Sony DVP-FX820 8-Inch Portable DVD Player, Black

I'd reviewed portable dvd players quite a bit before I ended up purchasing this one. I don't know if I just ended up with a defective one, but it freezes halfway through the movie. This happened on the 2nd movie watched on this. I have heard portable dvd players are a hit or miss, and this one was a miss.

Have these for the kids and they are just a great product. Wish they had these when I was a kid.

We have the 7 inch version of this Sony DVD player. We used it for about 20 hours over a 3 1/2 month period. The player began "freezing up" during the first five minutes of a DVD...just ten days after the 90 day labor warranty expired. Sony says that if I will pay the $12 for postage and insurance to return the unit to them, they will send me a refurbished unit for $33...that also has just a 90 day warranty. So, I send them my new $130 DVD player, plus spend $45 extra, and Sony will send me a USED DVD player with the same weak warranty.

I'm thinking I should save the $45 and use it toward a DVD player from a company that still makes high quality products. My next DVD player will be a Panasonic.

Play a few times a week and screen and all buttons died on me today. That's the end of this machine. Not such good value. Don't think I should have to replace item after a year and a half. Annoyed and disappointed.

I do some travling by air. Bought this to watch DVD's on the plane. Its the best!!!

Bought this DVD Player back in March 2009. It really worked great on keeping my son occupied during daily commutes/long rides (bought the car mount with it). Every once in a while we would only get sound and no picture but if you turned it on and off a couple times the picture would appear...Now we're in November and there is no picture at all.
To spend $150 on a disposable product seems a bit expensive. Next time I'm going with cheap no-name brand.

I purchased a cheap portable DVD player two years ago to fall asleep to. It lasted about a year...reliably. So, last year my husband bought me this Sony, which cost twice what the cheap player cost. Picture and sound were nice, but, eight months out, the reliability was going. Eleven months out, I'm hoping it will last until Christmas, when I get another cheap one.

The picture quality on this unit is superior, the BIGGEST drawback is that it can't decipher the aspect ratio correctly. When displaying a 16:9 disk SET to 16:9 it displays the video in a LITTLE square centered on the screen. Changing the settings does still not render the aspect ratio correctly, I think in part because you have to completely STOP the disk to change settings. Very disappointing on this point. Battery life is around 3-3.5 hours, nowhere near 6. Even though I like the unit, I would dig deeper into the aspect ratios before buying another Sony Player.

When I found these refurbed for less than $100, I took a flyer on two figuring that even if they wouldn't do exactly what I wanted, I'm still buying Sonys for the price of Polaroids.

But they do EXACTLY what I wanted.

They have an in-out toggle switch which allows them to act as either a DVD player or a monitor. So by adding a couple of male-male miniplug cables, I can run a DVD on one that plays on both, with independent volume control for headphones on each. Fantastic. Having figured out a way to attach them to the seats in my Odyssey, I can now put a DVD in each and my girls can watch different things or the same things with a flip of the switch.

Adding power ports under the seats and running the cables under the carpet, I have a $250 aftermarket entertainment setup that's more flexible than the factory RES costing several times as much.

Oh yeah, and the picture's great too, the design is smart and rugged, yadda yadda yadda.

I really miss a mute button. The one I bought 2 years ago also didn't have a mute button. What's with that? I had a Mintek from 5 years ago with a mute button and its hard to beat. I gave the Mintek a bad review then later found out I wasn't following the instructions but I couldn't correct the review. This Sony also only turns if I'm on the left but not when I need it from the right. It's okay as these things go but if I had known there was no mute button I would have chosen something else.

Exceptional Product! I love the functionality of the screen, as you can move it from side to side to change your viewing angle. Easy to use, durable and functional. My 9 year old takes it everywhere! Great value for the price. As usual, Sony products are second to none.

We've been using this as a video or audio source for presentations (showing short videos) and short live events (rallies). It's worked very well. I'll start with negative aspects, then positive ones.

Negatives: The battery has lasted only a year before its lifespan has decreased drastically. This is not a problem for us, because we always have mains power available.

The screen is hard to see in sunlight. It looks OK in the shade, so we have to bring something to shade the unit outdoors. It would be fantastic if this device had an outdoor-sunlight mode.

There is no fast-forward for audio, at least not on the controls on the console. If I were using this unit for audio that required cueing up music, this wouldn't work.

Positives: Very good sound, superior to many portable audio devices. It has a full, rich bass. The on-screen volume control works better than an analog dial because it's less likely to be jostled accidentally.

Decent video with lots of contrast. I've seen better (like the video out from a Mac), but for short presentations, it doesn't matter.

It doesn't use a combined "camcorder" style A/V plug. It has one output for video, and one for audio (the headphone out). This makes it a LOT easier to interconnect this device with external amplifiers and projectors, because these two devices are often in completely different locations, in opposite directions from the player. Also, if a cable breaks, it's a lot easier to make a quick fix when the audio and video are on separate plugs, and the plugs are totally generic, as they are with this unit. This feature is a must-have for our purposes.

It has a digital audio out, which would potentially be an awesome feature, if our equipment had digital audio in or an external DAC. One problem we suffer is impedance mismatch - our projector causes our amp to hum. If we had a digital-to-audio device that interconnected via the optical output, we'd be able to separate the video electronics from the amp, and have totally clean sound. For our purposes, this isn't necessary, but, in more critical projection situations, this is a useful feature.

The controls are simple, and right beneath the screen. There's enough space between them so you aren't likely to press the wrong button. You can put tape over the controls you don't want to touch, and labels over the ones you want to see more clearly. If you're into putting tape on your device, this allows it.

The software is okay. It took a while to learn how to get the system back to "start", and how to cue a DVD or CD, but, once you know, it's predictable. The pause and play are responsive and nearly instantaneous for both DVD and CD. The "screen saver" visual is pleasant (it's an abstract blue image, not a big Sony logo). For presentations, these features put this unit ahead of others.

The unit seems to be sturdy. We've hauled it around to many locations, and it still hasn't broken.

Overall, it's not perfect, but I still give it 5 stars.

Be VERY careful when you consider this product!!!

I bought a this Sony product less than six months ago.
During the past six months, I probably played with it for less than 20 times, if not less than 10 times.

A few weeks ago, it started to have problem: When a movie is played, the sound can be heard, but the picture is not shown on the screen.

I checked the warranty and found it only covers only 90 days on parts and 1 year on labor!
I contacted Sony support and its customer relationship department. The company kept talking about the warranty terms.
Indeed, it was my fault that I didn't pay much attention to Sony's warranty terms when I bought it, and I thought a Sony product (or any brand) would last at least a year or two. DVD and its related technologies are quite mature today.

Unfortunately, this Sony product doesn't last at all. With the price for a new one, I almost end up with a refurbished product even if I go through all the trouble of sending it to Sony and getting it fixed.

Be VERY careful when you choose a Sony product these days!

I use this product for my daughter while she is in the car or on a plane. Great quality, no problems! Worth every dime.

I bought the Sony fx820 in May 2009. I waited to write a review until I had used it for a while. I have been pleased. The sound is not a problem to me, with or without headphones. The picture is great. The battery does not seem to last as long as advertised, but watching one dvd at a time, the battery has never died while I was using the player.

I bought it so I could watch movies at night in the summer and not have to stay in the house on warm sumer nights. I sit outside at night on my glider/swing and watch movies. It has been just what I wanted.
I'd say, its a good buy.

This DVD player has great sound-nice and crystal clear with volume levels the range from very quiet, to loud enough to hear in the car without earphones. Great picture, and the swivel screen is great for the added visual positioning. It was easy for my 5 year old to understand. Then, after less then 15 hours of playing time, the screen failed-no picture at all (of course too much time had elapsed for me to be able to return it...). Everything else worked fine, but without the picture, all you have is a mediocre CD player.

I've had this unit for a bit over a year and played around 20 or movies on it. The claimed 6 hours of battery life is laughable. When brand new, it was around 4.5 hrs max and now, I'm on the last bar after a 2 hour movie. It's less than 3 hours after minimal usage. Picture quality is great. It also plays everything i throw at it. The volume goes up pretty loud, which is a huge perk. Sound quality isn't all that bad. I use an audio cable to connect to my car speakers, when I'm in the car. Happy with the purchase, overall.

We bought the Sony FX820 for our daughter at Christmas. The screen has stopped working only 7 months later. You can hear movies but you can not see the picture. Of course it is out of warranty. Sony's website offers to refurbish it for $136 (you can buy a new one for $153) what a joke. That does not include fixing the display on it which is the part that is broke. This is the second Sony item that we are not happy with. Used to love Sony, not anymore. Will have to look for a new more reliable brand.

The player works great overall. My 2 year old daughter loves it for car rides (our primary use for it). I have had it for 4 months now. The AC adaptor for the house has broken (and it has been treated very well). [...]. So if I want it I have to pay for it. That's o.k., it's [...], which isn't too bad. But I would have hoped sony would stand behind thier product more. Otherwise very satisfied with the player.

excellent service! very pleasantly surprised at receiving complimentary upgraded product (newer and more expensive model)--- w/o additional cost, "for being a valued amazon.com customer". [Original product I had ordered was not in stock.] Thanks to amazon.com and especially to [...]. RP

This DVD player is easy to use and very convenient. It's light weight and its battery can be detached to make it smaller if you have access to a power source and don't need a battery. A remote control is included but there isn't a place to put it so I usually just use the controls on the DVD itself. There are two earphone plugs so you don't need to have a earphone split cord to share the DVD with people. The display is very clear and it is customizable.
The cover scratches pretty easily but the DVD player itself is durable. The open button for the lid of the DVD is easily pushed so sometimes, you have to be careful that you don't push the button and open the lid, causing whatever you are playing to end abruptly. The swivel screen is extremely useful and can make holding the machine on your lap very comfortable under any circumstances.
I think there is a problem with this DVD player and multi-regions - I don't think it supports multi-region DVDs but I can't be sure...

We are very happy with the quality of this DVD player. Would recommend this to anyone.

The Sony DVP-FX820 8-Inch Portable DVD Player that I bought was great when I first received it. However, after a few weeks, the DVD player began to make a constant hissing noise that became very annoying and distracting. Something particularly disappointing was the picture quality. It was slightly blurry on the upper left hand corner of the screen, and the center of the screen had copacetic quality, but there are much clearer screens that I have seen.

Also, the hinge that allows you to close the player was loose from the first day I had the machine, and every time I watched a movie on it, the screen would slowly shut over a period of a few minutes, so I would have to constantly reposition the screen.

Lastly, my DVD player broke in just under 1 year. The screen no longer functioned. I tried everything to see if it would work but no matter what, the screen would not come on.

Overall, I am disappointed by the Sony DVP-FX820 8-Inch Portable DVD Player, and I will certainly never by that model of Sony's DVD Players ever again.

I love this DVD player. It's very easy to use and lightweight. I can take it anywhere in the house or take it to the office in case I have to work on a weekend and it's too quiet! Great, fun product.

I used this product 3 times. The battery ran out and for some reason it won't charge and the ac adapter will not charge. I called Sony as I have had this for 7 months. They will replace it for a $43 fee. Beware.

I bougth this for my neices, and its been 7 months now. Works well no problems so far.

I purchased this initially to entertain my two little ones last Thanksgiving for a very long and harsh road trip to grandma's house. It has exceeded my expectations as SONY normally delivers. This DVD player has been used nearly on a daily basis for at least 2 hours a day and is going strong. The battery life is great!

First of all, I was so thankful to Amazon. I placed an order for
Sony DVP-FX820 DVD player, but they send me a DVP-FX930 without any extra charge just because DVP-FX820 was out of stock at that time.
This product is incredibly good. High quality, excellent screen picture and easy operation for little one on Convenient touch-screen keys. Best of all, I like 6-hours battery. When you are on an airplane, or waiting at airport, or in a tent of campground or... somewhere you are not able to recharge your player, 6-hours playing battery is really really useful to keep your little one calm down. Plus it is with multiple format disc playback, but I haven't try this function yet. My little daughter is really enjoy it.
Sony DVP-FX820 8-Inch Portable DVD Player, Black
Sony DVP-FX930 9" Portable DVD Player - Black

While this is for granddaughter's birthday in September, she'll be 7, it is a quality DVD and good for any age. The price was reasonable as well.

This product works well and the size is perfect, along with the quality. We took it on vacation in order to keep my 2 year old occupied on the plane and it did the trick!

Excellent sound, picture is very clear, colors are vibrant. I am very pleased with this Sony player. Swivel base is awesome, and love the pink color too! You can watch about 3 movies before you have to recharge. I wish they would have given it an option of watching while it is charging, but not. I like this more than a TV. Very excellent quality.

I read the reviews, and saw that many reported poor sound or low quality sound. Perhaps mine is a newer model (2009), but I think the sound is very good, and plenty loud for my use. I have been pleased with the picture quality as well. I would agree that the battery life could be better, but you recieve an AC as well as vehicle power point chargers with the DVD player.

Always been a Sony fan and this DVD player reminds me why. Great picture quality and sound quality too. The icing on the cake was being upgraded to a 9" screen from the expected 8" unit. Thanks for that!!!

I love Sony products, but this one I got for my 2 years old daughter, It's small but very heavy for a 2 years old. One thing I dislike about this portable DVD player is it can NOT play copied DVDs, it's only play original DVDs. So if you have couple copied DVDs, this DVD player won't work!

we use it occasionally as an extra dvd player with the TV and used it once on a trip. Have not had any problems yet. it even plays my burnt DVDs

Love the dvd player but the battery did not last very long and costs $100 to replace. We have only had it a year and now I have to buy another one.

Battery life is as advertised. Screen resolution is fantastic. Easy to use and worth the extra dollars over cheaper, less-featured brands. Sony makes a quality product.

I bought this player for personal use and really like the red color. Soon after I bought it, I traveled from Houston to north of Dallas with my 21 month old grandson. He had just started watching DVDs like Thomas and Barney, so we brought it with us. Made the trip much less boring for him. I tried to find one of the holders to attach it to the back of the seats, but was unsuccessful in finding one that worked well in my car. So, we put it on the console between the seats. It worked well. We used it again for a trip this past week (he's 2 now) and my daughter commented on how it never skips. She also took it with them on a trip they took on a cruise. She said it really helped when he just needed some quiet, wind-down time. I would also add that it is very easy to use. The 2 year old knows how to open it and put in the disc. Not real good at starting it with the "mote" but I'm sure he will be doing that soon. Oh yes, the one thing I wish it had was a way to start it on the player without the remote. It's about the only thing you can't do. Minor inconvenience, but since you usually sit close to it, it would be nice to not have to get the remote out. I don't think I'm going to get my player back.

Like a small Bravia- the screen looks 3D. Watched Lord Of The Rings and it was the best picture we've seen. Better than the home tv's. Easy to work and a great product for the money.

Bought this for a cross-country road trip with our 2-year-old daughter who loves Disney movies. It worked great but I feel that it should be a good product for the price. I originally wanted to buy a cheaper brand but opted for this one b/c of the longer battery life. The car adapter is nice too but won't help on flights. All in all, we're happy with the product.

This a great product for the money. The video quality is excellent and the battery long lived.

As many have said, the image is beautiful on the unit. Unfortunately it doesn't play MPEG-4s, the format of many of my videos, nor accept USB drives. And the unit is quite heavy compared to a different brand I used previously. It looks sturdy, but if weight and range of formats is important, keep looking.

It has a sharper picture, better sound, and easier-to-see and reach controls than its predecessor, the DVP-FX810.

This is the perfect little DVD player. Perfect screen size and the flexiblity of the screen makes it accessible from various angles. I take it with me everywhere. It also comes with a remote and car charger that keeps you powered up on the go. And the red color is awesome!

BOUGHT THIS FOR MY GRANDSON, AFTER TRYING SEVERAL OTHERS. NO COMPARISON. THIS DVD HAS GREAT SOUND AND A BEAUTIFUL PICTURE. I HELD BACK ON MY REVIEW BECAUSE THE OTHERS TOOK A FEW WEEKS BEFORE THEY QUIT PLAYING ,OR FELL APART. HAD THIS ONE A YEAR NOW. NO PROBLEMS, COMPLETELY SATISFIED.USED IN CAR FOR TRIPS. WORTH ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD FOR KEEPING MY GRANDSON ENTERTAINED.

We absolutely love this DVD player. The battery lasts forever and the screen quality is amazing, better than one of our t.v.'s! Great deal for the money and we love it!

This is a great deal for a portable dvd. The picture is excellant and the sound is ok but better with headsets. Have fun running dvds in bed and outside on a hot summer's day.

I am very satisfied. The picture is very clear. The video does not skip like my other DVD player. The screen is big enough. The sound is good. Love that one can put 2 headphones. I recommend this to everyone.

I needed a DVD player with a long lasting battery and I have been very pleased with this product. Furthermore the picture is clear and the price was quite reasonable for the quality of the player.

Compact, great picture, long battery life. Looked at lots of players and Sony definitely has the best features and quality. Spend a little more and get one that you'll actually enjoy. Works best with headphones.