Audiovox D1705 Portable DVD Player with 7-Inch LCD
By: Audiovox Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 21
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 On: 2006-12-07
I purchased this DVD about 2 years ago for my daughter to use in the car for long trips. I must admit that I love this product--picture was good, the sound was good, very portabele especially with the slim battery pack that attaches to the botton of the DVD player and it seldoms skips even with hard bumps or driving over frost heaves or holding it uneven. During daylight, it is harder to see the screen (not sure if the other brands will do any better). The really great thing for us is that this DVD was multi-regional. Because of that feature I had purchased 2 more Audiobox D1708 portable players for friends--which is not as sleek looking as the D1705, especially since battery goes on the back of the player. At this point, the 3 Audiobox DVDs that I have purchased were all multi-regional.
Lately after 2 years, the D1705 is no longer working right. The screen will momentarily work perfect then it will go off, then it might work perfect again after 5 mins. Although the unit is still usable as a DVD player if plugged into a regular TV monitor. So, to replace this malfunctioning unit, I purchased a D1708 (I didnt know at that time that the D1705 were still available)--however, to my horror, it is NO LONGER MULTI-REGIONAL!!! I called Audiobox to inquire if they just started limiting the DVDs to Region 1--and much like the other customers, I had a really bad experience with the Audiovox customer service--very rude and accusatory. The person that I spoke to accused me of tampering the units to make them multi-regional because she said that Audiovox only makes Region 1 DVD players (I did wish I were smart enough to tell her right off that I would not have bothered calling them if I already knew how to change the unit I just returned to a multiregional player). Now that I know that these D1705 still exists, I would have liked to replace my malfunctioning unit with this one since the battery pack we have still works for 3 hours (knock on wood)--the spare battery would be great on long plane rides. But now I am hesitant to support Audiovox anymore and if they stop selling multi-regional players--then they really dont have my business anymore. Besides, I dont really know if these portable DVD players could possibly have a longer life than 2 years.
 On: 2006-05-19
My unit works only plugged, so the battery is dead. Now I have to either get a replacement batery or buy a new unit (certainly not an Audiovox). Even when the battery worked, the recharging time was around 8 hours, so it was good for one movie. I am thinking on Panasonic as reviews in general are good.
On: 2006-05-18
My unit works only plugged, so the battery is dead. Now I have to either get a replacement batery or buy a new unit (certainly not an Audiovox). Even when the battery worked, the recharging time was around 8 hours, so it was good for one movie. I am thinking on Panasonic as reviews in general are good.
 On: 2005-12-21
I have the private-labeled "Eddie Bauer" version of this unit and it plays exactly 5 minutes on battery. Once private labeled, no one, including Audiovox, has any information on the unit so that I can replace the battery. Customer service at Audiovox is atrocious; consequently I will avoid their products at all costs in the future. I think the unit was shipped with an alkaline battery, notorious for developing discharge memory. Replacing with a high amp-hour lithium ion battery will eliminate this problem... assuming I can figure out which battery fits the unit. Truly, companies like Audiovox are subscribing to the throw-away economy where products are assumed to be obsolete immediately on release and little is done to take care of customers down the road. Too bad.
by: Anonymous On: 2005-05-17
I have another DVD player but this one is so much better. This one has long battery, can play any type of DVD (not kiding). Its plug has a converter built into it so all you need to do is hook it up with a adapter and any where in the world it will work. I have droped it more than once and let me tell you it works the same as it worked before. One problem would be that it gets scratched up esaily but can live for a long time. :) :D
On: 2005-02-23
Great poduct, when it woks. Im currently on my 4th unit in the last month (First 2 were the D1705 model and the next 2 were the D1708 model).
First off, picture is great. Thats why I keep trying to find one that actually works. Very sharp and good color.
Sound isnt bad, but its alot better on the D1708 unit since they added another pair of speakers on the screen and a second headphone jack. The D1708 though does have a plastic case and is bulkier, but the better sound makes up for it.
Now, on to the problems that Ive had. First unit would skip. Second one had a battery with a 1 hour life. Third unit would freeze on me.
After returning it the last time, I almost switched to a Toshiba unit, but the Audiovox is such a nice unit ... when it works. Plus the store I bought it at offered a 4 year warranty for $20 ... so its up them to keep it working.
On: 2005-02-20
I have owned my Audiovox D1705 for a little over two months. I am constantly pleased with its performance. Id just like to pass on a couple of tricks and advice. The owners manual that
comes with it is very poorly written. If you want the optimum battery life, drain the battery completly before each re-charge.
To use the power saving mode switch. (Number 26 in the owners manual.) You only have to press pause and partially close the machine to disengage the button. This will cause the screen to darken and save power. No need to turn the machine off each time you get interrupted. ( Its run up to five hours when Ive paused it in this manner.)
Audiovox customer service is very slow, and less than helpful in most cases. I purchased a back-up battery since I use my dvd player so often. I had it shipped 2nd day air. It took a month to arrive. Be prepared.
by: bborton On: 2005-02-02
My wife surprised me with this audiovox player for my birthday two years ago.i was thrilled.i still am! it goes everywhere, has entertained me in the finest hotels.In retrospect,i mightve wanted the model with speakers at lower corners of the screen; otherwise, its a fine piece of electronics.For its size, picture and sound are great, and its certainly portable. This is a must-take for camping. In my fleet if dvd players, this little guy is a CHAMP!
 On: 2005-01-01
Except for the low volume output (forget about using two headsets with a splitter), I think this is a very capable player. Unfortunately, unless youre always going to plug it into the wall while viewing, save your money. Ive watched a total of 6 movies using the battery and during the last one the screen went dead after an hour. Turning the brightness down to its lowest setting only extended the battery life to an hour and 15 minutes. So much for being a "portable" DVD player. Lets see: $48 per movie...do you think I feel cheated by Audiovox
On: 2004-12-28
Hi everyone,
I acquired this player about a month ago from Harmony Electronics, Brooklyn. I live in India and got this player through my uncle who lives in U.S. After going through the reviews on Amazon and Dealtime, I decided to buy this player. For $200+, you wont get a better player like this.
Pros:
1. Plays anything and everything.
2. Very good screen clearity.
3. Extremely compact design (without the battery attached)
4. Easy modification of software to play All Region DVDs.
5. Decent sound ouyput (when compared with the size of the player)
Cons:
The only I found is the Bulky battery.
I went to the Audiovox website and it was strange to see that they offer two types of batteries with this player. The one shipped is very bulky and doesnot make the player portable. They offer one more battery which is completely flat and compact in design. This battery costs $100 which is very expensive.
Guys, is there a place from where I can buy this battery at a reasonable price ? Or is there any idea with which I dont have to use the bulky battery when I am carrying the player in my bag ?
On: 2004-12-02
As a 43 year old video professional who worked in television (TV master control room) for many years, I tend to be a stickler for higher quality products that deliver both value and performance. And if these products can be had for less money, well, so much the better. That is what I was searching for when I researched affordable portable DVD players that dont cost too much. I did not want to spend more than around two hundred dollars or so, so the Audiovox D1705 grabbed my attention. I comparison shopped it against a model by Polaroid, Toshiba, Mintek, and a few inexpensive off name brands, and easily came to the conclusion that the Audiovox was easily the best buy, with the best track record picture quality-wise and reliability-wise. In addition, being able to easily modify the player to become region free (as indicated in a post below) was a big plus, which I did with no problems whatsoever. The actual mod itself took all but one minute, and now I have a portable player that plays DVDs from any region, both domestic and foreign. It is great to know that I can flawlessly play some of my British rock and comedy DVDs that normally would not play on an American market player, as well as all my North American DVDs! The picture quality is very good, and you can fast forward with the provided remote. The audio quality is not that good, but acceptable. Using small headphones or earphones will provide a much better quality sound. Keep in mind that most portable DVD players have such tiny built in speakers anyway, such that the audio will be normally compromised. This is the tradeoff to compactness. No big whoop. In addition, the player provides a level of features normally found in more expensive players, which is nice. This encompasses audio and video inputs, outputs, and actual screen menu adjustments for color and hue saturation and levels. Very nice Audiovox!
CAUTION: UPDATE 6/2005
Its a shame. My original, glowing 5 star review needs to be downgraded. The rechargeable battery this unit comes with is completely worthless after only a few months! It loses its capacity quickly, and in my case, completely! I put the unit in storage, for a few weeks, and charged the battery every 2 weeks, as indicated on Page 30 of the manual. In short, the unit would not hold any charge when I tried to recharge it last night, and would only play about 3 minutes of a DVD before conking out! This should NOT happen at all with a new product, and Audiovox clearly needs to improve their battery technology, and send out free, improved batteries to everyone who has this unit. Again, the unit itself works fine, but the battery is a joke! I now have a worthless portable DVD player, since I relied on battery operation for my application. If your unit is experiencing the same problem, and it is fairly new, please write or call Audiovox and demand a new battery that works!
Update: 11/2/05
Its been months since I wrote Audiovox again, and they never got back to me. Initially, several months ago they sent me a typical facless corporate response letter after sending them a first letter (I sent 2 total), indicating that they would not send me a new battery unless I paid around $90 for it! So they want me to give them $$$ to replace a defective battery to begin with! In addition, their customer service people (at least the ones I spoke to) were extremely rude and one-sided. They did not at all seem interested that their batteries would not retain a charge, even if the unit was babied and relatively new!!! I will NEVER deal with Audiovox again. Once they sell you a product, youre on your own!!!
On: 2004-12-01
As a 43 year old video professional who worked in television (TV master control room) for many years, I tend to be a stickler for higher quality products that deliver both value and performance. And if these products can be had for less money, well, so much the better. That is what I was searching for when I researched affordable portable DVD players that dont cost too much. I did not want to spend more than around two hundred dollars or so, so the Audiovox D1705 grabbed my attention. I comparison shopped it against a model by Polaroid, Toshiba, Mintek, and a few inexpensive off name brands, and easily came to the conclusion that the Audiovox was easily the best buy, with the best track record picture quality-wise and reliability-wise. In addition, being able to easily modify the player to become region free (as indicated in a post below) was a big plus, which I did with no problems whatsoever. The actual mod itself took all but one minute, and now I have a portable player that plays DVDs from any region, both domestic and foreign. It is great to know that I can flawlessly play some of my British rock and comedy DVDs that normally would not play on an American market player, as well as all my North American DVDs! The picture quality is very good, and you can fast forward with the provided remote. The audio quality is not that good, but acceptable. Using small headphones or earphones will provide a much better quality sound. Keep in mind that most portable DVD players have such tiny built in speakers anyway, such that the audio will be normally compromised. This is the tradeoff to compactness. No big whoop. In addition, the player provides a level of features normally found in more expensive players, which is nice. This encompasses audio and video inputs, outputs, and actual screen menu adjustments for color and hue saturation and levels. Very nice Audiovox!
CAUTION: UPDATE 6/2005
Its a shame. My original, glowing 5 star review needs to be downgraded. The rechargeable battery this unit comes with is completely worthless after only a few months! It loses its capacity quickly, and in my case, completely! I put the unit in storage, for a few weeks, and charged the battery every 2 weeks, as indicated on Page 30 of the manual. In short, the unit would not hold any charge when I tried to recharge it last night, and would only play about 3 minutes of a DVD before conking out! This should NOT happen at all with a new product, and Audiovox clearly needs to improve their battery technology, and send out free, improved batteries to everyone who has this unit. Again, the unit itself works fine, but the battery is a joke! I now have a worthless portable DVD player, since I relied on battery operation for my application. If your unit is experiencing the same problem, and it is fairly new, please write or call Audiovox and demand a new battery that works!
Update: 11/2/05
Its been months since I wrote Audiovox again, and they never got back to me. Initially, several months ago they sent me a typical facless corporate response letter after sending them a first letter (I sent 2 total), indicating that they would not send me a new battery unless I paid around $90 for it! So they want me to give them $$$ to replace a defective battery to begin with! In addition, their customer service people (at least the ones I spoke to) were extremely rude and one-sided. They did not at all seem interested that their batteries would not retain a charge, even if the unit was babied and relatively new!!! I will NEVER deal with Audiovox again. Once they sell you a product, youre on your own!!!
On: 2004-11-11
I bought this player from Costco about six months ago to be used for long trips.
I have recently used the the DVD for 1 week straight and it no longer works. At first the pictures started pausing and skipping. I thought that the CD was dirty then it no longer spins. I tried turning it on and off but the CD just do not want spin. I am very disappointed.
I dont recommend this model
On: 2004-03-29
out of the headphones. Are we supposed to be hearing the DVD turn while watching with a headphone?I bought this at Sams Club (actually the 1708 model which is the same) for $228. Its everything I wanted. The picture quality is great and quite affordable. A bit too heavy and bulky but I just wanted something to keep the kids entertained on the plane or road trips.
The remote lets you turn the subtitles and other functions on and off without stopping the movie. I love that. Its annoying that you can not charge the battery and watch the movie at the same time. The charge lasted the whole Godfather movie. All and all I like it.
On: 2004-03-02
The Audiovox D1705 is great. Works well. Good battery life. There is FAST FORWARD and REWIND on the remote control - so you CAN scan thru a DVD.Anyone looking to crack the region code on the machine so you can play DVDs from any country - you can do so with the remote control: 1) Open the DVD Door, on remote press Setup, Right, Right, Right (thats the arrows in the middle of remote)
2) Enter 9653,a service page will appear,
3) Use Up/Down Bottom to change region Codes
4) Set to 0 (zero) for multi-region Auidiovox will not do it for you. Overall this is a great machine.
On: 2004-02-12
was skeptical at first based on the previous clowns that said you couldnt fast forward or rewind. this is true on the base unit but the remote allows for both. one reviewer also remarked on having problems after dropping it. duh, i wouldnt expect any electronic device to work porperly after dropping it (dude take care of your toys). over all the unit works fine. great buy for the price...
On: 2004-01-06
I have been skeptical about most portable DVD players after doing quite a bit of research and reading reviews. It would seem youre just as likely to have issues or problems with a top of the line model as you are with the lower priced ones. Well, I paid $279 at Costco for this one and I love it. My first portable player, so take that with a grain of salt, but its great. Works everytime. No problems, hitches, glitches, skips, bumps or bruises. Id buy it again.
On: 2004-01-03
I recently bought the AudioVox portable DVD player and I have taken it on many trips. It has worked flawlessly. Here are my Pros and Cons.Pros: Outstanding value, includes car kit and many different useful wires, sleek design, reliable, great picture, big screen, and easy to use. Cons: Cannot scan forward or backward, you can only skip scenes, no battery indicator that I can find....thats all Overall, I highly recommend this DVD player, I was a
little skeptical at first, but this turned out to be a great buy.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-12-19
I bought one of these at Costco for $279 and had no problems with the skipping or any of the stated problems in these reviews. It has moving parts so of course its going to skip if you drop it or hit it, just like any CD Discman will do as well.I returned mine because it didnt play DVD-RAM formats which are common in newer set-top DVD-recorders. Also, this unit does not have fast forward and rewind functions. It skips through to the next chapter which is fine for a rented DVD but when you are recording long TV shows or home videos, you arent going to sit there and program chapter markers every 10 minutes. Thus, when watching TV shows, you have to watch it all in one sitting and cant fast forward or rewind or even shut off the unit without having to start all over again. Thats not cool if youre watching a 3 hour long DVD. If youre only going to be watching rented DVDs, I highly recommend it. If you need FF/REW or DVD-RAM compatibility, then skip it.
On: 2003-12-15
I bought the AudioVox D1705 at Costco, mainly because they stopped selling the Toshiba PD-2500. I had my heart set on the Toshiba but waited to long.They show two different pictures of the whats supposed to be an AudioVox D1705 on Amazon.com. The one shown on the "browsing" page is incorrect. If you want to see what the acctual model looks like view the manual (available online) or click on the "review this product" button and it shows the correct picture. Theres a huge difference. I was skeptical at first because of the bad reviews that Ive read about AudioVox products. But at $279.99 and Costcos excellent return policy I had to take the chance. The first thing I noticed was that the case is made from brushed aluminum and looked pretty good. Then I noticed a small dent just below the screen - kind of an eyesore, but Ive gotten used to it. The battery mounts on the bottom and doesnt fit perfect (it moves just a tiny bit back and forth), but its certainly livable. I use public transportation (bus sometimes train) to get to and from work - usually about 60min each way. So far I havent used it over 2 ½ hours without recharging but I had no problems with it. Its rated at about 3 hours. The brushed screens case is nice (except for the small dent). It stays in place and has a solid feel to it. I agree with another reviewer on the fact that the plastic DVD door feels flemsy. The Speakers are weak but thats expected on such a small player. I have a cheap pair of ear buds and movies sound good using them. Im considering buying an expensive pair of Sony noise reduction earphones. There are two areas that make this unit a great buy -- The the layout of the controls and the screen quality. The volume is controled by a dail on the right side. Its easy to lower and raise the volume with the fluquation of movie material. Pause, Play, Next & Previous Chapters are easy to use on the right front corner. Menu controls are separate and on the left front corner. The best on unit control is the brightness. Its controled by a dial on the left side. So you can fine-tune the brightness on the fly without having to pull up any menus. This is a great feature that I havent seen on any other player. At most some have a button that you press then have to press other buttons to lower or raise the brightness. The dial on the D1705 works great. The screen quality was actually better than I had expected. The resolution is 720 x 480, thats 345,600 pixels on a 7" screen. The colors are sharp and clear. You can use the remote control to change the brightness, contrast, hue, and saturation. Important side note: I had bought the last one at the store so when they got a new shipment in I bought another one thinking I would return the first one since it had a dent in it. The second ones color was as sharp or crisp as the first one. It seemed too "green" even when I adjusted the hue and saturation. Needless to say I kept the one with the dent and returned the new one to the store. I rate the one I kept a 4 (out of 5) because of the dent. I would have rated the one I returned a 3 because of poor color.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-12-11
I thought that the Audiovox 1705 Personal DVD Player was a pretty good unit for the price. It is solidly built though the DVD door feels rather flimsy like it would break easily even with normal use. The control buttons have a good solid feel. Having all of the cables included makes this unit a good deal. It definitely makes this unit more versatile right out of the box.Just keep in mind that this is a PERSONAL DVD player. (It says so right on the box.) The sound quality out of the tiny speakers is horrible. The video is crisp and clear but if youre out at an angle, the picture darkens and is hard to see. But if youre viewing alone, with good pair of headphones (youll need to buy your own), this little unit is quite a pleasant surprise. It can be engrossing. Its almost like having your own personal home theater on your lap. I havent owned it long enough to judge reliability but Ill say this much. If you have a problem, the users manual will be of little help. The users manual is pretty bad.
On: 2003-09-20
Finally, I can actually watch my DVDs wherever I go. I bought this brand because I know that they make lots of dependable, installed car theater systems. Truth is, I just needed a portable one. I was about to buy some cheapo brand when I saw that I could have a name brand that I could trust for the same money! After seeing the first review, though, I worried. But after I received my player, I started to use it right away. Its worked like a charm! 24 is soooooooooo much more engrossing when everyone else around you is doing something else! I also use this little guy for showing movies at school (Im a teacher). With an RF modulator, it hooks right up! The brightness contrast dial on the side is really nice (check that on your player before you send it in to get repaired) and this screen is fully adjustable from the menu that is accessible only through the remote. Another plus in this player is that it lets you feed signals into the monitor. You can play PS2, XBox, and GCN games on there. Ive only tried PS2, but man, its a cool feeling to know that you can play those games anywhere.
The player is surprisingly small and light even with the battery attached (thank God its the type that fastens on and not the kind that hangs loose). The remote works from across the room, so if you intend on using it as a home player, I highly recommend this model. Also, theres almost NO problem with overheating! Only the screen itself gets a little hot, and that only happens if you run down the 3-hour battery straight through in one sitting without pause. Even then, the casing is not uncomfortable to the touch and the actual player is cool to the touch. HIGHLY recommended, especially if you want a good name brand for a small amount of money.
On: 2003-09-08
I bought this player for my son to use on overseas flights.
I have only used the player five times, and it no longer works. The screen went from shadowy, to black, although all else functions. Very disappointing.
Of course, there is a 90 day warranty, but now I will have to deal with a paper and shipping hassle.
I dont recommend this model.
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