Initial IDM-1731 Portable DVD Player with 7-Inch LCD

When I first purchased this portable DVD player I was quite pleased with it. The picture was clear and the sound came thru nicely. However, after just 6 months of use, it just stopped working. It keeps telling me "no disc". It has only been used by my daughter while sitting in the car so it has not been dropped or abused in anyway.
Now I know why it was on sale. I won't buy this brand again.

Sorry to say, my husband has not even unpacked this DVD player! He wasn't too happy that our daughter bought it. We both told him to hurry up & make up his mind whether we should return it, but he hasn't done that either...

Sorry I can't do better than this.

Genie Olson

Bought this 3-4 years ago before Portable DVD players became really popular. (I paid like $250+ for it.) It has taken a beating from my 3 yr old..kicking it many, many times, dropping it, etc. and it just keeps going. We mostly use it in the van, but also use the plug in adapter once in awhile. We've never used the battery. It has never skipped (only if the DVD is dirty so not a player problem). The only problem we are having right now is we need a new car adapter and will order one. I bought a second player for my older DD so she can watch her own movies (a Panasonic-only because it was really cheap) so I hope that one lasts just as long. I basically just use mine in the car. There were times that it didn't cut on, but I never power it off so what we do is turn the power button off and then back on and it's good to go. We really got our money's worth.

After Portable DVD Player # 1 (which was a 5" Mintek) stopped working on me, I threw it away and bought this thing, an Initial 7" portable DVD player, which was actually twenty percent less than what I paid for the 5" Mintek. Upon removing the unit from the book and testing it, I had already noticed one problem that did not occur with the Mintek. Unlike most other machines, this unit does not allow one to watch their source on both its screen and a television. In other words, suppose you want to watch a DVD on your TFT screen and your television screen simultaneously, then because of a button located on the side of the unit, which actually REQUIRES the TFT screen to be off if one wants to watch their DVD on their television, one does not have such an option. For most individuals, this is probably not too serious of an issue, but I thought that it was one step down from what I previously owned and somehow it took away from the comfort of quickly being able to see what is on television while my DVD is playing and then switching back to having the DVD play on both screens. Another problem, which was slightly less serious, was the fact that one could not zoom out on this unit. One could still zoom in and move around the image, and there would not exist a greenish rectangular area showing where they are zoomed, but zooming out was not a possibility.

There is some good news: 1) the battery was able to attach to the back of the unit much easier and more securely, making it less than difficult for the battery to slip out of place. 2) you do not always have to rely on the remote control for controlling functions like brightness and the menu, but it is still a necessity for things like fast-forwarding and slow motion. 3) the screen is 7" and the unit is not very expensive.

Unfortunately, as it turns out, Portable DVD player # 2 did not last quite as long as Portable DVD player # 1 did. I had only had it for approximately 6 months before the thing just stopped reading discs for no apparent reason (the Mintek lasted a whole year by the way). This may or may not be true for all Initial units, but some will come to a point that even if you have a disc inside the player, then instead of loading the disc and playing it like it normally would, it will simply read "NO DISC" after you close the lid. This forced me to discard Portable DVD player # 2 and so I am now on Portable DVD player # 3, a 7" Astar, which, thankfully, does allow one to watch their source on both the TFT screen and the television screen, but sadly, does not allow one to zoom out of the picture. I must say, whoever coined that old aphorism "You get what you pay for" certainly knew that about which they were talking. And sadly, that aphorism is more than applicable to the Initial 7" Portable DVD player.

The KAB score: 3.3 bad.

This player is very convenient for long trips. If you want to save the money, you can get it Free from this web site: awesomestufffree.com/portabledvd

My mom bought this DVD player for my kids this past Christmas. She paid $179, with the promise of a $30 rebate. It stopped working after a month. It runs and runs but nothing appears on screen. Unfortunately, she had purchased it two months in advance of giving it, so that the 90-day warranty had just run out. I called the company and explained that we had only had it since December. After a lot of back and forth, the only solution they offered is for me to give them $49 to fix it, or $79 to replace it. I would rather put $79 towards a real name-brand DVD player. (And the rebate has yet to arrive, two months later...)

This player is very convenient for long trips. If you want to save the money, you can get it Free from this web site: http://GoodStuffFree.com/portabledvd

This player is very convenient for long trips. If you want to save the money, you can get it Free from this web site: http://topdeal.biz/portabledvd

Sound and Picture clarity is good, I dislike the batery usage, not good for more than 2.5 hours movie.

This player is very convenient for long trips. If you want to save the money, you can get it Free from this web site: http://notlong.com/portabledvd

This player is very convenient for long trips. If you want to save the money, you can get it Free from this web site: http://notlong.com/portabledvd

This player is very convenient for long trips. If you want to save the money, you can get it Free from this web site: http://dusturl.com/vh

From the start it had trouble playing entire movies (the screen would freeze after about an hour). Then after 6 months of light use it stopped working all together (it wouldn't even recognize DVDs or CDs).

I picked this portable DVD player out for Christmas two years ago. When comparing it to other models, it compared favorably. The Initial IDM-1731 had many of the features (large screen, progressive scan, decent battery life...) I was looking for at an average price at the time (around $250). A year later, I found myself quite frustrated with a virtually unusable DVD player; the hinges on the screen broke after a year of gentle use.

Pros-

ýThis DVD player has a nice sized seven-inch screen; if the screen were larger the player would be bulky; smaller, and the image is hard see. This screen is also wide, a good shape for wide screen movies.
ýProgressive Scan- Progressive Scan is a clearer way of projecting an image. With a regular TV, the vertical lines of pixels (blocks of color) on the screen are shown first, then the horizontal lines. Think of the vertical lines as odd numbers and the horizontal lines as even numbers. In a regular TV the image is displayed (1,3,5,7,9, ...) then (2,4,6,8, ...). With progressive scan, the image is displayed with alternating horizontal and vertical lines, (1,2,3,4,5,6, ...). This results in a sharper picture.
ýThis player comes with a good accessories bundle. You get an A/C (wall) charger, a car charger, remote control, and A/V cables to hook it up to a TV.
ýGood anti-skip system. I never saw this DVD player skip, even on bumpy Michigan roads.
ýThis DVD player can play several types of media. DVDs, CDs, MP3s, CD-Rs

Cons-

ýThe Hinges- Within a year the hinges cracked and broke, naturally right after it came off warranty. When they first broke, I was able to hold the monitor in place and continue to watch movies. Now, the damage is more extensive and the player is nearly completely useless. There are two small metal parts located in the hinges that must be in contact for the screen to work, not a wire. The hinges on this player are small, about an inch wide, having broken off; you need to hold the screen just right to get any image (impossible on roads with potholes or expansion joints). When looking for portable DVD players, try to find one with large hinges. Look at the hinge on the Initial IDM-9520.
ýFragile. We were careful when using this player and were not rough with it. It broke under normal use.
ýSlow To Load. Some DVDs would take a while to start after being loaded; some DVDs took multiple tries.
ýNo case included. This was no big deal but a case was definitely needed to carry around player and accessories.

Although this DVD player did its job well, I would not recommend buying it because of its lack of durability. Purchasing this product is a gamble, will it break, and if so, before it comes off warranty? I would recommend a different DVD player, even from Initial, with more robust hinges.

We got this as a Christmas gift. So far it works great. We have not used it lots, but when we have it has great picture and sound. Hopefully it will hold up.

This player is very convenient for long trips. If you want to save the money, you can get it Free from this web site: http://tinyurl.com/cf8j5

This player is very convenient for long trips. If you want to save the money, you can get it Free from this web site: http://portabledvd.top-deal.biz

I bought this DVD player two years ago for both home use (connected to the TV) and for entertaining a preschooler on long flights and car trips. It occasionally has some display issues (scrolling and lines), which are usually rectified by altering the angle of the display, or by closing and re-opening it. Overall, really no complaints whatsoever with it; it's been very functional and held up well. But last week it stopped playing audio CDs, while continuing to play DVDs without problem. Initial's customer service thinks perhaps the CD laser went out, but they don't repair anything past warranty. They do offer an exchange program for out-of-warranty items, where you send back the defective piece, and for for slightly less than buying a new one, they'll replace it and give you a new warranty. For this player, currently offered at $130 on Amazon, they'll replace it for $100 with a limited 3-month warranty, or for $120 with a regular 1-year warranty, or for $130 with an extended 2-year warranty. Customer service was very prompt at responding, both by email and by phone. I would have rated this as 4 stars until that laser stopped working, as I've been very happy with its performance and we've used it much more than we originally thought we would.

I received this initial dvd player one year ago (2004) for christmas. It worked pretty good for a few months, but then I began noticing the poor sound quality and a low humming sound coming out of the speakers. Also, the coloring rubs off of the dvd player very easily. Now, sometimes when I put a dvd in it shows up 'no disc' and the laser has to be popped back into place. I wouldnt recommend purchasing this player, even if it means putting a little extra cash out for a better one you will be happier in the long run. I am considering buying a new dvd player.

Dont buy this piece of junk. I had it for about a year and had no problem, except that the color was peeling which was not a big deal. But one day, after such good treatment the dvd player screen jammed and couldnt open. I slowly pulled the screen up only to find out that the screen was loose and shaky. I then plugged it in to see that the screen was completly blank even though the rest of the DVD player was working. What kind of cheap junk is this- didnt they screw the screen to the player well. When i contacted amazon they asked me to contact the manufacturer which i am still waiting for their response.

If you are thinking about buying this junk then think again, read all the reviews and youll know that this junk is not worth it. You can get far better ones for the same price.

I purchased one of these DVD players with some hesitation about the substantial amount of poor reviews I had read. I should have gone with my gut and not purchased this. It broke shortly after its first use. Getting Initial to replace it was very difficult, but they finally did. However, the neglected to include any of the accessories with the replacement (power plugs, remote, jacks). When I contacted them about sending me the accessories, Initial refused, stating that accessories are only covered for 14 days from the purchase date, but they would be happy to send them to me for $51 dollars! So, they wanted me to pay to get the accessories that were supposed to come with the DVD player. The supervisor I had contact with was unfriendly about it, and I was forced to file a Better Business Bureau complaint. Amazon finally stepped in to get me these accessories, then I started having problems with the replacement DVD player. The video went out after about 2 minutes of use in the beginning of a 8 hour driving trip with my daughter in the back. We're probably going to have to just cut our losses and buy a DVD player from a reputable manufacturer for the future.

So, if the quality of this DVD player doesn't concern you, at least be aware that Initial does not back up its product or provide acceptable customer service.

this is one of the best dvd players that me and my family have used!! THIS TOTALLY ROCKS!!!!! the good thing was that it was cheap and that it worked well. i use it ALL the time when i go on long car rides! this portable dvd player is worth all your cash no matter what price!!!! go Initial IDM-1731 Portable DVD Player!!!!!

I purchased this player about 2 years ago, and it has been used hard and often by my 4 year old daughter. I actually would have expected it to break by now - as anyone with a very busy small child will attest to - but it just keeps on working. Recently, the car adapter went out, but with the workout it usually gets, that is understandable. If you want a durable dvd player for the car, this is a good investment.

This unit worked like a normal portable DVD player during the first 6 months(used it 3 times a week for about 30 minute to 2 hour duration - toddler pacifier in a car). You put in a DVD/VCD(only tried DVD+R, CDRW, CDR) and it will play it. Picture quality is not great(through a 27 inch screen TV) but with a tiny 7" LCD, everything will be ok. LCD screen seems about right for the price rance. Featurewise, everything seems par with other units(basics - in my case, I just need play, forward, stop, menu). Everything is ok until then unit started not reading discs(basically spins up for a while and give a message that there is no disc). Customer service is virtually non-existent, unless of-course you have infinite time to wait. Contacted them and took a month to get an RMA number and then another month to get it back(of course you have to pay for shipping and around $60 for the unit) - used email and phone to contact them. If you are looking for a player and willing to get a new one every six months(depending on your usage I guess), then this unit will be ok for you.

I have owned my initial portable for about six months now. I have had nothign but good luck with it for the most part, a few little things but nothing big. When you buy this, your taking a risk as you can see from all the reviews. I think some are made well and some aren't so be sure to buy the extended warranty. (circuit city 40.00) Best Buy 80.00 these are the prices for 4 years warranties. I got mine at circuit city of course. I payed 130.00 for it (cheap) and here are the positives and negatives of it.

Positives
1. Nice layout of buttons and controls
2. Cute remote that has all the options
3. Great picture Quality
4. Comes with car charger and to hook it up to your home dvd player
5. Battery life seems to be about 2 hours (good)
6. Very compact can bring it anywhere, still works fine and i've dropped it from my bed to the floor!

Negatives
1. Sometimes you can hear the motor but its not too bad
2. The sound quality is average one should use headphones with it if they are in a slightly noisy place. (thats how most of the portable dvd players are though)
3. My biggest gripe, it will not play some of my dvd's like "Seed of Chucky" and "The Best of Everything" they are region 1 and copyrighted maybe the copyright has something to do with it. I have 130 dvd's and these are the only 2 it won't play. It can be moody and or picky with what it plays the disc needs to be clean.

Overall though a great product loses a star for not playing all of my movies but well worth it but be sure to get the extended warranty.

I purchased this player 12/31/2003 and have used it no more than twice a month for maybe 45 minutes at a time on average since that time. Now it suddenly won't play any disks....it simply keeps "loading" for hours. It's beyond the warranty and the cost of repair exceeds the cost of the player. Go with a different brand!

I'm giving it two stars intead of one only because it did play nicely while it lasted.

I've had the player for almost 2 years and haven't had a problem with it yet and it has been put through it's paces. It has ben dropped(numerous times) and transported at least 30-40 times in that time period. granted while it's not in use or being carried it is in the closet in thea box w/ all the packaging. It hoes have its flaws though. You can't fast foward or rewind with out the remote, and to restart the scene you have to skip back a scene and then go foward a scene. Besides those minor inconveinent flaws, this player is the best I've ever operated.

Much like you are doing now, I read the reviews from owners of the Initial IDM-1731 who were for the most part disappointed with the performance of this portable DVD player and mentioned failures such as freeze-ups, skipping, screens going blank, and even warnings on the felt alignment pads on the body and adjoining lid surfaces going bad, contributing to disks being misread and ultimately scratched. With all the negatives I read, I tried contacting Initial through their website at www.initialdvd.com to ask their tech support team if they had remedied any of the failures their machines seemed to be going through with previous owners who posted these negative reviews. Their reply to me was that they would be glad to answer any questions I had, if I would reply with my machine's model and serial numbers. So in affect what they were saying to me was "but it first, then we'll tell you if we've fixed the flaws in this player or not". I took a chance (I now realize a foolish move) and bought a IDM-1731 at Circuit City and paid for their one-year repair/replacement guarantee. I bought this player in March and am on my third replacement (FOURTH unit). Circuit City now says they no longer carry this model due to the large volume of returns they experienced and advised me that my only recourse is to return the unit to Initial for repair. Initial's warranty on the IDM-1731 being 90 days on parts and one year labor leaves me with the fourth machine experiencing different failures, and having to pay to fix this latest one and no peace of mind I won't be going this route with the machine again in a month. This first machine skipped so bad, you almost had to face away from it in order to keep exhaling breath away from it and making it skip. The second machine froze on any and all disks I attempted to play. The third machine had the receptacle where the AD/DC power supplies plug in short out so that the slightest movement caused the unit to lose contact and stop dead in its' tracks, and this latest hunk of crap is doing the same thing the second unit did and freezes on any disk I attempt to play. AVOID the Initial IDM-1731 AT ALL COSTS!!! As Initial refuses to acknowledge me as an unsatisfied customer now and make any attempt to provide me with a player that works longer than a month, I'm giving this unit to a buddy to use as a boat anchor, going out and buying a Sony or Toshiba, vowing never to purchase anything by this company again, and writing this in hopes of warning anyone interested in reading this review to PASS on Initial's products. They are unequivocally in my opinion junk!

I'll start with the good points:
1)Seems like an attractive price
2)Nice picture quality and respectable viewable angle
3)Decent sound
4)Battery tends to last 3 hours or more

BUT, on the downside:
1)Quality control is poor - I had to return the first one which quit working after 3 or 4 movies
2)Flimsy hinge broke on second unit after a few months of infrequent use and very gentle handling by one user - me, so it no longer works and is probably cheaper to replace than fix
3)Easy to lose tiny remote and that means you lose many features and functions
4)Price is a bit high, considering.

I intend to buy a new player, but not another Initial IMD-1731. Hopefully the old battery will work as a spare with the new unit. (It's nice to watch really scary movies while camping in the woods.)

We bought this last year for our kids and we loved it, so did our kids. The screen was clear and crisp, audio was great battery did better than I expected it to. I like the fact it has AV in. Unfortunately for us it was human error not product. Our unit is dead because our kids poured soda on it. Other than that I have confidence we'd still be using it today - over 12 months of ownership.

This dvd player worked great but we used it so little and it died right at the end of the warranty period. We probably used it twenty times in all, and most of those times were hour-long trips.

I bought it and after only one week,the Lcd stopped working,for the life of me we couldn't figure out what was wrong.
We tried it the following morning and we can hear the volume but still not see anything,I tried reaching the seller as I bought it from amazon,but the seller never contacted me,so I'm still trying to figure how I'll get my money back.
Now I'm going to try the coby,hopefully that will work.

SOLUTION INCLUDED:
It doesnt play dvds.. period. It lasted a week, then it stoped playing DVDs. Hence, I went to work. To fix the problem of non playing DVDs, I started with a heavy sheet of paper. I cut a 1in by 1in square out. Next, I placed a CD's ring in the center of the tiny slip of paper, then I used a pen to trace the edges over and over until the center popped out. The end product is essentially a circle within a 1in by 1in square. Next, I put the square on the spinning ring that holds the DVD in place. It is a snug fit. Push it down all the way. Next comes the DVD. Place it in the DVD player, and press firmly. HERE'S THE KEY PART: MAKE SURE THE CLIPS ON THE SPINING DISK ARE FULLY PUSHED OUT AND GRIPPING THE DVD. This assures that the dvd is as far away from the laser as possible, level, and secure! Voila, it works! I have tried burned DVDs as well as normal DVDs, they work well with this arrangment, althought they sometimes take time to load. Enjoy!

I purchased this portable DVD player a little over a year ago as a birthday present for myself. Both my wife and mother-in-law chided me for buying the unit - what could I possibly want with a portable DVD player?

A few months later, south Florida was hit by four hurricanes, we were without power for over eleven days. Guess what we did while there was no power? Yep, we were at least able to watch movies to pass the time. During the day, I would charge the batteries up using the car, and then we would watch at least two movies at night before the batteries were discharged. My wife now thinks I made a very wise decision to buy the unit - as it helped save our sanity during the 11 days we didn't have ac power.

We have since used the unit on long auto trips, in hotels that didn't have anything worth watching on their televisions, and on our long weekends in our travel trailer.

The only problem we have ever experienced is one hinge doesn't work properly, but that doesn't seem to hamper us using it or its' operation.

Although it isn't a "name" brand (that I am aware of), the unit works great and like any portable sophisticated electronics, it needs a little tender care.

Hope this helps in your decision as to whether to buy this unit or even whether to buy a portable DVD player at all.

I got this dvd player several months ago to take w/me when I fly. After several very frustrating trips where the thing would either not work at all or would stop working in the middle of a movie (which is even worse!), I returned it. The company was good about sending me a replacement. But I am having the exact same problems with the replacement!! This product not worth buying at 1/10th the price

This being my third attempt at purchasing a dvd player. My first was bought here at amazon.com last year. First was a Mintek. their customer service was awful and after three months of them receiving my old player, mailing me a lower quality player with same freezing issue, amazon gave me my money back. I Have to say their customer service is one of the best!!!

The initial player came free with my cell service from compusa, nice deal. I have had the player three months now and no problems, no freezing, a little noisy motor but my three year old doesn't mind. All in all the picture is really good quality and with a relatively inexpensive pair of noise cancelling headphones you can hear really well on a plane. Sometimes the sound it not as loud as it could be. I would definity recommend this player over any Mintek product!!!!

4/30/05 - Bought this one month ago. This model did exactly what other reviewers said it would: it freezes up 2-10 minutes into whatever you're watching. You have to turn off the power in order to "reboot", and then it all happens over again. Tried several different DVD's, and it did the same thing. Worthless, is the best word to describe this product. I guess you truly get what you pay for. Features and accessories were nice, but those don't matter whatsoever when you can't actually watch anything.

I bought this player over a year ago and it has been one of the best investments! I bought it so my son would have something to watch on the airplane and while we were sitting in the airports. It has been all over the country with us and still works. We even take it in the SUV (even though we have a DVD player in it) so we can watch DVD's in the hotel. You can't go wrong with this one!

My father bought this player for me as a gift back in November. I have since used it on the plane coming back to Thailand (where it worked for 3 hours before the battery ran out) and have used it every week since at home. The manufacturer says it's not possibly to recharge the battery by plugging it into the wall socket in a different voltage area than in the US(I currently live in Thailand) but I recharge it every week here in Thailand WITHOUT using an adaptor and have never had a problem with it.

It's a great player, nice screen, nice sound (with headphones, pretty bad without headphones) and seems to stand up to wear and tear very well. I've had it for 6 months and no complaints so far.

I PURCHASED 2 OF THESE FOR CHRISTMAS PRESENTS. THE 1ST LASTED ABOUT 3 DAYS BEFORE I REPLACED IT. THE 2ND LASTED ABOUT 2 WEEKS BEFORE I REPLACED IT. BOTH WOULD FREEZE AND WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO READ THE DVD. THE 1ST REPLACEMENT WENT BAD IN 3 MONTHS. THE HINGE BECAME VERY LOOSE AND THE SCREEN STOPPED WORKING. THE SECOND REPLACEMENT WENT BAD IN 2 MONTHS. THE SOUND WOULD ONLY WORK WHEN YOU HAD THE HEADSET ATTACHED AND EVENTUALLY THE SCREEN STOPPED WORKING ALSO. I AM WAITING FOR THE WARRANTY TO REPLACE THEM. THE FACTORY WARRANTY IS FOR 3 MONTHS PARTS AND LABOR. THE REMAINING YEAR WARRANTY IS PARTS ONLY. I AM NOT PLEASED WITH THE PLAYERS BUT I KNEW THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE HIGHEST RATING WHEN I PURCHASED THEM. I DID TRY TO PROTECT MYSELF BY GETTING THE EXTENDED WARRANTY THOUGH. MY SUGGESTION WOULD BE TO GET THE EXTENDED WARRANTY THAT REPLACES THE UNIT INSTEAD OF JUST OFFERING CREDIT TOWARD YOUR NEXT PURCHASE. MY WARRANTY OFFERS CREDIT AND TO REPLACE THE PLAYERS I WILL HAVE TO PAY EXTRA BECAUSE I WAS ABLE TO BUY THEM ON SALE THE FIRST TIME.

I bought this DVD player a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately I tore off the code to send in with the rebate before using the player. The second movie I viewed on the player skipped all over the place and I couldn't watch the movie. I returned it and wanted a refund but the store wouldn't do it because the URL was not on the box so they exchanged it. However, the second DVD player froze 2/3 through the first movie I viewed. I went back to the store and asked if I could exchange it for a more expensive one of another brand. They refused, saying I couldn't do that without the code on the box. They exchanged it again. In two weeks I am on my third DVD player and hope and pray this one works. I am stuck with it!!!

I purchased an Initial IDM-1731 this past holiday for one specific purpose; my fiancee and I had a long holiday road trip planned, and we needed something to shake the monotony of a voyage from southwest Florida to northeast Indiana by automobile. After reading up a bit on the available models in the price range I was comfortable with, I decided on this unit. I understood that others had run into problems with it in the past, but assumed it was just a case of a few bad shipments to specific regions and not a flaw in the product itself. Just as a failsafe, however, I purchased a retail chain's extended warranty plan along with it (to cover any of the long-reaching problems that I'd read this unit was particularly susceptible to) and took it on a short, hour-and-a-half long drive before the big trip... a sort of trial by fire. The IDM-1731 performed with flying colors. The picture quality was outstanding and the limited number of buttons on the unit itself managed to keep its physical appearance uncomplicated without sacrificing too much usability (for instance, we effortlessly changed the aspect ratio from widescreen to fullscreen to avoid stretching the TV-series disc we were watching without the use of the remote control). The screen size felt just right, and though the audio was a little weak and tinny when using the built-in speakers, the various output options made the incorporation of an FM Transmitter a breeze. The inclusion of a car-adapter for unlimited use on the road was a godsend, and a major selling point.

It wasn't until we began our wintery trek and crossed the border between Florida and Georgia that we ran into our first problem with the unit. After what I'd estimate as a total of three hours' worth of use in its lifetime, (including the "test voyage" we'd taken the week before) the unit suddenly froze, mid-scene, in the middle of playback. It wasn't attempting to move between chapters, we didn't hit a bump or even budge it physically. Just a freeze frame of the last scene that had aired and nothing else. We attempted to troubleshoot, powering it down, removing the disc, reinserting and powering up again, but had no luck. The unit would recognize that the lid had closed and bring up a "DISC LOAD" message, but never proceed from that point. The two of us assumed it had overheated (since the base was growing a bit warm) and closed it up for the night. The next morning, I tried again and was met with the same "DISC LOAD" message. We began looking out for another location of the retail chain we'd originally purchased it from. When we reached Chattanooga, Tennessee, (roughly the two-thirds point of our voyage) we spotted one right near the highway, turned off, and exchanged our faulty unit for a brand new one. We climbed back into the car, popped a disc in to ensure the unit would function before we left the parking lot, and were pleased to see the DVD loading without a problem. We left the parking lot secure in the knowledge that our nightmare was over.

An hour and a half later, with about ten minutes remaining in the first disc we'd ever attempted to play in the unit, the screen froze once again. We were having the exact same problem... the disc refused to play again, the "DISC LOAD" screen was staring us down, and we were more than a bit frustrated. Upon arriving in Indianapolis, we returned the unit (and the accompanying, unused, extended warranty) for a full refund. This isn't a mild problem that affects only a few unlucky regions in the United States (as we can attest, thanks to our experience with units from both Florida and Tennessee)... it's a flaw with the unit itself that's left me questioning Initial's credibility as a manufacturer. Don't waste your time with an IDM-1731... you'll spend more time troubleshooting, scratching your head and waiting in line to exchange it than you'll spend actually enjoying movies on the road.

I got 2 DVD player and both had problems. The first I received had an annoying "tac-tac-tac" and got really hot. I returned it and I was sent a replacement. The replacement although the same model, was an older one with same estrange features like having to connect the battery with a cable to run the player with it... still this model also had the annoying "tac-tac-tac" so I returned it. Finally I bought the Milata 710V, although a little bigger a much better one

This is a horrible piece of equipment! I have owned 9 players and also purchased the 2 year free replacement extended warranty (thank goodness). My first lasted 7 months before the screen broke. My second lasted 4 months before it quit playing. My third free replacement broke in 4 days. Every time it was a different defect. Comp USA has replaced so many of these that they no longer offer a free replacement warranty on this machine. Spend a little more to get a good machine! Don't forget to buy the extended warranty...it's worth it!!!

We have had a 5 inch model for a few years and it has the skipping problem every once in a while. We decided we needed another unit due to family issues and wanted to keep in the Initial family. Prior to purchasing the the 7 inch, I contacted Initial customer support and mentioned all the issues that were reported here. We were informed that they had made software modifications that eliminated the skipping and freezing. We were advised to look for newer serial numbers. We have had no issues with our new DVD player. We have found that the motor noise is helped by using Earplugs. All in all you just can't beat the price.

I have had 2 of these, first one from Amazon and second from another store. When I turned on the first one and it said "NO DISC" ...tried several DVD's ( that work in the other players in my house) Finally got one to start. It worked for a couple of minutes before the picture and sound started to skip. Started over and it would stay stuck on "LOADING". Returned for credit.

The second one seemed to work better the first day. This is day 2 and I am having the same problems I had with the first one.

Two units- we haven't even watched an entire movie!

I'll be returning another one and looking for a different brand!

I purchased this DVD player over a year ago. We love it. Obviously, convience is the key to how great it is, but it's a great player. I have never had any problems with it. It is tough. We took a 10 hour trip with a two year old...who had to hold it...well needless to say, it took a beating. It's still ticking! It is so easy to use. I love the display...you can actually see! I would definately recommend this item to everyone! The price is right!

I was apprehensive when I first bought this player because what most people said in the reviews. But I owned this player for over six months and so far so good. I haven't had a problem with it. I take it everywhere and even play it in the car. The battery seems to last more than 2.5 hours that it states. I can almost watch 2 movies on one battery before it goes out. I actually bought an extra battery on ebay. I think it was a great investment. Most name brands go for twice the price. I bought the extended warranty just in case. The screen and sound is clear, but my only grip it that it's sometimes hard to get the DVD out of the player without finger printed the disc or getting it scratched sometimes.

Bought as a Christmas gift, worked twice. When you put in a DVD, it didn't go past loading then when you opened the player to take out the DVD it kept spinning...

The first time I put a DVD in this player it said loading 'No Disc' I thought the player was new so I ignored it , but after three days of some disc playing and others not, I sent this disc player back. All total I had this player 8 days.
Cons:
You get 2 pair of headphones, cigarette-lighter adaptor, carry pouch and a credit card sized remote. Free shipping from Amazon, then UPS came back to my house to pick this crap back up to deliver it back to Amazon.