price - $50.

It's the Pioneer DVR - 110

I read some reviews on it from reputable companies and they aa gave it a huge thumbs up. Can't beat $50 for a good Pioneer DVD burner.

Originally Posted by mahjongmaniac

um... Rehan,... i'm sure u know this already but FS "filters" the -ve reviews.... :P (some if not "all" )

Bigtime. I've posted a ton of FS reviews, and only the overly positive ones ever appear. Even the "good unit, but..." ones get deleted, and no way a negative one ever appears.

I've also noticed FS has gone back and basically deleted all of the old reviews too.

Originally Posted by Shaner

Well I'm going to buy the Insignia portable DVD player from FS for $90. That price just can't be beat and I have no interest in waiting any longer. I've been waiting a long time as it is.

As for the DVD burner, I found a much better one for the same price - $50.

It's the Pioneer DVR - 110

I read some reviews on it from reputable companies and they aa gave it a huge thumbs up. Can't beat $50 for a good Pioneer DVD burner.

I'd stay away from the Insignia house brands from FS/BB. I bought one about 6 months ago and ended up returning it after a week. These things are made very cheaply and will not last. Mine had the problem of totally blacking out for 5-30 seconds at a time. I ended up buying the Advueu player from Tigerdirect as well.

if you are a gold airmiles member....and have 1800 airmiles, you can get the 8.4" Koss portable dvd player for free...

regular airmiles needed for this item is 2300....but gold member special....which you only need 1800

warranty of 1 year for parts/labour...

comes with alot of accessories and a carry bag...