Customer Reviews
Big Disapointment 
2007-04-20
When I first purchased this portable DVD player I was quite pleased with it. The picture was clear and the sound came thru nicely. However, after just 6 months of use, it just stopped working. It keeps telling me "no disc". It has only been used by my daughter while sitting in the car so it has not been dropped or abused in anyway.
Now I know why it was on sale. I won't buy this brand again.
Initial Portable DVD Player IDM-1731 
2007-04-02
Sorry to say, my husband has not even unpacked this DVD player! He wasn't too happy that our daughter bought it. We both told him to hurry up & make up his mind whether we should return it, but he hasn't done that either...
Sorry I can't do better than this.
Genie Olson
Like the Energizer Bunny!!! Keeps going.... 
2006-08-29
Bought this 3-4 years ago before Portable DVD players became really popular. (I paid like $250+ for it.) It has taken a beating from my 3 yr old..kicking it many, many times, dropping it, etc. and it just keeps going. We mostly use it in the van, but also use the plug in adapter once in awhile. We've never used the battery. It has never skipped (only if the DVD is dirty so not a player problem). The only problem we are having right now is we need a new car adapter and will order one. I bought a second player for my older DD so she can watch her own movies (a Panasonic-only because it was really cheap) so I hope that one lasts just as long. I basically just use mine in the car. There were times that it didn't cut on, but I never power it off so what we do is turn the power button off and then back on and it's good to go. We really got our money's worth.
Not worth the price 
2006-03-27
My mom bought this DVD player for my kids this past Christmas. She paid $179, with the promise of a $30 rebate. It stopped working after a month. It runs and runs but nothing appears on screen. Unfortunately, she had purchased it two months in advance of giving it, so that the 90-day warranty had just run out. I called the company and explained that we had only had it since December. After a lot of back and forth, the only solution they offered is for me to give them $49 to fix it, or $79 to replace it. I would rather put $79 towards a real name-brand DVD player. (And the rebate has yet to arrive, two months later...)
Worth to buy 
2006-02-25
Sound and Picture clarity is good, I dislike the batery usage, not good for more than 2.5 hours movie.
terrible 2006-02-05
Initial creates cutting-edge digital entertainment products with the highest standards of quality and affordability.PRODUCT FEATURES:Versatile playback formats: DVD-ROM, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, MP3, JPEG, Kodak Picture CD;7" active matrix LCD screen (TFT);S-video output;Composite video output / input;DTS sound output;Digital coaxial audio output;Dolby digital sound output;Optical digital audio output;Audio output / input;Hi-Fi stereo headphone output;Built-in stereo speakers.
The Initial IDM-1731 Portable DVD Player 2006-02-02
I picked this portable DVD player out for Christmas two years ago. When comparing it to other models, it compared favorably. The Initial IDM-1731 had many of the features (large screen, progressive scan, decent battery life...) I was looking for at an average price at the time (around $250). A year later, I found myself quite frustrated with a virtually unusable DVD player; the hinges on the screen broke after a year of gentle use.
Pros-
·This DVD player has a nice sized seven-inch screen; if the screen were larger the player would be bulky; smaller, and the image is hard see. This screen is also wide, a good shape for wide screen movies.
·Progressive Scan- Progressive Scan is a clearer way of projecting an image. With a regular TV, the vertical lines of pixels (blocks of color) on the screen are shown first, then the horizontal lines. Think of the vertical lines as odd numbers and the horizontal lines as even numbers. In a regular TV the image is displayed (1,3,5,7,9, ...) then (2,4,6,8, ...). With progressive scan, the image is displayed with alternating horizontal and vertical lines, (1,2,3,4,5,6, ...). This results in a sharper picture.
·This player comes with a good accessories bundle. You get an A/C (wall) charger, a car charger, remote control, and A/V cables to hook it up to a TV.
·Good anti-skip system. I never saw this DVD player skip, even on bumpy Michigan roads.
·This DVD player can play several types of media. DVDs, CDs, MP3s, CD-Rs
Cons-
·The Hinges- Within a year the hinges cracked and broke, naturally right after it came off warranty. When they first broke, I was able to hold the monitor in place and continue to watch movies. Now, the damage is more extensive and the player is nearly completely useless. There are two small metal parts located in the hinges that must be in contact for the screen to work, not a wire. The hinges on this player are small, about an inch wide, having broken off; you need to hold the screen just right to get any image (impossible on roads with potholes or expansion joints). When looking for portable DVD players, try to find one with large hinges. Look at the hinge on the Initial IDM-9520.
·Fragile. We were careful when using this player and were not rough with it. It broke under normal use.
·Slow To Load. Some DVDs would take a while to start after being loaded; some DVDs took multiple tries.
·No case included. This was no big deal but a case was definitely needed to carry around player and accessories.
Although this DVD player did its job well, I would not recommend buying it because of its lack of durability. Purchasing this product is a gamble, will it break, and if so, before it comes off warranty? I would recommend a different DVD player, even from Initial, with more robust hinges.
Good so far 2006-02-02
We got this as a Christmas gift. So far it works great. We have not used it lots, but when we have it has great picture and sound. Hopefully it will hold up.
Overall pretty decent after two years' use and abuse 2006-01-01
I bought this DVD player two years ago for both home use (connected to the TV) and for entertaining a preschooler on long flights and car trips. It occasionally has some display issues (scrolling and lines), which are usually rectified by altering the angle of the display, or by closing and re-opening it. Overall, really no complaints whatsoever with it; it's been very functional and held up well. But last week it stopped playing audio CDs, while continuing to play DVDs without problem. Initial's customer service thinks perhaps the CD laser went out, but they don't repair anything past warranty. They do offer an exchange program for out-of-warranty items, where you send back the defective piece, and for for slightly less than buying a new one, they'll replace it and give you a new warranty. For this player, currently offered at $130 on Amazon, they'll replace it for $100 with a limited 3-month warranty, or for $120 with a regular 1-year warranty, or for $130 with an extended 2-year warranty. Customer service was very prompt at responding, both by email and by phone. I would have rated this as 4 stars until that laser stopped working, as I've been very happy with its performance and we've used it much more than we originally thought we would.
*Update in March 2006* I am less happy with the player than I was in that review three months ago. Discs no longer load in the player unless we unplug the power and plug it back in. I am searching for a new player, and it won't be Initial.
Initially worked good 2005-12-28
I received this initial dvd player one year ago (2004) for christmas. It worked pretty good for a few months, but then I began noticing the poor sound quality and a low humming sound coming out of the speakers. Also, the coloring rubs off of the dvd player very easily. Now, sometimes when I put a dvd in it shows up 'no disc' and the laser has to be popped back into place. I wouldnt recommend purchasing this player, even if it means putting a little extra cash out for a better one you will be happier in the long run. I am considering buying a new dvd player.
