Rating: 
Summary: Not such a bargain
Review: After I received the Mintek MDP-1810, I was disappointed to find that the picture rarely covered the entire screen without the picture being distorted. Every time I turned it on, it came up in the full screen mode, but the picture was stretched horizontally so I had to punch a button three times to change the aspect ratio to something usable. But then the picture only covered about 50-60% of the 8" screen. The picture came in from the sides as well as the bottom and the top. Fine detail was lost. Lettering in menus was often illegible.
Then a couple of weeks later, after I changed from one DVD movie to another, I turned the unit back on and noticed that the blue loading screen did not come up. The screen was lit but blank. The player made sounds as if it were loading, but nothing showed on the screen. The player's own on-screen menus did not show either. I turned the machine off and on a couple of times, tried several different disks, and consulted the manual. I couldn't find any reference to the problem. I returned the Mintek to Amazon and bought a Toshiba SD-P2500 which has a much better full undistorted 8.9" picture.
Rating: 
Summary: Great product!
Review: I thoroughly researched many DVD players online (thanks to the wonders of the internet) as well as looking at some at stores such as Best Buy and Circuit City but they did not have a very wide selection on stock since I wanted to check them out personally before I bought one. I decided to get this one only because it seemed to be the best value of all I've seen so far. This product is well worth the money because you get a moderately priced but well working DVD player as well as an 8 inch screen. When I first purchased this product, the shipping was delayed (bought it on 6/29 but did not receive it until 7/7 with 2-day shipping). A bit frustrating but OK. When I did receive the player, it was defective since it didn't play 6 out of 9 DVD's I put in it. Even playing the 3 DVD's were of marginal performance. I contacted Targetdirect customer service about this problem and they were very helpful and attentive. Valerie (CR name) sent me a replacement DVD player right then and there, with overnight shipping and without additional charges. She was very considerate and helpful. I received the DVD player on time and tested this one. It played all the DVD's I put in there, angle viewing was great (especially since it's hanging in between the seats for our kids) and the screen detail was very clear. It came with all the needed accessories to operate it for plane, car, or at home. I checked out the company (Mintek) on the internet and saw that it manufactured both portable and regular DVD players. I also remembered seeing the company name on some DVD players featured on Sunday ads. A bit of a gamble since the name is not well known but so far, this DVD player is great for the money and the features. Other people's reviews featured on this page also helped. You be the judge.
Rating:
Summary: Loved It........Until it Stopped Working
Review: Bought mine at Costco over the holidays. Worked for a few days and loved taking it with me during my daily commuter bus rides. However, I started getting the dimmed display everyone has talked about. Sometimes, removing the battery pack and putting it back on worked, and other times plugging it into the AC adapter worked. One time though, I spent a full hour fiddling with it to no avail. Returned it to Costco for refund.
Other notes: Picture quality was average and you can't fast forward or rewind on the unit, but for the money, the shortcomings were acceptable until the picture started to go out.I cannot recommend this product. I'll have to wait on a DVD player for a while because all other 8" players are quite a bit more. I suppose the old addage "You get what you pay for" prevails in this case.
Rating: 
Summary: Unbeatable value
Review: Update: One reviewer on Amazon points out to take advantage of the wide-screen capability properly, you need to go into Set Up from the remote control and set the screen size to Wide Screen. ***** After searching and waiting for a year, I finally took the plunge and bought a portable DVD player. I could wait no longer as I'm having trouble falling asleep these days. I chose the DVD-1810, which is also marketed under the US Logic (by CompUSA), Initial Technology and Shinsonic brandnames. It's made by Huake Electronics in China. They also make other screen sizes (5.8, 6, 6.8, and 7). I also read on the web that a 10-inch and an 11-inch models are on the way. I picked this model for its 8-inch gorgeous screen and unbeatable price. It even comes with a car adapter as well as AC cables (RCA type). The screen is very good, has wide-screen, and the battery lasts about 2 hours on high brightness. BTW, the machine itself is a little over an inch thick, but the battery snaps to the bottom and will add another half an inch. The whole thing (player + battery) weighs in at about 2 pounds... You can use the brick-style AC adapter with the player directly if you don't need the battery (e.g., when watching movies indoors). Battery charging takes about 6 hours, so that's a department where Huake can improve. The player has simulated surround sound, but you should get a good pair of headphones to take full advantage of that. (Hint: any good Sony headphones will make a great addition. The player does not come with headphones.) All the other standard DVD features are there, and you can also zoom in and zoom out. Zooming in, however, results in pixelated images, so it's not really too useful, but some may find it of value. The package also includes a full-function DVD remote that's powered by a watch battery. I'm very happy with my DVD-1810 and take it everywhere I go. I just need to recharge it every night. I highly recommend this tremendous value if you are in the market for a portable DVD player. Also, if you want to see the player up close, check it out at CompUSA (ask for US Logic portable DVD players).
Rating: 
Summary: Good Enough
Review: If you're looking for a good DVD player with picture-perfect quality, the Mintek 8" Portable DVD Player is NOT for you. However, if you want an affordable DVD player that'll play your DVDs on the road, this player is good enough. The lid on the DVD compartment is loose on the left side, so you have to be careful not to accidentally open it or break it open, and the picture quality has some black specks, but if you adjust the color and brightness, it should go mostly away. In all, get it for price, don't get it for quality.
Rating:
Summary: Returned two for a full refund...
Review: I was very excited when I purchased this portable DvD player for my daughters. I purchased it at Target for a reasonable price. Unfortunatly, after playing only two movies, the screen went completely blank and I was unable to get it to work again. I exchanged it at Target (hoping it was just a dud). However, after watching about 6 movies on the new one, the screen started going blank again. It was very frustrating. Sometimes you could get it to come back on by fiddling with it, but this meant you had to start the movie over and skip back to where you were. I do not reccomend buying this unit. I guess you really do get what you pay for. I'm now doing research and trying to decide which brand is the best....
Rating:
Summary: Good Enough
Review: If you're looking for a good DVD player with picture-perfect quality, the Mintek 8" Portable DVD Player is NOT for you. However, if you want an affordable DVD player that'll play your DVDs on the road, this player is good enough. The lid on the DVD compartment is loose on the left side, so you have to be careful not to accidentally open it or break it open, and the picture quality has some black specks, but if you adjust the color and brightness, it should go mostly away. In all, get it for price, don't get it for quality.
Rating:
Summary: 2 out of 3 good so far
Review: We bought 3 of these for Christmas gifts for us and our kids (all from Costco). We only had problems with one so far which we returned for a full refund. The others have worked fine so far. Due to the negative ratings and one being defective, we are looking to replace the other one with a different model. I would love to get the Toshiba P2500, but it is considerably more in price. I am now looking at the Polaroid PDV 0800.
Rating:
Summary: Love it! No problems whatsoever!
Review: We've enjoyed this player for over a month. It was purchased for the plane ride to Grandma's for Christmas but it's been used almost every day, everywhere! Our 1 yo & 4yo love it and Mom (me) is able to stay sane. It was purchased at Costco because of the great price for the player, cig adaptor, AC adaptor, rechargeable lithium battery, remote, audio & video cable, bag that can hang between the carseats, 2 headphones & splitter. Plus Costco has 100% guarantee and their returns dept hadn't received any back and actually recommended it over the others avail. I'm sorry to read the reviews with so many problems, sounds like a bad batch went out. Prior to purchasing I read reviews on ALL players, even this one manuf under difft names but this package was exactly my budget (with all the accessories) I hesitated but went for it & am EXTREMELY happy with my MDP-1810, I don't know what I'd do without it now. Quick stats:
- 46 page easy-to-read owner's manual
- Charge the battery in 6 hours, plays for 3 1/2 hours (advice recvd from other reviews: don't store player with the battery attached, it will drain it)
- Sound is good for a room, we used it on max sometimes in the back of the plane but didn't bother other rows (normal for all brands of portables)
- Picture quality great - have watched all sorts of DVD's: Nemo, Matrix, LOTR, cartoons (supposedly lowering the brightness & color will give you a longer viewing time - watched Nemo on the lowest brightness and it was very colorful. We actually keep it on low & except for really dark movies we don't change it)
- Has TFT screen which makes viewing from different angles good, for the multiple viewers.
- It does make noises when the DVD is "loading" but it doesn't bother us.
- 12 months parts/90 days labor warranty but you can purchase straight through mintekdigital.com an addtl 12 months (for 15 mo coverage) for $30 or addtl 24 months for $50, I will probably do the latter. I've used it while doing the dishes, working on the computer, in the car (more than I thought I would), in a house full of tv's when everyone wants to watch something different, waiting here, waiting there - I mean, a portable DVD player is a must for the kids! Go with a retailer that has a good guarantee and give this one a try. If something went wrong with mine, I'd get it again.
Rating:
Summary: So worth it for the money
Review: I think this DVD player is so worth it. Bought it at Costco and it included 2 earphones, a splitter for the earphones, car adaptor, the case to hold everything and a rechargeable battery. Got very clear picture on the screem and good sound as well.
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