DVD Players: The Teen Tech Portable Color DVD Player
By Michele Blandino
When my eight year-old daughter made her Christmas list last fall, the item at the very top was the VideoNow Color Personal Video Player. Knowing that these units only played discs made specifically for it, I checked the list of available titles and wasn’t satisfied that there were enough that would interest her.
Before I go much further, I should mention that my daughter watches very little television. However, because most of our family lives out of state, we find ourselves making one or two road trips each month. And, because reading in the car makes her more prone to motion sickness, I thought some sort of video entertainment would help her pass the trip – and keep her from antagonizing her younger brother. After doing a little research, I gently steered her toward the Teen Tech Portable Color DVD Player, and explained that by choosing this player, she would not be as limited in what she was able to watch. Intrigued by the notion that she might be the recipient of a gift that contained the word “teen”, my daughter eagerly made the change to her list.
This is one of those times that I should have left well enough alone; I think she would have been better of with the VideoNow player.
It’s not that I minded paying more money for the DVD player – its price tag was about $120, $50 more than what VideoNow was selling for at the time. It’s simply that the unit isn’t as kid-friendly as I had hoped it would be. I’ll explain.
First, the Good
One of the things I was attracted to was the unit’s design. Rather than using the customary rectangular design of most portable DVD players, the Teen Tech unit has rounded edges and a sturdy carrying handle. While the screen size is smaller than many other units – 3 ½ inches – it is adequate for one person.
When our daughter opened the box on Christmas morning, she was delighted and at first, so was I. The unit was light-weight and the unit’s blue and silver colors made for an attractive appearance. We plugged it in (the unit comes with an AC adapter) and she happily watched a movie. The picture and sound quality were better than average and so we thought we had made a good purchase.
And, the Not So Good
As our daughter was watching her movie, my husband looked through the instruction manual. There, he learned that the battery required 16 hours to charge. So, when the movie was over, he inserted the battery and was dismayed to find that it considerably weighed the unit down. Nonetheless, we let the battery charge and the unit was ready for our car trip the next day.
Our daughter was able to watch one movie and part of a second one before the battery quit. And, since the unit did not come with a car adapter – I’m not sure one even exists – she was out of luck until we reached our destination.
After doing some research, we learned that the average battery life for this unit is about three hours. Further, some consumers have reported that the AC adapter has actually caught on fire while charging the unit. Obviously, if we knew these things prior to our purchase, we would never have bought this particular player.
While our daughter still uses the player, we take great care to ensure we never leave it plugged in when we are not home. And, I suspect that this Christmas, when the Video Now Play makes its way onto her Christmas list again, I’ll keep my mouth shut!
