jWin’s JD-VD736 Portable DVD Player

There are only two reasons to favor this portable over others in its range. The reasons can apply in tandem, or independently: First: the unit looks totally innocuous on public transportation (translation: it doesn’t cry out “Steal me!”), because from even a short distance away, it appears to be a standard CD player. Second: It is arguably the most compact portable standard-DVD player on the market, and should fit nicely into a purse, shoulder bag or slim case.

KUDOS

Indeed, for long rides on subways and busses, the VD736 is a joy — especially if you’re too tired to read and don’t want to waste time just waiting for your destination. The progressive scan picture is computer-monitor sharp; and when you don’t need to use earphones, the onboard speakers are surprisingly sharp and clear and even loud (for the unit’s size, that is).

Because VCDs are not a popular medium in North America, the packaging and specs don’t let you know that the VD736 is VCD compatible … but it is. And with the small (but satisfying) picture, the artifacting that makes VCDs inferior to DVDs is virtually eliminated.

The VD736 is made EASILY region free (check the jWIN hacks at videohelp-dot-com) — and mine was region free right out of the box.

CAUTIONS:

Where the JD-VD736 disappoints is aspect ratio. To wit :

(1) EVEN IF YOU SELECT 4:3 (PAN/SCAN) from the “TV Type” setting, the unit screen does NOT yield a nearly-squared off picture (a.k.a “Full Screen” view) with bars left and right. Rather, it stretches the image slightly to fill the widescreen window. This is less distracting than it sounds, but for those who like to watch DVDs of TV shows recorded in 4:3 aspect, it may be an unacceptable compromise. (This display of images meant to be 4:3 occurs in all settings.)

(2) Where widescreen is concerned, results may vary, depending upon how old a particular DVD is:
(a) Older widescreen discs were meant to accommodate standard TV screens, and the top/bottom letterbox bars were often part of the image. The jWIN portable therefore will not remove these bars; and as with 4:3 disks, will spread the image to fill the unit screen — so depending upon whether the image is widescreen or letterbox, there may be image compression.
(b) Newer widescreen disks, that are meant for widescreen TVs (the DVDs that require a player-output adjustment for viewing on traditional TVs), yield an accurate picture, for the most part.

I do not know if these anomalies obtain if you use the VD736 both as a portable AND as a shelf player connected to a standard set. I have to assume that, as the latter, it functions without idiosyncracy … but you should check. I’m not entirely sure I’d've bought mine had I known about the aspect ratio characteristic in advance. At the very least, I’d have researched a few more units before deciding this was the most practical for me, because I have a decent collection of TV show box sets. The kind of video you like to watch most might well be a factor in your decision.

CLUES

Battery life is about two hours, thirty minutes, the battery is built into the unit (as opposed to being a detachable accessory), and the recharge time is slow. I’ve not clocked it, but it’s not comparable, say, to recharging a laptop. It may even be close to a 1:1 ratio (one minute of recharge to one minute of play).

The unit ships with a peel-off label on the screen. This is a no-stickum self-adhesive label that works rather like a Colorforms piece (remember Colorforms?), so it always re-adheres nicely to the screen. DO NOT THROW THIS LABEL OUT. When the unit is not in use, or in its cloth carrying case, the label is a terrific little screen protector, which should prevent scratches, in most events.

I bought my VD736 direct from jWIN’s “eJWIN.com” site, where it’s far cheaper than anywhere else on the web, about $132. No shipping fee, but tax if you live in NY state.

One big problem with this unit, it doesn’t work!. Fresh out of the box, put any dvd, or cd and nothing, it says loading then an error “wrong disc”. I’ve tried everything to get this to play my dvds. I’ll reserve judgement for now, if someone has a solution, but I am seriously thinking this is piece of you know what!.