Customer Reviews

Coby DVD298 1080p Upconversion DVD Player

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I chose this particular product - as a cheap region-free player - based on previous reviews, even though some suggested problems with the region-free aspect. I decided to give it a try as others had found it worked just fine. Here's the straight goods: The instructions to make it region-free are NOT included, I have no idea why. But one phone call to Coby and the instructions were e-mailed to me. I was then quickly able to change the region to "0", which allows DVDs from any region to be played. This allows DVDs to be bought from Amazon's UK website at a fraction of the price (even including shipping) that they retail at here in North America.

The picture quality is first-class, and there are no other issues with the DVD player at all. I will say this however, the remote control is not one of those you can wave about vaguely, it requires accurate aim. All things considered, for my purposes, I'm very satisfied with this product for its price.

This Coby DVD player is a perfectly decent entertainment unit. It plays standard DVDs as well as DivX and Xvid files perfectly, and best of all, it can play files directly from a USB stick or SD card. It's difficult to find units with USB and SD slots, and that's the main reason I purchased this model instead of a better-known brand name.

A few minor downsides: The remote control is quite basic and cannot control your TV or other components, so you need to have two remotes in your hand at all times. And I cannot find the proper codes to control it with my universal remote.

Moreover, the on-screen display function for photos, DivX videos and MP3 files is a little buggy, so you can't see the full title of any file except the top one.

One caveat: I've only had this DVD player for a month or so, and I've never had one that lasted more than three or four years. I've currently got three in a bag ready to go to the recycling centre. Only time will tell if this one is more robust.

As far as I can tell the DVD player works very well unfortunate;y the remote does not work. This is fine if you do not want to do anything. So have watched a few movies seems to work good but have not been able to check out all the features. More dissatisfied with how the company is dealing with the remote than the actual product. They will send me a new remote but I still have to get a $6.00 cashiers check. Pain in the butt.

I've bought for close to $2000 worth of electronics on amazon.ca over the last 6 months and never had any problem until I chose to buy this DVD player.
I had never heard of Coby before but was seduced by the price and the good reviews. I was probably not lucky, but mine did not work from the moment i plugged it in.
The DVD tray doesnt open and doesnt even come out ! which makes it impossible to put a DVD in.
It's obvious that this player is cheap made, everything is loose, it looks like a toy.

I read that instructions to make it region free were not included in the manual so i called the 1 800 tech support number and was sent instructions by email. Never got a chance to try if it worked since i was not able to open the DVD tray !!!

I called Coby who said they could replace it within the next 46 weeks, but i had to pay for shipping.
Unbelievable. So, I called Amazon who said they would take it back right away and refund my Credit card. I was very happy with their help.

Very disapointed and frustrated, and although I might be the exception, I do not recommand this product to anyone.
Although Amazon was perfect in resolving my issue, I don't understand why they sell such cheap made products.
I will certainly continue shopping on Amazon.ca on a regular basis but will never buy a Coby product again.

For an extra $20 you will get a better player right away and will save time and frustration. Nothing worse than getting a defective product from the get go.

I purchased this Coby multi region player based on reviews,
primarily one from person in Calgary. After re-reading manual
& 2 calls to manufacturer I still can't get it to switch regions.
Really frustrating as I bought it strictly to use for PAL
/ UK DVD's. Would appreciate further suggestions :)

I purchased this as a cheap Multi-Region player, it arrived and it was not set to Multi-region. After contacting Corby direct I received the following instructions and they worked first time (0 is multi-region)

Step 1- Open the DVD tray
Step 2. Enter 5168
Step 3- Use the numeric keypad to select your region code number (0 ' 6)

Everything else about this player is fine, the play back quality is good, the menu's and remote are simple, the only very minor problem is the cover for the USB port which doesn't stay closed.

I would recommend this product.

I bought the Coby DVD298 1080p DVD player specifically for its multi-region capabilities. The instructions are not in the book but reviews on here state that the dvd player can be made multi-region by calling Coby customer service and requesting the codes. This is indeed the case, however they in total gave me three separate codes/procedures to follow, and none of them worked. On the third phone call they stated that actually they frequently receive calls on this issue (that the codes don't work) and they themselves have tried the codes and the codes didn't work for the customer service people either. Customer service stated they have repeatedly sent off to Coby central office for new codes, and are repeatedly sent back the same three codes. They said that if none of them work and I only bought the DVD player for its multi-region capabilities, I should probably return the player as they were not optimistic about receiving working codes from central office.

I therefore conclude that for some reason the codes work on some machines and not others... The dvd player seems to work fine as a dvd player, but it is not a reliable multi-region purchase.

I bought this dvd player because it was supposed to be region-free. Do not buy it if this is what you want. I have spent more than 4 hours attempting to input the codes on the remote that make it region-free. It's very simple - they do not work. I got the codes online and also the same codes from Coby in NY. Doesn't make any difference. You cannot make this into a region-free player. Other than that, it works fine, but is rather expensive for a basic region 1 player. Repeat - this cannot be made into a region free player

Had this for a few days now and thought it was time to write a quick review. I'd never heard of Coby so wasn't really expecting too much from this player but I've been pleasantly surprised. It's got a USB port and card reader built-in and, so far, has played all the DivX and XviD I've thrown at it as should be expected from an officially licenced DivX product I suppose.

It was also trivial to make multiregion, a matter of a few keypresses on the remote. The 1080p upscaled output is also excellent on my LG HDTV.

In all, if you're not ready to go Bluray (and I wasn't seeing as I needed a player that could be made multiregion as I have lots of region 2 DVD's from my time living in Europe) this is an excellent player for cheap.

Recommended.

For the price, you get a massive bang for the buck, why?:

1. PAL to NTSC conversion and with the 1080p upconversion not only does your NTSC movie look their best but you can view PAL DVDs in their native PAL quality on your 1080p ready LCD TV which is much better.

2. Also with some work, you can make this player region free.

3. Also comes with a data card slot.

One down side.

When playing this player, it is not conjusive to do it in a vibrating surface or play it whiel moving it. It will break easy.

Otherwise very highly recomended versatile player. A++++++.