Initial 5820 Portable DVD Player

UPDATE JULY 2004 - We used this player extensively on our recent Disney trip (Boston to Orlando and then on to Tampa by car) and it performed exceptionally! Didn't freeze once. Might be better in the hot weather!

For a recent drive from Boston to Cleveland I decided to get a little crazy and buy my family an early Christmas present. Ultimately, my motives were selfish; to minimize backseat fighting of my son and daughter during the twelve hour trek and to make Dad appear the hero in their eyes. The purchase of the Initial 5820 (around 200 dollars on sale at Circuit City) accomplished both objectives!

This product came with three options for a power source: A rechargeable lithium battery (takes 3 hours to recharge), a standard 120v plug, and a car lighter adapter cord. Before leaving on our trip I stocked up on DVDs at our local video store and even purchased a couple that I knew we would all love (Can you say "Simpsons Holiday Favorites" and "The Christmas Story" with your tongue stuck to an icy pole?) I hid the box until we were well on our way to the Mass Pike, keeping the surprise until the first fight broke out between my little darlings. It didn't take long and soon I was presenting the family with this treasure at a rest stop (along with a greasy piece of SBARRO pizza) near Sturbridge! They were thrilled.

I plugged the unit into our Taurus's lighter and set the player up on a cooler in the middle of the back seat. Little rubber grips on the bottom held it snugly in place as we drove and the kids settled in to watch Ace Ventura, When Nature Calls. The picture quality on this thing is truly amazing. The screen is over five and half inches wide and as the sun set over Fultonville, N.Y., the picture only improved as the kids began to feel like they were at a Drive-In in the front row. My wife and I enjoyed the peace and quiet (other than Jim Carey's antics) and tossed the kids a bag of Smartfood. Life on the road with kids could be very good indeed!

I'd say the first five hours of use (not constant) were problem free, but when we had windshield wipers going plus the lights plus the defrost, the unit suddenly froze in mid scene. I'm hoping this is a safety feature that kicks in due to inconsistent power surges but it might just be a bug in the unit. We used the player at a hotel (video in and out wires are provided so you can run it right into a regular TV) to watch a DVD and it worked without a problem. Plugging the unit into a standard wall outlet didn't seem to be a problem, either, but the unit did freeze again in the car during a key scene in the Two Towers. Does Gollum make peace with his demons or NOT? I mean really. Not a good time to freeze up. Again, I'm hoping this was a car lighter power inconsistency issue although I did read about the picture freeze issue in one other review of this player.

We had headphones in the backseat for my daughter's CD player and quickly realized they were easily plugged in to the DVD player as well for either DVD viewings in private or CD listening through the player. Very cool. I felt like a hip Dad for a change!

Bottom line is four stars for this item! I have to deduct a star for the occasional picture freezing issue which results in having to completely shut the machine off and restart. A remote comes with the unit and it's already loaded with a battery and works just fine. For the price and picture quality alone this machine is worth it. For the lack of yelling in the backseat on long trips this thing is priceless.

Happy Holiday from Kevlog in Boston - Hope you are all well!