Audiovox VBP 4000 DVD Player Makes Car Travel Bearable!
Written: Dec 28 '02 (Updated Dec 28 '02)
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Pros: Light, easy setup/removal, ability to hook up gaming systems, multiple screens
Cons: Not perfect clarity on LCD screen when viewed at an angle.
The Bottom Line: This product is a must have for road traveling families. Its portability and ability for additional hookups makes it invaluable!
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| deenaf's Full Review: Audiovox VBP4000 5.6 in. Portable DVD Player |
The Audiovox VBP 4000 DVD player is a must have for the car traveling family. I know because it literally made our long drive more bearable.
When we decided to drive to Florida from New York with a 4.5 year old and a 1.5 year old, we knew we needed a portable movie player. We chose the Audiovox VBP 4000 DVD player. We decided that a portable DVD player is better than a portable VCR because you never have to rewind tapes and you can pack tons MORE DVDs than videos. One item of note here though, is that the Audiovox VBP 4000 DVD player costs about $150 more than the portable VCR of the same brand but we still felt that it was worth it. My review will point out why.
The Audiovox VBP 4000 DVD player easily transports between house and car and hotel. That's its purpose. It is housed in a carry all bag that serves as the "mount" as well as the carrier.
COST
The Audiovox VBP 4000 DVD player cost us $425 at Circuit City. This was actually on par with our local mom and pop electronics store. To entice us to buy it with them, though, they gave us two Disney DVD's with the purchase.
TYPE OF SYSTEM
The portable Audiovox VBP 4000 DVD player is a carry bag system. That means that it is housed entirely in a tote type bag. It mounts hanging between the two front seats so that it is centered facing the rear seats.
The Audiovox VBP 4000 DVD player comes with straps that loop around the headrest part of the front seats. These straps are adjustable enabling you to change the height of the screen for viewing. The straps are completely unobtrusive to the driver and front seat passenger.
SET UP and PORTABILITY
Setting up the Audiovox VBP 4000 DVD player takes literally seconds. Once you locate the straps and clip them onto the bag, you simply loop the straps over the front seats and you are done! The adapter gets plugged into the cigarette lighter from the player and you are ready to go. If you do not want the unit hanging between the seats, you can hang it over ONE front seatback so that it is directly facing ONE rear seat. In this case, you simply use one strap for looping around. You only need the TWO straps for looping around two front seats.
WHen you are parked overnight, you simply unhook the straps to remove the system from your car. The canvas bag has a handle on top and zipper pockets to close up the screen. It truly is a carry bag. The unit weighs no more than your basic laptop. It is lightweight and measures approximately 12x13x7 inches.
The Audiovox VBP 4000 DVD player is plug and play, literally. There is no assembly required.
SCREEN SIZE
The Audiovox VBP 4000 DVD player has a screen size of 5.6 inches measured diagonally across the screen. At first you may think that this is small but it really isn't. The kids loved the size as it was perfect for their viewing. The only problem with this screen, as with any LCD type screen is that optimum viewing clarity is straight on and when the screen is centered between the children, they are viewing at an angle, thus the clarity is not as good. Trust me, they won't notice.
FEATURES
The Audiovox VBP 4000 DVD player system has 2 sets of A/V input jacks. This means that you can purchase (additionally) another video screen and plug it into the system. This would enable you to have TWO video screens for viewing. This is particularly good for minivan use when you have three rows of seats. Video screens ARE sold separately for this purpose.
On the Audiovox VBP 4000 DVD player, its OWN video screen can be separated from the player part allowing you to place the screen anywhere in the car. The player and the screen do not have to be together to work. The jacks enable each to work separately.
The Audiovox VBP 4000 DVD player has built in speakers which means that the audio does not have to run through the car's stereo system (which is the case usually with mounted systems rather than portable ones).
The Audiovox VBP 4000 DVD player came with its own remote control. We didn't need this because our son was able to control all the functions without leaving his seat. I would think that the remote is indispensible to minivan owners when the seats are so far apart. Additionally, the system also has two headphone outputs. The headphones are not included.
Lastly, the Audiovox VBP 4000 DVD player allows hookup to your gaming system, like PLAYSTATION. THis is a fabulous feature of this product, clearly making it worth the cost investment (especially over a VCR player). We did not use this feature, as my son is still too young, but we look forward to using it in the future.
THE PRODUCT
The unit consists of a flip up video screen and a player. The two are detachable, as mentioned.
There are two power buttons, one on the monitor screen and one on the player. They both need to be put on to work. On the player, there are menu and directional buttons allowing you to select menu options on the DVD without using the remote. The Play, Stop, and Eject buttons are also here.
The DVD insertion slot is on the right side of the unit. The DVD's slip in easily. The input/output plugs and jacks are located on the left side of the unit. These include the video, audio, and monitor jacks, as well as the DC 12V jack. Also located here are the AV input devices.
The volume adjuster is located on the video screen. This is where the built in speakers are located as well. The headphone jacks are here as well. This is particularly smart because if you hook up more than one video screen in your car, each screen will have its own volume control. There is also a brightness control located here.
Included in the carry bag are an additional small canvas carrier for an additional LCD screen purchased and a plug for using the unit indoors (a regular plug for when you bring the Audiovox VBP 4000 DVD player into your hotel room). The carrying case also has zippered pockets for storing all the power cords and straps.
The playback on the DVD was excellent too. The DVD's never skipped due to bumps in the road or high driving speeds.
USING THE DVD PLAYER
This is so simple that my 4 year old was doing it himself. The DVD slides into the unit and, if both power buttons are on, the menu for the DVD will appear. Simple. He then presses the PLAY button on the unit and enjoys the show!
DURABILITY
The Audiovox VBP 4000 DVD player is quite durable. The unit and screen are completely encased in the canvas bag, protecting it. And the bag itself is padded. You do have to take care when using the video screens as it is an LCD and requires gentle handling.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I hope this review helps you decide to buy the Audiovox VBP 4000 DVD player as it truly is a lifesaver for long car trips. It is unbelievably easy to use and so light and portable. I have written this review from a family's perspective, not necessarily a technical one as really, the buyers of the Audiovox VBP 4000 DVD player are most likely families like ours! Your kids will not complain about the clarity of the screen or the depth of the sound system. They will just be happy to play their Scooby Doo DVD and their Spiderman DVD. Trust me!
Another benefit of buying the Audiovox VBP 4000 DVD player rather than a conventional mobile video player is that it also plays CDs. This, combined with its ability to hook up to a gaming system makes purchasing a mobile video player OBSOLETE! And with the ease in which DVD's are stored for travel packing purposes, it makes the Audiovox VBP 4000 DVD player a good purchase AND investment!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 425.00
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Epinions.com ID:
deenaf
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Member: Deena
Location: Merrick, NY USA
Reviews written: 269
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I'm reasonable! And now I'm acknowleged!
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