Advantages: Incredible compression with no noticable loss in quality
Disadvantages: No support.

...The main problem with downloading videos over the Internet is the size factor. A decent quality MPEG takes up masses of disk-space, and overly-large compression must be used. The solution is DivX, a hack of the MPEG-4 codec, which allows spectacular compression with virtually no loss of quality. You could fit a movie-length DivX file onto one CD and still retain fantastic quality. The codec uses MP3 for sound, so you can ensure that you're getting the best of both worlds. Usenet is already switching to the DivX format for the posting of large movie files, which can only be good news for the Internet world. The codec is available for a variety of operating systems, and is free to download and use. It's infinitely better than the terrible .ASF format, which is terrible for quickly-moving images - unlike DivX, which never misses a frame... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: GREAT PRICE, EXECELLENT PICTURE
Disadvantages: NOT VERY STURDY

..., this might not be so straight forward for you. I simply connected my Scart lead to the television and that was it.... Although the manual was very easy to understand and does show you how to connect your player. **Usage** I have found that this DVD player is simple to use, small and compact with most of the features that you would expect to have on a DVD player with a few more added in. The quality of the picture is very good and the easy to use menu & remote makes the whole experience of this DVD player a pleasure to use. It was low in cost (£24.99) and to say that it will be play all regions for this price is amazing. Whilst it is true that it doesn't have Real Dolby, DivX Playback and other features (See Ciao product information) that some brands do, for a simple cheap and very reliable DVD player then I would have to recommend this one... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Small price tag, decent quality sound and picture, Multi Region.
Disadvantages: Chucky styling and akward remote control.

...The Alba 103 DVD is brilliant value for money. This player has many of features which would only be previoulsy expected on players twice the price. The Alba 103 retails for around £150 from Toys R Us and Argos. The player has the ability to play multi region DVD's. This means the latest titles from America can be played before they are released in the UK, this is a major bonus, and especially on a machine this price. The Sound and Picture quality are good, but not up to the standard of some of the more expensive players, but it does the job. And for this price, who can complain!... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Plays DivX Xvid mp3s dvdr cdrw cdr etc
Disadvantages: no prologic, basic dvd functions, no too pretty

...PROS: WIll play 80 - 90% of DivX and Xvid movies if they are encoded using DivX 3.11 - DivX 5 Pro. Will play almost every possible type of cd / dvd media. optical out simple set up new firmware and updates available if you look on the web. good forums to help customise dvd screensavers and menu options etc. CONS: My disk caddy will not stay open long enough to put a cd in - I have read about other people with this problem too. Think Arkrights till from "open all hours" !!. However this does not bother me much - you just have to be quicker with the cd!. Some sync issues (however these are always down to the encoding and cannot be blamed on the machine) can be resolved by pressing the setup button on the remote. It doesn't stop the movie and it resyncs the audio and video. It is not "pretty" but it's a geeky toy for a geeky age... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: portable ,affordable and it looks good
Disadvantages: no divx playback or case

...Having two kids and spending a lot of time in the car i need to find as many ways to keep them occupied and in turn keeping them quiet so i can concentrate on the important issue of trying to drive the car.The way i have found to be most effective on the longer trips is a portable dvd player and it works a treat. Choosing a player- As with a lot of products there is a big price range for these products ranging from 60 - 600 pounds so it is worth thinking about what you want to get from this type of product and also who this product is for.I was buying for my eight year old daughter so i didn't want to spend a fourtune on something that stands a good chance of getting broken or at the very least damaged in some way. alba- Now i've had alba products in the past so i have found... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Divx Player, cheap, stylish
Disadvantages: No firmware upgrades

...I recently purchased the Mico 808D DVD player from Sainsburys for the bargain price of £39.99. Granted when it comes to cheap DVD players there are cheaper out there. However they usually don't play Divx movies. For those not in the know, a Divx film is one that can easily be downloaded using a Peer to Peer file sharing tool such as Kazaa. You can download and watch films before they even reach the cinema and they are mostly DVD quality. However you do not need a DVD writer as the file size of a Divx movie is just the right size to fit on a CD. This is why you need a DivX DVD player to play them as they are essentially Avi/MPG files on CD. The Mico 808D is a silver, slimline and has a mirror finished front and really looks the part. When you open the CD drawer you can instantly tell that it is not a top of the range DVD player however... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Simple & Straight Forward. Easy operation.
Disadvantages: Picture Quality

...ALBA DVD Player 73. This is a simple, straight forward DVD player. It will play all DVD's and music cd's. The image it produces shouldn't be expected by the buyer to be excellent, however, it is viewable and understandable. The DVD player doesn't effect the movies sound quality and doesn't have as many features on as other more expensive DVD players however, it does it's job. A DVD player is for playing DVD's and watching movies on your television. Although it has the ability to play a cd, a DVD player is not a cd player and the buyer should not expect any DVD players to play a cd. It's in the name what it plays. It is small and light weight making it easier to be carried and moved around. Connections include 1X Scart and the coloured wired cables plug in. Instructions included.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Stereo Sound output/ DivX Playback/USB compatible
Disadvantages: Slow Start up time

...I bought this DVD player after my previous DivX player died of exhaustion. The box was easy enough to open, and there was no unnecessary packing or annoying polystyrene to cover my floor in. Batteries are included for the remote control, there is also a manual and quickstart guide. There is NO Scart cable in the box. Setting up the player is as easy as it gets, plug it into the wall, and connect it to a TV through a Scart lead, and thats it. Start up could be a little faster and takes a couple of seconds before you can open the disc drawer. Once started though I can't fault the player. Sound and Standard Video output are good with no pauses or juttery motion no matter how much action is on the screen. It also features HDTV upscaling, this shifts the output from the scart to the HDTV output port, having seen a demonstration... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Multi Region and everything else
Disadvantages: No RCE playback

...The Alba 103 set a new standard when first released. For the sum of just £150 you could get a multi-region DVD player with RGB scart output, the ability to play CD-R's and MP3 files and play the best sound format available DTS. When Toys-R-Us started selling it £140 then it became the biggest bargain available. Unfortunately the problems then started, DVD manufacturers have now come up with a new coding system to stop people buying discs from different regions and although some players can defeat this system, known as RCE, the Alba 103 is not one of them. It also fails, along with a lot of other budget players, to play some discs. These are few and far between but can be some of the popular discs, such as the third disc in the Toy Story boxed set. Overall I am more than satisfied with the Alba 103 having tried more than 20 discs on it so... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Multi Functional
Disadvantages: Remote control is problematic

...What is a standalone DivX Player? Well let me start by explaining what DivX is. DivX could be described as the MP3 of video format. The DivX technology compresses video to a fraction of its original size for efficient storage on your hard drive and DVD and easy sharing online. There is also a non proprietary version out called Xvid, which is open source. Originally based on OpenDivX, XviD was started by a group of volunteer programmers after the OpenDivX source was closed. With the video format so compressed in this way, you can easily fit 5 X 1.5hr feature movies onto only one 4.7GB DVD disc. Also the quality is almost as good as a DVD. Until recently the problem with DivX and Xvid format was that the movies could only be played on your computer because there was no standalone DVD player with the DivX or Xvid codec installed. I... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful