Buying Parts: Retail Reality
[engage Rant Mode]As a gift, I got a new Portable DVD player (PDVD). I was looking to buy some extra parts. My last parts purchase was at Radio Shack. I bought a DVD Recorder with Hard Drive (DVR) and ordered an extra remote control ($20 USD)(Note 1).
The PDVD manufacture’s website is selling the parts fairly high; $56 Remote, $36 A/V Cable, $67 AC cord ($48 adapter, $19 cord), and $120 battery; or $279 USD + S&H. I can buy a second PDVD cheaper ($180). I would like a second $120 battery (proprietary), but for another $60 I could get everything. I really wanted the $36 A/V Cable (non-standard) and the $56 Remote, total $92 or 50% the price of a new PDVD.
It looks like it will be cheaper to buy nothing. If I lose anything, I will buy a new PDVD with all the advances in electronics since my old PDVD came out. Since I wanted the $120 battery for thunderstorms, not travel, I will buy a simple 12v power system (12vPS)(Note 2). I can use the 12vPS for any of my electronics with a car power adapter.[end Rant Mode]
Note 1)
Since you lose a lot of functions without the remote, I try and buy an extra one. This is especially important since I bought the DVR for its editing function. The remote is cheaper to buy when you get the device new than later when you break it. Two remotes, at $100 USD each, taught me this lesson (Yes, I have been looking at the new universal remotes like the Logitech Harmony, but at the time I was out of luck).
Note 2)
A 12v lead acid battery with a car power adapter socket and a "smart" float charger. Not a car battery and not a "Jump Starter" battery, but a deep cycle AGM (Absorbent Glass Mat) battery
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The PDVD manufacture’s website is selling the parts fairly high; $56 Remote, $36 A/V Cable, $67 AC cord ($48 adapter, $19 cord), and $120 battery; or $279 USD + S&H. I can buy a second PDVD cheaper ($180). I would like a second $120 battery (proprietary), but for another $60 I could get everything. I really wanted the $36 A/V Cable (non-standard) and the $56 Remote, total $92 or 50% the price of a new PDVD.
It looks like it will be cheaper to buy nothing. If I lose anything, I will buy a new PDVD with all the advances in electronics since my old PDVD came out. Since I wanted the $120 battery for thunderstorms, not travel, I will buy a simple 12v power system (12vPS)(Note 2). I can use the 12vPS for any of my electronics with a car power adapter.[end Rant Mode]
Note 1)
Since you lose a lot of functions without the remote, I try and buy an extra one. This is especially important since I bought the DVR for its editing function. The remote is cheaper to buy when you get the device new than later when you break it. Two remotes, at $100 USD each, taught me this lesson (Yes, I have been looking at the new universal remotes like the Logitech Harmony, but at the time I was out of luck).
Note 2)
A 12v lead acid battery with a car power adapter socket and a "smart" float charger. Not a car battery and not a "Jump Starter" battery, but a deep cycle AGM (Absorbent Glass Mat) battery
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