Customer Reviews

Coby DVD-615 Progressive-Scan DVD Player with Karaoke Ability

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

 

 

I have had a number of DVD players. Currently, I use a late model Sony for DVD and CD audio. I also have a Karaoke machine for those "Lost in Translation" moments. I have a decent collection of CD-G audio discs, and I keep buying more.

I purchased this player for my parents, so they could enjoy CD-G based Karaoke, DVD movies and audio CDs in their small retirement condo. My father loves to sing.

I had the unit sent to my home and I tested it with over a dozen CD-Gs, audio CDs and a couple dozen movies in numerous formats. The Coby player plays everything. CD-G lyrics appear on the screen and the microphone works. I did not test mp3s only traditional CDs.

I don't need a manual to hook up a DVD player. But, the manual included with this unit, while sparse, does explain how to hook up everything INCLUDING the microphone. My advice to the other reviewer is to try taking the only cable that fits the microphone and attaching it to the mic. Then, take the other end of the cable and attach it to one of the two mic inputs on the front of the player (labelled mic input 1 and 2 as I recall). At this point, insert the CD-G and hit play. The music starts and lyrics appear on the screen. You can adjust the volume and "echo" using the two dial controls under the front panel of the player. The "echo" feature helps people who can't sing (like me) sound less terrifying.

This player is a great value and the key issue for me will be reliability, which no reviewer has yet addressed. If the player breaks I'll just buy my parents a new unit which plays the same formats. The unit costs about as much as a very cheap standalone Karaoke player and if it lasts I'll be very impressed.

On the downside, the player controls are not as elegant as my more expensive Sony and I could see them breaking over time as the seem a bit cheap. And, like all Karaoke players I've owned, to get good vocal projection from the mic you'll need to hook this unit to a video/stereo (AV) receiver. If you only hook this Karaoke system to a TV, expect poor vocal levels.

I gave this unit five stars, not four, to partially offset the one star review and due to the low price of the unit. I would not have purchased this unit if the only review was so negative as I was primarily interested in getting my parents a unit that would play movies, audio AND support CD-G based Karaoke.

I had no problem hook anything up, but we had a hard time trying to do the Karaoke function. It is very hard to find the vocal cancel key. After I manage to cancel the vocal, we found that part of the base music was cancelled, too. The sound effect was terrible.
I also called the manufacturer for tech support. But, no one can answer your questions. Even though they build this product with Karaoke function, they do not understand why you use that function at all. Ridiculous!

You need a mixing amplifier as a decent system.

I was able to play even mpg videos! The karaoke works great, however you have to first connect it and then insert the cd and start playing so you can hear your voice... also the karaoke feature has to be "on". There is a problem with the graphics if you skip from one track to the other while playing, so be careful to stop the cd, and then enter the track you want, then play. Overall, I think is a good product for a good price, you get a lot of fun and versatility with it, but you have to get to know how to handle it.