|
 Polaroid
offers a complete line of consumer products that include flat panel displays (LCD
and Plasma), CRT displays, DVD players (portable and home units) as well as digital
and instant cameras. The new Polaroid PDM-0822BD portable DVD player is just one
of many new players offered by the company and is designed to support DVD±R/RW,
CD, CD-R/RW, MP3, or JPEG discs. The unique design allows the screen to be rotated
45° to the right and a full 180° to the left. This along with the tilting
feature enables the screen to be positioned in virtually any position. The large
8-inch 16:9 screen takes advantage of anamorphic (also known as 16:9 enhanced)
DVDs and the built-in Dolby Digital decoder with dynamic range control optimizes
audio performance. The rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack attaches
to the back of the unit and provides enough playback time to watch long movies.
The unit includes a thin IR remote, A/V cables, a DC car adapter, AC adapter,
operating manual and carrying case. The chassis measures 1.97" H x 7.68"
W x 8.43" L with the battery attached. Headphone jacks are available on both
sides of the unit so that two people can watch a movie or listen to music at the
same time.
The
multi-format playback capability is one of the best features of this unit. It
easily handled standard DVDs as well as any DVD-R/RW or DVD+R/RW discs we played.
Video CDs and S-VCDs played on this player without any problem even though the
unit did not advertise support for this format. Time-shifted programs recorded
from our Sony RDR-GX300 DVD recorder played well on this player once the discs
were finalized.  The
right side of the unit has one of two headphone jacks, a volume control, A/V connectors,
an AV/DVD switch and the power input jack. The audio and video connection can
work as inputs or outputs depending on the position of the A/V switch. When playing
movies the A/V connections work as outputs. When switched to AV IN, the connections
receive signals from another source. The left side of the unit has the main power
switch along with the second headphone jack.
Performance
The top panel flips open for access to the transport that holds the disc. A small
rectangular see-through window lets you know if the disc is spinning or if there
is one presently in the player. Resolution is limited to 480 x 234, so the image
has a soft look and cannot fully display the image quality DVD has to offer. However,
for a portable unit the picture is certainly acceptable. When viewing pictures
on the player, the user can rotate the images left or right. The image rotation
response time was good considering this must be done by the player. We also noticed
that the Zoom did not change the images on the screen. Picture adjustments
include Sharpness, Contrast and Brightness controls. Audio
was what one might expect from small speakers on the top panel (thin sounding).
However, using our quality Shure E4 earphones connected to the unit produced very
satisfying audio. We
viewed several movies on this player and found the overall performance to be good.
Image quality was only acceptable and certainly not as good as the format DVD
has to offer. The Lithium-Ion batteries provided plenty of power and allowed us
to watch 3-1/2 hours of DVD video on a single charge.  Remote
The RC-50 IR remote included with the unit provides additional buttons not found
on the front panel of the unit. The handheld unit is only 5" tall and 2-1/4"
wide and 1/4" thick. While the remote is compact, it has adequately sized
buttons making it easy to use. Powered by a single lithium (CR2025) button battery,
the remote has plenty of IR power to control the DVD player from a good distance.
We had good results from more than 20-feet away from the unit.
The
front of the unit has two indicator lights along with the IR detector. The right
light illuminates red when the unit is powered on (using the side switch), but
is in standby mode. Once turned on, the indicator illuminates green. The left
indicator illuminates red while the unit is charging and green when it is fully
charged.
The carrying case included with the player is designed to mount to a vehicle headrest.
This is a great feature for those looking to use the player on car trips, but
do not want a permanent DVD player in the vehicle. The case will not not allow
the battery to be installed on the unit so external power must be applied. The
included 6-foot car power adapter allows the player to be powered by a cigarette
lighter. Conclusion
The Polaroid PDM-0822BD portable DVD player is an excellent value and offers users
compatibility with virtually all video formats on DVD and CD. The screen resolution
is limited, so don't expect high resolution from your DVD or external video sources.
The swivel screen is a great feature that allows the screen to be positioned at
virtually any angle. The ability to work as a monitor with audio is a nice feature
that some users may benefit from. The PDM-0822BD has the features consumers need
in a portable DVD player and based on our testing we can recommend it. -
Kevin Nakano | 
