Customer Reviews
I recommend this unit to anyone that wants a quality system but does not want to spend a lot 
2006-06-05
I purchased this item last year from Circuit City (for a lot less than Amazon.com is selling it for) because I wanted a DVD player / theater system that would enhance my 52" RCA TV. And this is an excellent theater system. The sound quality is amazing, it is really like I am in a theater when I watch a DVD. The system comes with 5 little speakers, two for the front, two for the back, and one for the center. I never want to watch another DVD again unless it is on this player because the picture and sound quality is amazing. It is also a great CD player. I recommend this unit to anyone that wants a quality system but does not want to spend a lot.
junk machine and appalling service 
2005-03-24
Not only was this dvd player impossibly difficult to use, as other reviewers have pointed out (also poor sound), it broke on me within days of receipt. That led to the worst experience I have ever had with service. Six months ago, I took the machine to the servicer designated by the company and I still don't have it back. They took about two months to figure they needed new parts, another two months to figure they couldn't get the parts, another two months to figure they maybe should order a replacement and I'm still waiting . . . Stay away from this machine and this company or you'll be sorry.
junk 2004-12-01
We finally got around to mounting the speakers up properly, only to find the unit does not work properly.
It will read low-budget DVDs like "little Rascals" collection (bought at Christian bookstore) and a music tutorial DVD, but it WILL NOT read any DVD rental or purchase from Blockbuster and the like. The unit only shows the "no disk" indication.
The only menu I can get is the general menu option when DVD/CD player is selected. DSP, equalize, and other buttons do/indicate/select nothing.
This statement on Amazon and other sellers' sites is a lie: "Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Pro Logic decoding; Dolby Pro Logic II generates 5.1 surround signals from any stereo (2-channel) source" The unit defaults to stereo mode when aux 1 or aux 2 or selected, so there is NO WAY to get surround sound from this thing except if it's encoded on a DVD that will actually play. Nothing in the manual or on the box support the claims of the sellers that it will "generate surround signals from any stero (2-channel) source." This is a figment of a sales' departments imagination. I was severly misled into buying this junk because of this false claim as I was specifically looking for a cheap way to get surround sound into that room.
The previous homeowners left holes in the walls from their home theater, but since this was a room we don't use much, I opted for a cheap way to cover the holes with speakers and bring surround sound to my directv viewing/cd playing in that room. Add to that the fact that no rental DVD will work, it's an extreme ripoff. Of course the receipt is nowhere to be found so I cannot even have the unit serviced under warranty even though I have the box, UPC, and manual. Even if I did, I suspect I will be told that the disclaimers in the manual are interpreted to mean there was never any guarantee the unit would play (undamaged, clean) rental or purchased commercial DVD's.
You basically get what you pay for 
2004-07-22
I bought this system as a gift for my girlfriend, and the floor model was the last item in the store, so I had the luxury of testing it out pretty thoroughly (I mean, the box is already conspicuously open...). For $100, it's actually a pretty decent value. It does mostly what you'd expect it to do, with a few caveats.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the amplifier section of this unit is something of an afterthought and probably the (biggest) Achilles heel of the unit. The "sub" (and that should be used in quotes for basically ALL home-theater-in-a-box systems, really) is rated at 25w; the fronts and rear outputs are *rated* at 15w. By the way, those ratings are at a PUBLISHED 10% THD. If you know what that means, or are used to the published wattage / THD ratings on most consumer-level gear-- which is almost always incredibly/optimistically overrated on the spec sheet anyway-- you're probably either lifting your jaw off the floor or laughing out loud. If you don't, well, let's just say that this thing is not going to give you the most musically detailed reproduction you've heard in your life (but, again, for $100, what do you expect?). I would say this thing has about 5 watts on tap, max. Don't fear, dear jaded consumer used to "300-watt" receivers-- 5 watts is still enough to get it to respectable volumes and/or hack off your downstairs neighbors. Just don't expect to use this thing at a house party and have it survive intact.
With speakers hooked up, the sound is a bit distant, fairly brittle in the upper mids, and definitely pretty ill-defined overall-- although I was surprised, given the distortion ratings, to find that it didn't make everything sound like it was running through a Marshall stack. For uncritical DVD playback, it's more than sufficient. The "sub" doesn't extend past about 100hz, which is just above where a real subwoofer would actually START. Nothing appears to be filtered or crossed over, with a lot of low-to-mid midrange going through the "sub" unit as well, and the whole rig definitely has some problems with boominess/kludginess in the 100-to-200hz band. But, again, most of this is not atypical of these systems in general. Please keep in mind that I'm pretty picky, too, and wouldn't be caught dead with one of these things (at ANY price) as my main living-room setup. ;) If you're less demanding, you will probably be OK.
For best results, you're going to need to tinker a lot with the "sub" placement, even more than usual with these silly theater-in-a-box things where the "sub" enclosure is the size of a bowling ball. It definitely needs to be dead center of your system if you're going to get even some semblance of imaging. I'd compare the sound of the system to a midrange boombox or a sub-$80 set of PC speakers. I definitely expected the RTD120 to sound a little worse than it does... not too much worse, though.
Make sure that, when listening to stereo program material like CDs, MP3s or TV-episode DVDs, you've got the unit switched to "DSP"'s stereo mode instead of Pro Logic. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this will drastically improve the sonic performance (never trust a DSP chip that thinks it can sensibly turn 2 channels into 5). I mention this only because the RTD120 isn't smart enough to know the difference itself, and tends to favor Pro Logic mode. If you play a Pro Logic-encoded DVD, it seems to switch to Pro Logic automatically, but it won't switch back to stereo automatically when you next put in a CD.
I suspect the unit's DVD playback is largely based on Apex-developed firmware, and I say that based on past experience with their older DVD players-- in particular, the MP3 menu is almost a dead ringer for that in the Apex AD-1210W, which is coincidentally what this system is replacing for mah woman.
I have no problems at all with Apex gear-- except that their DVD hardware that I've used tends toward incredibly counterintuitive user interfaces. Unbelievably, the RTD120's interface and remote layout is even MORE ridiculous and dumb than the Apex 12x0 series. At least, unlike the 1210W, you don't need to use a "special key" to navigate a DVD menu from the arrow buttons.
HOWEVER-- there are a lot of far, far worse quirks in operation. This thing has a surprisingly steep learning curve, mostly due to an interface design that I would describe as not just "stupid" but "outright malicious." Subtitle, audio track, angle... none of these things have their own dedicated buttons on the remote. Instead, all are accessed through the "Info" button and a side-scroll menu that subsequently appears at the top of the screen. The chapter/track buttons took me about ten minutes to find, because they're vertically oriented and labeled as "CH" (wouldn't you think "channel?").
The manual could help you out with things like this, but frankly, at this point in time I don't EXPECT to need the manual to perform basic DVD playback operations. The manual also totally glosses over a lot of the unit's stranger idiosyncracies. For instance, if you have a DVD with a menu that has looping audio playback, you CAN'T make it shut up with the "Stop" button-- you either have to hit "mute" or turn the unit off. Audio CDs can't be fast-forwarded or "rewound" audibly-- sure, you can fast-forward, but you'll just have to guess as to where you need to land.
MP3 playback is especially lackluster and antiquated for a machine of "this modern generation," although it actually sounds pretty good considering. The manual doesn't mention it, but if you want to change folders, you need to stop playback first-- which, for whatever reason, the unit is not always happy to do on command. ID3s are not supported at all. You'll only see the "DOS format" file and folder name on the disc-- eight capital-letter characters. As you can imagine, on any MP3 CD where you've got more than one album by the same artist, it will take you a little experimentation to find it. According to the manual, the unit cannot play MP3s encoded over 256kbps bitrate... I haven't tried it yet with my collection of VBR --alt-preset extreme MP3 files, but this is a bit worrisome and also incredibly strange for a unit made in 2004. There are also five-second gaps placed between tracks in a folder, which is entirely unacceptable to me.
Aside from counterintuitive operation and labeling, the remote has the most idiotic layout I think I've ever seen-- the play, stop and pause buttons are at the very, very bottom of the remote, requiring you to do some serious hand aerobics just to pause playback, while the chapter forward / back buttons are way up at the top. Speaking of the remote-- like most modern consumer products, if you lose it, God help you, because you can't do diddily squat without it. Because the user interface is so screwball and proprietary, I strongly suspect that buying a universal remote would NOT save your $100 investment. Glue that sucker to the coffee table if you know what's good for you.
The manual says nothing at all about recordable DVD formats. However, the unit DOES seem to play DVD-R and +R. I have not tested it yet with +/-RW, nor have I tried it with VCDs (although I imagine that everything short of KVCD probably plays fine). Incidentally, DVD playback DOES look pretty darned good for the money.
The unit also has two line-level auxillary inputs, which means you could theoretically plug in an iPod, a VCR, a tape deck, or a PS2. At the price point, this surprised me. There is NO video routing provided, however. If you want to use a VCR or PS2 alongside the deck without getting up every ten seconds to switch the video cable, you'll either need multiple inputs on your TV or a video switchbox.
To RCA's credit, the unit comes with a 1-year parts and labor warranty, which have become extremely unfashionable in anything involving a DVD transport. For $100, that I did not expect! The main DVD / amplifier unit does seem fairly solidly built. Just don't trip over those hardwired 32-gauge zip cables coming out of the plastic-and-cardboard speakers... ;)
I also wouldn't expect this unit to last for years and years-- about two or maybe three years' moderate use is probably the most you can expect out of it, if you treat it nicely. Of course I base that on my past experiences with Apex decks-- and "serious brand name" DVD players as well (frankly, I've met a lot of those that have died faster than the Apexes I've known). DVD decks in general just don't last very long... if longevity / investment is important to you, you'd be far better off looking for separate components and plan to replace the DVD deck every so often, since a good amplifier will last virtually forever.
All in all, honestly, the recurrent theme: what do you really want or expect for $100? It's really pretty crazy that you can buy a DVD player, an amplifier and something resembling speakers in a single box for this kind of money. I think the RTD120 would be a fine secondary / bedroom system, or perhaps even a good main system for those who just aren't very picky (and frankly, no offense intended to you, but... if you are looking at a theater-in-a-box system to begin with, you almost certainly qualify). It has its problems, not many of them very serious... it could, and probably should, be a lot worse than it actually is. I actually think you'd be a lot better off buying this than some of the brand-name theater-in-a-box systems going for three or four times the price. None of them sound very good or are particularly good investments... so you might as well minimize the pocketbook impact, right? Right.
