Sony DVP-FX980 9-Inch Portable DVD Player

I got this DVD player for my husband to use while he's a work. He has a lot of down time in between VERY busy, stressful periods of work where he needed something he could use/watch and decompress. He's been using this DVD player for about two months now and he loves it. The picture is very clear and the screen is just big enough that you don't feel like you are squinting at a tiny ipod or the like, but not so big that it becomes obtrusive or feels like you might as well be carrying around a labtop. It is very light weight and has held up very well being toted around, thrown into his work truck (and I'm sure bounced around inside), and probably dropped a few times as well (I got him the Case Logic WDEC-10 EVA Molded DVD player case to carry it around in). Sound is also great for a portable DVD player. He loves the fact that it has a car charger (again, perfect for when he's using it). I think the only thing he mentioned was that he wished that it had a longer battery life for the rare occasion that he was not somewhere that he could either plug into a car charger or wall outlet (I think it might only have a 2 hour battery life).

I bought this for a relative who has the use of only one hand. So I immediately checked out how easy it would be to turn on and operate with only one hand. No problem. I also ordered a different brand at the same time, so I was able to view them side by side. This Sony player had far and way the better picture quality and features. The sound quality of the Sony was also better, BUT the volume is VERY low. I think headphones may be necessary to clearly hear this player, if there's the least little background noise. The Sony played both commercial DVDs and those I'd recorded myself, although the sound was even lower on the ones I'd recorded. I didn't have that volume problem (at least to much extent) on the other one. I opted to keep this player because of ease in operating it with one hand and the awesome picture and sound, and just told my relative she'd have to use her earphones. If you need a player where you don't use earphones, this probably is not the player for you. As many others have mentioned, the cord is WAY short! What's up with that? We tried using a different cord, but it didn't fit. My relative will probably just leave it plugged in, since she doesn't have time to charge and then watch a movie. She says the cord barely reaches her plug from her bed (which she is confined to), but it does reach. If I were going to get a player for myself, this would be it.

Over a decade I've owned some six of these portable DVD gizmos, for home use only and daily screenings of mint-condition DVDs and CDs. Planned obsolescence seems to be engineered in; all brands--save Sony--quite predictably fail on schedule in the seventeenth month of the standard eighteen-month warranty period. Panasonic is marginally acceptable but will ultimately break down. Sylvania players were marginally acceptable but current production models balk at playing brand-new DVDs. RCA players are a regrettable joke, shoddily manufactured and barely functional. Some thought has gone into the engineering of Sony players, although the AC power cord is ridiculously short and may necessitate some furniture jockeying in your viewing area as it did in mine. Sony is committed to delivering, with its big crisp pixels, exactly what is inscribed on the disc, and that means Original Aspect Ratio. If you insist on "full frame" presentation (a tragic marketing misnomer if ever there was one), look elsewhere. Sony delivers--if the DVD distributors have been doing their element restoration and print sourcing correctly--precisely what the director and cinematographer intended for us to experience, nothing more nothing less. The sound quality is adequate and much improved by using headphones (not supplied by Sony), the picture quality superb: bright, sharp, excellent resolution. The touchpad controls are sleek and very responsive if not ideally viewer-friendly. The unit is sturdily constructed (cf. RCA) and fits comfortably in the viewer's lap, short power cord notwithstanding. The Sony is very fairly priced and represents good value in an offshore manufacture. It is clearly superior to its would-be competitors and will outlast them. If you appreciate Original Aspect Ratio and crisp visual imagery, the Sony player is the most reliable way to get visual authenticity out of your DVD library. Inexplicably a major big-box retailer based in Chicago which used to feature this brand can no longer do so, and I worry that the portable DVD player may become obsolete hardware (along with our cherished DVD software). Fortunately, Amazon and its third-party vendors continue to market the ideal Sony player fairly widely, and we must hope Sony sees fit to keep it in production since it fulfills a real need admirably and affordably.

Picture quality and easy functionality were definitely as expected from a Sony product. We ordered knowing about the short plug and limited play time but felt that would be okay, things you can easily get around. But the product had two problems for us that we didn't anticipate: (1) There is a loud buzzing coming from the player when a DVD is plugged in. Saw that mentioned on one other review but thought since the majority of the reviews didn't mention it, we would be okay. Well, we won't be buying any lottery tickets this week - we did get a player that 'buzzes/grinds' when a DVD is in. However, since we use earphones, this is not a problem - sound is great. It would be a problem if we were just using it for more than two viewers (double earphones). (2) Yes, it is a short battery life - did not finish Phantom of the Opera (141 min) without plugging in the battery as we tested the battery life. Good thing it has the car jack, and we had prepared an extension cord for the plug in AC adapter. So yes, there are these problems, but you can work around them for the quality of the picture and sound (without weird noise) and for the price, you can't really complain. Just be prepared for the major complaints.

This is one of many portable DVD players I have owned. This time I went for something a bit more expensive- simply because I was hoping to find a durability worthy of a house full of kids and pets. Too many broken electronics can make a woman go insane. This came extremely well-packaged and complete with everything a person could ask for- including a remote (which all kids adore). We have a 'one channel' television in a remote part of Alaska, so we buy DVDs to make up for the 'cool kid cable shows' that the kids miss out on (Disney, Nickelodean, Cartoon Network, etc). So far I'm very impressed with this DVD player. It's one of the most kid-friendly ones I have found on the market. The screen and DVD player itself are made of a... plastic? sort of material that doesn't leave fingerprints- which is GREAT for young children. It has a textured back that always looks shiney and new, no matter how many cheeto-covered fingers have touched it. And the screen itself seems to be kept fairly clean as well. The buttons are a 'touch' ones- meaning they don't press down, they react to touch. I did notice that with our younger children the touch wouldn't register right away (I'm assuming because their fingers are small). But with any kid about 7 years of age I would say it works flawlessly. We never have problems. And if the younger ones do, we just let them use the remote. The playback quality is very good. The sound goes from a nice, low bedtime tone to a much louder (traveling in a car or airplane) tone. The screen is fairly large and the picture quality is very clear. For being portable, it really does offer a nice viewing experience. But the one thing I love about this DVD player is how durable it is. It has been dropped, jumbled in backpacks, collected dust on the floor, and probably stepped on a few times- and it's heald up like a pro. This is definitely one of the best child-friendly technology purchases I've ever made. Kudos to Sony to obviously thinking through tiny finger prints and book bag durability.

I got this with an Amazon card I got for Xmas. My PC doesn't have a DVD drive in it, and it's clunky to use an external. I bought this because it had generally good reviews. So far (3 weeks) I've got no complaints and am very happy with it. Pros: Bright and clear screen Wide viewing angle - my wife & I will be able to watch it together on a plane Long battery life Surprisingly good sound from the speakers Plays from memory sticks in addition to DVDs Cons (tentatively): Only 1 headphone jack - but I can just get a splitter Large remote - it's a full size remote. I'd have preferred a small one that would fit in a slot on the player Short AC cord Buttons - so far they're working fine but they're the kind you just tough & I've had some bad luck with that style in the past As you can see, my "cons" are pretty minor. I would definitely recommend it.

Just got this portable DVD player. What a difference a Sony makes. I had originally bought a Craig portable DVD player; the spinning sound was so loud it was really distracting; and top volume level could not drown out the spinning sound. So, I returned the Craig and paid up and bought this Sony DVD player. I love it. The picture is quality is beautiful; of course it is a Sony. I don't hear any spinning sound while the DVD player is playing, The sound is really good; I only have to turn up the sound about half way to hear the DVD really well (and I am 57 years old, not a young kid). I don't care that it doesn't swivel; that was not something I needed. You pay more for this portable DVD player, but as they say you get what you way for, and in the case it is well worth the price.

For the most part, this is a great portable DVD player. DVD loads fast with no fuss. Great picture and sound. Touch sensitive controls work reasonably well, although I prefer the old buttons from the earlier models. Light weight, convenient and reliable. But I have one BIG problem with mine. When the DVD is spinning, this thing buzzes like a chainsaw! The buzzing is so loud, I have to turn the volume way up just to hear the movie over the buzzing noise! And not only is the buzzing noise bad, but the vibration is just unacceptable. It shakes the crap out of anything you set it on. I've had mine for several months now and no matter what DVD I put in it, the buzzing and vibration is always there even though none of my other DVD players has this problem with any of my DVDs. Sorry Sony, but this buzzing problem totally overshadows all the other good qualities of this DVD player and pretty much ruins the experience of watching a movie on this thing. Also, the overall construction of the player just seems cheap and weak, not at the sturdy quality I've come to expect from Sony. And the power cord is only 3 feet long, WAY too short for people who regularly run this thing from the power cord. Need to double the length of the power cord.

This is simply the best of the best portable dvd players. Since I watch a lot of movies due to medical reasons I have gone through multiple portable dvd players. I found they usually only last a year of heavy use before giving up the ghost. However with the Sony player the picture quality is just the same as the day purchased. Fantastic portable dvd player.

重くもなく、持ち運べて訪問先で一緒にDVDを見れます。室内でも充電しておけば自由です。

並行輸入品というだけでお買い得でした。 他のメーカーでは少し不安があったので探してたら国内メーカーで品質も良く、画質、音質とも気に入りました。 価格も安く手に入り、丁度行事で持ち運びしやすく、セッティングもテレビに繋いで大画面で大人数で見れ簡単に活用することが多く重宝しました。

This is an amazing DVD player, had to spend a lot of money to get it, as Sony does not make portable DVD players anymore. The picture is perfect the sound is amazing. What else can i say.

My granddaughter can not get enough of this DVD player. It completely keeps her attention from the long drive she has in and out of town every day to day care. The picture quality is excellent and so far, no problems at all. A+!