Insignia IS-PDVD10 Portable DVD Player

The falling prices and convenience of portable DVD players have boosted their appeal as entertainment options during flights, car rides, or any extended period of boredom. Time previously spent reading books or magazines, listening to music, or just staring out the window can now be filled by watching a full-length movie. The Insignia 10.2-inch widescreen portable DVD player is a great choice if you want entertainment just about anywhere.

Look and Feel

This DVD player, the IS-PDVD10, weighs in at only 3.3 pounds and measures 10.25 x 8.75 x 1.25 inches. The unit is black and the cover is made of some sort of plastic/rubber combination that provides a nice, easy-to-grip texture.

Similar to a laptop computer screen, the 10.2-inch thin film transistor (TFT) display flips up to expose the controls and DVD tray. The common buttons, such as Play, Pause, Stop, and so forth, are easily accessible and laid out in a logical fashion. Instead of using a latch to secure the screen when flipped down, Insignia went with magnets. This gives the outside base of the unit a smoother, cleaner look than if a protruding latch had been used.

Features

The 10.2-inch screen has 16:9 aspect ratio, which makes it a widescreen display. The ability of the screen to swivel 180 degrees is a very nice feature that trumps other portable DVD players.

The unit plays back several DVD media formats, and it is also able to display in the standard (TV screen) 4:3 aspect ratio. However, instead of automatically adjusting the aspect ratio to match the source content, the player requires you to change it yourself using on-screen menus.

The player also features an antishock system designed to eliminate, or at least reduce, audio and video skipping when the player is bumped or jarred.