Customer Reviews
my player 
2008-07-03
love my dvd player, works the way it should, short and simple, it does exactly what it wants to do
Excellent DVD player 
2008-06-30
We love this DVD player--bought two for my kids to take on trips (instead of the overpriced headrest DVD players offered with our new car). Our opinion: super sharp picture, great sound, easy to use, and the swivel screen is wonderful. Overall, it is very sturdy: the battery pack is integrated into the bottom of the unit, so there is nothing to break off. The charge lasts a long time: enough for two movies and more. Definitely worth its price to us.
Great Product - Excellent Picture 2008-06-29
I ordered this from amazon.com after my faithful "Initial" model died after 5 years of use. I was immediatly impressed with the build quality. The other player was a gift, as i usually buy sony products. The picture is light years better than the regular 400X220 pixel tft screens. The buttons are easy to access on the screen and makes it easy to find them in the dark. I'm not sure what battery life is yet, but i use it at work with an AC adapter anyways. The unit itself is nice and compact. My only complaint would be... why isnt it progressive scan? Its hardly a new or expensive technology. BTW Amazon shipping was free and it took all of 1 day to arrive via super saver shipping. I am very happy with both the player and Amazon's service
Worked great on family trip 2008-06-28
We purchased this for a 4 hour car trip with our 18 month old. The sound was wonderful and the battery life was lasted through the trip. So far we are very happy with this purchase. The red color is also a fabulous, vibrant shade of red.
Sony DVD Portable Player 2008-06-27
The Sony DVP-FX820 8 inch portble DVD Player is great. I don't really enjoy stting in front of my computer or using the main TV to view The Teaching Company DVD courses. This unit allows me to sit out on the deck or where ever. Using earphones the power draw is low and I have yet to run the battery down. I have run it for over 5 hours. The image quality is excellent and the controls are good. The remote is handier than you might think.
Sony portable DVD player 2008-07-08
We bought this to replace another portable DVD player (different brand) that was "end of life", but had been used extensively for several years.
This one had good reviews, & durability & battery life are also important to me for travel, so chose this one, and have used it several times in the last 5 days (we just purchased this). So far it has played very well, with a very good picture, and I'm satisfied thus far. I like that the battery fits flush with the line of the DVD itself (better than many other players). I'm still learning all the features, but I'd recommend this DVD player for anyone wanting a quality portable DVD for travel with longer battery life.
It's a SONY-Expect Anything Less? 2008-07-07
Not much to say. The reviews won me over. It's a SONY product and it works great. Battery life was important and the reviews are right. It lasts a long time between charging. Movies are pure and bright and controls plus remote are easy to use. Used it on a 737 and didn't need earphones to hear, unlke my DELL computer.
BEST PORTABLE DVD PLAYER I'VE EVER HAD!!!!! 2008-07-06
I have been using this player every night now since the day I got it. I play it all night long while watching movies and falling asleep; I can't fall asleep without my dvd player. My previous one was the 810 and it quit working but I have the extended warrantee on it and it is going to be replaced free. This time, I fell in love with the PINK color of this one, and have not given it any rest since I got it. But, you do need to clean the lens with a lens cleaner after about 10 hours of use or approximately 5 movies. The picture on this player is incredible. I got the 820 this time and it is just incredible. The colors are extremely vibrant and sharp; sound is perfect, and I can't say enough good things about it. If you're contemplating this particular player...GO FOR IT! You will NOT be disappointed!
If it's all about the picture 2008-07-06
When shopping at Best Buy for a portable DVD player, I tried a Toshiba, the Panasonic LS86 and asked about a Sony. My salesperson, who was knowledgeable, steered me away from the Sony, saying he didn't like it because it has a "glossy screen." So I tried the current Toshiba 9" and the Panasonic LS86, touted for its 13 hour battery life. I selected the LS86 because it has better blacks, meaning the Toshiba had a more washed out picture. I took the LS86 home and while learning how to use it I was pleased at the degree of control you have. (Yes, this will soon be a review of the DVP-FX820 - I returned the LS86 and got an FX820 - but first a little more about the Panasonic.) With the LS86 you have great control: you can control the brightness of the subtitles, you can reposition them, you have several factory presets for picture and one user picture preset, there are degrees of noise reduction available, a number of audio settings to control the tone of the sound and its stereo spread. It seemed great except for one thing: the picture was slightly disappointing. Text was awfully chunky. The edges of things looked rough. In a word, it had a lot of aliasing.
I went on line to read some reviews of the LS86. I'd read reviews prior to shopping but, somehow, hadn't found any for the current Sony player, the DVP-FX820. On my second internet visit I found the Sony right away. When I learned it has much greater resolution, I packed up the LS86, went back to the store and exchanged.
The DVP-FX820 has lots more pixels and that makes for a lots better picture. It has less control over those pixels, but as nice as adjustments are, they don't compensate for a poorer image. So, in my mind, the Sony is better.
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The downside of the FX820: this model has a fair amount of edge enhancement, or sharpening. And there's no way to control it. I'm not going to describe what it looks like, because if you own one of these units and edge enhancement is below your radar, why point it out.
What about the glossy screen the salesperson mentioned? When he said "glossy screen," I imagined that the screen itself was shiny. What he was referring to is the fact that the screen is surrounded by a shiny black plastic bezel. A matte finish would be less distracting, but the shiny plastic should not be a deal breaker.
The contrast of the default LCD settings: I had to work a little with the "Backlight" and "Contrast" settings to keep the blacks from being crushed. Otherwise, things like someone's head of black hair might lose their detail.
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Summary: A good solid unit with a consumer-oriented design philosophy. The controls are basic and fairly simple to operate. The picture seems to be the best in its price range. The audio, through headphones, is fine.
Great product 2008-07-05
This DVD player displays clear picture with loud enough sound. Easy to use. I like the future of a detachedable battery pack which can be set aside while playing the DVD at home.
