Coby DVD-224 Compact DVD Player

This dvd player broke after less than a year of infrequent use. I noticed that it started taking a long time to read dvds, and after a few weeks of this, it stopped working entirely.

Also, the "stand by" feature is extremely annoying. The dvd player buttons will not respond while in stand by mode. You must either turn the unit off and on manually or turn it off of stand by using the remote.

I bought this item for the sole purpose of playing DVD from Europe (Zone 2). IT was not working. I called COBY. They tried to walk me thru some steps but nothing worked. They won't give me a refund. So I am left with a not so good DVD player which does not play what I was told it would. STAY AWAY FROM THE COMPANY.

When I got the Coby DVD Player, it seemed like a decent purchase. The player did not even turn on after I plugged it in. After trying several different outlets, I decided to return the item. Not worth it..Do not buy!!

It was a good price, but it broke after a month. I won't buy again.

This is a pretty good DVD player that I've owned for years, however I recently had to get a new remote control from my cable provider, Time Warner, and now there's no way to switch from the cable picture to the DVD player. Time Warner told me that their service is not compatible with Coby DVD players. I just wanted to give everyone a heads-up - if you have Time Warner cable, do not waste your money on a Coby DVD player as it will never work. My DVD player is now useless so don't make the same mistake - well, actually it wasn't really my mistake, I had to swap out my old remote control as it was completely worn out. I guess I chose between cable and DVDs and since I am paying for cable service, I pretty much had no choice but to go with it. But Time Warner no longer allows Coby DVD players to be used with their cable service, so just a word to the wise... don't buy this if you have Time Warner, or you will be sorry.

A horrible giant red and white sticker, which cannot be removed, covers almost the entire top surface of the dvd player. This sticker has debugging instructions, and instructions on how to return the player. Unfortunately, it can't be removed, and it looks horrible. The dvd player looks good in the picture, but what you see in the picture is not what you get.

I bought this in Dec 2007 & have used it only 4-5 times. I wanted something very small for the living room.
When I switch my TV to video, there is a loud buzzing noise that only diminishes if I lower the volume of the TV. This happens only when I try to watch a dvd so I know it's the player. So if you don't mind no sound, you're good, otherwise, this item is useless. Will buy a name brand next time.

The little player works fine, until the remote breaks. Then you lose your ability to fast forward, rewind and skip. (Most functions are in the remote. The player only has three buttons.) Two different $10 Wal-Mart "Universal remotes" (in 2008/2009) did NOT offer COBY codes. I failed to notice the fine print. So I wasted $20 that way. I finally telephoned COBY. They finally took my order for a new remote. I sent them $6. TWELVE WEEKS LATER it arrives! THREE MONTHS to ship a remote?!? (I had to call them THREE times. I was often put on hold for a long time - always given excuses about the slow shipping.) Finally, it eventually arrived. It was the WRONG remote. I called to inform them. They said they'd send a replacement. They never have. So, for poor design (putting "ALL" the functions into the remote) and for terrible customer service and shipping service, I give them ONE star. But the little CD player was purchased for $30 and played perfectly for over four years.

This product works fine. I use it at work in a display floor setting and the only problem I have with them is that after continuous use for an extended period of time (as I can't turn them off when I leave due to visitors) they die in a couple months.

I bought this from Amazon on June 24th and it is now dead, a little less than 6 month later. You put a disc in and it just spins and spins and never loads. This DVD player was used nightly for several hours. A sad replacement considering the old DVD player I had lasted 7 years. If you're looking for something to replace in months, this is it. Otherwise I would spend a little more money on a better quality product. The RCA player I have downstairs has lasted longer than this one. I guess you get what you pay for.

This DVD worked/played nicely for 1-2 months, but broke down fast. Buyer beware. It was great in the beginning and so easy to use, but the quality must be bad, since other reviewers also mentioned that their unit broke quickly too. And, at $40 dollars, it doesn't pay to get it fixed. Also, the remote control is very cheaply made. For $40, you can find better value on Amazon or at the major retail stores.

I bought this dvd player about 6 mos ago and it died. First the remote went out and you can't even manually fast forward or rewind without the remote. That was a headache all in itself having to put the dvd player on pause every time we left the room. My 7 year old sometimes like to rewind to see something again and now he frustrated that he can't do it. Now the dvd player is saying "no disk" when there is clearly a disk in there. I would suggest spending your hard earned money on a good dvd player.

When I receieved the dvd player it only played american dvds. After trying all of the listed codes, I called up coby and they happily provided me with this for the ss.
1. Open up the disk tray
2. press menu button
3. press 8888
4. press the osd button
5. press 0 for region free

Now it works like a charm on any disk.

Hope this helps.

DVD Players


DVD224
Make sure no disk is in the tray
Press "Setup"
Press Vol +, Vol-, Vol +, Vol -,
Number shows up
Change the region code by using RIGHT arrow.

DVD224M
NO disk in the tray
Press the "Title" button
Press 19
Region Code Number shows up,
Select your desire region " CODE " number (see DVD Regional Codes List above) by pressing the UP or DOWN arrow.
Once you have selected your region code number, press enter to exit.

DVD224S
Open tray
Press 9735
Select the desire region code with the UP or DOWN arrow.
Press Setup twice to exit.

DVD224SS
Open the DVD tray
Press STOP button on the remote control
Press 70
Press MENU
Use the numeric keypad to select your region code number (0 - 6).

DVD224 (224SS)
Open the DVD tray
Press STOP button of remote control
Press the digit number buttons "2008" of remote control.
Press MENU
Region code will appear, select your region code number.

I wanted a inexpensive DVD with criteria of: an all region player with progressive scan. After looking at several, I decided on the Coby DVD-224. Avaliable in 2 colors black: DVD-224BLK & silver DVD-224SLR, this unit is small, inexpensive and plays discs from around the world! I had previously owned a bottom of the line ($19.99 + tax) Coby DVD player. It had been kept in an RV. It had been dropped, beat up, scratched and shown plenty of abuse, yet played without fail each and every time(matter as a fact I still own it and it is STILL working). This unit does exactly what it says it will do. Hook up and set up is a breeze if, you read the manual and set up chart completely. If you look at all the reviews, most negatives are from individuals who didn't read the manual and can't figure how how to make the unit and/or remote function properly. Yet this no one's fault but their own, they want to blame the player?!

This unit plays discs from The UK, Germany, France, Korea and South America that I know of, I have no reason to expect it would not play other of any and all regions. Though the manual said closed caption was available in 5 languages, the unit I received actually has 8 languages and comes with set up in 32 different languages. Box contains all cables needed for hook up, the multi-function remote and even the remote batteries as well. Just plug it in, hook up the cables, complete set it up and enjoy.

I gave this unit 4 stars overall. The only reason it doesn't rate 5 stars overall is the fact that the unit and remote are cheaply made. In the light of day, they look as such. Cosmetics rate a 4, functions rate a 5, reliability rates a 5, overall satisfaction is a 4.5 to 4.75. I find no reason to believe that anyone who is the least bit tech savvy or, can read AND comprehend instructions would not be happy with this unit.

I bought this after reading reviews saying it would play dvds from both inside and outside the USA. I used to have a inexpensive Cyberhome DVD player that could handle both but unfortunately this one won't. I've tried to find out how to unlock it for multi region use but none of the methods I've found work. I think they are out of date. Also it seems very noisy when it's spinning. I guess you get what you pay for and I should pay closer attention to the specifications. Having looked back at them now it doesn't actually say it is multi region. Oh well lesson learnt, I hope!!

The code provided on this page for unlocking the Coby 224 to make it region free, does not work for all Coby 224 DVD players. I purchased the 224 this afternoon and for normal use, it works very well but the player I own does NOT respond to the code provided within these reviews and it does not respond to any other recommended unlocking code. If you simply desire a conventional DVD player, the Coby 224 seems to be a very good choice, but if you are expecting a reliable region free player, you might want to keep shopping.

The item (remote) is nothing like the one pictured; it is complicated and seems kinda' cheesey.
I suppose time will tell if the performance is up to par...the buttons are ALL the same and are laid out in ten columns by five wide.

This DVD player is garbage. We bought it about 5 yrs ago or less and ever since we bought it, we had trouble with it. We lost receipt otherwise it would have been back to the store. It didn't always read all DVD's or it would skip,and so we'd have to use the one upstairs in our bedroom. Now it doesn't even work. It turns on but it ejects the DVD and won't play. You might as well spend more money on something that will work and not add more garbage to the landfills

you get what you pay for. this is junk. we just wanted a small dvd player and this looked like the right size. it only works with some of our netflix movies makes weird noises and scratches the edge of my dvd's. spend a little more and get a better player.

I wanted a multi-region dual voltage DVD player so I can watch movies brought from Asia as well. It is simple to set up and works fine. It has the most common features you find in the expensive brands, so this is a good buy for any one looking for multi-region.

I bought this to replace a 5 year old DVD player that was having problems.
I wanted to pick up something low cost, since we have young children. This product is great. It plays any DVD disk we throw at it, unless it is really scratched up. Our old player used to do the same, but have stopped reading some scratched disks in recent months. I recommend this player to anyone looking for a compact and very affordable DVD player.

I have been using it for about 2 months and it works great.I don't do anything with it besides play dvds for my kids.

Unfortunately this DVD player was broken upon arrival. Doesn't speak well for quality or quality control.....Its plastic too....

This is a great little DVD player. It has all of the features of a more expencive one. I would recomend it highly for a childs room or a guest room!

If you want to spend as less money as possible yet want a reasonably good DVD player, this would be a great choice. I have used it for nearly 3-4 months now. It plays everything, and plays everything exceptionally well. I don't know what the hell people are talking about when they say they hear sounds of a spaceship taking off. To me, all that is nonsense. This one is as silent as a DVD player could possibly be. No record functions. This is not a DVR. This is a DVD player. Bear that in mind before you buy it. There is no rewind/forward buttons. You can skip to the next scene or go to the previous scene. But, you cannot rewind or fast forward. In a way, that is a good thing. Rewinding and forwarding a DVD is a bad habit that spoils the quality of the DVD. You don't want to do that often anyway. It is less than 30 bucks. It looks great. Weighs almost nothing, which means it is easy to carry around. As the title of my review says, this thing is worth the money.

I got one of them and it didn't work so I sent it back to amazon thinking it must have been just a lemon. The 2nd one worked but sounded like it was a spaceship taking off! It was awful! I am now looking for a decent DVD player.

We bought this in Dec. of 2008. When it worked it was fine. Now it's August 2009 and the unit is dead. The power won't come on. Did everything I could per the manual/customer service and there is no hope. It's dead! 8 months of use and we are out the money for this unit. I will never buy a Coby brand of anything,,,,ever,,,never again!

This is good because it plays everything.But it is not a long lasting DVD players . It worked for 2.5 yrs. I would expect it to work longer.

I bought this dvd player because my panasonic dvd player wouldn't play all the dvds I bought in England. Since my previous dvd player broke, I now have been using this exclusively, several hours a day, with no problems. It's great at so low a price to be able to play American, British and European dvds. I have only minor criticisms which one would expect for the low price: When it's on pause or stop for more than half an hour, it goes back to the beginning of a dvd. And it doesn't have a clock-type mechanism to show how much time has passed when watching a dvd. But my experience is that you have to pay more to get those extras. So I do highly recommend this dvd player to anyone whose main concern is being able to spend little watch dvds in many kinds of formats.

It quit working in 4 months. It only comes with a 90 day warranty so I can't return it.

I have two of these. The one that only gets used on rare occasions has been around for a year and a half. The one that gets used regularly lasted 6 mos. I guess in this case, low cost=cheap.

After an expensive dvd player only lasted 4 years, and a mid-grade only lasted 2 years, I thought I'd buy this as temporary, until I found a nice one. In worst case, if it only lasts one year, it wouldn't be that bad. It arrived immediately, however looks nothing like the picture (it's black, not silver, with a different remote). And, after only 1 day, I had problems. It started freezing mid-way through dvd's. I'm returning it. Expect nothing but playing clean, scratch-free DVD's when it does work. And I must say, I'd have been better off spending twice the money, just to avoid any inconveniences.

I bought this about two years ago from amazon. It worked great for most of that time. In the last few months, however, it's been slowly dying. Every disk was skipping after a while. Reinserting would sovle the problem. That problem became more and more frequent, and now it will read no disks.

I didn't mind the unit while it worked, though I had some quibbles. The remote layout is confusing, and switching menus can be excrutiatingly slow. But such things can be put up with for $28.

However, I think I'll step up to a mid-range model now. It'll probably last longer and it'll be one less cheap electronic device full of heavy metals I have to recycle.

I have had my Coby-224 DVD player for a couple of weeks,and it has
been used by myself several times.The remote control works well and is
easy to use.This DVD player plays major studio DVDs perfectly.Do not hesitate to buy this DVD player.The Coby-224 DVD player is so inexpensive,that you need not feel guilty for purchasing one.

For a very inexpensive DVD player this one is true to the quote "You get what you pay for", that said my grip is when you use either the Pause or R stop a DVD and after a period of time the player reverts to PLAY. Further if you go to Standby mode all R Stops or Pause is erased.

Slow and Fast Forward/Reverse do work well (be sure to hold the buttons down)

Audio and Video are excellent. The Remote control is small and very easy to use.

If ever a product deserved a MINUS rating, THIS IS IT.Never worked. "Wrong Disk" is all I ever got after "loading".By the time I bought my DVDs, the product was out of warranty/return status..... Never played even one disc.Will NEVER purchase ANY COBY brand PRODUCT again.

I got this for my son's room because it is inexpensive and compact. So far, it has worked very well for him. It has had no problem playing any of the discs we have put in it. The unit is very easy to setup and use.

Whatever you do, do not lose the remote! Otherwise you will not be able to perform many of the functions of the DVD player.

I was hoping that this DVD player could be vertically mounted, but it cannot. The disc tray does not have the grooves to hold the disc in place when it is mounted vertically.

I purchased this item around Feb 1 from Amazon, used it a handful of times, and by June 1, it no longer worked. Specifically, the device will not open when I push the open/close button the device or on the remote, rendering it useless. While cost effective, it certainly wasn't worth it and I would not recommend it.

Never have problems playing any DVD on this machine. I have 2 of them and find them to be reliable products.

I bought two of these small players, one for the living room, and one for the bedroom. I play dvd's on this one every day, and have done for the last 6 months. I have not had ANY issue with it whatsoever, and I've owned it for about 2 years now. I will definitely buy it again if I need a new dvd-player, it does the job (playing films) brilliantly. Not much in the bells and whistles department, but I don't need it.

Excellent product with a small, sleek foot print, fits into a small place and the remote control is very handy and easy to work with.

Unpacked the player, plugged it into the wall outlet, turned on the power button and the "green" power light came on. I finished hooking up the player to the TV. When I reactivated the power button, the player wouldn't power up. I tried different power outlets in my home but no luck. I won this as a door prize so nothing lost but a real eye opener for "getting what you pay for."

Purchased two around Thanksgiving time. Gave one to my mom for Christmas and kept the other one for myself. My mom's stopped working after about two months. (Beyond the 90 days warranty.) I gave her mine because I had not opened it yet. It played OK for about one month, then it stopped working, too. It just stopped reading the DVDs. The disk icon just keeps spinning. Don't waste your money on this product.

If you are lucky it will break before the 90 day warranty expires. But then you have to pay shipping both ways, which means you are throwing more good money after bad for something that even calling it a "JUNK' it's still an overstatement.

Overall, any Coby product that I bought didn't last even 6 months.

Read the reviews, if half of them are exagerations, the other half will tell you the truth.

Furthermore, Amazon is equally guilty for promoting "JUNK".

Based on the reviews of this item that it played DVDs from region PAL (UK), I thought I'd invest the $30 and try it. Well, I received the item today and it plays Region 1 (USA) DVDs just fine, but wil not play any DVDs from other regions. So, needless to say, I am confused by the reviews that say it does.
If anyone knows how to work around this, I'd be most grateful for the help.

There is no wow factor with this product but it does what it says it will. No complaints.

After going on a vcd buying spree, I was left with a stack of movies with no way to watch them. I picked up the Coby 224 and so far I am pretty happy. It plays dvds and vcds flawlessly, and unlocking the region restriction was a snap. The biggest drawback is the lack of a go-to feature. I have the terrible habit of watching movies very sporadically, and this wouldnt be that big of a deal if you could leave the movie paused for more than ten minutes without reverting back to the main menu. If those issues mean little to you, than by all means pick this up. Eve if they do, you cant go wrong for how cheap this is.

It's been just a month, but so far it's working well. Looks very flimsy and cheap, so I'm afraid at some point it will fall apart. But price low enough that at that point I can get another one.

We didn't watch more than 10 movies max before it started acting up.

First, it'd freeze mid-frame and stop responding to the remote, so we'd have to restart the movie all over again.

Then we couldn't get it to eject the disc unless we gave it a few bangs, which probably accelerated its ultimate demise.

It's cheap for a reason, guys. Stay away.