... However, I found the Mustek player at an unlikely source: Toys R Us! I picked up the player at a superb price of £150, including a travel/in car kit. In the following review, I will outline the reasons why I chose it, and also, how it still lives up to many other rivals in 2005.
CONTENTS ... Read review
Advantages: Good sound and picture quality, Light and easy to carry, Plays many types of disc Disadvantages: Battery life average
...However, I found the Mustek player at an unlikely source: Toys R Us! I picked up the player at a superb price of £150, including a travel/in car kit. In the following review, I will outline the reasons why I chose it, and also, how it still lives up to many other rivals in 2005.
CONTENTS OF PACKAGE
Unlike many other portable DVD players, the Mustek comes with an array of useful accesories. The box contained a strong carry case, ... ...a little larger. The Mustek PL407H certainly caught my eye. It has a 7" TFT wide-screen facility, with 16:9 aspect ratio. This gives a stunning image on a good sized screen, of which everbody in the back of the car can see clearly.
SOUND
Sound is one of my big things to watch out for when purchasing a portable DVD player. Some units can give a poor quality sound, that is simply not loud enough when listening to some of ... more
I bought this little dvd player earlier in 2004, and at the time I managed to pick it up at a bargain price. I searched around several stores, including Dixons, but could not find a satisfactory portable dvd player for a price I could afford. However, I found the Mustek player at an unlikely source: Toys R Us! I picked up the player at a superb price of £150, including a travel/in car kit. In the following review, I will outline the reasons why I chose it, and also, how it still lives up to many other rivals in 2005.
CONTENTS OF PACKAGE Unlike many other portable DVD players, the Mustek comes with an array of useful accesories. The box contained a strong carry case, with several pockets in wich to store headphones, remote control etc. The case has 6 slots in which straps (included) can be used to mount the player in the car, in all sorts of positions. I normally have it in the back of the car, between the two front seats, so that all 3 passangers can view the screen with ease. The player also comes with a 'credit card' remote control of an excellent quality, a 12V car adaptor and a rechargeable battery pack. My only slight disappointment is that the battery will only last around 2-2.5 hours, which means that you would not be able to watch all of certain movies (eg. Lord of the Rings). However, I have found few occasions where I have needed the battery pack, becasue of mains and in car adaptors. However, when I have used the battery, it has been adequate to watch at least 1 full movie.
PICTURE When I first started to look for a portable DVD player, I first viewed several 5" screen models, which although gave perfectly good quality picture, where a little small for my liking. (When I write this review, 3.6" models are now available, but I cannot imagine watching a film on such a small screen. Everyting must be so tiny!!) I decided that for all 3 passengers to be able to watch the film in the back of the car, I would have to invest in something a little larger. The Mustek PL407H certainly caught my eye. It has a 7" TFT wide-screen facility, with 16:9 aspect ratio. This gives a stunning image on a good sized screen, of which everbody in the back of the car can see clearly.
SOUND Sound is one of my big things to watch out for when purchasing a portable DVD player. Some units can give a poor quality sound, that is simply not loud enough when listening to some of the quieter passages of a film. After listening to several players, including a more pricy Goodmans in Dixons, I decided that the mustek offered a much louder and clearer sound quality. However, I personally have found little use for the built in speakers, and use headphones much more frequently. Although a pair of earphones are included, I would really be inclined to invest in some larger headphones. You only need to spend around £10-15, and sound quality is seriously improved . The unit offers 2 earphphone jacks, one of which I have expanded with a two way adaptor (around £1-2 in most computer shops). There is no loss of sound quality (not that I can notice) and it means that all 3 passengers in the rear of the car can listen at once.
FEATURES Several good features are built into the player. These include subtitles, av in/out allowing the player to be connected to the television as a normal dvd player, scene angles (available in some movies), and the ability to playback audio, mp3 or jpeg picture cds and kodak picture cds. You can also change the brightness of the LCD panel. One downside is that you can only play discs from region 2 (Japan, Europe, South Africa, Middle East and Egypt). But this is only a minor setback.
CONCLUSION The Mustek PL407H is a superb portable dvd player at a superb price. At the time of writing this reveiw, the unit was available for around £160 on the internet, still a competitive price. Very Highly Recommended!!
BONUS TIPS! Always try and test out the dvd player before buying. Visit your local electrical retailer for a denonstration. Stores such as Dixons will let you try out the player, so you can see what sound and picture quality is like. Don't buy players you know nothing about, even if they are at a fairly good price. The difference in sound and picture quality can be drastic. Finally, avoid players with tiny screens, as they are difficult to watch in environments such as cars. Try and opt for a 7" screen at the minimum. Bear in mind that players now have up to 10" screens!
