This is very sturdy; an earlier model was kid-tested by my young son. I bought an earlier model of this portable DVD player for my son. He's gotten crumbs in it, banged it around, yet it still plays. So I bought this model. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles found on my son's model, but it works great. I used to buy Panasonic portable DVD players. Those are more fragile and prone to breakage. This Sony is a good, solid, reliable model. Sometimes it does not play my homemade DVDs very well, especially DVD+Rs, but I've had better success with DVD-Rs that I've made. The picture is very sharp and clear. It comes with a remote. What's nice is that I can use the remote from my son's older model for this one. If you want a good, basic portable DVD player, you'll be pleased with this. Unfortunately these are becoming harder and harder to find; most people use iphones or ipads to watch stuff online. But what I like to watch isn't found online, so that's why I like to watch my DVDs with this player.

We use DVD players for homeschooling our 5 children. I bought these because the price was more affordable. In 2013, I bought 3. Within 6 months, 2 had stopped functioning. Amazon customer service was GREAT, and refunded for both, but told me that it was likely a fluke, as they rarely had complaints about those. At the time, I couldn't find another affordable option, so I chanced it and bought 2 more. Within another 4 months, another 2 had stopped working. So, within 18 months, 4 out of 5 have become totally useless under normal use. We take care of them, do not abuse them, but we do use them almost every day. All I can figure is that they are intended for less frequent use. I am trying a new brand. I do NOT recommend these at all.

From the viewpoint of how well this machine plays audio and commercial DVD's, I would say it is very good.

But there are a couple of things to watch for here:

1. As far as video playback on NON-commercial discs: In the instruction booklet, it states that video playback is ONLY IN 2 formats-.mp4 & .avi

I have a good amount of video DVD's that I have burned over the years, so I tried converting a DVD to .mp4 format. Disc would not play.
I tried converting a DVD to .avi format. Disc would not play.

Finally, I converted a disc to .avi format, & threw it onto a flash drive, instead of a disc. It appears to work. Video and sound are good.

I don't know if anyone else has had this problem or not, but I intend on converting all the discs that I have burned to .avi format and transferring them to flash drives, rather than discs. It will be easier to carry them with me, but it is going to take me a while, and a good deal of money to convert and transfer all the discs that I have to flash drives.

As for having only one audio jack-that is not a problem for me.

Maybe it's just me, but I feel that this player would be much more versatile, if it could play discs of multiple formats, instead of just .mp4/.avi formats. I wouldn't have to do so much work.

Personal note: there is a website called FORMAT FACTORY that I have used to do a veritable ton of converting over the years, & I would fully recommend it for all your converting needs. Just GOOGLE it.

Audio playback is strictly .mp3

For viewing pictures, it is only .jpg/.jpeg format. I can't say too much about this, because I have all my pictures on an offsite website, so I have no need of this feature.

It is a Sony, and I have a high regard for most Sony products. Just be aware of the potential problems that you might have.

Previous models of SONY's dvd players have been better. So in purchasing this one, there were some "trade offs".
The battery longevity was reduced from a 6 hour capacity to a 4 hour capacity. Please note that these numbers are always "pie in the sky" playing times. In reality 6 hours becomes about 4:15 AND a 4 hour battery actually lasts about 3:15.
The screen no longer swivels.
The input plug used for running on AC or charging the internal battery is no longer a common plug. I have tried all sorts of plug ends to make a battery cable and nothing fits in. Only Sony's AC charger and car battery adapter cables work because of their unusual tip.
I use external batteries in a plane to extend the playing time of my dvd player. This weird tip made it tough to build a cable until I finally butchered a car cable to get what I needed.
One the "plus" side:
This player accepts mp4 movies on a flash drive that can be plugged into a usb port.
The picture and volume are still better then anything you can get in a different brand.
Looks like dvd players in general are going to be extinct fairly soon. If your looking for a better quality player, you might consider this model before SONY drops the dvd player line altogether. That is basically why I purchased this myself. I have an extensive collection of movies and do use them on the long trips that I take each year.

I ordered this DVD player to replace an older 9 inch one I purchased at Walmart and used continuously for about 4 years until it recently wore out.

The description on Amazon states that this particular Sony DVD player is 9 inches in width. When I unpacked my player from the container and opened it, I noticed that the screen appeared significantly smaller than the screen of my old one which is exactly 9 inches in width. I measured the viewing part of this SONY DVD monitor and it measures 7.75 inches across. Since 7.75
I checked the description on the box to make sure Amazon sent me the correct product. The description written on the box of this product states 9 inches. So I deduced SONY is at fault for misstating the screen dimensions. In spite of the size constraint, I kept this DVD player because I don't want the stress of having to send it back during the Christmas rush. However in the meantime, I recommend that Amazon restate this in the product description for prospective customer planning to purchase this. Also, due to the misstated description on the product container, I recommend Amazon contact the manufacture and request a recall be issued on this product. In the future, I will physically go into a store and analyze the product before making a purchase.

As far as performance, I have used this player for about a week now and it works fine. I will provide an update if anything adversely happens to it.

So much for the Christmas cheer!!