Customer Reviews: Read 24 more reviews...
 Great Idea K.O.'d by Fatal Flaw March 28, 2006
M. Schnitzer (New York, NY USA)
59 out of 62 found this review helpful
This pint-sized portable DVD player from Coby belies its compact form with a sleek, attractive design, a sharp, crisp image accessible through composite outputs, a full-functioned miniature remote and the ability to read and smoothly play virtually any disc format, including + and - RW DVDs,
So why, you may well wonder, have I given this ostensibly marvelous little device a rating of only one star? The answer is that sadly, it suffers from what is, for anyone with normal hearing, a fatal flaw: It is loud. I mean truly unbearably, irredeemably LOUD.
On playback, the motor revs up to whir at such blaring decibels that it actually drowns out any quiet scenes that you may be watching, and yields an interminable din that competes even with normal levels of volume. In other words, its sound is omnipresent and endlessly, hopelessly distracting, rendering the machine, for this user at least, completely useless.
If larger DVD players, as well as compact CD players of the same size, don't generate this kind of noise, then there's really no excuse for the DVD-209 to be doing it, other than just plain poor engineering design.
What a waste -- of both a good idea for a compact DVD player -- and my money.
A Waist of Money November 30, 2006
Tory Pinder
24 out of 25 found this review helpful
Very fragile. It dropped to pieces the first day I got it. When you play a DVD for a hour or so, the machine "over-heats" and the disk stops. Lasted me for 5 or 6 days.
 Dirt cheap DVD April 15, 2007
Frankland S. Strickland (Memphis, Tennessee)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
This little "el cheapo" cannot go head-to-head with the better, more expensive units out there. For what it is, though, it suits its role quite nicely. For starters, there's the price: I've seen these things for as little as $20. I actually paid nothing for mine as it was a "freeby" door prize. With that in mind, I suspect this would make an ideal "stocking stuffer" or office party gift (Secret Santa and all the usual holiday festivities).
Its portability is its most poignant virtue. Seriously, this thing will fit nicely in a briefcase, backpack, school bag, or even a large purse. Since I already own a $400+ NAD player as my main unit, I've taken this one to my classroom at school to show DVDs. Teachers, this little DVD is ideal for your classroom!
As far as its performance, it surprisingly holds its own with other slightly more expensive competitors in the $50 range. Today, that includes a whole slew of them. It displays a nice, crisp picture and delivers above average sound quality. The remote is miniscule, but for portability issues that may be a good thing.
On the down side, this thing feels quite flimsy and "plasticky" so you'll likely need to handle it with extreme care. I've also read other reviews where the actual noise of the unit has been an issue, and I'll agree that I also hear an occasional whirring sound as it loads tracks. It's also a bit slow to load the digital information, so you'll find yourself wondering if it's actually working at first.
I've seen other units in this price range that bear a stricking resemblance to it---most notably GPX and Lennox. I suspect that all of these budget brands are maufactured under various brand names.
quality depends on.... July 18, 2006
Sam Tyler (CALIFORNIA, USA)
10 out of 14 found this review helpful
I had a Coby mailed to me, and while not faulting the USPS or the handling at amazon, something must have happened to the unit going from point a to point b. The player would be loud with certain discs and refused to play others.
I bought the self same unit at a store in my neighborhood and the player works like a dream and is very quiet. It has played every single dvd I have put in it, even DVRs. So maybe the unit doesn't like the extra jossling it gets when mailed....
What do you expect from a machine that costs less than $50, a good dvd player can only be had at the cost of over $50. If you want a region free (has to be hacked, but it is easy and won't break the unit), light weight and traveling player (this can take 110v to 240v), this might be player for you.
 This is a replacement for another Coby player August 16, 2006
A. Hanna (Cleveland, OH)
10 out of 16 found this review helpful
I just had a Coby DVD-209 player shipped to my address today. It was a mere ($30) replacement for a (free) DVD-207 model I got about two years ago, which no longer works. Shortly after plugging it in and trying it with two DVDs I find it works just fine. No complaints with packaging or transit issues either. And given my budget, I'm a satisfied customer.
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