Entered CNET Catalog: 07/01/2005
SKU: DVD-L75
Manufacturer: Samsung
Manufacturer description
Now feel free to go anywhere with this portable dvd player. When you carry the Samsung portable DVD Player to places with similar background as in the movie you are watching, You can feel just like one of the movie's heroes.User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3
User Rating: 
2/10
Portable only if you don't move it(?)
Pros: ultra-thin & lightweight
Cons: not suitable for use in vibrational environments (car, airplane, etc.); terrible customer service
Review:
I purchased this unit from BestBuy to entertain my young children on long automobile and airplane trips. But from the moment I first powered it up, I noticed a major flaw: the slightest bit of movement would cause the unit to freeze-up, requiring a complete power cycling to restore it. If the unit is placed on a sturdy surface such as a table or desk it worked fine, but if I so much as placed it on my lap while laying in bed, the motion of my breathing would cause it to crash.
And my main usage for this unit, inside an automobile, was completely futile. I'd start up a movie, my kids would be getting interested in it, and then it would lock up. I'd have to restart the unit, go through the menus to get back to where we left off, and then within five minutes it would be frozen again. I tried everything to work around this sensitivity to vibration, even awkwardly holding it in the outstretched palm of one hand while driving with the other, but that would only extend the freeze interval to about 10 minutes.
I had a very bad experience with Samsung customer service. 5 weeks ago I sent the unit in for repair after explaining the problem. 11 days later they promptly returned it to me with no action taken - saying that they couldn't find a problem. But within 20 minutes of starting the unit up and using it in my home, it again froze up as I moved it from one table to another. So I immediately got back on the phone with customer service and they instructed me to send it back in, and if they could not find the problem this time, they would replace the unit. I was concerned about this since I was leaving on vacation in 3 weeks and did not want to face a 6-hour airplane ride with two kids and no entertainment. They assured me they would expedite the process and get me a workable unit in time. The unit went out the same day and two days later I received a call from the technician asking me to clarify the problem. In theory he should have tested the unit that day, and either repaired it or sent out a replacement unit the next. Instead, 8 working days went by where nothing happened, despite my daily phone calls inquiring about status. When finally I was a week away from vacation I got insistent that they do something and a customer service agent assured me the replacement unit would be shipped that day and to call later for a tracking number. The next day no tracking number was available, so I gave them another day. The next day no tracking number was available but they assured me it would be shipped momentarily. Later that day I called back and spoke with a different customer service agent who gave me a completely different story: the REQUEST for a replacement had been submitted to a queue, and would take over a week to be reviewed and processed. Then, if approved, the order would go into a queue in shipping where it would take another week to be processed, and finally it would be shipped via UPS ground. So the whole process was going to take over two weeks and it was unlikely I would receive the new unit until AFTER I retured from vacation. After an hour on the phone with customer service trying to find a satisfactory solution, they basically told me I'm screwed.
I don't know whether the replacement unit will work or not, but so far the $220 I spent on this unit has in no way provided the solution of entertaining my children on long trips.
But if like watching DVD movies on a 7" screen in a stationary environment like your living room, this unit will be just fine.
And my main usage for this unit, inside an automobile, was completely futile. I'd start up a movie, my kids would be getting interested in it, and then it would lock up. I'd have to restart the unit, go through the menus to get back to where we left off, and then within five minutes it would be frozen again. I tried everything to work around this sensitivity to vibration, even awkwardly holding it in the outstretched palm of one hand while driving with the other, but that would only extend the freeze interval to about 10 minutes.
I had a very bad experience with Samsung customer service. 5 weeks ago I sent the unit in for repair after explaining the problem. 11 days later they promptly returned it to me with no action taken - saying that they couldn't find a problem. But within 20 minutes of starting the unit up and using it in my home, it again froze up as I moved it from one table to another. So I immediately got back on the phone with customer service and they instructed me to send it back in, and if they could not find the problem this time, they would replace the unit. I was concerned about this since I was leaving on vacation in 3 weeks and did not want to face a 6-hour airplane ride with two kids and no entertainment. They assured me they would expedite the process and get me a workable unit in time. The unit went out the same day and two days later I received a call from the technician asking me to clarify the problem. In theory he should have tested the unit that day, and either repaired it or sent out a replacement unit the next. Instead, 8 working days went by where nothing happened, despite my daily phone calls inquiring about status. When finally I was a week away from vacation I got insistent that they do something and a customer service agent assured me the replacement unit would be shipped that day and to call later for a tracking number. The next day no tracking number was available, so I gave them another day. The next day no tracking number was available but they assured me it would be shipped momentarily. Later that day I called back and spoke with a different customer service agent who gave me a completely different story: the REQUEST for a replacement had been submitted to a queue, and would take over a week to be reviewed and processed. Then, if approved, the order would go into a queue in shipping where it would take another week to be processed, and finally it would be shipped via UPS ground. So the whole process was going to take over two weeks and it was unlikely I would receive the new unit until AFTER I retured from vacation. After an hour on the phone with customer service trying to find a satisfactory solution, they basically told me I'm screwed.
I don't know whether the replacement unit will work or not, but so far the $220 I spent on this unit has in no way provided the solution of entertaining my children on long trips.
But if like watching DVD movies on a 7" screen in a stationary environment like your living room, this unit will be just fine.
User Rating: 2/10
Look for a sturdier unit
Pros: Small, good picture, long battery life
Cons: Quit working after 3 months
Review:
Unit quit working 2 days after purchase and the store replaced it with a new one.
After 3 months unit stopped charging the battery. Took it to a repair shop and 2 weeks and $130 labor (parts were covered under warranty)later it worked again. Worked for one week and battery quit charging.
After 3 months unit stopped charging the battery. Took it to a repair shop and 2 weeks and $130 labor (parts were covered under warranty)later it worked again. Worked for one week and battery quit charging.
User Rating: 
9/10
A great value.
Pros: The screen is vibrant
Cons: The buttons could be better
Review:
The screen is so vibrant you loose all sense you're watching a 7" screen. The black techno rugged top protects it from minor drops, and looks great. It weighs in at 1lb 3oz. I use it about 15hours a day, business- pleasure, it just keeps on going. The battery is 4.2hours great for flying. Although, I don't know what it will cost to replace it. The menu could be easier to navigate. Sound quality, if your DVD was mixed well in the studio it's great, otherwise you strain to hear things. This is the same issue with all DVD players.The cons are minor.
