Roughly 1.5 million DVD players from Durabrand are being recalled after complaints that they were overheating and setting on fire.
The ironically-named, low-end, Chinese-made players have been sold in the United States exclusively at Wal-Mart for three and a half years. Asking price was $29. Durabrand players were also sold in the U.K. at ASDA supermarkets.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says 12 people have complained to Wal-Mart about overheating, and five of those cases resulted in fires that caused property damage. Fortunately, no one was injured. Stateside customers are asked to stop using the product immediately and to return it to Wal-Mart for a full refund. U.K. customers should contact ASDA for assistance.
It's not specified how or why the players are overheating. A dozen reported overheating incidents out of 1.5 million units is not so bad, but it's obviously significant enough to warrant a recall. I certainly wouldn't want to risk burning my entertainment center or house down for a $30 player.
If you're looking for cheap players, Best Buy's got its Insignia model for $35, and there's a player from Desay with 1080p upconversion for the same price. Of course, you may get what you pay for in this price range, but anything's better than a product that could set your house on fire.
