Apex PD-10 Portable DVD Player with 5.6-Inch LCD Screen
By: Apex Average Rating: 3.0 Total Reviews: 31
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 On: 2006-08-12
I received this player as a gift over 3 years ago. The remote has never worked quite right and I typically had to be no less than 4 inches from the screen in order for it to work. I just figured that since it was a portable player, it wasnt meant to function across a small dorm room. Apparently the engineers didnt factor in the possiblity of using this to play DVDs on a regular tv. Let me just say now that the DVD player received very little use until this year. Within 3 months of increased usage - what my friends still term sub-normal - it has completely died. The warrentys been expired, so Im not going to bother paying to send it off.
 On: 2005-02-05
I purchased two of these for each of my daughters and they both use theirs almost daily and I havent had any problems with either of them. Everything works and the display is great for the price~!! I am extremely happy with the value of these items.
 On: 2005-01-09
I just want to warn you about this companies equipment. They dont stand behind it at all. So far I have owned 2 of their prodects and neither one has lasted 1 year. Unfortunately, their warentee is for 90 days. This Portable DVD players battery never worked (I brought 3 of them back before I got one that worked and that one stopped working after 40 days...and the batteries only warenteed for 30 days). This company does not stand behind their products and their customer service...well I guess they call it that...is useless. Trust me...dont buy anything from them. Save your money!!!
On: 2004-10-01
IT BROKE STOPED READING DISCS IT WAS REALLY SKETCHY
DONT BUY IT EVER BUY PANISONIS (LS50) ITS MY NEW ONE AND IS GREAT
i bought this dvd player and used it preety rarely for about a year
On: 2004-09-30
IT BROKE STOPED READING DISCS IT WAS REALLY SKETCHY
DONT BUY IT EVER BUY PANISONIS (LS50) ITS MY NEW ONE AND IS GREAT
i bought this dvd player and used it preety rarely for about a year
On: 2004-07-13
if this is the shoddiness i am to expect out of a portable dvd player then i will never buy another.first, the thing isnt even a widescreen display like in the picture.
secondly, the thing practically cooks the discs, they get so hot.
third, if you lose a little part, youre screwed. Apex, doesnt offer replacements. i lost the remote, and now i cant access anything, i have to hit play and i can only see the movie. good luck with TV show DVDs that have you individually select episodes.
it seems like nothing but negative complaints as we continue:
when you turn the unit on its side to turn up the volume it starts to scratch the disc up. oh, and did i mention the extreme heat! Do yourself a favor, save yourself some money and buy a better brand, because you will have nothing but problems with this!
by: Anonymous On: 2004-05-05
I got this for a xmas gift for my husband and he never used it. So I decided I would use it myself. It had been sitting in the box for about 4 months so of course I charged the battery. All the lights worked while I was charging it so I attached it to the unit and nothing. I read the manual and turned on all the right buttons and still nothing. I thought the unit was broken and I wanted to make sure so I plugged it in to the wall. To my surprise it worked and it was just the battery. So now Im concerened at this point regarding my warrenty for the battery. Ill keep you posted but after reading these reviews Im not happy.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-03-18
Its been 8 months since purchase of apex pd10 and no problems. Some people complain that the screen freezes, no problem so far. Some people complain that the unit heats up but only noticed this once when the unit was on a blanket. Great for road trips...keeps the kids quiet and for the price it is worth every penny!!!
by: Anonymous On: 2004-01-13
The player broke the third time I used it. Plus, the DC adapter they sent with it never fit the player. It broke 2 1/2 months after I bought it. Since it was over thirty days since I bought it, APEX says they wont replace it. Instead theyll fix it for $80.00 and I pay the shipping! Dont buy this and dont expect APEX to support their products.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-12-31
I bought this for my son for Christmas, he loved the decent size screen and was thrilled. However after only 2 days the color went and we could not return the item because it was over 2 weeks that I had purchased it. (I purchased it and hid it until Christmas).
I called APEX and could not get through at all, I went to the APEX website and checked repair companies in my area, none of them would touch APEX stating that APEX never paid them for previous repairs made, even though APEX lists them on their very OWN WEBSITE!
I finally got through via email and received a reply, the reply was I had to pay to ship this to California and they would try and fix it and ship it back. I live in Mass I estimate if they do in fact fix this, I may see it back in a month! Also local repair shops in my area say they wont fix APEX and that it is junk. So I wish I paid more and got a reputable brand. APEX is JUNK to me.
 On: 2003-12-12
I bought this unit while I was in Kuwait (you kow... that big sandbox where soldiers go play every few years) and I wasnt hoping for great picture quality, sound or even durability. I was just looking for a way to watch some dvds now and then. Sure, its heavy as a box of ammo, and the battery is even heavier. Sure, the screen is pretty small, but its clear enough that two or three joes can huddle around it to watch Girls Gone Wild. HA! It is what it is.. a cheap player, but its a lot better than I thought it would be. It has even survived the trip to Saudi Arabia, and is used almost daily, with never a freeze, overheat, or any other malfunction. Take care of it, and it will play your dvds.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-12-03
Great player and very flexible. Really like the video
plugs for traveling. The only weakness is the speakers
and you should plan on using headphones for good audio.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-11-22
Was skeptial about the price (you know, ones gets what they pay for). Have had no overheating problems, froze only once (suspect kids dvd is dirty). For the price, it keeps the kids quite on trips and didnt drain the pocket book. A good first time portable DVD player for children.
On: 2003-11-13
I bought this hoping that at the very least it would play, even if the quality wasnt that great, however the dvds would often skip and freeze and finally the motor burned out. Beware of the low price, pay a little more to get something better.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-11-13
Though Apex brand maybe cheaper then the competition, it lacks in quality. This brand has been known to have many problems with durability. I have known many people, myself included, that have owned an Apex dvd, tv, or vcr, and the average lifespan of these products was less than one year. Unless you are looking for something cheap and dont mind the need to get a new one in a few months, i would recommend that you spend a few extra bucks now to get a higher quality brand of electronics. Otherwise you will be spending more in the long run when you have to replace your Apex product. i would very much recommend panasonic products.
On: 2003-10-26
Feature wise this is one of the best portable DVD player out. I really like having a/v input / output on the device it self. :) :)!
Picture and sound quality pretty much sticks.
After having it for a year now i am going to upgrade to one that has a bigger screen size and better sound quality for only a few $ more. I will miss having the a/v input / output though.
But again if you want the features get this, also it is a very good price for what you get.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-10-15
I bought this to pass the time on some road trips for myself and my kids. I was very much lured in by the low price. Whats the old adage - you get what you pay for. Of the first 3 DVDs I played, it had trouble with 2 of the 3. It would skip, freeze, and otherwise not track well. I thought that maybe it just didnt do well in the car, but the same problems persisted sitting on a flat table in the house. Hence, back it went, and no more APEX products for me.
On: 2003-10-12
I got this Apex PD10 on Ebay for $165 new. Lowest price I could find anywhere on the net.
I read alot of reviews about the unit getting very hot while being used, not the case with mine. Dont know if its because I dont put it flat on the surface of the table (back end propped up) or if thats just how this unit is. The picture is pretty clear, color is alittle on the red side, the color control doesnt do much good. I wish it had direction controls on the unit itself, you have to navigate with the remote. Not always easy. Esp. if you have big fingers. The 5.6" screen is big enough, I dont have a problem viewing anything. Does have a zoom feature but keeps a smaller pic of the org. in the upper left corner so it blocks part of the zoomed pic. weird.
All in all, a decent Dvd player. If I had more time to really look at more (taking it on a trip), I would probably spend alittle more and get a different one though.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-10-08
EDITED TO SAY:
Despite giving this a good review shortly after I bought it in late 2003, further experience proves the machine to be faulty and Apex to be a flat-out bad company to deal with.
While the player worked and never got too hot, the battery completely burned out with not much use. It developed a burning electronics smell.
Player screen showed black & white movies in charming, old-fashioned sepia and color movies in Christmasy red/green. Moving the hinged screen up or down might or might not adjust the color, but no guarantees here. Worst of all, the remote broke within a couple months of use. Ummm, the remote controls EVERYTHING. I could only hit play. Good enough...at least I could watch most features. After a year, I decided to spring for a new remote. Twenty-two bucks plus ten for shipping! Bite the bullet. I gave Apex all my shipping information. No remote after a couple of weeks. Call Apex. Oh, we dont have your shipping address. Give it again. Another couple of weeks. Call from Apex: please supply your shipping information. Beleive it or not, I went one more round with these clowns before cancelling and giving the whole kit and kaboodle to my engineer father. Maybe he can figure something out here. In the mean time, I bought a Samsung L-70, which functions beautifully, has a great, crisp screen with consistent colors, weighs almost nothing and is the size of a paperback book. And I havent needed to use the remote a single time. All that for ten bucks past the Apex PD-10 price.
DONT BUY APEX!! Sadly, I cannot edit my star rating to zero.
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My Previous Review:
Good little system, October 8, 2003
Nope, its not a 16:9 display. The picture is deceptive, it looks widescreen in the illustration. That aside, this isnt a bad little machine at all. I bought it to run movies at work as background noise. Ive had it for a week and its getting heavy use every day. The image quality is good as long as you are not trying to view from an extreme angle. Since its a personal system, that isnt much of an issue. The sound with headphones is good and I was surprised at how clear the speakers were the one time I didnt use headphones. It did freeze up on me a couple of times, but I restarted the disk without trouble. I dont find that its getting excessively hot. There is quite a bit in the package, which is nice: earbud headphones, car power adapter, ac pwer adapter, battery, tv connector cables, remote. Some other systems make you buy some of those separately. Id velcro the remote to the unit so it doesnt get lost, since its necessary in order to access menu items...dont want to lose it. Added bonus: it plays BOTH NTSC and PAL formats. Wish Id had this when the Buffy DVDs had only been released in the UK. All in all, what you get for the price is pretty good. I recommend this as a good, no-frills, economical portable dvd player.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-09-25
This player does not have a 16x9 display like that is shown in the picture. it is indeed a 4x3 display. Only negative about the player. Comes with everything you need to take on the road and enjoy your movies. Really worth the money!
On: 2003-09-23
if youre not aware of the apex brand, perhaps this little device will help you understand: apex and their multiple rebrands sell more dvd players than any other manufacturer in the world. theres one reason why; apex makes stuff cheap-but-functional. this player, like all other apex equipment ive ever tried, fits both those qualifications perfectly.yes, it gets kinda hot; but does it really get hotter than other portable dvd players; i dunno. yes, the battery is big; but how often will you really use it; it comes off and stays off easily. yes, ya gotta use the remote to use mosta the onscreen menu functions; but are 4 on-board menu buttons really worth a difference of $100 or more? yes, its a 4:3 screen, but small is small; the difference between a 5" and 7" screen image isnt really all that great at this level... plus, youve probably been watching letterboxed movies for years now; this is no different, only smaller. my bottom line: regardless of the few small compromises one must make to justify this player, you cant argue much about the cost. no other full-featured, fully-fledged portable player can even come close!
On: 2003-08-28
GREAT PRICE!! GREAT PICTURE!! SURPRISED WITH ALL THAT THIS LITTLE MACHINE CAN DO FOR THE $$.
by: gadgester On: 2003-08-28
What can you expect? Just 18 months ago one of these things cost almost a months after-tax take-home pay, and now its just some spare change. Of course you wont get Panasonic or Toshiba quality, but thats not what Apex has come to be known for. Like other Apex products, this DVD player works, and delivers quite some value. My biggest gripe is the big battery, which seems to add another 3 pounds to the DVD player.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-08-24
FOR THE MONEY, THIS UNIT IS A WINNER. THE NOT UNIT IS NOT GREAT BUT, IT CERTAINLY IS NOT JUNK.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-07-04
After a few minets of play the DVD gets real HOT to the touch, DVDs inside get real hot......After less than 5 months Moter burns out .......DONT BUY ONE OF THESE
On: 2003-06-16
Hey, Im Chad from West Virginia, and I got the Dvd player for a christmas present and I enjoyed using it for road trips and airplane trips. Although, it did have a few minor flaws. The speaker quality wasnt as good as I expected, but its great for the price. If your going to actually enjoy your movie, I would suggest using some head phones. The battery life is pretty good. It lasts about 3 hours. I wish it would last longer, because you dont get to finish your movie, if its that long. But your in luck, there is a ciggerate lighter adapter which will last as long as you want. The Dvd player is also pretty good for playing Ps2, but for Xbox it turns out black and white and I havent figured out how to fix that. But for the price, Its a great buy. You cant get any better for the price. I suggest it if your on a budget.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-02-20
we bought this at circuit city to keep my 2 year old daughter occupied on the trip from chicago to minneapolis. we rented 5 dvds at blockbuster for the trip. there were good and bad points to this player. BAD: 1) player froze up sometimes, and this was on interstate freeway, not exactly that bumpy. seemed like the generic or copied disks froze up more than factory disks. 2) the audio is useless as you can just barely hear it. i will have to research hooking up to car stereo if we keep it. GOOD: 1) hooked up to the home tv easily and played fine. you get what you pay for, but in a mobile i need the thing not to freeze so much.
On: 2003-01-30
This is a nice little DVD player, esp. it cost less than $....
The 5.8 inches screen is ok in size, and the display quality is above average. The contrast, however, is something Apex should work on.
Sound quality is ok when listen via the headphone or hook up to the car stereo (optical link), but the internal speaker does not performs as good as it should be. Grab a good headphone...or it will riun your movie viewing pleasure.
The power doesnt last as long as what it claims - I guess it is because it uses NiHM instead of Lithium battery. So I always rely on the car adapter for road usage.
Ease of use is pretty good, esp. the color and bright buttons under the screen. The off/on/hold swith, however, is hard to switch. I would rather use the remote to turn the player off.
I tried to play DVD, CD-R and also hook it up with a PS2. All runs smoothly.
One last note: Make sure you get this from a store with good return policy. Turns out I have a defected unit because it didnt reponse with I load a disk, and when I hooked it up to external player, the screen is all black and white. So I return to the store and exchange the next day(I did some simple test on the store to make sure I am getting a working one, you may want to do that too).
On: 2003-01-21
FOR THE MONEY YOU CAN GO WRONG WITH THIS ONE, I HAVE USED ON MANY TRIPS AND IT IS GREAT, THE ONE THING YOU HAVE TO WATCH OUT FOR IS THE ON OFF SWITCH, REAL HARD TO GET TO WORK.
On: 2003-01-04
I received the Apex PD-10 as a gift, while on vacation in California, so I had an opportunity to use it on the trip home. It has a great picture and great sound as long as your using the earphones. I was disappointed the battery did not last longer as I had to wait until I got home to see the end of the movie. The book says it will last for 3 hours so has long as its a short movie your okay. It does come with a adapter for the car, so that will be great for a road trip.
by: Anonymous On: 2002-12-22
We purchased the Apex PD-10 for home and travel use after shopping around. This was the lowest priced player I was able to find and I bought it with the notion of returning it if it didnt perform. I am a radio/tv producer and am quite selective when purchasing a/v products. After a week I am quite impressed. Picture quality is above average, it sounds great hooked up to external speakers, and it has all the features you need and many youll never use. The internal speakers? Absolutely horrible, as are those on most portable DVD players. The remote is handy, but doesnt work unless you are no more than 5 feet away and pointing it directly at the unit...a drawback for home use. Also, to scroll through DVD options on menus you must use the remote, since there are is no menu button and no track access available on the unit itself--just play, stop and scroll. The battery pack is quite heavy and cumbersome, but still a good option for portability. The on/off switch seems a little flimsy and could break under heavy use. I compensate by using the remote to turn the unit on and off to avoid wear and tear. Overall, this is a great little player and we are enjoying it so far.
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