Audiovox DV1680 (01/17/2002)

1. Manufacturer's description
2. Product summary
3. Editors' review
4. Users' opinions
5. Keywords

Manufacturer description

Product summary

Editors' review

• Editors' Choice: No
• Reviewed on: 02/18/2002

Road warrior on a budget
As noted, this isn't the slickest-looking player we've ever tested, and some might even consider it a bit clunky. Weighing 2.2 pounds without the battery, the DV1680 isn't superlightweight, particularly compared to other portable DVD players, but it is significantly lighter than DVD-ROM-equipped notebook computers.

Flip up the top, and you'll be greeted by a 6.8-inch, TFT, active-matrix LCD with tiny speakers at its base. The LCD is relatively small compared to the 8- to 10-inch models currently on the market. The few buttons that adorn the deck--allowing menu access, navigation, and transport (Next Chapter, Previous Chapter, and Pause)--are well spaced out. And interestingly enough, the On/Off switch is indented. The downside here is that you have to work to get your finger in to hit the button, but you're less likely to be plagued by accidental, midmovie shutdowns. Given the choice, the bundled credit-card-sized remote is our preference for controlling this player

Along the side are a minijack headphone output and a minijack input/output so that you can shoot out a composite signal or receive one from another source. Audiovox throws a Dolby Digital/DTS compatible digital optical out into the mix, and on the back, you'll find an S-Video output, though there's no component out for optimal picture quality on high-end TVs.

This player supports a number of disc formats, including CD-RWs, MP3 CDs, DVD-Rs, and of course, DVD video--all played with nary a read error. There isn't a whole lot in the way of picture adjustments aside from some slight color adjustments and controls for fixing the contrast and brightness, but that's par for the portable-DVD-player course. The settings that Audiovox includes are helpful enough and are easily accessible from the onscreen menu system.

As far as picture quality goes, we found that the DV1680 slightly oversaturates bright colors and, at one point in our testing, even created a hot spot (an area in the picture with blown-out color intensity). Even with the brightness setting toggled all the way down, the Beastie Boys Video Anthology: Criterion Collection had one excessively white scene that turned into a blur. We also noticed slight pixilation during a sequence that was shot on digital video, but overall, the picture was relatively crisp. It is far from progressive-scan quality nor is it as good as a DVD-equipped notebook, but the DV1680 still performs well. The display, while it may be a little too bright, is a pleasant surprise. There is slight ghosting (where an image becomes inverted and difficult to see at certain angles), but two people sitting side-by-side will be able to view a movie without a problem. The unit's built-in speakers also do a solid job: we were able to hear movies just fine over the din of an SUV's engine. Still, we recommend using a decent pair of headphones--ear buds come with the player--for listening to discs, particularly on planes.

At about 3.5 hours, the battery life was good, and Audiovox throws in both an AC adapter and a car adapter. But buyers should be aware that the included battery pack, which snaps onto the back of the unit, adds some bulk to the overall package. The player doesn't have a built-in battery such as the one you'll find on Panasonic's sleek .

On the home front
Since the player can serve double duty as a home deck, we hooked it up to a 27-inch Samsung Tantus DynaFlat HDTV set to see how it would perform. There were no major gaffes to note with the picture quality, although we wish that the DV1680 included a component output for optimal performance. Overall, as a home player, this box is on a par with a budget-level deck.

This is one of the least expensive portable DVD players currently on the market, and though it lists for $499.95, you can expect to find it for even less. And while it may not have the best picture quality and might look a little clunky, it's still a relative bargain. There are other, older portable players out there, such as Toshiba's SD-P1000, that can now be had for little more than the cost of this Audiovox, but the DV1680 is still worth a strong look if you're a budget-minded frequent traveler.

User opinions

User Rating:

1.5 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Dont buy it. Skips too muchby - June 8, 2004

Pros: Lots of features and nice screen size for the money

Cons: Bought it at Target. Returned 3x and all with the same issues. Skips and pauses during a movie. Thought it was due to the rubber bottom as the system would get very hot, but even with elevation, the product still skips. I have tried everything and even op

Review:

User Rating:

0.5 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Don't buy one!by - May 17, 2004

Pros: Loads of features

Cons: Features are worthless if the machine doesn't work! Had it for a week and it won't play 75% of our (new) DVD's. Phoned the service department and they were useless. Cleaning doesn't help - don't waste your time.

Review:

User Rating:

1.0 stars

out of 28 user reviews

I have had 3 of these - don't bother.by - March 22, 2004

Pros: Cost

Cons: Doesnt work. I have had to return three of these for various reason. I still can't get one to work for more than a month before it breaks again. DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT.

Review:

User Rating:

0.5 stars

out of 28 user reviews

very poor product-waste of moneyby - February 29, 2004

Pros: good features and that's all

Cons: Features don't mean crap when nothing works. After about a year of using this product, it started to sputter and skip. Now it just won't read anything. It just keeps saying it's loading and eventually displays an error message. This product is a tota

Review:

User Rating:

1.5 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Waste of Money!!by - November 10, 2003

Pros: Lots of features

Cons: DVD's skip or just do not play at all. Got to watch one DVD with no problems before it crapped out.

Review:

User Rating:

4.5 stars

out of 28 user reviews

AWESOME PRODUCTby - July 6, 2003

Pros: This product does it all. It plays all formats,and has all the features you could ask for.I've had mine for one year and it works great even though I've dropped it twice.And some may say it's not cool looking.But what does that have to do with watching dv

Cons: N/A

Review:

User Rating:

4.0 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Make sure its refundable!!by - April 17, 2003

Pros:

Cons:

Review: I searched around a lot for a good portable DVD player that I could use during travel. This one appeared to be the best due to its cheapness ($330 at Target). The first unit I bought worked great, but then the sound suddenly stopped working. I exchanged the unit at Target, and now this one works great. This was a great buy, but be sure to buy it from a store that will refund your money!

User Rating:

1.0 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Unreliable product!by - March 29, 2003

Pros:

Cons:

Review: DV1680 no longer loads dvd after a few uses. Very disappointing customer support. Wish I spend more money on a better product

User Rating:

2.0 stars

out of 28 user reviews

5 months later...it doesn't work!by - March 7, 2003

Pros:

Cons:

Review: I purchased the Audiovox dvd player VOXDV1680 on October 29/02 from J and R New York) thru the internet. From the time I got the product it periodically froze up on a number of discs. I have used the device probably 2 - 3 dozen times and now it won't load anything. After I purchased this I read a number of disturbing on-line reviews of this product. It seems I am experiencing the same dissatisfaction that these other people have faced. What am I to do to remedy this. You pay $400.00 and you expect a shelf life greater than 5 months. If there's a problem with this model can an upgrade to a non-problematic model be considered? I am just not happy with the performance of this machine. To be blunt, it (blanks) . I shouldn't have to fight to have discs not freeze. Now they won't even load! I live in Canada but had this delivered to the US. top my sisters in Michigan. Please advise quickly how a very unhappy customer can be made happy again. I've had audiovox cell phones, electronic equipment in the past and have had nothing but great satisfaction.

User Rating:

2.5 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Used for $175?by - January 13, 2003

Pros:

Cons:

Review: Hi. I have never had a portable DVD player before, but saw this Audiovox 1680 at a pawn shop for $175. It has no battery and the cables and remote are missing, but cripes! Portable DVD for 175? I can plug it in to my car sound system and enjoy stereo sound while my kids watch movies in the back! I'm not sure even how important the battery is, cuz when would I need to watch dvd's away from home or car? I just hope the one I am considering buying is not one of the "bad ones" mentioned in previous reviews. Its a risk I'll have to take, though. LOL (VoiceOfEd@aol.com)

User Rating:

3.5 stars

out of 28 user reviews

It works fine.by - January 9, 2003

Pros:

Cons:

Review: I have had this unit for almost a year, yes some movies skip and it's frustrating when it happens but it does work most of the time. Monster's, Inc. is a Disney problem, the same thing happens on my home equipment. Disney is aware of it. It's a bit heavy but the battery lasts a long time and the picture is good quality. I compared it to the cheap RCA unit and this one blew it away, even though the RCA unit was smaller.

User Rating:

2.0 stars

out of 28 user reviews

2 of 2 did not work!by - January 8, 2003

Pros:

Cons:

Review: I have had two of these, both are worthless. The first one continually skipped on all movies straight out of the box. I returned it and got another. The second player made it through 2 movies, then just quit during the 3rd. It won't even load ANY DVD now. I guess there's a reason it's so cheap. BUY ANOTHER BRAND!!!

User Rating:

2.0 stars

out of 28 user reviews

HEATS UP, SKIPSby - December 7, 2002

Pros:

Cons:

Review: We love the great price and nice picture but after a hour of use it heats up and starts to skip. The external audio is the loudest DVD player out there. This is the 2nd one we tried and both heat up and skip. We are going to take it back.

User Rating:

3.5 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Outstanding Playerby - October 15, 2002

Pros:

Cons:

Review: Player is outstanding. After getting all the bugs out like setting the parental lock to non-parental, it quit skipping and freezing. Plays all DVD formats. Pal and Ntsc and you can even change the REGION CODE to 1,2,3,4,5&6 after twicking it from the remote. A run for the money.

User Rating:

1.5 stars

out of 28 user reviews

hORRIBLE PRODUCT!!!by - September 8, 2002

Pros:

Cons:

Review: Had three of these. Absolutely horrible! picture and sound froze constantly on all three players with ALL movies. Finally returned and got my money back. DO NOT BUY-Absolutely horrible product!

User Rating:

1.5 stars

out of 28 user reviews

I stall's like msdby - September 1, 2002

Pros:

Cons:

Review: Tried 3 Movies all had problems. it would stall for up to 2 mins. and was happening over and over. to the point where it was'nt worth trying to watch a movie on. cds played fine but who wants to spend almost $500 on a portable cd player

User Rating:

2.0 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Just WON'T workby - June 24, 2002

Pros:

Cons:

Review: Had 3 of these now, all of them developed a skipping problem within a few days. First one wouldn't load a DVD at all, second one started skipping after a week, third one started skipping and stopped reading the disc after an hour.

User Rating:

2.5 stars

out of 28 user reviews

freeze frameby - June 21, 2002

Pros:

Cons:

Review: some dvd s play great but some freez , oceans 11 froze at chapter 8 and would not continue after that. there were a few that said no dvd. and someothers were fine. all were out of the box and not used or dirty. My home dvdr disks would not play but my vcd home movies were great.

User Rating:

2.0 stars

out of 28 user reviews

2 differnt units--both BADby - June 14, 2002

Pros:

Cons:

Review: I bought the first unit and 1/2 way into my first dvd it began to freeze and hang a picture on the screen with the audio continuing. i returned it and the 2nd unit now is doing the SAME thing. totally not worth the effort. it overheats and while thats said to be "normal" it also may be the cause of the skipping, freezing and such. for me and mine..were going to spend out money elsewhere.

User Rating:

4.0 stars

out of 28 user reviews

The most value for your dollarby - June 7, 2002

Pros:

Cons:

Review: Although the picture is not exceptional, it is very good. For its price it performs very well. A little clunky with the battery, but I mostly use the cigarette lighter adapter. I like the remote and all the different accessories it comes with.

User Rating:

4.5 stars

out of 28 user reviews

One Of The Best Portable DVD Players Out Now!by - May 9, 2002

Pros:

Cons:

Review: this Player comes with everything all the other players have so I dont see why all those other smaller screened players cost so much more.

User Rating:

3.5 stars

out of 28 user reviews

D1700by - April 8, 2002

Pros:

Cons:

Review: Like another reviewer, had problems out of the box. First one skipped and would hang up. Sometimes it would say there was no dvd in the drive. Just got a replacement and it seems to play fine. Got it for $479 at CompUSA. Lots of features for that price. Good pic. Sleek size. Works well output to the tv. However, when I couldn't get the first until to output video to my tv, Audiovox tech support blamed it on my tv. Turned out to be operator error though

User Rating:

3.5 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Kids think it's a blast.by - March 18, 2002

Pros:

Cons:

Review: Understated, almost anonymous as attested to by the less-than-prominent Audiovox logo on the player housing, it nonetheless delivers as advertised. Couldn't be happier to part with my $500.

User Rating:

2.5 stars

out of 28 user reviews

D-1700: Cannot play DVD out of the boxby - March 15, 2002

Pros:

Cons:

Review: I bought a brand new Audiovox D-1700. Cannot play DVD out of the box. Sometime it is skipping, cannot change chapter, play for 10 seconds and hang, etc. What's the point of buying the DVD player. Should pay a little more for a better quality. However, the picture is good. VCD is also OK.

User Rating:

3.0 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Audiovox D1700by - March 11, 2002

Pros:

Cons:

Review: Bought three of these - first had a problem with the screen, second had a problem with the DVD's skipping around. Third time's the charm. However, didn't like the hassle of the returns. Checked their support on-line - they have PDF owner's manuals that locked up my PC. Then called support and they weren't very knowledgeable. Claimed they didn't have quality problems - however, if my experience is typical, they must! Now that we have one that works, though, we love it. Great features for the price. The 1700 has a 7" screen, and has a slimline battery so that it's more sleek than the 1680.

User Rating:

5.0 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Good value for moneyby - February 24, 2002

Pros:

Cons:

Review: The Audiovox DV1680 represents a good value for value for your money on an entry level portable DVD player. The sound and picture quality are both good and the unit light weight. DVD, CD-R and audio CD play back all worked great, although the unit does not appear to support .mpg video files. The 6.8" screen is great compared to the 5" screens found on most other units in this price range. When I purchased the unit the sales representative said, "I don't know how they expect me to sell these other brands when the Audiovox is cheaper and offers a bigger screen".

User Rating:

5.0 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Best Dollar Valueby - February 18, 2002

Pros:

Cons:

Review: This is a solid built unit. It plays MP3's, VCD, Music CD, & DVD great. It comes with a car adapter, headphones, AC adapter. I haven't had to use the battery yet.(Says it's 3.5 hours.) The picture is great. Look at Bugs life, it was amazing. The guys are amazed at the sound & picture quality. I bought it at Targets for $470. I ride a ferry to work. I am using the Van's speakers. Sounds Great! This unit was $100 less than Panasonic.

User Rating:

3.5 stars

out of 28 user reviews

Great buy for the money.by - January 27, 2002

Pros:

Cons:

Review: If you want a PORTABLE DVD player and don't want to spend a ton, try this one. This has just about every feature you can find on many other more expensive units...DTS, 16:9, decent speakers, 6.8" screen, etc. It also comes packaged with absolutely everything you need...car adapter, RCA plugs, headphones, and a good, if not heavy, battery. It does suffer from some lapses if the DVD is blemished, but you should keep those clean anyway. I found the sound adequate and the picture quite good. I use this as only a portable device, not for home, and it meets all of those needs. I do not feel that this deal can be beat.

Keywords

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Audiovox DV1680 specifications

• General
• Product Type DVD player
• Form Factor Portable
• Width 6.6 in
• Depth 6.8 in
• Height 1.4 in
• Weight 2.2 lbs
• Enclosure Color Silver
• Localization English
• DVD
• Media Type CD , Video CD , CD-RW , DVD , SVCD , CD-R
• Media Format PAL , NTSC
• Video D/A Converter 10bit / 27MHz
• Audio D/A Converter 24bit / 96kHz
• Media Load Type Top-load
• Search Speed 8x , 16x , 4x , 2x
• Slow Motion Speed 1/4 , 1/2 , 1/8
• Picture Modes Widescreen , Normal , Letterbox , Pan and scan
• DVD Repeat Modes All , Title , Chapter , A-B repeat
• CD Playback Modes One track repeat , Random play / shuffle , All tracks repeat , Program play
• Supported Digital Audio Standards MP3
• Display
• Display Type LCD display - TFT active matrix - 6.8 in - Color
• Image Aspect Ratio 4:3
• DVD Features
• Picture zoom Yes
• Picture zoom power 2x , 4x
• Parental lock Yes
• Multi-camera angle select Yes
• Multi-language select Yes
• Multi-subtitle select Yes
• Additional features Screen saver
• Audio System
• Sound Output Mode Stereo
• Surround Sound Effects QSurround 3D Sound
• Digital Audio Format DTS digital output , Dolby Digital output
• Compression Function Yes
• Speakers Included 2 speakers
• Speaker System Details 2.0 x Right/left channel speaker - Built-in
• Remote Control
• Type Remote control
• Technology Infrared
• Connections
• Connector Type 1.0 x Composite video/audio (input/output) ( 4 pin mini-DIN ) - Side , 1.0 x S-Video output ( TOSLINK ) - Side , 1.0 x SPDIF output ( Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm ) - Side , 1.0 x DC power input - Side , 1.0 x Headphones - Side
• Miscellaneous
• Cables Included 1.0 x A/V cable , 1.0 x Audio (optical) cable , 1.0
• Power
• Power Device Power adapter - External
• Battery 1.0 x Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion
• Included Qty 1.0
• Capacity 3.5 hour(s)
• Manufacturer Warranty
• Service & Support 1 year warranty
• Service & Support Details Limited warranty - Parts and labor - 1 year