Coby DVD-224 Compact DVD Player Reviews

• PLAY EVERYTHING

  
  By A14EQ40D6375VE on 2006-03-21
  How to convert your Coby DVD-224
  into a Region Free DVD Player
  
  1. Power Up the unit with NO Disc in the tray.
  2. Press the SETUP button on your remote control
  3. Press the VOL + button on your remote control
  4. Press the VOL - button on your remote control
  5. Press the VOL + button on your remote control
  6. Press the VOL - button on your remote control
  7. The current region number will appear in the upper right hand corner of the television screen.
  8. Press the LEFT or RIGHT Arrow buttons until the number 255 appears.
  9. Press the SETUP button on your remote control
  10. Close the tray
  11. NOTE - The 255 in the above sequence represents the Region Code 0 - Region Free. If you want to set to a specific region, just replace the 255 with the region number that you want.
  
  

• Exactly What I Was Looking For

  
  By A1IQ64ICLTWWO1 on 2005-08-25
  I wanted to be able to watch DVDs from the UK that weren't available in NTSC. So far the Coby has handled everything I've put in it with no trouble. It impressed a friend so much he got one too.
  
  I'm not expecting it to last forever - it is a mega-cheapie after all - but at this price, I can buy a new one every year, and consider it worth it. I haven't found any other box that does multi-region with on-the-fly PAL/NTSC conversion at any price.
  
  UPDATE - I've had my Coby for two years now, and it is still working fine. I have found some commercial DVDs don't play well in it, but it is a fault of the DVD manufacturer, not the player (I work in the industry). Basically, Technicolor don't test for compatability with the software codec used in this box, and frequently the only way to play DVDs duplicated by Technicolor is to go to the Select Scene menu and pick the first scene. It plays fine from there. This affects many cheaper DVD players, who all use the same software codec.
  
  

• Coby 224 DVD Player

  
  By A2U8PHKBXKUEFK on 2006-04-25
  We purchased the Coby 224 DVD Player from Amazon and have found it to be unsatisfactory. It refuses to play many DVD's. We have owned it for 60 days and at first, we thought it was bad DVD's from the rental store. We now believe it the Player that is the source of the problem. Unfortunately, we confirmed this too late and Amazon now refuses to allow a return.
  
  

• Gets no better for the price

  
  By A2SPV96SGOEO2 on 2006-04-10
  I've had this DVD player for about a month now and it gets moderately heavy usage (turned on 12 hours every night, playing for about the first 2 1/2). For the money I really don't see how you could expect more. The 110 volt/220 volt option is fantastic for people who live in really remote locations and the code to change the unit into a multi-region unit is just priceless. The only complaint is, that unlike other DVD players, the multi-region playback of a PAL disc on an NTSC TV produces picture distortion. Mildly annoying to watch foreign DVDs on an American set, but how many people does that actually inconvenience? If the unit lasts one year it'll have more than paid for itself. If the price drops again I'm going to buy half a dozen as disposable electronics seem to be the norm now.
  
  

• Beware: Setting DVD region differs between models "224" and "224M" and Amazon ships both

  
  By A2GDRIY0URPUBJ on 2006-06-28
  Make sure you have no DVD in the tray.
  On the remote control
  1) Press "TITLE"
  2) Press "1" and then "9"
  On the TV a large box with a small number will appear.
  The number indicates for which DVD region the machine has been set, for example "2" for Germany or "0" for no region preference.
  3) Press the up arrow or down arrow to raise or lower the number
  4) Press "ENTER"
  If you've entered the region number or "0", you're ready to play your region-protected DVD.
  
  
  NOTE: Even though the Amazon page advertises Coby model "224", they shipped me a model "224M" and I had to call Coby customer service to learn how to program it. The two models differ, although they look more or less identical and have the same features, I'm guessing.
  
  
  
  
• Wont play many DVDs, including store bought
  By AAAIASH675SR7 on 2006-06-02
  We bought this DVD player from Amazon a few months ago because of the price, and the reviews at the time. Found that when it does function correctly it indeed does do what it is supposed to do (play DVDs).
  
  BUT ....
  
  The problem is that all too often it will not play a DVD. We're not talking just recorded DVD+R or DVD-R disks, but clean, unscratched, store bought DVDs. Needless to say it is very annoying to rent or buy a DVD, only to not be able to view it. As a work around we have had some success using the MENU button on these disks, then doing scene selection to choose scene one.
  
  We have never owned a DVD player that will not do at least its intended job. Very disappointed, and would never recommend this brand/model.
  
  
• Newer Model Region-Free Code!!
  By A30Z3A8AZ9J93C on 2006-09-15
  I bought my player Sep 2006 and the other region-free code did not work. It is actually a DVD-224M (see manual) though it says DVD-224 on the player. Here is how to do it:
  
  If you have the DVD-224M model (says DVD-224 on the box, DVD-224M on the manual...), the hack is:
  
  Make sure you have no DVD in the tray.
  On the remote control:
  1) Press "TITLE"
  2) Press "1" and then "9"
  On the TV a large box with a small number will appear.
  The number indicates for which DVD region the machine has been set, for example "2" for Germany or "0" for no region code.
  3) Press the up arrow or down arrow to raise or lower the number.
  4) Press "ENTER"
  Done.
  
  
  
• Case of the dying dvd players
  By ABMRGB5E2TXTV on 2007-09-20
  I started out loving this product. It was cheap and could play anything. I liked it so much I bought another.
  
  After watching about 2 dvds a week for a few months, the first one died, then the second about 3 months later The first one started freezing and failing to read pretty much anything then the other just started coming up with "wrong disk" on anything you stuck in it. These were two different coby models, but both were crap.
  
  Besides the early death of the players, another down side is that no universal remote seems to know who coby is, and so you are stuck with the initial remote (learning remotes also fail to control cobys).
  
  In the end, dvd players are all cheap now. Spend a little more money and get a good brand name one.
  
  
• Not bad for cheap DVD player.
  By A2HQOLSY3NE5IH on 2005-03-21
  I just bought this DVD player at a local retailer since I needed a DVD player to put in my bedroom. I wasn't looking for anything fancy, especially considering the TV in there is only 17" with mono audio. The Coby DVD-224 did not let me down!
  
  It has a really surprising number of features for a low-end DVD player. It has some things not normally on DVD players, including Contrast, Volume control, Mute, etc. Coby is really trying to tackle the low end market, and I think they're doing a great job.
  
  You have to understand that this isn't the DVD player you're going to want to have powering your 60 High Definition Plasma TV with 7.1 surround, but it's a hell of a player for that spare bedroom, or the kid's room. The only bad thing I can think is that the video cable that it came with was horrible. I had a couple of spares lying around so I swapped it out and everything was flawless.
  
  I've had no issues with it so far, worked flawlessly out of the box. So if you're looking for that second or third DVD player, this is probably a good place to start.
  
  
• A little giant
  By A2G4N3WDA779EE on 2005-11-25
  i was a bit skeptical about buying this item beacuse of its price and size. I bought it just to try it and see, so far so good, it's my favorite, it has played all my DVDs even some that my computer couldn't read. I have this DVD player hooked up to a home theater system and the sound is great. I had it running continuosly for hours and it didn't blink, eneded up being an oustanding product for a small price. I recommend it.
  
  
• unhappy
  By A55MJS9BJRV9V on 2005-02-22
  Pauses and skips, doesn`t play the first minute or two of a couple of my dvd`s which work in other players. Picture is good for a cheap player but starts to skip last 1/2 hour.Shipping costs make it not worth sending back. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.
  
  
• Great for a year of 8 disks or so...
  By A101KHH3UKX5MA on 2005-08-28
  Worked great for a year or so. Only used it in my motorhome maybe 8 - 10 times. It will no longer recognize a disk... Now to find another brand of small DVD player...
  
  
• portable and convenient
  By A2OSD9L3POFBY6 on 2005-12-31
  I received this dvd player as a free gift when I purchased a cell phone. I was skeptical at best, but have been very surprised by its performance. I keep in in my car and take it with me on overnight trips. It hooks up easily to most hotel televisions and keeps my 11-year-old son occupied. Sure, it's not the most impressive machine out there, but for under $30 I think it's a powerhouse.
  
  
• Works great, light and portable, awesome price!
  By A1GZXN80VT64H9 on 2006-04-01
  I bought one of these about a year and a half ago. I am a semi-professional video maker and photographer and I love to watch movies and videos. Sometimes I buy or rent originals and many times I rent burnt copies or burn my own. I also burn photographs into CDs to see them in the TV screen. This little player has NEVER failed to read and play any format of CD that I have popped into it, while other DVD players that I own, from more expensive and known brands such as RCA or JVC have.
  
  It is multi-region and switches from NTSC to PAL, so you don't have to worry about those DVDs that say "May not be seen in some regions". This only is an amazing feature that makes this player a great deal.
  
  It is totally portable and light and can de easily carried with it's accesories (remote control and audio/video cable) in a bag the size of a medium-sized book. Despite being light-weight, it feels strong and well built and not "plasticky" like so many low-priced electronics in the market today.
  
  It does'nt have a screen on the front (which is desirable to see the running time of the movie or video you are watching), but this is reasonable given it's super low price. This are the kind of features that manufacturers take away to be able to lower the price. There is a similar player by Coby that has the screen and costs like $8 more. You might want to go for that one because the price difference is absurd (I did'nt know about that other model when I bought mine).
  
  But nevertheless, I very much recomend this little portable player. You get an excellent artifact that will satisfy you for a long time at the price of a disposable one.
  
  
• Piece of junk
  By AWEVBHM05401P on 2005-06-23
  I bought 2 coby dvd players for my friends in India. After bringing them to India, I realised its a junk. One doesn't play well, picture quality is bad, you can't hear sound and it skips some of the chapters. The other one is even worse, after putting the dvd in the slot it doesn't close. I feel this company is just cheating people who cannot return it. Its just a junk and I am surprised that good sites like amazon and outpost are carrying such cheap and low quality ones. Just don't buy this stupid one.
  
  
  
• Mejor de lo pensado...
  By A2R0TE39PK0NB9 on 2005-10-20
  Lee de todo, excelente calidad de imagen y sonido. Durable lo recomiendo 100%.
  
  
• Plays ok, but noisy
  By A2M9PTPHRUBM78 on 2005-12-01
  I bought this DVD player at a local store. It plays fine (including CDs and DVDs full of mp3 files and pictures) but it "chirps" every few seconds while playing. It is a small thing, but it gets very irritating after a while. The chirp in question is not particularly loud but is VERY penetrating - somewhat like a whistle.
  
  In short, I am satisfied with the feature set and price of the player, but not too happy with the quality of the hardware.
  
  
• Nice when they work...
  By A3R3EL3BYVS451 on 2006-04-19
  I've owned 2 of these now. When they work, they're great and will read any disk, and are great space savers. But, after 4 months, the 1st one died. Luckily, I found an obvious blown capacitor that was easily replaced, and that unit is still working.
  The 2nd just died, with no hope of recovery. Right in the middle of a disk, it stopped. Any disk inserted after that gave the message, "Wrong Disk".
  I would avoid if you're looking for a long-term reliable player.
  
  
• Just not worth it
  By A386O6SLTSNGHE on 2006-06-20
  I bought the COBY DVD-224 new for $21.20 at an after Christmas sale. Got it home plugged it in and enjoyed some DVD's. Here we are less than six months later having watched only 10-15 dvd movies and the dvd players stops working. I emailed customer servise to explain my situation only to find the company does not want to stand behind there product. In fact, they want me to send them ($31.00) for shipping, handling and exchange which is more than I paid for the original dvd player instead of an out right exchange for a new player.
  
  
• VERY dissapointed. DO NOT BUY AT ALL COSTS!
  By A2P04BFGG1VC6N on 2006-05-18
  If you want a cheap easy buy, sure get it. But if you want a DVD player that will actually work and last DON'T. Thank GOD that I didn't even buy this piece of junk. I received it as a prize for a fundraiser. The remote is cheap, and some of the buttons don't even work anymore. The plastic piece that covers up the hole where the DVD tray comes out has broken off and is gone. The player doesn't recognize a lot of discs as well. Most times it just says "wrong disc". I have also had problems with the colour and audio cord that connects to the TV. It has to be in the perfect spot for it to not make annoying buzzing noises or blurr the TV with black and white fuzz. Very bad choice, and I can't wait to get a good DVD player once I have the money.
  
  
• Great size, Great price, but it lasted less than a year
  By A2IP939MWPJF08 on 2006-08-21
  It played absolutely everything we put into it. Compact design, great price.
  It lasted just under a year though.
  And you can't do a whole lot without the remote. No ffwd, rwd, etc.
  
  
• Different way to change region setting
  By AIK5CMQD2LYFS on 2006-08-22
  If you are trying to change your dvd player to region free setting and it has not worked using the volume keys. try this:
  
  start up dvd player with no disc in it.
  press the title button
  press number 1
  press number 9
  using up and down arrows change number to say zero then press enter and your dvd will be unlocked to play any region
  
  
• piece of junk!
  By AS41JKEN1OZ1K on 2006-01-28
  i knew going in that this wouldn't be anywhere near to top of the line, but even knowing that it fell way below my expectations. it didn't recognize a single dvd i tried to play and whenever you inserted a disc into the drive it sounded like it was gearing up for take-off. do yourself a favor and pass on this piece of junk.
  
  
• 1 DOA - 1 Dead after 6 month with very little use
  By A1MVPVKACK6K7B on 2007-12-01
  I should have followed the reviews I read and avoided this product. First one was DOA - Amazon replaced it quickly. Second one worked fine upon arrival. Was intended to be used in vacation home - when getting there a couple of month later second one showed exactly same Death-Symptoms that the first one had (clicking sound followed by 'wrong disk' message). At this point it's past the return window so off to the garbage can. No more Coby for me...
  
  
• Problems from the start
  By AYHKWZXJB1RY9 on 2006-03-24
  I bought this item and immediatly had problems with it skipping. Within a month it was completely useless, always saying "Wrong Disc" and not returning to the main menu and freezing up after the movie. I have only had it for 45 days and it will not play any DVD's. I would not recommend anyone buy this player.
  
  
• Absolute piece of garbage
  By A24O8H9MZF02XM on 2007-06-02
  This DVD player is such a piece of garbage that I am actually writing this review. This is the 1st feedback i have ever left and i order plenty of items from Amazon. DVD arrived damaged and DVDs did not play at all. I ordered a COBY in the past and it broke down after 6 months (no disc was the error message). i should have learned my lesson but i just needed a cheap DVD player for use when traveling. Guess what...big mistake!!! I returned the DVD player and will get another brand and spend the extra $20-$30. trust me, it will break down and it is worth the extra $20 to get a better DVD that will last 2 years. BUYER BEWARE!!!
  
  
• Region free hack for DVD-224SS
  By A24OA15YT6IL7M on 2007-07-18
  If you receive a model "DVD-224SS" (it is stated on the manual cover), the region-free hack previously posted will not work. Here's how to do it:
  
  NOTE: Make sure you DO NOT have a disk in the tray while performing the region code procedure
  
  1. Open the DVD tray
  2. Press STOP button on the remote control
  3. Press 70
  4. Press MENU
  5. Use the numeric keypad to select your region code number (0 - 6).
  
  OR
  
  1. Open the DVD tray
  2. Press STOP button of remote control
  3. Press the digit number buttons "2008" of remote control.
  4. Press MENU
  Region code will appear, select your region code number.
  
  
• GREAT DVD PLAYER
  By A1RH27F39ZNHK1 on 2006-02-22
  PICTURE QUAILTY IS A LITTLE DARK BUT OTHER THAN THAT...THE DVD PLAYER IS GREAT! FOR 30 SHIPPED, what else can u ask for? If it breaks down...u can AFFORD to buy another one, and it if doesn't..HEY! you got your 30 dollars worth.
  
  UNLOCK THIS DVD PLAYER TO PLAY ALL REGION DVDs!!!! DOES NO HARM TO THE DVD PLAYER! MAKES IT EVEN MORE WORTH THE $30!
  
  MAKE SURE THERE'S NO DISC IN THE DVD PLAYER!
  
  All with remote:
  1.Power on
  2.Hold setup and press vol+,vol-,vol+,vol-, the RC appears on the upper left of the screen
  3.Release setup button, with the cursor left and right select the RC 225 (do not punch the numbers - select with cursor)
  4.Exit setup
  5.Power off
  
  =]
  
  
• DON'T LOSE THE REMOTE. AND USE GOOD BLANK MEDIA!
  By A2P3K4VGL0W2TL on 2006-04-15
  Digital technology has been around for decades. And ever since our society has been digitalized by everything---music, photo, video and other document files. Now, the only challenge we have to face is how to access the files, move them around, in and out, as many files as possible in a smallest store room as possible at the same time. Coby DVD-244 is up to the challenge, and is doing well if "in a long term" is not your top priority.
  
  You would almost think yourself if this is a CD-ROM drive when you see this little gizmo comes out of the box. But then that thought will soon be changed by the full function remote at the bottom of the box.
  
  If you are good at it, you won't take a long to learn that this player-remote relationship is like "a car and gas", one cannot live by itself without the other. The 99.9% of player functions are accessible by the remote only. So you might want to attach a piece of string and hang it around your neck, not to leave the remote on your couch, and don't let your kids play with it. Because if you lose this remote, you might wind up with being able to turn the player on/off, and open/close the tray only, or worse, you might need to go buy another player.
  
  The player capability is unlimited. Almost anything on a regular "shinny" disc is playable, as long as it's not computer related files (like, PDF, AVI files if you know what I mean). CD-R, DVD-R of course, picture discs, and both NTSC and PAL. You can even make this player a region free player. But one MAJOR weakness I found out that unlike "CSI", if your disc (burned) has some finger prints and isn't "shinny" enough, this player may not be able to investigate what is on your disc. So be sure to use good quality DVD-Rs and keep them clean. However, I did not face this problem when I play commercial discs.
  
  I think you agree with me that this your "$30" investment can hardly be passed down to your grand kids. I have some people telling me that this is a "disposable". The 90-day warranty may or may not be usefull, depends on your luck. some say that they still use it for year after year. So it is up to your own judgment and a point of view whether you get mad at Coby or not if this $30 player wouldn't play Rocky 6 DVD when it's released. It can be your kid's toy, but again remember.... DON'T LOSE THE REMOTE!
  
  
• Problem free for nearly two years.
  By A32MUSM2FYMHSG on 2006-04-19
  This player has been a great bargain. It's gotten a lot of use, and it's never given me any kind of problem. Plays every disc every time.
  
  

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