Portable DVD Player Review

User reviews are the best measure of portable DVD players

A number of recent reviews provide helpful coverage of portable DVD players. CNet.com has the best reviews this time around, but roundups at Consumer Reports and Slate.com also offer useful information. Slate.com evaluates DVD players for audio and video quality, utility and overall value. Although Slate editor Sam Eifling writes that "there wasn't a patent dud in the 10 players" he tested, he is also careful to point out the drawbacks of each player. CNet's reviews are more detailed than those at Consumer Reports, although both point out the strengths and weaknesses of each player and give a "bottom line" assessment. Similar to Consumer Reports, Which?, a British review website, tests four units, but editors are more detailed in their review summaries. One problem we find in this category is that some professional review sites are out of date, covering discontinued portable DVD players. For the most recent evaluations, we turn to user reviews at Amazon.com.

Reviewers find the same basic features important in a portable DVD player -- screen size, picture quality, sound quality, battery life, connectivity and size -- but they do not always agree on which products perform the best. In addition, professional ratings don't often jibe with owner opinion.

We found mixed reviews for many portable DVD players. The Slate review has qualified praise for the Memorex MVDP 1102 10.2-inch Widescreen Portable DVD Player (*Est. $180). This unit's screen "simulates the feel of film, avoids blowing out high-contrast images, and makes other players look like GameBoys." While the video and audio quality is excellent, two bothersome drawbacks give the reviewer pause: The unit's construction feels flimsy (and breakable) and the player lacks a fast-forward or rewind button. The resulting need to use the remote control while the unit is sitting in your lap is "mildly dehumanizing," according to Slate reviewer Sam Eifling. Owners posting comments to Target.com fault the player for its bulky design and its lack of a meter to determine remaining battery life, as well as for having a remote control that does not control volume.

If you want the biggest screen for the money, you might consider an inexpensive laptop instead of a portable DVD player. You can purchase a barebones 15-inch laptop for less than $300 and it would do a lot more than just play DVDs. (See the ConsumerSearch report on cheap laptops.) Disadvantages include the laptop's heavy weight compared to a portable DVD player -- and if you just want something to entertain the kids in the car, you might not want them fiddling with a $300 laptop.

Another option to consider is a portable media player, which plays video and music downloaded from a computer, but not DVDs. Now that you can buy individual episodes of popular TV shows as well as full-length movies online, it might make more sense to handle video through your computer rather than on DVD discs. Right now, screen sizes hover in the 4- to 5-inch range, which is fine for solo viewing.