Best Portable DVD Players

Top portable DVD players for durability and performance

In general, price corresponds to screen size. Portable DVD players generally top out at about 10 inches (measured diagonally). Reviews say you should base screen size on your budget and the number of viewers. If more than one person will watch at once, bigger is better. However, for solo viewing, most people can get by with a smaller 7- or 8-inch screen.

The 9-inch Toshiba SDP93S (*Est. $165) is a moderately priced player with very good reviews overall. The LCD display has a resolution of 800 pixels by 480 pixels, and the portable DVD player can also play back DivX video and audio CDs. Other features include MP3 playback, an SD card slot and two headphone jacks.

Overall, reviewers say the Toshiba SDP93S portable DVD player is a good value with a sleek design. For example, Jeff Bakalar at CNET says the Toshiba SDP93S is "by far the best-looking design out there," and its high-definition screen is among the best he's tested. Adam Weinberg at AskMen.com agrees, saying that the swivel screen makes for easy viewing. He also gives the player high marks for usability, thanks to a five-hour battery and car adapter. Owner reviews are also highly positive, with most users saying the Toshiba DVD player works well with excellent picture quality. On a negative note, some reviewers would like to see a USB port. We also saw a few reports that the speakers could be louder.

While the Toshiba SDP93S gets high marks for picture quality, Jeff Bakalar at CNET says the Sony DVP-FX930 (*Est. $160) is slightly better in that regard. The Sony portable DVD player is very similar to the Toshiba SDP93S -- it has a 9-inch swivel screen, 800-by-480-pixel resolution, dual headphone jacks, and CD/MP3 playback. However, the Sony DVP-FX930 does not support DivX video.

Bakalar likes the portable DVD player overall, but he finds Sony's new "light-touch" buttons a poor upgrade from previous models. The Sony DVP-FX930 is also the heaviest he's tested at 2.7 pounds, but he calls it a "winning portable DVD player." Danny Phillips at TrustedReviews.com finds the nearly identical European version very easy to use and says the Sony player offers "one of the best portable picture performances we've seen for awhile."

Among portable DVD players, the Sony DVP-FX930 also gets very high marks from owners at Amazon.com, where reviewers praise the six-hour battery life, picture quality and overall durability. However, many owners complain that the touch buttons are unresponsive. Danny Phillips also recommends investing in a pair of quality headphones, since the speakers are nothing to write home about. The player comes in five color choices: black, white, red, pink and blue.

The Panasonic DVD-LS86 (*Est. $180) has a slightly smaller, 8.5-inch screen, but it gets very good user reviews. Like the Toshiba SDP93S, the Panasonic portable DVD player supports DivX video and it includes dual headphone jacks. The Panasonic DVD-LS86 has a clunkier design than the Toshiba or Sony players, and Jeff Bakalar at CNET describes the picture quality as just average.

The big selling point for the Panasonic DVD-LS86 is its long battery life. Panasonic claims a 13-hour battery life with the brightness set to its lowest level, but Bakalar thinks nine hours is more realistic. Still, nine hours is much longer than many other portable DVD players in this price range. The Panasonic DVD-LS86 gets high marks at both Buzzillions.com and Amazon.com, where owners say the player is very durable -- even when young children are involved. It also gets good ratings for sound quality and battery life. Still, some reviewers say the picture quality is only average, and the buttons are easy to press accidentally.

The first portable Blu-ray player

The Panasonic DMP-B15 (*Est. $690), the world's first portable Blu-ray player, elicits mixed reactions from reviewers. Some experts love it, saying the Blu-ray player offers superb picture quality and an impressive spec sheet. Others are less convinced, asking why anyone would want to pay nearly $700 to watch high-definition DVDs on a 9-inch screen. But while some pundits think it's an unnecessary piece of equipment, the Panasonic DMP-B15 does get good reviews from several experts who have conducted hands-on testing.

Matthew Moskovciak at CNET has concerns about the price and short battery life, but he admits that he could detect a difference when watching both a Blu-ray disc and regular DVD on the Panasonic DMP-B15. When sitting a foot away from the player, Moskovciak notices that the "Blu-ray version was clearly superior on scenes with a lot of detail." The editors at Britain's TechRadar.com say the Panasonic DMP-B15 Blu-ray player is "eons ahead of any portable DVD player we've seen before," and they're impressed with the many features, such as access to BD Live and the Viera Cast online portal. Jamie Carter at Pocket-lint.com is also a fan, saying the portable Blu-ray player is "alarmingly close to perfection." He notes that the player takes awhile to warm up, but Carter is impressed with the overall quality.

The Panasonic portable Blu-ray player includes an HDMI output, so you can hook it up to a widescreen TV and get the full Blu-ray experience. While this is a plus for some reviewers, others note that it's much cheaper just to buy a regular Blu-ray player. Other downsides include the aforementioned short battery life (2.5 hours in three tests we saw) and bulky design. There's also just one headphone jack. Still, if you watch a lot of Blu-ray movies and don't have any budget constraints, the Panasonic DMP-B15 Blu-ray Disc player comes recommended by several reviewers.