A Traveler-Friendly DVD Player (Philips PET740)

Member Name: browndoll

Product:	Philips PET740
Date:	19/08/09 (214 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Ideal for travelers

Disadvantages: Battery has low powertime capacity

Traveling used to be a hard time for me and my hubby when we bring our two kids with us. The backseat of the car had always been so noisy. The kids just fight over nonsense things and oftentimes I had to yell just to stop them from fighting.
A long travel with the family members must be fun but the screaming kids at the backseat were so hard to put off.

Last summer, we agreed to go to a 2-week camping. Before packing anything, I had to address a serious issue; the screaming kids at the backseat of my car. My two boys are lovely and they are great (every mom will say that). It's just that one would not stop teasing the other when we're on a long journey. No matter how they promised to behave, they would end up fighting and screaming.


Then I decided to buy Philips PET740 portable DVD player hoping it would solve the problem.
The Product

Philips PET740 is a very portable DVD player with its dimension of 4 inches in height by 24 inches in width by 16.8 centimeters in diameter. The weight of 1 kilogram makes it very light and handy.The control buttons are located at the right side of the base of the DVD player.

The location of the control buttons is ideal for me. Some DVD players' control keys are located at the sides of the monitor and pressing the keys harder may cause the 'hinges' of the DVD player to loosen which would eventually damage it. With the control keys located at the base, the DVD player is not prone to damage even when I have to press the control keys harder.

Specifications
Display : 7 inches TFT LCD screen
Screen Resolution: 234 x 480
Brightness Rate: 200 cd/m2
Compatibility : MP3, WMA, JPEG images
Sound System: Dolby Digital
Dimension: 4 in (H) x 24 in (W) x 16.8 cm (D)
Weight: 1 kg
Playback compatibility: DVD, CD, Picture CD, SVCD, Video CD, DVD-R/RW, MP3-CD, CD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW
The Video

The 7-inch LCD widescreen display provides very clear and vivid images. The picture of the screen can be clearly viewed by two people sitting side-by-side. The first time we used this Philips PET740 portable DVD player, my older son requested if the two of them could be possibly buckled in just one seatbelt as I play 'The Lion King' disc so both of them could have a perfect view of the screen. It was a very good suggestion that honestly surprised me.
I can trust the picture quality of this DVD player. I rarely experience interruptions while playing a movie with it. If the picture freezes or pauses, then maybe there's a scratch or defect on the disc itself.
The Audio

Philips PET740 portable DVD player has an average sound output when listened to without headphones. When I listen to its sound closely, there were words I couldn't understand well in a film conversation. The music in the film sounds good though. When I tried to listen to it using the headphones, I heard a very audible and a high-quality sound. The conversation became so clear and the music got even better. It is therefore a lot better to listen to it through the earphones to hear a compact and well-balanced sound.
There are two headphones sockets on this DVD player. That makes it perfect for my two kids at the backseat of the car when we travel. They use separate headphones.

The battery

The battery of Philips PET740 portable DVD player has only 2 hours of video playback time. Just barely enough to watch a single full-feature movie on it. The recharging time takes about 3 hours for the battery to be fully charged.
The battery is the downside of this DVD player. The 2-hour video playback time is just not enough sometimes. There are movies that take almost 3 hours to play and the battery just can't handle it. There are other DVD players out in the market today that have 6 hours of video playback time.
This DVD player has built-in battery and that makes it neat and clean to look at. The previous DVD players I saw in the past had external battery attachments that made those DVD players look bulky.

Controls

* RepeatDVD menu
* Fast Forward and Rewind
* Shuffle
* Zoom
* Slow motion (forward and backward)
* Screen Display
* Viewing angle
* Multilingual menu
* Parental control
* Energy-saving mode
* Slide mode
* Image Rotation
* Image adjustment: brightness, contrast, colour

Car kit

Philips PET740 portable DVD player is traveler-friendly. Though I mentioned that the battery has only 2 hours of video playback time, it's a good thing this DVD player comes with AC /DC adaptor. The package includes a cord that can be plugged to the car's cigarette lighter outlet for the DVD player 's battery to be charged. It then provides uninterrupted film viewing during our long hours of journey. I don't have to worry then when the movie is at its much awaited finale and the battery signals low. I just plug the cord to my cigarette lighter outlet then the viewing continues.

Car mount

This portable DVD player comes with a car mount. That makes my two lovely passengers at the backseat comfortable in viewing a film. I just spot a good location in the car for the DVD player to be viewed comfortably then mount it securely.
Shock-proof feature

This feature is what I love most in this DVD player. It is consistent in playing movies even in a fast-moving car without pauses and freezes. The shock-proof feature makes this DVD player perfect for travelers.
Summary

I love Philips PET740 portable DVD player. During long hours of travel, it keeps my passengers entertained at the backseat of my car. The 7-inch LCD screen offers vibrant and colourful images. Though the battery lasts only 2 hours of playback time, it can be charged through the car's cigarette lighter outlet. The car mount is simply great as it holds the DVD player steady and securely during long journey. The two headphones sockets are advantageous too as they make the passengers listen to the DVD player's audio in separate headphones.

Price: £116.

(also posted on ciao)

Summary: Philips PET740 portable DVD player is undoubtedly a traveler-friendly device.

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