GPX BT780B 7 Inch LCD Portable TV/DVD/AM/FM Boombox Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This unit has impressive audio for its price range and supports multiple audio formats. Unfortunately this unit will only play back DVDs in stretched wide-screen (16:9) format, meaning that if you want to watch DVDs recorded in 4:3 aspect ratio, you will have to put up with a world of elliptical circles and extra-wide people. I realize that some people are not as sensitive to this distortion as I am (art training will do that to you), but I had to return my BT780B because although the unit has a menu that offers 16:, 4:3PS (pan & scan) and 4:3LB (letter box), the selections have no effect on the display. I talked to GPX tech support about this, and they had no solution.

I had no problem with the small screen as my intended use was to sit it in front of me on the desk or table and watch instructional videos. The audio fidelity stereo imaging in this arrangement is excellent, unlike those fold-up DVD players with tiny underpowered speakers. The FM reception is quite good with a nice balance of selectivity and sensitivity for this price range, and it includes a mono option which is really necessary if you listen to distant FM transmitters where the hiss can ruin the stereo but the reception can be excellent on mono. I am in a fringe area for VHF TV reception but a couple local UHF stations came in clearly, even with the minimal antenna provided.

Since this small a screen will be watched at close reading distance, GPX would do well to upgrade the 7" screen resolution which is a bit grainy at watching distance, and of course fix the problem of not supporting 4:3 aspect ratio. Ideally, I would like the choice of watching 4:3 in either "pillarboxed" format or cropped top and bottom with a choice of scroll position, as different material benefits from different treatments. Meanwhile this is a good audio boombox with a 16:9 DVD capability only.

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Product Description:
Includes Cable Signal Receive Function, Auto-Search TV Channel and Electronic Program Guide (EPG),Supports 480i, 480p, 720i, 720p, 1080i,Aspect Ratio: 4:3/16:9, Resolution: 480(H)x234(V),Multi-Language OSD: On-Screen Display in English, French & Spanish, Rotary Volume Control, AM/FM Stereo Radio, Plays DVD, DVD