Home > Consumer Reviews > Initial IDM-1731 Portable DVD Player with 7-Inch LCD

I bought this unit because of the great features and a good price. It would be phenomenal if the screen didn't freeze and skip every few seconds. It's extremely frustrating. Mine is going back after only three days. Hopefully the manufacturer can get it together to fix this flaw. Otherwise it would be absolutely perfect. The picture is great, the sound, the fact that you can view pics or listen to music as well is a big bonus. I should have read reviews first.

I have seen plenty of reviews on this item, and I must say that I wish I would have seen them before I purchased it. All of the negative reviews have all happened to me too. The problem is, it takes longer than just a few times of using it for the problems to arrive, they start after the warranty is up. Every positive review this player gets is from people who have just purchased it. The most annoying thing is that the picture freezes up and you have to keep resetting the movie. This was frustrating to me, but even more to my kids. We purchased this player because it was the cheapest we could find. We have now decided that you should not buy a DVD player by that criteria. Spend a little extra money, and save yourself the trouble.

I actually have the 8" version, but played with a demo unit of the IDM-1731 (with 7" LCD measured diagonally) at the Circuit City store in Union Square, Manhattan. I had just purchased a "Bedazzled" DVD at the store, and was able to try it out on this little machine. (Yes, many CC stores let you load your own DVDs to play on their demo DVD players.)

As with my 8" player, this model delivers good picture quality. It plays pretty much all kinds of video disc formats out there: DVD, VCD, SuperVCD, etc., as well as CD and CD-R with MP3 files. WMA files are supported as well. My 8" player, which I use on the bus a lot, is surprisingly resistent to road bumps: I've never experienced a frame drop due to bumps or even when I move the player around, so I expect the 1731 model will be the same.

The verdict on quality is rather mixed. Overall this is far less refined than portable DVD players from Panasonic. The paint on my player, for example, is already coming off after less than a year. The buttons on the player are not very responding, so you'll have to press hard or even press twice to make them work. The remote is ok. Not very user-friendly but totally functional. On the other hand, I've used my Initial a lot and done countless pauses and stops and restarts, and it's still quiet and working flawlessly.

In summary, Initial DVD players belong to the value category. If I had some extra cash I'd opt for a Panasonic model for better picture quality, much better sound (both from speakers and earphones), and infinitely better quality and reliability. But, the Initial's are inexpensive and the one I have has not let me down at all.

Don't buy this item! As you might expect it is a very low quality item and it has TERRIBLE support. My daughter used it less than 10 hours before the screen froze then it stopped working all together! She is not a brute and takes care of her things, yet this poorly made and non-supported item failed. I called customer support and the best they could offer is a $155.00 replacement. I can buy a new one at AMAZON for $170! It is still within the one year warranty but out of the 90 labor included.

If you do get it as a gift, as she did, always ask the presenter for the receipt or you are out of luck.

DO NOT BUY THIS ITEM!

I purchased this dvd player as a last minute thing to try and avoid spending $1500 on an overhead player and it has been well worth the money. The first one we brought home had a problem with the screen cuting off but we decided to try it one more time and exchanged it. This one (so far)has had no problems. The screen is a perfect size and has great viewing from the sides which is no comparison to the other inexpensive models. The volume is plenty loud enough for the car and there is no problem hearing it even in the third row seats of an suv. It may be too soon to give it five stars but from what we have seen so far, the others fail in comparison in this price range.