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Since I reviewed the Durabrand PVS1960 back in July, I have received dozens of email asking follow-up questions. “Is it still working?” “Is it worth the money?” “What are you wearing?”
Well, the last one not withstanding, people are still curious about how the player and monitors are holding up, so I will attempt to answer the most common questions and update my opinion.
How’s It Holding Up?
I did some quick, rough calculations, and I estimate that my kids have watched a good 30 hours of portable DVD over the last 6 months. Our latest excursion was a 2400-mile round trip to Walt Disney World earlier this month in which we first tested having the Playstation 2 on one screen and a DVD playing on the other.
Another factor is that whenever we stop at hotels, or anywhere else that we’re going to be parked outside all night, we remove the screens and pack everything up in the included carrying case. The entire kit has been completely packed up and reinstalled at least half a dozen times so far.
The result? In all that time, with all those different DVDs, and all the handling, we haven’t had a single problem. The cheap headphones I bought to go with it gave out last month, and one of the monitor cables had been worn through, exposing bare wires, but the player and the monitors are still working perfectly.
What About The One With The Battery?
An internal battery was on the list of my ‘nice-to-haves,’ but while the Durabrand PVS1966 has dual screens, one of them is attached to the player. This makes it much harder to change DVDs while driving, unless you’re dealing with older kids or adults in the back seat.
What About The New Cheaper One?
In the past month or two, Durabrand has come out with the PVS1950-D, which has basically the same DVD player with different monitors. It’s only $199.73, but the monitors only have a 4.5″ LCD. That’s tiny. You’d be better served by getting a single 7″ screen that you can actually see.
Did You Ever Try An FM Transmitter?
I did. I reviewed the Digiana Audia-X FM transmitter in September. My conclusion was that the quality and performance was bad enough in a crowded FM dial that it’s not worth it.
What I discovered on my trip to Disney World was that most of the Florida Panhandle, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana have no signs of civilization, so we were able to find an open frequency and leave it alone for hours with only minimal interference.
Doesn’t It Get Hot?
Like any other DVD player, the unit does get warm fairly quickly. The bag that came with the unit is meant to be a carrying case, not a place to keep the player while you’re using it. As long as you give the player a little space on the sides, it shouldn’t overheat.
How About Non-Region-1 DVDs?
I still haven’t had a chance to try the multi-region hack I mentioned. (Sorry Andrew) I only have Region 1 DVDs, and haven’t had the opportunity to borrow any that aren’t Region 1 yet. I’ll get around to this eventually.
What Is Your Opinion Now?
I still give it two enthusiastic thumbs up. It has been completely solid and hasn’t given us a single hint of trouble. If you’re still on the fence on this one, my suggestion is that you head to your local Wal Mart or pick one up using the link below:
We have had our Durabrand DVD w/two screens for about six months. We were happy with the product until it literally caught fire. Uk if it had gotten to hot. We had a custom stand made to fit in our Expedition so there was plenty of room to breath. We will find out how well Durabrand stands behind their product shortly. Only warning I have is it only comes with a 90 say warranty from the company, but if something does happen you can ship it back and get it fixed at “YOUR” cost.