Review: Polaroid PDV-1002A Portable DVD

Introduction

The first question you're probably asking is: Do I really need one of these things? After all, you already probably have two or more DVD players at home. And if you want to catch a movie on the move, the laptop should fit the bill, right? Perhaps. But I quickly realized after I had a mobile DVD player, it really comes in handy- and has a number of advantages over other DVD players. For one thing, if you have kids and are going on a long trip - the mobile DVD player can be a life saver. I've tried using a laptop for that purpose, but it doesn't really work- it slides all over the car, its hard to get the screen at a good angle for the backseat, it makes a lot of noise, and the batteries dry up in about two hours. Overall, it's just not very convenient. But here's the best part - its not just for the kids. It works well when you're stuck in the car waiting for somebody. Or for the outdoor-types, it's great for camping. You can also plug it into a regular-sized tv, so it would work well when you're stuck in a hotel room. Ok, so it's a nice thing to have. So let's talk about the product itself.

Overview

The Polaroid PDV-1002A is a 10" portable DVD player. It plays a variety of different types of discs, and can be powered via battery, car cigarette lighter, or standard power outlet. It's very light and compact, and handles shock and vibration very well. It has built-in stereo speakers, or two earphone jacks. It has all the normal DVD functions, although some can only be accessed via the remote control.

Features

• 10.2" LCD widescreen (16:9)
• rotating screen (180 degrees)
• supports DVD, CD, MP3, VCD, SVCD, JPEG
• built in stereo speakers
• dual headphone jacks
• built-in Dolby Digital decoder
• remote control
• detachable rechargeable battery
• car power adapter
• standard AC100-240V power adapter
• travel case
• option for a/v "out"

Getting Started

Firing it up

The first thing I noticed is how light this little baby is (1.5 kg with battery, to be exact). Very compact as well-267mm x 175mm x 45mm (again, with battery). As far as DVD players go, pretty sexy I'd say. So I'm anxious to pop in my first DVD and see how things go, but I managed to use some restraint - and actually cracked open the manual first. I quickly discovered my primary complaint with the player - power management. For starters, it offered the following warnings:

• Do not use player until you have fully charged the battery.
• Do not charge the battery until it is fully discharged.

But my battery showed up with half a charge! So what the heck am I supposed to do with that? That might not have been so bad, but there were some more rather inconvenient warnings:

• Do not leave battery attached when using car adaptor as a power source
• Do not connect unit to the car adapter when starting the car
• Unnecessary charging reduces the battery life
• Never charge the battery for more than 8 hours

Way, way too many rules for me! I can't keep track of all that - I want the device to figure out what to do with the power I give it. I want to be able to charge the battery for 5 minutes, or 5 days.

Ok, so the battery management leaves a little something to be desired. Fortunately-with the battery aside - the Polaroid PDV player is still pretty impressive.

So I plugged it into the wall, popped in a DVD, and fired it up. Unlike your average laptop, it starts up and starts playing very, very quickly- which is nice. The picture is quite good, and the sound isn't bad either, given the size of the speakers. (And by the way - if you have a young child - you're going to want to use the speakers. Young kids (based on my experience at least) don't know what to make of earphones. ) The ten inch screen is definitely nice. I've watched a movie on the Polaroid seven inch screen in the past - and those extra inches make for a much more enjoyable viewing.

Next up, was a car trial. Getting the car case hooked up was a little tricky - and doesn't work very well if your headrests are rounded. Nonetheless, with a little patience it works ok. You can tell this is not where Polaroid focused much effort - but just as well. There are plenty of car carriers that can be purchased separately, so if it's a big problem for your vehicle, you can invest $30 or so and get one that's much better. Once I get driving, I'm impressed by how well the player handles bumps. I live on a dirt road that is full of potholes, so if it was going to skip, I would have seen it quickly.

Conclusion

So is it worth $300 bucks to buy a 10" portable DVD player? My opinion-absolutely. And the Polaroid PDV-1002A is a great one to get. The picture quality is excellent. The sound quality is excellent. It plays a variety of different disc types. It's lightweight, and very portable. It comes with a carcase and car power adapter, so it's ready for the road. It handles bumpy conditions with no trouble. And when you get to your destination, you can take it with you for a comedy at your hotel, or a drama in your tent.

Pros:

• Good quality picture and audio
• Comes with all the extras you'll need
• Handles many different disc protocols
• Relatively inexpensive
• 10 inch widescreen is nice -- especially compared to the 7 inch model

Cons:

• Battery power management isn't a no brainer
• Car case works, but it could use some improvements
• Switching discs requires you to pull the player out of the case

If you're interested in getting one, don't forget to consider FatWallet for a small discount. I purchased mine via CircuitCity -- and got 2% back thanks to FatWallet.

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