Why You Can Trust CNET Philips DCP750 review: Philips DCP750
Philips' iPod-compatible DVD player adds another layer to your in-car entertainment experience -- at a price.
Design
Like far, far too many iPod-compatible accessories out there, Philips has taken the easy road with the DCP750. Or, in other words, it's white. Until you open it up, that is, where it sports an all-black casing with silver lettering. The size of the DCP750 is a touch misleading; while it measures in at 210mm by 39mm by 178mm, the display is only seven inches wide, with speakers integrated underneath. The left side of the base of the unit houses the DVD tray, while the right hand side is where the remote control is stored -- as well as something else. The design of the remote is about the only thing we don't like about the DCP750. It's chunky and doesn't match well with the sleek aesthetics of the rest of the player. The remote sticks very firmly in place and pops out via a two-part release mechanism, which means you're very unlikely to lose it.
Philips DCP750
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
Remember that "something else" we mentioned? Underneath the remote control sits a docking bay for fifth-generation iPods or better, allowing the DCP750 to play back any media residing on your iPod.
The display screen on the DCP750 swivels, tablet-PC style, allowing you to present it either as a flat tablet or standard flip-top DVD player, even with the remote control or an iPod installed.
Features
If there's a video format out there, then the DCP750 will pretty much play it. We were somewhat surprised to note that it's not region free, which is a tad annoying for a portable player. Some quick Googling fixed that for us, thankfully. The optical drive also supports DVD, DVD+R/+RW, DVD-R/-RW, SVCD, Video CD, CD, CD-R/CD-RW, MP3-CD, Picture CD and DivX, which should keep you entertained. If that's not enough, an SD card slot on the side lets you browse photos. Finally, the compatibility with 5th generation iPods lets you access any iPod-compatible media.
The DCP750 also doesn't slack when it comes to connectivity. It boasts AV input (for things like cameras and games consoles) and AV output -- so when you get to your motel room, you can plug it in and watch your DVDs and iPod videos full-screen. It's also got two headphone sockets, ideal for subduing two unruly backseat passengers.
Performance
The DCP750's display has what Philips calls a Zero Bright Dot screen. In non-marketing speak, that means it shouldn't have any over-bright pixels distracting from the image. In our tests we were very impressed with the screen quality of the DCP750 across all media. We were less impressed with the inbuilt speakers on the player. At higher volume levels -- such as those found in the average car -- we found the speakers distorting a touch.
Switching to other media is as simple as hitting the source button on the player, or the dedicated buttons on the top of the remote. We did become intermittently annoyed with the remote, which wasn't always responsive to our button presses.
The only major caveat we'd apply to the DCP750 is that with an RRP of over AU$300, it's not exactly an inexpensive player, and certainly not one you'd want pinched out of your car. There's certainly enough lurking within its interior to justify the asking price, but if you only want an in-car DVD option to pacify the kids and don't care for the iPod connectivity then cheaper options are available.