by Ann-Katherine Souilliard

Created on: May 22, 2008

I've never owned a Coby DVD player, preferring to stick with more well know brands or brands whose track records I'm familiar with, so I did a little research online. Coby DVD players are at the lower end of the price range for DVD players, typically retailing for less than thirty dollars, not that this is a reflection of quality (I have a similarly priced player from another company that has worked remarkably well for several years despite a few quirks). The reviews I read were very mixed though, with many negative reviews for the very low end models.

It seems that Coby's ultra-compact model, the DVD-209, has the most negative reviews. Many of the reviews complain that the player stopped working in a matter of days. Those that did work for a while were often found to be very noisy, possibly from an inferior quality motor, and were likely to overheat quickly. The comments often state that you get what you pay for.

Coby's compact DVD-224 gets about average reviews which is to be expected for players in its price range. Many people found that it works well, although the qualifier "for the price" often follows those statements. An almost equal number had similar complaints with the -224 that were common with the -209. It often stops working quickly and several reviews mention that the way it stops working can pose a hazard to the user.

There are several more Coby models available online and in stores, but from what I've seen the reviews of them stack up about the same. The consensus of opinion is that Coby makes a player of below average quality. A big consideration for me would be the fact that their products only have a ninety day warranty and that does not include shipping. The shipping costs seem to run to about half the cost of the player which would make me seriously question the wisdom of having it repaired. Also several reviews mention that Coby expected them to send a money order with the player, they don't mention if this is for return shipping or to cover repairs. Also none of the reviewers seemed to be impressed with the quality of service they received from Coby's customer support line and many state that they will never buy another product from the company. It is important to remember that Coby DVD players are designed as low end alternatives to more well-known brands. If you need a DVD player and you have a very small budget, their DVD-224 may be a model you want to consider. If you can afford to wait a while and set a side a little more money, I would recommend waiting and purchasing a DVD player from a better brand with a longer, more comprehensive warranty.

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