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Coby DVD-224 Compact DVD Player
By: Coby Average Rating: 3.5 Total Reviews: 322
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 On: 2008-07-19
I bought this unit for guests and for people to watch while ill. It had less tan 10 hours of use before it died. It was plugged into a power strip desiged to protect it from power surges. Unfortunately the warrenty was only 90 days. Tried to use it today and it was completely dead. No power light and no response from the remote (installed new batteries). In my opinion you get what you pay for. I went cheap and got cheap. Made in China.
 On: 2008-07-14
I was looking for a DVD player that will play DVDs from Asia. This one does play them. I did try to change the region code according to one previous review. I am not sure the instructions work, I think it plays right out of box. I am satisfied with it.
 On: 2008-07-12
I had heard that the Coby 224 DVD player plays region 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 DVDs but wasnt ready to believe it until I saw it. Sure enough I buy it, set it up, stick a DVD in from Europe and instantly the DVD played it, recognizing it as a region 2 DVD. I tried my DVDs from Australia and Japan and they too played like a dream. I didnt need to convert or follow instructions like a previous reviewer posted here; it played any region DVD right from the start and out of the box.
If youve been putting off buying an expensive region-free DVD player (the ones that cost $140 up) look no further. This under $30 DVD player will do the same.
The Coby 224 has a great picture but a lousy remote control. But who cares. It plays any DVD from around the world and thats good enough for me.
 On: 2008-07-05
I got this to replace another inexpensive coby DVD player for a workshop. This one is fair. Very slow response time. From one to two seconds to act when buttons are pushed. It came with an unsightly sticker from the manufacturer applied on the top regarding troubleshooting. Very flimsy construction on both the unit and remote. Probably wont last long.
On: 2008-06-27
I got this DVD player for working out. No hard use, no intense visuals, no huge demands of it. To that end it performs wonderfully. Ive had no problems with it being finicky or selective in what DVDs it would play. As it is a very simple player it is lite in controls and tweaks, but for the price you cant beat it. It is what it is and Im very pleased.
On: 2008-06-23
I bought this dvd player back in March. A few weeks ago it stopped turning on completely. Its turned on once since then but has not turned on again. Its a waste of money. It would be better to spend even a bit more money on a dvd player that is going to last. Unfortunately, it stopped working after the return period so Im stuck with it and can only buy a new one. I am not pleased with this product at all. Dont waste your money!
On: 2008-06-22
This is a great product. Its small and easy to move from T.V. to T.V. as well as being able to sit on top of our cable box without being some bulky DVD. This is our third Colby we own and we havent had a problem with any of them. If we were to ever buy another, Colby is the the way we would go!
On: 2008-06-19
After a few months, this DVD player stopped recognizing that a DVD was inserted. Maybe it can be fixed, but for the price its not worth the bother.
 On: 2008-06-19
This is my 2nd coby dvd player, the reason I got this new one is because the remote died on me from the old player, and without the remote, you cannot control anything from the player itself. This 224 remote has the worse design, it has many buttons that are not useful on it and is not the same as it showed on the picture. The main button like play, fast forward, rewind and pause are on the very bottom of the remote, which are way inconvenience.
Tips: Fast forward and Rewind is the same button as previous and next chapter, you need to hold the button 2 to 3 seconds for it to start fast forwarding (x2, x4, x8, x16, x32), however, it is very sensitive that you always end up skipping to the next chapter.
Overall, the player itself is good, but the remote control sucks!!! I like the previous model remote control better!
On: 2008-06-17
Bought this for my daughters room so she can watch her educational videos and a few of the Disney movies she has. Afterall, how many times can a household watch "Little Einsteins"???
It has withstood 2 curious toddlers ejecting and slamming shut the DVD drawer, a few unintentional falls from the TV stand shelf, and all the other abuses a curious young child can inflict on a machine.
In short, its a cheap machine that takes a beating. What more can you ask for?
Im back to buy a 2nd for the TV in our kids basement playroom.
On: 2008-06-05
Product failed to load any standard DVD. Obviously Coby is not top quality, but it still should have worked.
On: 2008-06-04
It will not play some of the DVDs we have for grand son.LEARNING DVD.
He only 2 1/2 yrs old.
On: 2008-05-31
This is great product for gift giving, do not buy this for your personal use.
On: 2008-05-31
Since receiving this product one week ago Ive been noticing that the subtitle playback is problematic. About 5% of the time a subtitle is displayed for only a fraction of a second. It always happens with a long dialog. It is a repeatable error in English, French or Spanish. The audio is fine. Slow motion at 1/16 displays the offending subtitle for the same fraction of a second. The subtitle is really unreadable except of perhaps one word.
Fair play makes me tell that I have seen this problem only with Netflix HBO Rome series DVDs but I tried one of the them on a friends high end Toshiba today and I saw that the correct display of one problem area was a two-line subtitle followed by another two-line subtitle which displayed one speakers wordy dialog. That Toshiba had no problem (nor did my recently deceased Toshiba ever display this behavior).
Im starting some different series of DVDs tomorrow but, sorry, it is now or never to relate this problem.
I suspect the Coby DVD-224 program logic that decodes DVD subtitles has a flaw. Internet research shows me that DVD subtitles are just another data stream with headers, packets, etc. One would think this decode logic is an off-the-shelf commodity by now. Not.
I havent decided yet whether to return this $27 marvel to Amazon, but beware if you like to rent DVDs for foreign movies or programs such as OZ and The Wire (both USA HBO creations). Even if English is your native language you wont be able to keep up without subtitles. Aight?
Another DVD player is in my near future. I have simple tech needs. I worked in computers/tech stuff for many, many years. This product is deficient. Also note the remote is very particular as to direction.
On: 2008-05-30
An excellent product at a very low price. My second purchase of this unit - bought as a gift. Fast shipping. Would recommend this merchant and product.
On: 2008-05-25
My parents received this free with some DVDs they bought, and had they paid anything for it I would have said they overpaid. It does work reasonably well, but with so many quality brands making solid DVD players for less than $50, I would look elsewhere for a good player.
Pros:
- Very Small (though in an entertainment center, the usefulness of this is negated)
- Inexpensive
- All 3 output types - RCA, S-video, Component Video Output - means it will work with any TV that has any input in addition to the antenna input.
Cons:
- Remote is cheaply built and poorly laid out
- Very few front of player buttons, making remote essential to do anything useful
- No component video cable in the package - must by for $10-$30 more to achieve best quality video.
- Poor initial setup - defaults to a video setting that is incompatible with most US TVs, and must be changed deep in the menus to keep the screen from being all pink, and ours was set to display Spanish Subtitles automatically.
- Power button is a physical switch, preventing it from being turned on/off by remote, and forcing you to close the tray before turning it off, rather than pushing power to both at the same time.
Overall: If youre looking for bargain basement for a dorm room or small apartment without a full entertainment center, it will do its job; but if you plan on using this in an entertainment center for many years to come, Id look to spend a few more dollars and get something built significantly better.
On: 2008-05-18
No complaints. Excellent price. No fuss DVD player. Very compact easy to place. Set up is easy. I have an earlier model...still use it. This one is smaller. No problems with either one.
On: 2008-05-16
Great dvd player for the price. works great and is small, which makes it nice since it can fit anywhere.
On: 2008-05-15
I received this unit the other day, and found out real quick that you get what you pay for. At first I thought the lines and poor picture quaility might be from the older dvd I inserted, but had the same problem with a new out of the wrapper dvd. So it was the unit. Boxed it back up and shipped it back the next day.
On: 2008-05-13
Had no problem shipping to an APO. Shipping time was fast. item received in execellent condition
On: 2008-05-05
MUCH SMALLER THAN THE ONE I BOUGHT A FEW AGO. I JUST WANTED SOMETHING TO ADD TO THE TV IN THE FITNESS ROOM WHILE I TREADMILL EASY TO WORK NO PROBLEMS WITH IT VERY EASY TO GO TO SELECTIONS WERE I HAD STOPPED OFF . I AM GOING TO MOVE THIS ONE TO THE LIVING ROOM AND PUT THE BIG ONE IN THE BACK UNTIL I CAN ORDER ANOTHER ONE. SMALL ENOUGH TO ADD TO EVERY TV IN THE HOUSE.
On: 2008-05-05
recieved in good condition, but does not play all the recorded DVD like it claims
On: 2008-05-04
Cheap but nice product. You can make it region free.
Will not play DVD-RW though but otherwise gives good service.
On: 2008-05-02
I could not use the product because it did not match my existing system. Not enough info was given about the product.
On: 2008-05-01
I bought this DVD player a few months ago. It has worked very well. It played discs that I had burned from TiVo recordings. It played DVD-Rs. It provided good sound and picture quality. All in all I recommend it as an inexpensive slim DVD player. My only negative comment is that it completely stopped working the other day. I am sure most players continue working fine for longer than mine did, but I suppose I took a risk with buying cheap brand electronics.
On: 2008-05-01
This unit was the least expensive dvd disc player I could find anywhere. It does the job without a whimper. Remote a little too small however.
On: 2008-05-01
Cant beat the price. This little guy works perfectly fine. i play all my kids DVDs on it and have had no problems including beat up discs.
On: 2008-04-30
I agree- for the price, it cant get better. It reads every single DVD that Ive put in so far, including many that were not being read by my previous player. Seems to be working fine, no issues at all, except for a slight whirring noise when it runs, doesnt bother me much..Not sure how long it will last, but would be happy if it lasts a year. At the now reduced price, I almost feel like stocking up!
On: 2008-04-28
Great Job! Equipment arrive in great shape.
Thanks,
Rick Carel
On: 2008-04-26
For the price, I figured I couldnt go wrong. But I was pleasantly surprised to find the quality exceeded the price by a mile! While Im waiting for the internet to catch up on DVD rental capabilities, this was the perfect answer.
On: 2008-04-26
The Coby DVD-224 is a great choice for a second player, mostly because it is so inexpensive. We are using it as the player for the kids playroom, and it seems just right for that application. It is also quite small, so it doesnt take up much room among the other small video sources the kids use (like the gamecube).
The video quality is good, and the unit is responsive. This player is a good value.
On: 2008-04-23
I bought this item because it was the cheapest DVD player on Amazon at the time. At just over $25 (free shipping!), I figured it was worth a shot. I was wrong. Right out of the gate, it started skipping frequently. After a few days it seemed to have gotten better for a while, but then a few weeks later it started skipping again. I did some research online, and a lot of people suggested cleaning the laser lens with alcohol. When I did that it worked fine for a few more weeks, but now its skipping again! There are plenty of other budget-priced players on Amazon for just a few dollars more. I imagine there is one out there that doesnt require constant maintenance, but the Coby 224 is not it.
On: 2008-04-21
I purchased a Coby and within 2 months, it died. Well, not died, just massive skipping and freezing up on numerous DVDs. Warranty? What Warranty. Yeh, spend $10 bucks to ship it back and maybe, someday, it will get fixed. Figured it was just a bad unit so bought another later model Coby. Another piece of junk. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR FROM CHINA. SAVE YOURSELF THE COBY HASSLE. SPEND A FEW MORE BUCKS AND GET A KNOWN NAME BRAND.
On: 2008-04-20
it works really well and its easy for the kids to use and i like that its nice and small so it sits really well in the bedroom for them. Definately worth what it cost
On: 2008-04-20
We were looking for an inexpensive DVD player for our sons room - and saw this one listed at Amazon. After going over customers ratings on this DVD player, we decided to purchase it. We are very satisfied with it! Not only does it play well, it has some features that we love like "repeat play" - it will repeat the chapter or whole movie. Also the subtitle option is right on the remote - which is nice.
I highly recommend this DVD player....it doesnt get better for the price!!
On: 2008-04-14
Used it as a MP3 deck hooked on to hifi to play MP3 discs. Great low price. Amazing value.
On: 2008-04-14
COBY DVD COMPACT PLAYER!!! FOR A COMPACT PLAYER THIS IS THE ULTIMATE CHOICE!!! GREAT PICTURE AND SOUND!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!
On: 2008-04-13
This thing sucks the big one. stopped working a couple weeks after I purchased it. Only used it about 3 or 4 times. I know its tempting because of the price but dont waste your money!
On: 2008-04-07
Do not buy this product. The DVD player stoped working after one month. It is cheap so you get what you buy! I would not do it again!
On: 2008-04-04
LIKE ALL COBY PRODUCTS THIS IS CHEAPLY MADE. IF IT BREAKS YOU WILL PAY MORE IN SHIPPING AND AGGRAVATION THEN IT IS WORTH. I HAVE A CHEAP PANASONIC THAT IS SIX YEARS OLD AND STILL WORKS . COBY DIDNT MAKE IT TWO MONTHS.
On: 2008-04-02
I would definitely recommend this as a bedroom or kitchen player. It doesnt have all the bells and whistles that others do, but it plays DVDs just fine. It can be a little noisy when it starts up; I think it has something to do with the hardware that spins the disc. It usually quiets after the movie begins, but when it doesnt a little jiggle takes care of it. There are buttons for the volume, which is nice since I fall asleep watching movies and dont have to search for all my remotes. There arent dedicated search buttons, though. You have to hold the chapter button down and Ive accidentally skipped ahead several times. Annoying, but again its a bedroom player and I rarely have utilize the search feature. Other than that, Im completely satisfied with the player. Its quite good with problem discs, better than my JVC. The quality on a 13" seems just fine to me.
On: 2008-03-27
Small and works like a charm. The remote is a little cheesy and the buttons are odd, but it plays DVDs like a Champ!
On: 2008-03-23
the sound always has gap or silence for moment, I thout its my DVD problem, play on mt other DVD player the disc was good.
you get what you pay, 25 bucks only anyway.
On: 2008-03-22
Cheap and Best. Its Really Very good., Any DVD / VCD will play., and Mainly its very good for India. it will support 240V input.
On: 2008-03-16
The price is certainly good, but the quality of the item is terrible. It lasted less than two months before it completely pooped out on me. Its small and cheap, which is good, but if it wont even make it two months, whats the point? Chip in another 30 bucks and get one that will last.
On: 2008-03-16
My mother purchased this for my daughters room as their Christmas 2006 present. It didnt make it to 2008. It was fine for almost a year, and then the problems started. It would not read any of their DVDs and would freeze. I would clean the DVDs but they still would not play. I played the same DVDs successfully on another player, so the DVDs were not the issue. Sure, a year seems like a decent amount of time, I guess. But I refuse to pay Coby $25.00 to $30.00 EVERY year for a new DVD player. Our next one will be with a reputable manufacturer.
On: 2008-03-15
I wish I could rate this minus 20 Stars. This DVD player is a rip off and a waste of money. It will not even play the DVDs purchaced directly from Amazon. I would have like to have known this before hand. It starts to play for a few seconds then just stops. States cannot read DVDs. Tried all DVDs that were in the set purchaced from Amazon. All in the set will play with no problem on our other DVD player. I even tried DVDs purchaced direct from a store that just sells DVD, players, TVs, etc. It still will not play anything. Unfortunately I waited to long to hook it up for my mother in her room and now it is too late to return it. Ill never make that mistake again.
On: 2008-03-10
I bought this for my son who watches movies over and over. It would be nice if it had a sleep timer but it is cheap and you get what you pay for.
On: 2008-03-03
This DVD player is a piece of junk. It wont play many DVDs. The remote died - and new batteries did not help, it was still non-responsive. My universal remotes will not work with the DVD player.
Pay a few $$$ more and get better quality!
On: 2008-03-03
I have this for almost a year. Its junk. I would not buy it again. It is very selective with the discs it plays often skips. It has no digital display on the front. The buttons on the remote are set up poorly.
You can turn the player off by using the remote, but you cannot turn it back on with the remote.
On: 2008-03-03
I purchased a coby compact dvd player about a month ago. As soon as I got the player, I plugged it into the outlet, and the disc tray imediately ejected then quickly retracked back to the closed position and jammed. The tray occasionally functioned correctly after playing with the machine for awhile. I returned the product a week after purchase, and recieved a full refund. I guess that old saying is true, you get what you pay for. I only paid 26 dollars for it, so I really didnt loose anything. I dont really recommend anybody buy this product, if you want quality I suggest coming off a little more dough then 26 dollars! Lol!
On: 2008-03-02
The Coby DVD-224 Compact DVD player is a quality product at a very decent price. Excellent choice!
On: 2008-03-01
I bought this product for my sons room who at the time was 11. One night just before bed he told me the unit was smoking. I go to his room to find the unit is smoking and a very bad smell is coming from it. I unplug it and take it outside. In the morning my husband and I open it up and there is black soot inside the unit. I call Amazon and they direct me to Coby. What a joke!!! Needless to say NOTHING has been done about this, and to be honest I wouldnt want another one of their fire hazards, I will NEVER buy one of their products again. Its a $30 dollar lesson learned. Spend more money and get a namebrand product. Its worth your safety and the ones you love. This could have turned out horribly different!!!!
On: 2008-02-28
I have owned the same DVD player for about 1.5 years. It recently broke and I chose to purchase the exact one. It is cheap, but I have to say well worth it. I have used it several hours per day and my kids watch German DVDs on it. The previous player I had was multi-region and there were no probelms. This one was only for US DVDs but with a little checking on the Amazon site, another member was very helpful with providing the instructions to get it working. I love this little player! If you are interested in a high quality all whisles-and-bells inclusive deal, this is probably NOT the one you want to purchase; if you are inerested in a cheap way of watching foreign DVDs, this is the way to go!
On: 2008-02-28
Yes, I can only call the COBY DVD-224 a little wonder. Not only does it play DVDs with any region code of the world (by using the "secret" inputs by remote control
> Power on the unit (with no DVD in the tray)
> Open the DVD tray
> STOP - gets red wrong-key icon (upper-right corner)
> 7 - KEY = 7
> 0 - KEY = 0
> MENU - CURRENT REGION = 1
then
> 0 - SET ALL REGION )
but it can switch the output per menue to the TV standards PAL or NTSC - no matter what kind of a DVD you put in. So you can play any DVD, wherever it has been sold, on any countrys TV set that has video/audio input sockets. And even the power source doesnt matter: it accepts 100 to 250 Volts, 50 or 60 Hz. And all that for the amazingly low price!
On: 2008-02-23
i like this product. its light weight and small. silver is always a great color for electronics. my only complaint is that it will not play home made dvds. it can only play originals.
On: 2008-02-22
So far this Coby DVD player does the job for me. I havent had any problems with it. And, its a good price
On: 2008-02-18
As a poor college student, getting a quality DVD player was not a point of emphasis for me, I just wanted one that worked. When I ran across this in a department store, I was overjoyed. I purchased it in September and went on my merry way. From September through December, I probably played 5 movies on this player, it did not get used often. But after Christmas I received several movies and TV box sets so I had this thing going for several hours almost every day. After less than a month, the DVD player quit reading the discs. Now if I put a DVD in the tray, I get a "no disc" message. Extremely disappointing as I do not have the money to purchase another DVD player at the moment, so I am pretty much out of luck. I will not purchase a Coby product again.
After looking at a bunch of the reviews on here, it would appear that this problem occurs quite often. If you want a DVD player that works and gives you decent quality, this appears to be the way to go. But know that if you do purchase this item, you may only get 1-2 months of use out of it before it quits working. I recommend getting a more reliable machine.
On: 2008-02-13
This was a cheap DVD player. Its really compact and it works fine. What else do you need from an under $50 dvd player?
On: 2008-02-12
First one didnt work but the replacement from Amazon seems to work fine, good price
On: 2008-01-28
I would like to say that this DVD player is great, easy to set up and operate with no problems at all!! It is as compact as it looks. A person should remember to read the manual as there is alot of buttons on the remote control, but once you get that down, its no problem.
I would advice anyone to get this DVD player because it is light weigh and is not bulk like some I have seen
On: 2008-01-27
For less than thirty dollars, this is a great little DVD player; controls are all very easy to operate, the remote controller is excellent, well laid out and the buttons are not all the same size and shape so that makes it easier to find the one button youre looking for.
Obviously this isnt a high-end component but it works very well in a dorm or barracks environment.
On: 2008-01-27
I would love to have reviewed the Coby Compact DVD player, but sadly I bought it as a gift to a friend in Memphis, Tennessee. Since I live in Scotland, its rather hard being asked to review something I never saw in the flesh.
All I could say it , the price was right for the spec. of the machine.
On: 2008-01-25
This DVD player is the last of my COBY purchases. My daughter has owned 4 COBY portable CD players that all stopped playing in less than a month. One of which quit after 3 days. But this is a review for the DVD player, so... what a piece of junk! I had this player for 2 months before I was able to use it because of the connection required. The first few DVDs played without a problem. Then after about a week of use the players power went out and I couldnt get it to turn back on. I picked it up and tapped on it repeatedly and finally not so gently put it back down and the power came back on. Now the power goes off and back on durring the movie. Sometimes I still have to hit it to get the power to come back on. Also durring play it stops,and skips. The price may be cheap but it still isnt worth the money. Dont be suckered by the low price. Hold out for a decent machine. I plan to look into Panasonic.
On: 2008-01-25
I ORDERED THIS FOR MY GRAND DAUGHTER, WHO WAS MOVING TO HER FIRST APT.
SHE WAS DELIGHTED
On: 2008-01-20
i work for fred meyer, and we get atleast 3 of these back everyday. there is a reason they are cheap, its because they are garbage.
On: 2008-01-19
The Colby DVD Player that I recently purchased was a great buy for the money. It works great and is very easy for anyone to set up and operate. I allowed my 10 year old daughter to set it up and she completed the task in less than 5 minutes. It doesnt skip or freeze and works with most formats. I would definitely recommend this product to anyone.
On: 2008-01-18
Arrived late, but easy to set up, required no extra black boxes, and works well.
On: 2008-01-14
Small lightweight, easy to use (once I realized I needed to hold down the forward or backward arrow to select the 2X 4X 16X 32X speed, otherwise clicking once just jumped it to the next scene). Good deal for the money.
On: 2008-01-13
This is the worst thing I every purchased.
The first dvd I put in it got stuck inside. I had to pay $20 in late fees+replacement charges for the dvd. Will the COBY people refund this money??? I would give it the NEGATIVE stars if there was an option.
On: 2008-01-12
I guess the reasons that I like this vehicle so much are multiple:
1. Small, compact size which amounts to easy portability
2. Cheap price
3. Provides solid playback
In this age of Bluray & HD DVD (and even upscaling sets by the likes of companies like Panasonic), its still refreshing to have a DVD player that just works! Great product at a convenient price--win win situation!
On: 2008-01-10
bought this as a gift for someone and so far it has played dvds without any problems, its also very small which is nice. no complaints.
On: 2008-01-07
Small and compact - does not take up much space. Works very well. This is the second one we have ordered.
On: 2008-01-07
This is a great little DVD player. We have two kids fighting over a PS2, one wants to play games, the other wants to watch movies. Solved that problem with this DVD player. Its tiny and fits where we needed it to. So far, no problems.
On: 2008-01-07
This DVD player can play many different types of DVDs with no problems. For the price, you cant go wrong. Very portable. The only Cons is the small remote control unit with difficult to find buttons, especially the variable- speed forward/rewind buttons that need some getting use to.
On: 2008-01-07
I bought this DVD Player for my grandson for Christmas, he was so excited to have a DVD Player of his own, in less than 2 minutes he hooked up his player to my TV and we watched two movies, it was small and fit perfectly beside my TV, it was very easy to use and I might add my grandson Brian is 12 yrs old. He loves his DVD Player.
Thank You for such a good product and for making me look like a wonderful Grandmother who knows just exactly what he wanted for Christmas.......
On: 2008-01-07
I had this DVD player for less than 2 months before it died. It was tiny, easy to setup and cheap - those are all the good points. It died in under 2 months which was greatly disappointing since my previous tiny cheap Coby had lasted 2+ years. And by died I mean it played DVDs for about 3 weeks beautifully and I was in love. Then around week 4 it decided some DVDs were unplayable by no particular means. Id put in a DVD that would just hang on "scanning", the following DVD would play. The next day I wasnt surprised to see the one Id played the night before wasnt playing and it was left in the DVD player while it was off so it wasnt the disc. And one that hadnt played previously suddenly would play. After a few weeks of that it just stopped playing all DVDs.
I guess its time to find another tiny cheap DVD player manufacturer because this was much more of a disappointment than $25 is woth.
On: 2008-01-06
I had this DVD player for less than 2 months before it died. It was tiny, easy to setup and cheap - those are all the good points. It died in under 2 months which was greatly disappointing since my previous tiny cheap Coby had lasted 2+ years. And by died I mean it played DVDs for about 3 weeks beautifully and I was in love. Then around week 4 it decided some DVDs were unplayable by no particular means. Id put in a DVD that would just hang on "scanning", the following DVD would play. The next day I wasnt surprised to see the one Id played the night before wasnt playing and it was left in the DVD player while it was off so it wasnt the disc. And one that hadnt played previously suddenly would play. After a few weeks of that it just stopped playing all DVDs.
I guess its time to find another tiny cheap DVD player manufacturer because this was much more of a disappointment than $25 is woth.
On: 2008-01-05
I read all the positive and negative reviews for this and thought "$25 a great deal." However, I have had it less than 6 months and although the DVD player is working great, the remote broke. I called up COBY and they said there are two options: send them a money order for $6 and wait 4-6 weeks for a new one, or buy a new remote on another site for $16! - more than half the cost for the whole unit! They also told me that universal remotes dont work with this brand. So, now I have to go out and buy a whole new player and wish I hadnt wasted the $25.
On: 2008-01-04
Stay away from this product.
I bought this over 8 months ago and I wish I had saved the $20 I spent on this and bought a decent multi region DVD player. I have yet to see it play any of my DVD I got from France. Also the remote is extremely annoying since you have to be close to the device and aim at it directly, and that is not easy at night when you are half sleep, and you have to walk to the device and turn it off manually.
by: vocationlab On: 2008-01-04
Just received this player and it drove me nuts because the instructions posted in the review from May 2006 dont work anymore. Thank god I found these ones that worked: for model "DVD-224SS" :
NOTE: Make sure you DO NOT have a disk in the tray while performing the region code procedure
1. Open the DVD tray
2. Press STOP button on the remote control
3. Press 70
4. Press MENU
5. Use the numeric keypad to select your region code number (0 - 6).
Press 0 to get ALL regions
OR
1. Open the DVD tray
2. Press STOP button of remote control
3. Press the digit number buttons "2008" of remote control.
4. Press MENU
Region code will appear, select your region code number
Have fun!
Oliver Fritsch
Read my Marketing Blog: http://blog.cendesic.com
On: 2008-01-02
I bought this player last month. It no longer works. Symptoms: Overheating and Laser malfunction. Ive read other reviews on this player and decided that COBY sells Lemons.
On: 2008-01-02
I bought this for my granddaughters room at our house, she already has a vcr, so this is exactly what we needed. It is simple to use and does not take up a lot of room. I would recommend it to any one thinking of purchasing.
On: 2008-01-02
I recieved this a month ago from Amazon. The units ventilation system is blocked. The factory forgot to remove the pieces blocking the vents upon manufacturing. Due to this error, the unit gets overheated. DVDs would play for only a few moments and then stopped with the message "Invalid Disc."
On: 2008-01-01
Coby DVD-224ss Compact DVD PlayerBought 2 of these and neither worked. The 1st one stopped working with a DVD in it and the second stopped working after 3 uses - wont even open. A waste of my money but I guess you get what you pay for.
On: 2007-12-31
Coby DVD-224ss Compact DVD PlayerBought 2 of these and neither worked. The 1st one stopped working with a DVD in it and the second stopped working after 3 uses - wont even open. A waste of my money but I guess you get what you pay for.
On: 2007-12-31
The Coby DVD player has a small footprint, but does a big job. Very easy to setup and use.
On: 2007-12-29
I bought this player because of its apparent multi-region capability. That feature, unfortunately, is NOT working. I followed all instructions that other fellow customers provided online, tried it on 3 different TVs, all without success! What a huge waste of my time. Cobys customer service is worthless, all you get is a busy signal (I tried for several days). Im packing it up and sending it back where it belongs.
On: 2007-12-29
Its small and a big hit at our house. It plays DVDs and CDs. Both of my kids got one for christmas and they like it!
On: 2007-12-26
This is a very compact, very lightweight DVD player. It is very easy to use and very portable. Its a great product for what I paid for it. I bought it because of the price and because of the good reviews that I read. I havent been disappointed. I would highly recommend this for someone with a tight budget who doesnt need a lot of bells and whistles.
On: 2007-12-25
Bearing in mind this is a very cheap product, I have found it works very well indeed with excellent picture clarity
NON-REGIONAL PLAYING: One of the reasons for buying this product is the fact that it claims to be able to play non-regional DVDs.
However, the manufacturers manuals instructions for making the player non-regional did nothing but show an error message.
I emailed the manufacturer, received an email back requesting the error message I received when I tried to program it for non-regional playing. I emailed back the information they requested and never heard from them.
I did not follow up because I went back into the Amazon site and hunted around for reviews and to hopefully find some feedback on the non-regional playing aspect of this DVD player.
Several reviewers gave instructions for programming the DVD to be non-regional; some worked for some people, but did not work for others; however one of the reviewers instructions worked for my DVD player, and now I can play any DVD without having to reprogram it at all.
I am very grateful to the reviewers who took their time to impart and share their experiences for the benefit of all of us.
So, I am very satisfied with my purchase - Even if the DVD only lasts a year and then quits, for the price paid, it certainly would have been a worthwhile purchase - But, who knows, it may continue playing for a long, long time.
On: 2007-12-24
I bought this player because I needed something that could play my region 5 DVDs. It did play the region 5 DVDs, but didnt play home-burnt ones and broke all together after 1 year (started making strange noises a couple of months before it broke). It just stopped in the middle of a new region-1 movie and started clicking. I turned it off, then tried turning it on after a few weeks, and it played half a movie (a different one) and then stopped again. When I first got it, took it out of the box and started setting up, my first thought was that this thing will not last very long - it just looked so cheap and of poor quality. A huge pro is that it is so cheap and you can buy a new one every year. However, it would be nice to pay 30 bucks and not have to throw the thing away after a year, so Im looking into a Philips DVP 5140.
On: 2007-12-23
I purchased the Coby DVD-224ss Compact DVD Player because some of the DVDs I purchased overseas would not play on my old Panasonic. The unit was functional right out of the box. No adjustments were needed. All the DVDs that I bought overseas are now playable. This is an excellent unit for the price.
On: 2007-12-23
Bought 2 bec of the price, neither worked. What I can say? I knew it was cheap.
On: 2007-12-22
Inexpensive and exactly what I wanted for my kids -- Its not worth spending a lot of money on something that will be obsolete with all the advances in technology and these will be perfect for their rooms while they watch their DVDs.
On: 2007-12-17
Pros: None
Cons: I bought six of these to give as presents, only two of them were still working at all after 30 days and one of them has a sticky tray. The phone number you have to call to get an authorization for warranty service goes unanswered permanently and there is no other way to proceed. This is a junk product from a junkier company, I will never buy another product from this manufacturer.
On: 2007-12-16
Pros: None
Cons: I bought six of these to give as presents, only two of them were still working at all after 30 days and one of them has a sticky tray. The phone number you have to call to get an authorization for warranty service goes unanswered permanently and there is no other way to proceed. This is a junk product from a junkier company, I will never buy another product from this manufacturer.
On: 2007-12-15
This is my second Coby. This first one I had for 2 years and it worked too good. I got it in 2005 and we played, almost every kind of DVD, CD, MP3 etc on it. Its of good quality and sturdy.
The second one I purchased recently.
Only complain I have is with the remote. The remote is not the one that is shown on the picture ( I had the one shows with my previous player) . Worst part on this , no rewind and forward button !!!! .... So you have to rely on next screen, which will take you 5-8 minutes back or forward or if lucky close to where you want to go. Thats really stupid!!!
Rest all is good..... my previous one was lost by my mover hence purchased another one......
On: 2007-12-14
This is my second Coby. This first one I had for 2 years and it worked too good. I got it in 2005 and we played, almost every kind of DVD, CD, MP3 etc on it. Its of good quality and sturdy.
The second one I purchased recently.
Only complain I have is with the remote. The remote is not the one that is shown on the picture ( I had the one shows with my previous player) . Worst part on this , no rewind and forward button !!!! .... So you have to rely on next screen, which will take you 5-8 minutes back or forward or if lucky close to where you want to go. Thats really stupid!!!
Rest all is good..... my previous one was lost by my mover hence purchased another one......
On: 2007-12-10
From what I am told this product is OK. They have only used it a few times and so far there seem to be no issues.
On: 2007-12-05
I had to return this player when it started making a lot of noise for no reason (the only thing that stopped the noise was unplugging it--it made a loud hum whether or not there was a dvd in it). Id had it less than a month when that happened.
Prior to the noise, though, I was frustrated with this player for a number of reasons:
1) Theres no fast forward/rewind button. You use the "skip" button for each which made it hard to get to the exact place on the dvd that I wanted to be (because it stops each time it gets to a new chapter--so, if you happen to want to go just a minute before the most recent chapter break, you have to skip all the way to the previous chapter and then fast forward to the place you want).
2) After being left in stop for an hour (I never quite figured out how long this was--but it was under an hour), the player goes back to the beginning of the dvd. It didnt matter whether I pushed the stop button or the pause button. Because I often watch a single movie over a night or two, its important to me that the dvd player preserve my place. This one doesnt. (So, you have to locate your place again using the cumbersome skip chapter, fast forward/rewind described above.)
All in all, Id say this player is more frustrating than its worth and the price isnt enough lower than the competition to make it a good buy. That combined with the noise (so loud I could hear it from several rooms away when the unit was plugged in), made this my least favorite purchase on Amazon yet.
(Amazon was lovely about the return, as always, and I wouldnt hesitate to buy my next DVD player here, it just wont be this particular model.)
On: 2007-12-04
It sometimes plays the directors commentary first... sometimes the subtitles overlap a bit... but I love its cheapness! I have a feeling that dvd players have a relatively short shelf life anyway, so this is how much they should cost. Small and compact. Remote is teeny tiny but works well.
On: 2007-12-03
I ordered this device for my younger daughter for Christmas, and I have yet to find out,(including my child), to find out if the dvd works. Also it appears to be somewhat simple to operate and the most feature I admire about this item is the size. It is very compact for a minimal of space when an individual is not solely wanting a lot of space for entertainment.
On: 2007-12-02
I really enjoy this product,it works real well.The price is low but alot quality in the product!!
On: 2007-12-02
I should have followed the reviews I read and avoided this product. First one was DOA - Amazon replaced it quickly. Second one worked fine upon arrival. Was intended to be used in vacation home - when getting there a couple of month later second one showed exactly same Death-Symptoms that the first one had (clicking sound followed by wrong disk message). At this point its past the return window so off to the garbage can. No more Coby for me...
On: 2007-12-01
We have 4 DVD players from different vendors. This is the only one we can play DVD disk from China, Germany and US, and have no problems. Its really good one for our family.
On: 2007-12-01
I should have followed the reviews I read and avoided this product. First one was DOA - Amazon replaced it quickly. Second one worked fine upon arrival. Was intended to be used in vacation home - when getting there a couple of month later second one showed exactly same Death-Symptoms that the first one had (clicking sound followed by wrong disk message). At this point its past the return window so off to the garbage can. No more Coby for me...
On: 2007-11-30
We have 4 DVD players from different vendors. This is the only one we can play DVD disk from China, Germany and US, and have no problems. Its really good one for our family.
On: 2007-11-29
Ive had three of theses players, first and last were not worth even the cheap price. The last one new out of the box didnt work. Amazon was great, they took it back and paid for the shipping.
On: 2007-11-27
Bought this economical player with low holiday price on Thanksgiving few days ago from Amazon. Play friends DVD (from China) right out of the box on NTSC TV. (Those big-name players just show B/W scrolling images, only with sound.) To make it region-free, I found it needs to press different keys on the remote control than the one I got on 2005 holiday, which worked on the vol+- keys as other posts said.
It comes with the users manual and shows DVD-224 on the manuals title. But there is a small print "224SS" on the lower-right corner. Please note that the unit still has s-vdeo out on the back for better image quality as the s-video out is disappearing from other brand of DVD players in the same price range.
Here lists (and confirms the earlier posts) the sequence of keys and the msg that appears on the TV:
> Power on the unit (with no DVD in the tray)
> Open the DVD tray
> STOP - red wrong-key icon (upper-right corner)
> 7 - KEY = 7
> 0 - KEY = 0
> MENU - CURRENT REGION = 1
then
> 0 - SET ALL REGION or
> 1 - SET REGION = 1 or
...
> 6 - SET REGION = 6
I recommend this, with no hesitation, to anyone who wants to watch the DVDs around the world.
On: 2007-11-26
I am very satisfied with this DVD player so far. It has great picture quality. The only thing is that the sound doesnt go very high, but it can easily be remedied by turning up the volume on the television itself. Other than that, its a good DVD player.
On: 2007-11-25
I purchased this DVD player for my grandfather to replace an older more complicated model. What I really enjoyed about this DVD player was that its user friendly (Even for my 70 year old grandfather), and it only takes about 5 minutes to hook up, I have never hooked up a DVD player and the instructions made it easy to connect to any TV. Overall a great buy!
On: 2007-11-23
I am replacing my sons current Coby DVD player, which just started having issues recognizing discs, with another just like it after 11 months of use. Why, you might ask, since 11 months does not seem like much time, would I buy the same brand and model? Because we put over 6000 hours of play time on it in that period. That amounts to over seven YEARS worth of daily movie watching. Bad parent that I am, by employing this players repeat feature, I know that my sons TV can be switched on at any time of the day (or night, if he wakes up in the middle of the night and needs help getting back to sleep) and the show playing will be one of his favorites and age appropriate. I cant think when else I have felt I got such great value out of an electronic. At this price, even if this player is a bit on the disposable side, I am more than willing to replace it annually if I can get 6000 hours worth of play out of each player. I have another one just like it in my bedroom and my brother also owns one. Neither of these more regularly used DVD players have had any problems, and we set them all up to work with other regional DVDs with no problems. I highly recommend these DVD players as excellent, inexpensive solutions for high use or multi-region use. If you care about super high quality sound and video, this might not be the player for you. If you want a good quality player for a truly astounding price, look no further.
On: 2007-11-22
I am replacing my sons current Coby DVD player, which just started having issues recognizing discs, with another just like it after 11 months of use. Why, you might ask, since 11 months does not seem like much time, would I buy the same brand and model? Because we put over 6000 hours of play time on it in that period. That amounts to over seven YEARS worth of daily movie watching. Bad parent that I am, by employing this players repeat feature, I know that my sons TV can be switched on at any time of the day (or night, if he wakes up in the middle of the night and needs help getting back to sleep) and the show playing will be one of his favorites and age appropriate. I cant think when else I have felt I got such great value out of an electronic. At this price, even if this player is a bit on the disposable side, I am more than willing to replace it annually if I can get 6000 hours worth of play out of each player. I have another one just like it in my bedroom and my brother also owns one. Neither of these more regularly used DVD players have had any problems, and we set them all up to work with other regional DVDs with no problems. I highly recommend these DVD players as excellent, inexpensive solutions for high use or multi-region use. If you care about super high quality sound and video, this might not be the player for you. If you want a good quality player for a truly astounding price, look no further.
On: 2007-11-20
Very good for the price, works perfectly well, so far. My only complaint is the remote control is completely different then the one in the picture, mine is credit-card sized and has no buttons for fast-forward or rewind. Those features are common on most DVD players. I feel I should have received the same remote displayed in the picture. But it works, so far, for the price, which cant be beat.
On: 2007-11-19
This unit is just perfect for the bedroom. Very compact, lightweight and easy to use.
On: 2007-11-18
I bought one, am buying another because it is right for my basic purpose (playing a DVD) and it is inexpensive. I dont know about playing back foreign formats, but it works well with the common US DVD.
On: 2007-11-17
I bought one, am buying another because it is right for my basic purpose (playing a DVD) and it is inexpensive. I dont know about playing back foreign formats, but it works well with the common US DVD.
On: 2007-11-08
Purchased at a local retail store. Mainly because it was cheap and would act as a spare in a bedroom. Unfortunately, it would not play ANYTHING, multiple DVDs attempted with the error, "Please Insert Disc"; CDs yielded, "Incorrect Disk". Composite output did not function either.
Returned to seller. They took back without question. The clerk stated three had recently been returned and one of those was by his own sister! Sorry Coby, not a good impression so far.
On: 2007-11-07
Purchased at a local retail store. Mainly because it was cheap and would act as a spare in a bedroom. Unfortunately, it would not play ANYTHING, multiple DVDs attempted with the error, "Please Insert Disc"; CDs yielded, "Incorrect Disk". Composite output did not function either.
Returned to seller. They took back without question. The clerk stated three had recently been returned and one of those was by his own sister! Sorry Coby, not a good impression so far.
On: 2007-11-06
Got this to replace my old one which was losing its optic focus. so far its pretty good. i also have 3 friends who have ones and they have made no complaints so far.
the good part is definetly that its so compact and the remote is awesome being so slim. though that does make it hard to find sometimes and the layout of the buttons can be confusing
On: 2007-11-05
Got this to replace my old one which was losing its optic focus. so far its pretty good. i also have 3 friends who have ones and they have made no complaints so far.
the good part is definetly that its so compact and the remote is awesome being so slim. though that does make it hard to find sometimes and the layout of the buttons can be confusing
On: 2007-10-31
I purchased this DVD player for my teenagers room. I wanted something that was not really expensive, but would run DVDs 24/7. (I cannot tell you how many times I have woken up in the middle of the night to find the DVD player still running without anyone watching it.)
The only feature that it doesnt have that I wish it did have is an automatic screensaver when the DVD is at the main menu and no one has made any selections (see above for reason).
Other than that, this is a perfect no-frills DVD player.
On: 2007-10-29
This unit does it all for standard-def playback of regular dvds. Compact and simple, the Coby DVD player is really cheap in price, but not in quality. I recommend it!
On: 2007-10-25
Over all somewhat please with this player. The price is right but the remote is such poor quality. There must have been a short inside the battery compartment. It stopped working and when I looked inside it was all corroded and the metal the hold the batteries were rusted away.
On: 2007-10-25
This product is just what it was advertised to be, Simple to use and it works great, Howard Platz
On: 2007-10-17
Initial product supplied was defective and wouldnt spin the dvd discs, then became electrically dangerous
Replacement was fine, and I was not required to return defective item due to prohibitive cost of postage
Just unfortunate really, wouldnt strongly recommend product
On: 2007-10-15
I had bad experiences with Coby in the past so I should have known better. I was only looking for a simple DVD player the kids can watch their movies on. This thing played the first 3 minutes of a movie then started sticking. It would not let me fast forward or rewind. I tried 5 different DVDs (all store bought) and it did the same with all of them. I even tried connecting it to a different TV (not that it should matter) and had the same results. Delivered on a Wednesday, returned on Thursday.
On: 2007-10-10
This thing is perfect for what it is. Even if it bites the dust in 6 months its still worth it. I got it set up in under 10 minutes and it does what its supposed to. Two thumbs up to Amazon as well, delivery only took 2 days.
On: 2007-10-04
I purchased this for my daughter and the remote has broken. It is impossible to replace with a universal remote. The manufacturer has been uncooperative in helping to replace the remote. They keep saying the remote is "back-ordered" since we ordered one from them in July. Now they say it will not be available until November. Do not purchase this item - spend a few dollars more and get one from a name brand company that is easier to deal with replacement parts.
On: 2007-10-04
At about 6 months old the TV started complaining "NO SIGNAL" using the COBY S-Video output. Sometimes it would work after re-inserting the DVD a few times, or turning the COBY on/off.
Now a consistent "NO SIGNAL", Ive tried it with other TVs with same results. You get what you pay for, I guess.
Anyone interested in any of the parts for it- MAYBE A REMOTE?????
On: 2007-09-26
Warning: Do not by the Coby Mode. 224 DVD player if you want to watch anything in the Zoom mode. When you try to watch anything in other than normal zoom it puts a distracting 2,3,or4x zoom icon almost in the middle of the screen. After several phone calls and e-mails to Coby, I must assume there is no way to make this icon go away. I cant imagine why a manufacturer would design a player this way.
On: 2007-09-24
[
ASIN:B000261N6M Coby DVD-224ss Compact DVD Player]]
On: 2007-09-20
I started out loving this product. It was cheap and could play anything. I liked it so much I bought another.
After watching about 2 dvds a week for a few months, the first one died, then the second about 3 months later The first one started freezing and failing to read pretty much anything then the other just started coming up with "wrong disk" on anything you stuck in it. These were two different coby models, but both were crap.
Besides the early death of the players, another down side is that no universal remote seems to know who coby is, and so you are stuck with the initial remote (learning remotes also fail to control cobys).
In the end, dvd players are all cheap now. Spend a little more money and get a good brand name one.
On: 2007-09-16
I understand that I should have low expectiations with the price, but I expected it to work longer then 45 days. When it was working the only drawback was the remote which has 56 evenly spaced buttons that are all the same size so you better have the lights on if you are trying to use it!
On: 2007-09-16
This is a great little player. Its easy to set up and easy to use. Plays great.
On: 2007-09-14
This is a great bare bones DVD player. It doesnt have many bells and whistles, but is an excellant value. Weve been using it regularly for over three months. If it breaks tomorrow, we will still have gotten our moneys worth.
On: 2007-09-13
This is a great bare bones DVD player. It doesnt have many bells and whistles, but is an excellant value. Weve been using it regularly for over three months. If it breaks tomorrow, we will still have gotten our moneys worth.
On: 2007-09-12
Thinking it was about time I bought a DVD player I decided to go with this affordable one to start me off. Based on the reviews I knew what to expect. Ive had this DVD player for about a month so far with light usage and I love it. The only 2 issues I have with it is that while it was easy to plug in, it wasnt exactly a cakewalk to try to get it to work at first. I needed to play around with my settings and I finally realized that I had to change my TV setting manually to video in order for the DVD to play. The instructions did not explain this anywhere, but then again my 24" Sony is over a decade old. The second issue I have is that there is no power button on the remote. Also, unlike my VCR which I can switch from cable/tv to VCR by remote, I have to actually get up to manually change the video setting on my TV and press the power button before watching any DVD. It gets a little annoying if you are snuggled in bed and need to get out just to watch your fav DVD thats already inside your player but other than that all the other buttons that you need while watching your movie are on the remote. Overall I am happy with my purchase and I feel it was worth the money. Shipping was longer than I expected from Amazon, but arrived on time.
On: 2007-09-08
I got this DVD player to fit in a narrow area next to our in-wall television to eliminate the need for tacky A/V room furniture and exposed wiring. The Coby DVD-224ss Compact DVD Player works great and has played every DVD flawlessly. Its small size, great price and features are just right for family DVD viewing. I would buy it again.
On: 2007-09-02
Yes, you get what you pay for with this item!! I had mine for thirty one days, then it stopped working with the error No Disc even though there is a disc in it. I contacted Coby and they said "sorry, out of the thirty day warranty" but the store I bought it from replaced it for me. The second player worked with little to moderate use for four months and then again, the No Disc error.
After researching on the internet, you can find many and varied horror stories about this product and almost all of them recommend not to buy it! Buyers beware!
On: 2007-08-29
I really liked it because it was really small, not too big and heavy, and the price was right. Thank you!!!!
On: 2007-08-24
The DVD player works fine. But the remote doesnt work. Tried different batteries and same. No phone number to call to get a replacement.
On: 2007-08-22
The remote doesnt fast farward. We tried to contact the support to report this problem. They said they would send us a new remote. We never received it. After a few weeks we tried to contact the support again and this time they did not even respond.
I gave up on this. I will never ever buy a COBY product again.
On: 2007-08-19
This DVD player is of the worst quality that Ive ever seen. I have only used several times before it broke down on me. In addition, when i tried to get it fixed, i had to pay a twelve dollar shipping fee. Dont buy this junk DVD player.
On: 2007-08-18
This DVD player is of the worst quality that Ive ever seen. I have only used several times before it broke down on me. In addition, when i tried to get it fixed, i had to pay a twelve dollar shipping fee. Dont buy this junk DVD player.
On: 2007-08-17
I realize that buying a cheap DVD player is always a roll of the dice, but this one sure came up snake eyes. It gave up the ghost after just two months of use, and limited use at that. It has a terrible, un-tactile remote as well. Of course the warranty terms and costs are laughable, so this ones where it belongs - in the trash can. If memory serves Ive had other poor luck with products from this company, so a lesson has definitely been learned.
On: 2007-08-15
Its incredibly lightweight, very easy to hook up and works like a charm. It exceeded my expectations so far!
On: 2007-08-10
This is a great player. Im not a videophile or anything like that. I love this player for the simple reason that it plays all of my disks. If you backup your home movies on burnable media, this is a must. I have never had a player play DVDs as well as this machine. I can tell you for a fact that it plays Sony +R disks perfectly. Also, if you were wondering, yes, the region-free hack that so many other reviewers have mentioned works like a charm. That means that this thing will officially play anything that you stick into it. Im writing this review because my player is a little bit over 8 months old, and it is just starting to get a little bit buggy. Some minor ½ second pixelation very infrequently and freezing now and then. It is not enough to really upset me, as far as Im concerned, the player still works very well. Heck, if I need to buy a new one of these every 8 months, Ill do it until they stop manufacturing this. Ive actually started buying this is bulk. I ordered two, which are nestled away in my closet, waiting for my first to bite the dust. If you are looking for an inexpensive throwaway that will play all of your stuff for 6 months to a year, this is a must have.
On: 2007-08-09
My husbands birthday falls a month before Christmas so my funds were limited when I bought the Coby (our old DVD player was broken and we NEEDED a new one.) I read a few reviews which were good, so I bought it. After putting down my credit card I read a few more reviews and read many negatives about how it breaks fast and thought maybe I made a poor decision. We got the player late November 2006, we use it daily, and its been wonnnnnderful. Even if it breaks today, I feel Ive gotten my moneys worth. Great little machine!
On: 2007-08-08
My husbands birthday falls a month before Christmas so my funds were limited when I bought the Coby (our old DVD player was broken and we NEEDED a new one.) I read a few reviews which were good, so I bought it. After putting down my credit card I read a few more reviews and read many negatives about how it breaks fast and thought maybe I made a poor decision. We got the player late November 2006, we use it daily, and its been wonnnnnderful. Even if it breaks today, I feel Ive gotten my moneys worth. Great little machine!
On: 2007-08-06
I purchased this DVD player a year ago to play DVDs I bought in the UK. I was so pleased with it that I have since purchased an additional 3 machines! My only complaint (and even then not really a complaint) is that each of the 4 machines I purchased, while their boxes were all identical, were different. It is a good thing there are several "hacks" available online to access the region-free-ness because each machine took a different one. Altogether, I love being able to watch foreign DVDs (from the UK and Germany) and have had no problems with any of my 4 machines playing both American and foreign DVDs.
On: 2007-08-05
I purchased this DVD player a year ago to play DVDs I bought in the UK. I was so pleased with it that I have since purchased an additional 3 machines! My only complaint (and even then not really a complaint) is that each of the 4 machines I purchased, while their boxes were all identical, were different. It is a good thing there are several "hacks" available online to access the region-free-ness because each machine took a different one. Altogether, I love being able to watch foreign DVDs (from the UK and Germany) and have had no problems with any of my 4 machines playing both American and foreign DVDs.
On: 2007-07-29
I originally bought this DVD player because I neede one that would play DVDs I bougth from the UK. When my primary DVD player broke I used this one more often and discovered that it did not play most of my Disney DVDs and some other DVDs that I have. Since I discovered this more that 30 days after I bougth it I could not return it. If you are buying this only to play DVDs not in your region then this is a great player otherwise you should pass on it.
On: 2007-07-28
I originally bought this DVD player because I neede one that would play DVDs I bougth from the UK. When my primary DVD player broke I used this one more often and discovered that it did not play most of my Disney DVDs and some other DVDs that I have. Since I discovered this more that 30 days after I bougth it I could not return it. If you are buying this only to play DVDs not in your region then this is a great player otherwise you should pass on it.
On: 2007-07-28
I purchased this machine to be used in a desert environment and I couldnt be happier with it! I used this in both Afghanistan and Iraq and it has served me well over the last 9 months. It is small enough for easy travel and very functional. The only downside is the remote. there are more buttons tan need to be on it and it does not seem to recognize my TV to be used as a universal remote. Great product and I will use it till it dies and then buy another one to replace it.
On: 2007-07-27
I purchased this machine to be used in a desert environment and I couldnt be happier with it! I used this in both Afghanistan and Iraq and it has served me well over the last 9 months. It is small enough for easy travel and very functional. The only downside is the remote. there are more buttons tan need to be on it and it does not seem to recognize my TV to be used as a universal remote. Great product and I will use it till it dies and then buy another one to replace it.
On: 2007-07-19
I bought this DVD player to put in our spare bedroom. Its perfect for those guests to watch any DVD in your library and you dont have to pay for an additional cable or satellite connection.
On: 2007-07-19
It cant read the home recorded DVDs, it can only read the original DVDs. Whats good is that. I bought it & threw it away, since its too much trouble shipping it back.
On: 2007-07-19
This item comes with an unremovable bright red and yellow, highly inflammable 6"x9" sticker glued to the top of the case, containing a ponderous list of "Common Troubleshooting Issues" (read: design and manufacturing defects). The glued sticker cannot be removed without submersing the unit in solvent for 30 minutes -- not recommended. Leave the sticker on, power on the unit, and wait for the ambient heat to ignite the inflammable sticker. Then call the fire department.
On: 2007-07-18
I bought this DVD player to put in our spare bedroom. Its perfect for those guests to watch any DVD in your library and you dont have to pay for an additional cable or satellite connection.
On: 2007-07-18
If you receive a model "DVD-224SS" (it is stated on the manual cover), the region-free hack previously posted will not work. Heres how to do it:
NOTE: Make sure you DO NOT have a disk in the tray while performing the region code procedure
1. Open the DVD tray
2. Press STOP button on the remote control
3. Press 70
4. Press MENU
5. Use the numeric keypad to select your region code number (0 - 6).
OR
1. Open the DVD tray
2. Press STOP button of remote control
3. Press the digit number buttons "2008" of remote control.
4. Press MENU
Region code will appear, select your region code number.
On: 2007-07-18
This item comes with an unremovable bright red and yellow, highly inflammable 6"x9" sticker glued to the top of the case, containing a ponderous list of "Common Troubleshooting Issues" (read: design and manufacturing defects). The glued sticker cannot be removed without submersing the unit in solvent for 30 minutes -- not recommended. Leave the sticker on, power on the unit, and wait for the ambient heat to ignite the inflammable sticker. Then call the fire department.
On: 2007-07-15
This would be a nice little DVD/CD player if it worked. The audio sounds great to me. The video is so-so on my HDTV and overall Id be pleased for the price but no matter what DVD I put in, it freezes and skips after about 15 minutes. Unusable. Dont bother.
On: 2007-07-10
Save yourself the trouble, dont buy this. It worked for exactly 35 days and ate my DVD. I read the manual, followed the instructions and called Coby. The person I spoke with (very helpful) said that this happens A LOT with this model. It was going to cost me about $30 to ship this to and from New York where the repair center is located, so Im taking this as a lesson learned. I should have listened to my husband and spent the extra money on a Sony.
On: 2007-07-10
i did not use it. i returned it because i wanted a portable dvd player for my husband.
On: 2007-07-09
I placed my order in late May, but it wasnt until early July that I finally received a functioning product. The first product arrived quickly, but was defective. The returns/exchanges customer service phone number was generally busy, and on the occasions I was able to get through, I had the feeling that little to nothing was documented - I soon wearied of repeating my story and answering the same questions over and over again. It wasnt until I was able to get through to Richard, the manager, that anything appeared to get done. Richard was helpful, and explained that with all the products that are shipped out each month, there are bound to be some lemons. I understand that and accept it as the natural result doing business over the internet and having products shipped to my home. That being said, if there truly are very few lemons being shipped, this particular less-than-positive piece of feedback ought to have only a small impact on the overall rating of Electronics Expo.
I have no problems with the product now that I finally have a functioning one. I think that for its price, it was a good deal. But the seller of the product is what is driving my rating. I was going to leave only one star, but Richards helpfulness bumped it up to two stars.
On: 2007-07-05
So Far This Little DVD Player Has Been Excellent...It Has Lots More Modes Than My $1400 Laptop...The Best Part Is It Will Play Anything You Put In It Like A Computer..If It Croaks Ill Buy Another One Just Like It
On: 2007-07-03
not only was the delivery quick I didnt expect the product to be so good considering the cost. I trusted the site and should have expected the best, but hey you never know. I will definitely recommend the site & item to others. Helen
On: 2007-06-28
the coby has been working fine for the past few months. plays dvds,audio and mp3 cds which is great for a low price...would recommend this to anyone....
On: 2007-06-27
the coby has been working fine for the past few months. plays dvds,audio and mp3 cds which is great for a low price...would recommend this to anyone....
On: 2007-06-27
I would have given 5 stars but the remote is hard to use for fast forward and next scene jumps. Other than the remote this DVD player is a step above other units costing 10 times more. At twice the price it would still be a deal and then some.
On: 2007-06-27
I had always wanted to pick up a dvd player. The one thing that concerned me was the cost. I could not believe it when I saw this particular dvd player advertised for under 30 dollars.What could be wrong with it? Why is it so cheap? The Coby DVD-224 Player is a top quality purchase for an outstanding low price.It is easy to operate with the remote control once you turn it on and put in the dvd. I highly recommend this item.
On: 2007-06-17
After a little over three months of very light use, this cheesy little DVD player crapped-out. I recommend you spend a few extra bucks for either a better player by another manufacturer, or if you must go must get something with a COBY label on it, get the extended warranty along with it. Be forwarned this is no bargain.
On: 2007-06-16
After a little over three months of very light use, this cheesy little DVD player crapped-out. I recommend you spend a few extra bucks for either a better player by another manufacturer, or if you must go must get something with a COBY label on it, get the extended warranty along with it. Be forwarned this is no bargain.
On: 2007-06-12
I dont want to give this product even a 0 rating. i would rather give it in the -ve. I bought this DVD player couple of months back, ignoring the bad feedbacks given to this product. Result of that big mistake -- i ve to dump this product in garbage. This might have worked fine for first 5 times. thatz it. now it is giving wrong disk message to all the DVDs that i play. These DVDs work fine with my other DVD player. so please dont waste your money on this absolute piece of junk. if you feel like spending on this crap, instead, consider donating that money to charity so that atleast your hard earned money wont go to garbage !!!!
On: 2007-06-11
I dont want to give this product even a 0 rating. i would rather give it in the -ve. I bought this DVD player couple of months back, ignoring the bad feedbacks given to this product. Result of that big mistake -- i ve to dump this product in garbage. This might have worked fine for first 5 times. thatz it. now it is giving wrong disk message to all the DVDs that i play. These DVDs work fine with my other DVD player. so please dont waste your money on this absolute piece of junk. if you feel like spending on this crap, instead, consider donating that money to charity so that atleast your hard earned money wont go to garbage !!!!
by: Anonymous On: 2007-06-02
This DVD player is such a piece of garbage that I am actually writing this review. This is the 1st feedback i have ever left and i order plenty of items from Amazon. DVD arrived damaged and DVDs did not play at all. I ordered a COBY in the past and it broke down after 6 months (no disc was the error message). i should have learned my lesson but i just needed a cheap DVD player for use when traveling. Guess what...big mistake!!! I returned the DVD player and will get another brand and spend the extra $20-$30. trust me, it will break down and it is worth the extra $20 to get a better DVD that will last 2 years. BUYER BEWARE!!!
by: schrodt3 On: 2007-06-01
Good price on a decent quality DVD player. We ship these around the country and they have taken some abuse and keep on working fine. Good buy for the money.
by: thejaff9 On: 2007-05-30
I bought this DVD player to play scratched movies from Netflix. It worked great the 15-20 times we used it, until one day, less then two months after purchasing it, it quit. Costs for shipping the unit back and charges for shipping a replacement will run you around $25.00. Might as well buy a new one.
by: ispud2 On: 2007-05-30
bought this dvd player fo my 4 year olds bedroom. easy to use loved that it was able to plug right into the wall with a plug adapter, we live in naples, italy and have constant problems with electronics needing converters,(these are expensive), we just bought a plug converter and plugged it right in $1.50. the player is compact and easy to use. I highly recommend it and the price was the best part. thanks amazon...as always!
On: 2007-05-29
I bought this DVD player to play scratched movies from Netflix. It worked great the 15-20 times we used it, until one day, less then two months after purchasing it, it quit. Costs for shipping the unit back and charges for shipping a replacement will run you around $25.00. Might as well buy a new one.
by: Anonymous On: 2007-05-25
Everything works and after 10 movies I have had no problems. Everyting was ready to go from the box.
On: 2007-05-24
Everything works and after 10 movies I have had no problems. Everyting was ready to go from the box.
On: 2007-05-22
I received my player in good time, in good condition. It was easy to hook up and works well. My only complaint is the included batteries were completely dead. All in all, a good buy for 30 bucks.
On: 2007-05-19
We bought this DVD player ...and did not use it for a few months and then when we finally started using it ..we could just watch a couple of movies and then it went dead!When u load the disc it just says Loadng for a long time and then says No Disc!Its a waste!
On: 2007-05-18
We bought this DVD player ...and did not use it for a few months and then when we finally started using it ..we could just watch a couple of movies and then it went dead!When u load the disc it just says Loadng for a long time and then says No Disc!Its a waste!
On: 2007-05-18
This a great buy for a bedroom Dvd player its small, and has a good picture, love the price.
On: 2007-05-17
This a great buy for a bedroom Dvd player its small, and has a good picture, love the price.
On: 2007-05-14
Just what you want in a dvd Player.
Plays any format. Just like any media player on your computer.
On: 2007-05-13
Im glad that I only spent under $30.00. It has no other functions other than to play a dvd
On: 2007-05-13
I bought this unit a month before and no issues at all. worth buying for 30-40 bugs.
On: 2007-05-13
The product came on time and was exactly like the advertisment said. I am so glad I purchased this from this seller.
On: 2007-05-12
I needed a quick Christmas gift for my mother, and being as she doesnt have a DVD player yet, this one looked fine. She set it up herself and after learning how to switch to input she started watching and playing DVDs on her own. Recommended as a gift to someone without a DVD player or a DVD collection.
On: 2007-05-12
The product came on time and was exactly like the advertisment said. I am so glad I purchased this from this seller.
On: 2007-05-12
Couldnt be happier, this DVD for the basic DVD player is easy to use, compact and is mp3 compatable.
On: 2007-05-08
Great little dvd player - no problems - works well - plays any dvd - great price.
On: 2007-05-08
This thing is a piece of trash.. At first it worked fine but about a week later, it pretty much stopped reading every type of DVD.. and those that did work, skipped constantly, even if I just opened a brand new DVD.. Definately do not buy this, its worth the extra $10-20 for a quality one that will get the job done.. BUYERS BEWARE!
On: 2007-05-07
Not a lot of bells and whistles here, but the price is right and it works. We have had ours for several months. My Mom used it continuously (I mean 24/7) when she was in the Health Care Center.
The only reason this doesnt rate 5-stars is that I cant find a Cody code for my multiple device remotes. Thus I need to keep the Cody remote available -- one more piece of technological clutter.
This is a good choice for a second TV add-on, but not so good as a major player in a Home Entertainment Center.
On: 2007-05-06
Not a lot of bells and whistles here, but the price is right and it works. We have had ours for several months. My Mom used it continuously (I mean 24/7) when she was in the Health Care Center.
The only reason this doesnt rate 5-stars is that I cant find a Cody code for my multiple device remotes. Thus I need to keep the Cody remote available -- one more piece of technological clutter.
This is a good choice for a second TV add-on, but not so good as a major player in a Home Entertainment Center.
On: 2007-04-30
This is the worst DVD player that I have ever owned. It played 1 movie and will no longer work. I am always happy with Amazon but in this case I am disgusted. I dont blame Amazon but Coby is a brand that I will never purchase or recommend to anyone. In other words, dont waste your money.
On: 2007-04-29
I purchased this coby DVD player because it was a cheaper model. I did not want a recorder juat a player. So unbeknown what I was puchasing apparently I got a defective product. It was purchased in February and now in April its dead. Then what got me, I was in a Big Lots store (2 miles from where I live)and found the same exact DVD player and it was cheaper than what I purchased it at on line. (grrrr)
So I would recomend either find a better brand or spend more for the player.I would recomend not to buy this and save yourself a headache.
On: 2007-04-28
I purchased this coby DVD player because it was a cheaper model. I did not want a recorder juat a player. So unbeknown what I was puchasing apparently I got a defective product. It was purchased in February and now in April its dead. Then what got me, I was in a Big Lots store (2 miles from where I live)and found the same exact DVD player and it was cheaper than what I purchased it at on line. (grrrr)
So I would recomend either find a better brand or spend more for the player.I would recomend not to buy this and save yourself a headache.
On: 2007-04-24
I was in search of a low-priced MP3 player. Coby specified that its DVD-224 player was such a device. This was stated in its web site and in the descriptions listed among third-party retailers. When I received it I found that it would not play MP3s. In other words, they were guilty of false advertising.
On: 2007-04-13
How to use an auto-switching universal power supply (that handles inputs from AC 110 to 220 volts (50/60 Hz))?
Where is that switch button? Do I not need this special cord to convert from 110 to 220?
On: 2007-04-12
How to use an auto-switching universal power supply (that handles inputs from AC 110 to 220 volts (50/60 Hz))?
Where is that switch button? Do I not need this special cord to convert from 110 to 220?
On: 2007-04-11
Supports VCD, SVCD, multiregion, is very good for it cheap price.
by: Anonymous On: 2007-04-10
I am a demanding customer and this is a great product. Small in size has all the basic functions and also plays mp3 discs, wich doesnt say on the manual. Too bad you can not remove the signal of zoom from of the screen
On: 2007-04-10
I bought a $30 dvd player from WalMart over three years ago and it still works. I bought this one from Amazon about 2 months ago and it already doesnt play. It skipped in the middle of nowhere on a perfect disc, and then when we took out the disc to check it, we put it back in and it said it was loading. It now says "No Disc" and doesnt play or even try to load anything. Amazon would not return this, so I called Coby directly.
I called Coby and explained what had happened, and they said that if I could return it to them, they would exchange it. I asked if they knew how much shipping was and they said to include a $12 money order. So I verified with them, and they said I needed to pay shipping both ways. Thats almost as much as I paid for it in the first place.
I asked what they would do if the second one broke, and they said I didnt have to pay shipping for any more after the first one, but no matter how many times this happens, they will never exchange it for another product, only the exact same model.
After reading all of the other reviews of the same thing happening to this model constantly and consistently, I decided that its not worth the trouble.
On: 2007-04-10
Supports VCD, SVCD, multiregion, is very good for it cheap price.
On: 2007-04-10
I purchased the Colby player on price alone; it was the cheapest one around. Im very pleased with my purchase. Works great.
On: 2007-04-09
I bought a $30 dvd player from WalMart over three years ago and it still works. I bought this one from Amazon about 2 months ago and it already doesnt play. It skipped in the middle of nowhere on a perfect disc, and then when we took out the disc to check it, we put it back in and it said it was loading. It now says "No Disc" and doesnt play or even try to load anything. Amazon would not return this, so I called Coby directly.
I called Coby and explained what had happened, and they said that if I could return it to them, they would exchange it. I asked if they knew how much shipping was and they said to include a $12 money order. So I verified with them, and they said I needed to pay shipping both ways. Thats almost as much as I paid for it in the first place.
I asked what they would do if the second one broke, and they said I didnt have to pay shipping for any more after the first one, but no matter how many times this happens, they will never exchange it for another product, only the exact same model.
After reading all of the other reviews of the same thing happening to this model constantly and consistently, I decided that its not worth the trouble.
On: 2007-04-09
The dvd player stopped working after just a few days of playing dvds. The player will not load any dvds and simply says "No Disc" The manufacturers shipping and handling fees are close to the same as a new unit without any hope that the new one would be any better. Despite the low cost it is definitely not worth it.
On: 2007-04-08
i brought product from Amazon, i rarely used the player. Now am getting no disk error. Coby has such a defective product. I would advice people never buy this player.
On: 2007-04-04
This is the first purchase that I ever did over the internet failed out of box. This DVD player failed to play any DVD. I had to return it and am now awaiting the refund "patiently" for almost 3 weeks with no results yet. Note that I did not consider replacement to be a wise move.
On: 2007-04-02
Works very well and has a lot of good features compared to the price. Definately worth it if you are just looking for something to watch movies on and listen to CDs.
On: 2007-03-26
received this DVD player on time, great service from Amazon. And This DVD palyer is a good entry level product, which support full code zone DVD. Highly recommend to buy if you need to watch DVD from Europe or Asia.
On: 2007-03-25
received this DVD player on time, great service from Amazon. And This DVD palyer is a good entry level product, which support full code zone DVD. Highly recommend to buy if you need to watch DVD from Europe or Asia.
On: 2007-03-25
Item is nice and compact, and seems to work very well so far. I wish the remote had a power on/off button on it, but even without that, I still would have given the item a five--or a four-and-a-half, except it also comes with an ugly yellow instruction sticker on the top of it that doesnt come off. Maybe the sticker could be put on the bottom? Or the instructions could be put on a card?
On: 2007-03-24
Item is nice and compact, and seems to work very well so far. I wish the remote had a power on/off button on it, but even without that, I still would have given the item a five--or a four-and-a-half, except it also comes with an ugly yellow instruction sticker on the top of it that doesnt come off. Maybe the sticker could be put on the bottom? Or the instructions could be put on a card?
On: 2007-03-23
Since I purchased it in January (this being March), I have had no problems with this DVD player--its everything it claims to be: compact, quiet, and it has played everything Ive wanted it to play. Best of all, it is very affordable! Skip the more expensive brands and try this.
On: 2007-03-22
dont waste your money. DVD player never worked only displayed no disk.
Thank God I bought this from Amazon. the return was easy.
On: 2007-03-21
dont waste your money. DVD player never worked only displayed no disk.
Thank God I bought this from Amazon. the return was easy.
On: 2007-03-18
The dvd player is able to read everything i put on lol I rather have this than a expensive brand like Sony or Toshiba, just waiting until they make HD DVD to get one.
On: 2007-03-17
If you want to play PAL DVDs you will find that you get an error msg "Wrong Region" and that is because it is set region = 1 (NTSC). So then you will have to set it to 2 or 255 using the remote ctl. First you will have to figure out whether you have the older model DVD-224 or the newer model DVD-224M. I think I read that the boxes all say DVD-224 and you have to look at the users manual to see if its an "M". The "M" rem ctl has a NTSC/PAL or N/P button and is as shown on the COBY webpage. Otherwise you have the older model.
To change the region code, call COBY and they will step you thru it or see the instructions given in very early comments above.
Your PAL DVD should now play OK.
If you get it pla | | |
