In addition to playing DVDs, the Audiovox D8000XP will play audio CDs and MP3 CDs. It will also play some video and photo files from a connected USB flash drive or a compatible memory card. As far as DVD playback was concerned, we tried numerous combinations of home burned +R/RW and -R/RW DVD media--all of which worked without a hitch. But anyone with a large digital media collection will be disappointed with the limited file format compatibility---just MPEG movies, MP3 music, and JPEG image files. We would have really liked to have at least seen DivX compatibility.
Video quality is exactly what you'd expect for a portable player in this price range: resoundingly average. The brightness slider on the side of the unit allows for adjusting on the fly. Battery life is very good--you'll get just under 4.5 hours of DVD playback on a full charge. You'll hear a moderate amount of spinning from the disc inside, but it is nowhere near as loud as the buttons we mentioned earlier.
In place of iPod video support, the D8000XP features a small set of onboard applications that seem tacked on as an afterthought: a calendar and clock/alarm. The calendar program only highlights the current day and allows you to scroll through the year by month.
While the D8000XP addresses some of the issues we had with the D8000IP, it still suffers from the majority of problems that hinder its performance--and with a price tag of $150, the Audiovox D8000XP still remains a tough sell. An integrated battery, better digital media support, and some ergonomics tweaks--along with a price shave--would go a long way toward making this bargain DVD portable easier to recommend.
