Audiovox D1500A 5-Inch Portable DVD Player with Car Kit
By: Audiovox Average Rating: 3.0 Total Reviews: 32
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 On: 2007-06-03
Its been beat up by my 2 years old and still works.
keeps her quiet in the car.
Loved it.
On: 2006-12-18
We bought this for our kids to use on road trips, but shortly after purchasing it, started using it as our main DVD player when our original home cheapo DVD player broke. We have not a single problem in over two years of daily use, and with at least monthly use in the car, where it has been knocked over and abused by two little kids. It plays not only DVDs but VCDs and the DVDs we burn on our home computer without a glitch. Great purchase and we recommend it highly! Our next DVD player will be an Audivox.
 On: 2006-01-27
I bought this Audiovox Model D1500A a little over (4) months ago, and it has now taken a giant "dump !" Heck of a note that a DVD player will not even last for the full year of warranty. I have sent Amazon a letter concerning this, and am awaiting a reply from them on coverage. Sorry, but I dont have the patience for the "old run around" from the Audiovox warranty department. I will wait and see how this claim works out before slamming Audiovox as a company. However, I would not buy the Model D1500A regardless of how low the price goes. I was told the drive is made of plastic, and when trying to view a movie, the scenes just freeze, or lock up. Guess it is plastic after all ...
On: 2005-11-19
I dont think Ill buy any more Audiovox products at all. Ive now -- at my error -- purchased 2 Audiovox portable DVD players in the last year alone. This one didnt even last 7 months. Now the one I just purchased only 2 months ago is having problems, too (model #D-1420). Im beginning to now think that Audiovox products in general are just crap. And the warranty is only 90 days.....guess I should have known. Dont buy!
On: 2005-10-04
This DVD player was the best thing in my life until it broke. I cant read my disks. I have put all of my DVDs in there and it just coulnt read them. Before that the battery wouldnt work. So it wasnt even portable any more. Then came the remote the God awful remote. I pushed a button and then smoke started to come out of it. So now what I have is a portable DVD player with not remote , no battery (no longer portable) and finally it cant read disks. Maby you think its a great buy well maby all I know is that its seriously the most CRAPPYEST DVD player I ever saw.
On: 2005-09-10
Ive had a terrible experience with Audiovox. We received this as a wedding gift off our Amazon registry. The screen blinked an hour into the DVD. Turns out it was a battery problem. I had to pay to ship it back myself. When it came back, we charged it up again and tried to watch the DVD again. It stopped in the same place.
I called Audiovox. Its customer service reps are useless and completely unempowered. The supervisors are never there and dont return messages. After repeated phone calls, I finally reached one who told me that because Audiovox sells through Amazon and not directly to customers, you cant get a refund. Period.
I had to send it back again (they would not refund me money for any of my shipping costs). After a decent wait, it came back. We charged it for two days just to make sure, DVD battery died again. We are so frustrated and apparently have no recourse with Audiovox so were going to try and deal with amazon. Next time, were going to ask people to just buy us a gift certificate to Best Buy and be done with it.
On: 2005-09-06
I used it twice,then after the 1 year warranty expired it died. The repair quote from the manuf. was $100.25 with shipping. Why bother.
 On: 2005-09-05
Okay, seeing that many of the reviews were complaints with little to no useful technical information, I thought Id try something a bit more formal. So, here goes.
Bought the unit on Friday, and so far I havent had too many problems with it. There are a few complaints, but Ill get to those below.
Disc Player: This machine is LOUD. The noise the disc player makes is far more than any computer cd-rom, cd player, or dvd player ive ever encountered before. The buttons and lid also feel cheaply made.
Interface: Sadly, the menu and means to navigate is somewhat clunky and very unintuitive. It could have been much better designed. Dont even think about attempting to navigate with the buttons on the machine itself. Youre best off using the included remote control.
Battery Life: I managed to watch a full DVD and parts from other DVDs before the battery keeled over. I was also able to use the players built in JPG viewer and MP3 player a couple of times. Altogether Id say it has a battery life of -close- to 2 hours, so dont expect to be able to watch Frank Herberts Dune or the Complete LotR trilogy in one charging. Be sure to use the adapter for longer movies.
Screen: Well, its a screen. I hadnt noticed any problems anyone else mentioned so far. Though the dimmer controls do almost nothing to clear up resolution. Also, dont expect to watch it outdoors unless youre in a well shaded area. Anything except room default lighting wont go over too well with it. In fact, youre probably better off watching it with the ligths off. It doesnt like bright lights.
Features: As mentioned, it can view JPGs and play MP3 files that are burned on either CD-Rom or DVD-Rom. However its worth noting that these features are -slow-. It takes nearly a minute to load up anything that isnt a movie, and then navigating the interface is a laborious process at best. Youre better off getting an iPod photo or other such dedicated MP3 player if you want to use these type of functions.
Overall: That said, its a decent DVD player if you want to watch a movie while on a lengthy bus ride, or if you want to give your kid a way to watch movies in their room without having to shell out for a full sized TV. Otherwise, theres far better deals out there, and you -do- wind up getting what you paid for.
On: 2005-08-22
The Audiovox does NOT have a widescreen-LCD which seems like a disadvantage, but may not matter at this size. In fact, some people prefer that feature if you like fullscreen movies. Black plastic non-moveable "curtains" surround the 5inch screen so it is easy to focus on the screen. They should make more DVD players with black "curtains". It makes it easier to view the DVD. The speakers are small but sound fine.
This unit can be made region free with a remote hack.
JUST PUT IN A DISC, OPEN THE DOOR, AND PRESS 96530.
"REGION O" WILL APPEAR IN THE UPPER RIGHT HAND CORNER OF THE SCREEN. You can now play NTSC or PAL discs from all over the world. Amazon has a good selection of non-region-1 discs at their France and Germany sites. It is good for learning foreign languages.
I dont use the included battery much bit it is small and very convenient.
You might also consider the Axion LMD 5369 sold at Radio Shack which is very small and the rechargeable battery is built into the unit. It has a 16X9 LCD that is 3.6 inches wide. It is about the size of a portable CD-player. I havent found a region-hack for it yet.
On: 2005-06-21
I bought this unit in March 2004. In April 2005 our family went to use it and a message came up wrong region with Region 1 movies(I live in the USA). Audiovox said it would need to be repaired at a cost of at least $94. I told them that they just lost another customer. Not a good product or a good company.
On: 2005-04-13
Audiovox does not stand behind this product at all.
I am having the same issue that other consumers have had: picture freezing, scratchy sound, screen goes dead.
Unfortunately, I am seeing a trend for this small DVD player.
After calling customer service and explaining that I bought this thing 6 months ago they responded with "the policy is 3 months" if you would like to get your product fixed, it will cost $96.00.
If you are in the market for something that will work for 3 months and then break - this is your product. However, a company like Audiovox should stand behind the products that they put out in the market place. Shame on Amazon for continuing to support this dirty little company.
On: 2005-03-24
This thing could have burned my 3 year old...the bottom got so hot just by watching movies that the battery burned and melted on the bottom after turning it off one night. It stuck to the blanket and could have started a fire...talk about defective product!!!!!!
On: 2005-01-10
I guess you get what you pay for. My girlfriend bought this DVD player for me for Christmas and it worked ok when plugged in, but the battery died after 10 minutes. I tried charging it several times but it would not work. I returned it at Best Buy and picked up the Panasonic LS55 instead, which is about twice the price but has a much sharper and glare-free screen and an unrivaled 10 hour battery life. So far I have been very happy with the Panasonic.
On: 2004-12-26
Prior to the purchase of this unit, I read all of the reviews posted on this site. Although there were a few negative reviews, I decided to go with the majority - and ordered the unit. And I am so glad that I did.
I bought this player for my 7-year old daughter for Christmas. We travel a lot, and I got really tired of lugging a small television/vcr combo with us.
As soon as the unit arrived, I unpacked it and fired it up. I am still amazed at the quality and clarity of both the picture and sound. The picture is crystal clear, and sound is flawless - with or without the headphones. My daughter carries it with her everytime we get in the van. She holds it in her lap at all times - and I have not heard or seen the unit skip a single time.
We are able to watch one movie on a fully-charged battery. The unit came with a car adapter (which is wonderful) that will charge the battery even while the player is in use. It came with an AC adapter, as well as the necessary cables to hook the unit up to any TV in our home.
This player is an exceptional value for the price. We couldnt be more pleased.
On: 2004-10-21
Ive been wanting to buy a portable dvd player for some time, and with an airplane trip from Boston to Alaska planned, I thought this would be the perfect time to take the plunge. I was attracted to the Audiovox D1500A 5" Portable DVD Player due to the low price and great Amazon ratings. I received the player and after testing it with several dvds, Im wondering - is this the same player everyone here is raving about?
The player looks sturdy and figuring out how to use it was a snap. I popped in my first test dvd, The Sound of Music, and turned the player on. The sound from the speakers is about what youd expect, terrible, but with headphones it was fine. I was surprised with the picture quality. There was a problem with aliasing as well as colors looking washed out.
Thinking it might be the dvd, I also tried my Fargo dvd and then a dvd from the tv series, X Files, and had the same problem with each - washed out color, aliasing, and titles which were blurry around the edges and extremely difficult to read.
The only adjustment you can make to the picture is the brightness, and playing around with that didnt help. I am not particularly demanding when it comes to video quality, but I could not put up with this poor picture quality for an entire movie.
Even the extremely low price does not justify the worst picture quality I have ever seen on a portable dvd player. I returned this to Amazon and bought a Panasonic brand player instead.
On: 2004-10-20
Ive been wanting to buy a portable dvd player for some time, and with an airplane trip from Boston to Alaska planned, I thought this would be the perfect time to take the plunge. I was attracted to the Audiovox D1500A 5" Portable DVD Player due to the low price and great Amazon ratings. I received the player and after testing it with several dvds, Im wondering - is this the same player everyone here is raving about?
The player looks sturdy and figuring out how to use it was a snap. I popped in my first test dvd, The Sound of Music, and turned the player on. The sound from the speakers is about what youd expect, terrible, but with headphones it was fine. I was surprised with the picture quality. There was a problem with aliasing as well as colors looking washed out.
Thinking it might be the dvd, I also tried my Fargo dvd and then a dvd from the tv series, X Files, and had the same problem with each - washed out color, aliasing, and titles which were blurry around the edges and extremely difficult to read.
The only adjustment you can make to the picture is the brightness, and playing around with that didnt help. I am not particularly demanding when it comes to video quality, but I could not put up with this poor picture quality for an entire movie.
Even the extremely low price does not justify the worst picture quality I have ever seen on a portable dvd player. I returned this to Amazon and bought a Panasonic brand player instead.
On: 2004-09-15
The product worked great until a week after my warranty expires. It is as if there is a timer on the DVD to make the product useless after 90 days. Have to chuck it b/c it would cost more to have it repaired by Audiovox. DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT.
On: 2004-09-15
I bought this player for airplane/car use for my child four months ago. For the first couple of months it worked just fine. However, in the last month, I have had nothing but problems with it. At this point, it will not successfully load any DVDs; stops playing and shuts off automatically with the error "unknown" disc. My biggest complaint is with Audiovoxs customer service policy. Because the 90 day warranty is up, they want another $93.75 just to fix the obviously defective product. And the worst of it is how it comes on the heals of just paying $165.00 only 4 months prior! I would definitely think twice about buying this product.
On: 2004-09-14
The product worked great until a week after my warranty expires. It is as if there is a timer on the DVD to make the product useless after 90 days. Have to chuck it b/c it would cost more to have it repaired by Audiovox. DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT.
On: 2004-09-14
I bought this player for airplane/car use for my child four months ago. For the first couple of months it worked just fine. However, in the last month, I have had nothing but problems with it. At this point, it will not successfully load any DVDs; stops playing and shuts off automatically with the error "unknown" disc. My biggest complaint is with Audiovoxs customer service policy. Because the 90 day warranty is up, they want another $93.75 just to fix the obviously defective product. And the worst of it is how it comes on the heals of just paying $165.00 only 4 months prior! I would definitely think twice about buying this product.
On: 2004-08-27
Good thing we bought this item well in advance of our overseas trip so we could replace it with a product that works! After having charged the battery for the recommended 8+ hours, when the player operated on battery power only, the screen would go in and out and the sound was very scratchy. I called Audiovox and they agreed that the battery was most likely defective and suggested that I get the battery replaced.
I dont know about other people, but when I buy a new product I want it to work from the get go. If it does not work, then I have my doubts about the product line in general. This is the last time I make a decision to purchase a product on the basis of price only. You get what you pay for!
I have returned this item to Amazon and purchased a more expenseve and name-brand player which does in fact work.
On: 2004-08-26
Good thing we bought this item well in advance of our overseas trip so we could replace it with a product that works! After having charged the battery for the recommended 8+ hours, when the player operated on battery power only, the screen would go in and out and the sound was very scratchy. I called Audiovox and they agreed that the battery was most likely defective and suggested that I get the battery replaced.
I dont know about other people, but when I buy a new product I want it to work from the get go. If it does not work, then I have my doubts about the product line in general. This is the last time I make a decision to purchase a product on the basis of price only. You get what you pay for!
I have returned this item to Amazon and purchased a more expenseve and name-brand player which does in fact work.
On: 2004-07-17
Arrived defective -- bad screen. Audio quality also poor, very tinny: the speakers are not nearly as large as they appear. Volume had to be adjusted frequently during a movie, as did brightness. Vertical viewing range was very limited, had to re-tilt the display if I sat back in my chair.Note that with the battery pack attached, the unit is about twice the thickness of the one in the photograph. Any features beyond stop/pause/play require the remote, and the infared receiver is in an awkward location on the front of the unit. Finally, I dont know if Id call a cigarette lighter power cord a "car kit." Overall I wouldnt recommend this unit. Its a shame -- it looked really good in the description.
On: 2004-07-16
I was initially very satisfied with this product but within the first week it began freezing up on a VERY regular basis, and often within the first ten minutes of use. In order to try again, I have to turn it off, unplug it, remove the disk, and try it again in a few minutes.
 On: 2004-06-19
I bought this DVD player about a month ago. The only problem that I have been having with it is that the screen gets scratched very easily, where some of the fancier models have the same screens that laptops do and dont scratch easily. It is very thick especially with the battery on it, but for the money it is great
On: 2004-05-22
this player is cool the way it looks and all,but the picture is rather not good!!the picture of it is all white-ish and it is extremely hard to read small words on the screen!well the only reason im rating it 2 stars instead of 1 is because of its sound and design.take my advice,DON"T BUY!!
On: 2004-05-04
A durable and basic player. Good value for the money with crisp picture and easy to use controls. for a basic player, the picture is clear enough you dont need to spend more money for a larger screen. After 2 hrs playing time, unit is a little warm to touch. Unit travels well, can get bounced around with no damage. Sound is average and just a bit tinny, that is to be expected for this low price.
On: 2004-05-03
I bought this portable DVD because of the reviews that I read on Amazon.com only. I bought one previously from Wal-Mart (Cyber-Home) and found that it got horrible reviews so I returned it, got my money back and ordered the Audiovox D1500A from amazon.coms store.
For $177.00 bucks total, the D1500A cant be beat. Great picture, great sound, not too big, not too small. Overall a great product, and since I bought it from the amazon.com store, it arrived in a very short period of time and I have no fear of replacement if that becomes necessary. I do suggest that you buy a set of good airplane headphones and an extra battery.
ATTENTION: Six months after writing this glowing review, the thing died on me. Skips, hangs up, voice does not coordinate with picture, battery gets so hot on long plane trips it burns your lap. Change the 5 stars to one half star. Dont waste your hard earned money on this thing, check the Panasonic DVD-LS 50 Portatble DVD Players.
On: 2004-04-22
i purchased this product only to have the screen completely die on me the first time i used it. i bought it based on the otherwise excellent reviews other people had given it. the contrast would inexplicably go from light to dark by itself while watching a movie. then the screen went black, never to turn on again. i have since returned it and will look into another brand. its kind of ironic that the brand i bought was based on good reviews for reliability and was a complete dud.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-04-17
I bought this player because it was affordable and cheap. The video quality was good for the 14 DVDs Ive watched so far the sound quality was okay. When I hooked my playstation up to it there was lines going across the screen. I tried many solutions but none of them worked. But when I hooked a VCR up to it there was no lines probaly could have been the Playstation. The size of the player could have been smaller and the battery pack a be a little less bulkier and heavier. When I took it on a car trip the car adapter worked just fine. Battery has a long life. Overall A pretty good player
On: 2004-03-29
Although this 5" is a bit bulkier than some, it sure makes up for it with its clear quality picture and great sound!!
Battery life has been great with it going longer than the 2 movie life the manufacturer suggests! I LOVE IT !!
Great to have the car kit come with it! Nothing to buy extra!
Great perk to be able to use it with the video games as well!
A great buy~~ Im VERY pleased !!!
On: 2004-03-23
This player is fantastic. It is extreamly durrible while still being compact at the same time. Although it is bigger than the others, it is worth it. The picture resolution is so good that you do not need the 7" screen and the sound is better than the $500 players. Its a great value and and an even better gift for a bord teenager who is always on the move.
On: 2004-02-16
im a avid gamer and i was soooo excited when i found out i could take my games with me on the road. this is soooo great!!!!!
On: 2004-02-07
We rcvd this as a gift for xmas. Not only does it have endless options (battery,Cigarette and A/C adapter)it allows you to take it anywhere and stands up to the test. We have taken it on bumpy roads in the car w/o skipping, and my 2 yr old has even tossed it on the ground and gotten COOKIE in the player. No big deal for this machine. It is a bit bulkier than others, however, its still compact enough to not be a bother when travelling. With 2 small kids...I need entertainment on the fly and this one works.
On: 2004-02-06
We rcvd this as a gift for xmas. Not only does it have endless options (battery,Cigarette and A/C adapter)it allows you to take it anywhere and stands up to the test. We have taken it on bumpy roads in the car w/o skipping, and my 2 yr old has even tossed it on the ground and gotten COOKIE in the player. No big deal for this machine. It is a bit bulkier than others, however, its still compact enough to not be a bother when travelling. With 2 small kids...I need entertainment on the fly and this one works.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-12-28
This is a great unit for the price. Ive watched 2 DVDs while on a flight using battery power. The picture and sound are clear and the unit is very user friendly. I also hooked up our video camera and game counsel to it. This unit is a blast with all the options. I have not used the car adapter yet, but Im glad it is there. I held off on giving it a 5 only because I would have liked a larger screen, and the unit is thicker than the others. It doesnt fit well in the Targus DVD case very well. Id recomendd getting all the stuff you want to cary with it, headphones and DVDs and trying out the fit at a camera shop. I eneded up using a video camera bag and it all fits fine. If you are a frequent flyer I highly recomend Noise Canceling headsets, Im sure Amazon has some for you to chose. Over all, a great little item.
On: 2003-11-10
The player is everything that it claims to be. The instruction manual is simple and accurate. The picture is crystal clear and the controls either on the remote or the player itself are easy to operate and understand. The battery has given about 6 hours playback time and will charge whilst the unit is playing and connected to an external power source in the car or at home.
It is a go anywhere machine, so far I have only played DVD discs, but the sound is excellent, but when it is piped through my minivans sound system, then the performance really qualifies as outstanding.
It is hard to see how a unit this size could be better - why pay more?
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