"Works exactly like it's supposed to" | 2009-10-24 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3H1XUFSXYR807 |
I bought this player in June 2009 primarily to play AVI files while traveling. I ended up also using it to watch sitcoms during my lunch break at work. I researched portable divx DVD players for months and kept coming back to this less expensive model but was hesitant due to the negative reviews and people claiming the SD and USB ports didn't work on theirs. I finally decided to try my luck and bought the extended warranty through Amazon as well. (I feel I must note that the warranty is through a third party company and not Colby. Therefore, they will not replace the player or fix it. If your player dies due to hardware failure, they simply give you back what you paid for it.) To my delight, my player works perfectly. I've had no trouble with the SD slot, USB slot or simply playing DVDs. In fact, this player plays the Netflix DVDs my Toshiba DVD player refuses to play!
PRO
* Matte finish does not show fingerprints, scuffs, or scratches as easily.
* Player has some bulk to it. It does not feel like it will break in your hands.
* Screen is big enough to make what you're viewing worth it, colors are bright and crisp, subtitles are easy to read.
* Comes with cable and audio/video out feature so that the player can be displayed on a TV.
* Comes with remote and remote battery. The remote is a full DVD remote with all standard buttons.
* Rotating screen allows you to decide how you want to have the player situated while watching.
* Comes with headrest case for the car. It's flimsy, but it gets the job done and was a nice inclusion.
* Sound is nice and loud. No static.
* Basic controls are located on the player next to the DVD tray for easy access.
* The player can charge and play while plugged in.
* There is a car charger cable available for car trips.
CON
* As I mentioned before, the player only reads SD cards, not SDHC so your card size is limited to 2GB.
* On the player itself, holding down the chapter skip buttons does not rewind and fastforward like I had hoped. To rewind and fastforward, you need to have the remote.
* If you turn the player off, it will only hold your place while watching DVDs. It won't hold your place in a video file. This one isn't really so much of a con for me, but it may be for other people.
* When you switch into SD Card or USB mode, the player immediately plays the first video file. I solved this problem by putting all my files into folders, but I wish it would simply take you to the file directory.
* When using the A/V out cable, the video continues to play on the player LCD screen. I have been unable to find a way to turn this off and I suspect there isn't a way to do so.
* While charging the side of the player where the jack is does get quite warm. I'm sure it's safe and fine, but it's a little worrying to me.
* It's next to impossible to buy a second battery except for contacting Colby and hoping for the best.
I recommend purchasing a microSDHC and USB adapter for video files since the SD card reader doesn't read SDHC. I ended up buying the Kingston Mobility Kit - 8 GB microSDHC Flash Memory Card with SD and miniSD Adapters + USB 2.0 Reader MBLY/8GB (Black). I also suggest a Case Logic netbook sleeve to carry the player in. I have this one Case Logic PLS-9 Mini Laptop Sleeve, 7-10" (Blue). The player and the power cord fit in the main compartment. The front compartment easily holds the remote, an SD card wallet, and the A/V to TV cable. It also has a small slot in it for a USB drive, which is where I keep my microSDHC USB adapter.
Overall I'm very pleased with this player. It turned out to be everything I hoped it would be. I've experienced none of the problems the other reviewers have experienced and I use mine almost daily. |
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"LCD screen died after 6 months" | 2009-09-29 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3N3B5QN8RD9CX |
I have bought it about 1.5years ago. I needed portable player for my son for long car trips. I wanted player with DivX ability, so I could play shows right from USB and/or SD media. And it does the job. Actually did, because the LCD screen died after 6 months of occasional usage. Customer Service was useless since the warranty was for 90days only. They offered me a replacement for $40+S&H. No, thanks. They didn't even bother to ask what was wrong with my player. COBY? no more, ever. I still can watch DivX movies right from the stick or SD, when it is connected to external screen, but who cares now since mobility is lost?
Other issues:
SD slot is just SD up to 2GB. Bigger SDHC cards are seen as 2GB. It won't play well all DivX encoded materials. For newest DivX revisions, transcoding is needed using PC and 3rd party tools. Too much work for me. DVD drive is surprisingly still alive. I have never found the code to make it region free.
The player is small, cheap plastic is everywhere, like a toy.
Also you'll find in the box: small overhead headphones, fabric case for car headrest strap, 115VAC charger, car charger and remote, which is more than average player.
Another star for over the average number of features: SD, USB, DivX, MP3, JPG that worked initially. It had potential, or should I say nice "features" - cheap implementation. It found its place in the garbage eventually, replaced by something more serious.
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"A wonderful little player!" | 2009-09-29 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2X7MUNFNVVYWG |
I purchased this DVD player from Amazon back in mid-August. The DVD player portion performs every bit as well as the Insignia player it replaced; DVD, MPEG video, and MP3 discs played beautifully. I would have given this a five-star rating had it not been for issues concerning JPEG image playback and other things. Given this a Coby product, I'm hoping I can get at least two years of use out of this unit before the DVD drive craps out, then it can be used to play only USB drives and memory cards after that.
Some of my observations.....
SD CARD PLAYBACK: I've discovered that this player can play the MicroSD cards (yes, the itty-bitty ones) using an SD adapter. I purchased three 4-gig Micro SD cards at Target (Dane-Elec, $10 each). Using the supplied SD adapters in the card slot, two of them read fine (yes, I did remember to put video and audio files on them), but one did not (the LCD screen message read "No Playable File"). However, I took the one that didn't read and stuck it in a USB card reader and the Coby player was able to access it. I'm thinking it may have been an issue with the SD adapter card in that case (the tiny USB adapters that came with the MicroSD cards are utterly worthless).
EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE PLAYBACK: I do not currently own one of the newer USB-powered external drives, so I cannot comment on that. However, this Coby player was able to read and play files from my five-year-old Western Digital 80-gig hard drive (the WD drive is powered by an AC adapter).
JPEG PHOTO PLAYBACK: For whatever reason, when viewing on a standard 4:3 TV, the photos are compressed (or squashed). I was unable to correct this by playing with the various settings in the setup menu. I have the same issue with my 32-inch HDTV (16:9), but I'm at least able to see the pics correctly by using the widescreen mode on that receiver. The same goes for the LCD screen on the Coby player as well.
A/V CABLE: Rather flimsy and cheap. The video portion shorted out after a few weeks. I had a spare video cable of better quality and an adapter to use with the player, so it was not a major problem.
PLASTIC FILM OVER LCD SCREEN: A number of reviewers have noted that the plastic film covering the LCD screen was difficult to pull off. Mine came off with very little effort.
BATTERY LIFE: At best I was able to get about 2.5 hours on a full charge playing DVDs.
Other than the issue with JPEG picture playback, I'm very satisfied with thie Coby TF-DVD7377 player. As I said before, I'm hoping this will last for at least two years, which is the average life span for a bargain-brand portable DVD player. I would definitely reccomend this for anyone that desires a little more from a DVD portable. |
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"Our 2 year old loved it" | 2009-09-29 |
| - Reviewed By ppanchal |
Great product worked like a charm. We used DVDs and downloaded content on USB memory sticks. It worked just fine on the airplane. It comes with all necessary cables (a/c power,car charger, video/audio cables). We even used it in our hotel room, connecting it to our television to keep our little one occupied.
I only have 2 complaints so far
1)The SD slot is only SD compatible (2gb max). I ended up purchasing a few SDHC cards to only find that they were incompatible. However microSDHC cards in a SD adapter work.
2) Every now and then the player freezes up. Powering it on and off seem to reset it. It happened enough to be noteworthy, but not enough to be annoying. I'd say 4 times in 8 days.
I'd recommend this for anyone who wants a decent portable that plays divx media on USB memory sticks and SD cards, along with DVD. |
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"Great multi-function player" | 2009-09-15 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2IITHZ2MAEUN8 |
| It took a lot of searching to find a player that would play from a memory card and didn't cost an arm and a leg. This player lives up to my expectations. It is currently doing slideshow duty attached to the back of a TV in the corporate lobby. |
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"Relible and Easy to use" | 2009-09-15 |
| - Reviewed By User: A24TMYPTLU5LT5 |
| I liked the item, and I gave as a gift to a friend. He likes it so much too in comparison to the Philips, this one is reliable and cheaper with USB capability. |
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