Portable Media Players Reviews

Portable media players are all-in-one, handheld entertainment devices that play movies, TV shows, home videos, music and still images -- all from digital files stored on the device. Some portable media players (also called digital media players, portable video players and video MP3 players) can also connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi -- allowing you to get online at Wi-Fi hotspots or over a home wireless network.

Now that so many MP3 players like the iPod nano and Classic also play video, there's a lot of crossover between MP3 players and portable media players. Still, there are considerable differences in form and function between them. For one thing, the focus of MP3 players such as the iPod nano (4 GB *est. $140; 8 GB *est. $180) and the iPod Classic (80 GB *est. $230; 160 GB *est. $330) is on music and small size. While their smaller screen sizes -- 2 inches for the nano, 2.5 inches for the Classic -- are fine for navigating through your music collection and watching short videos or TV shows, watching hours of video on screens of those sizes can be fatiguing. Portable media players shift the focus to video (though they play music as well), with larger screens of 3.5 inches and up. We cover MP3 players in our separate report. If you are looking for information on the iPhone, that model is covered in the ConsumerSearch report on smartphones .

While a large number of reviewers cover MP3 players, reporting on portable media players is a little more spotty, with many publications choosing to lump them in with more petite, music-centric MP3 players -- not exactly a fair comparison. Still two reviewers, CNet.com and PC Magazine, do a better job than others in evaluating portable media players in light of their place in the market. Consumer Reports also goes out of its way to identify a player that's optimized for video and other media rather than music, but covers relatively few models.

Our Consensus Report shows how many times products are top-ranked by reviewers included in our
All The Reviews Reviewed chart.

While critics aren't enamored of Archos' current marketing strategy of making buyers pay for extras -- including some that are almost essential -- they are willing to overlook that in naming the Archos 605 WiFi as the best portable media player. Major pluses include Wi-Fi connectivity, a touchscreen interface, a big 4.3-inch high-resolution screen and the ability to act as a digital video recorder (though a $100 accessory is required for that). Its little brother, the Archos 405, lacks Wi-Fi and the touchscreen interface, and has a smaller, non-widescreen display, but it is a great performer at an even better price. The Apple iPod Touch answers the call for those who want the iPhone, minus the phone and the cell-service contract. However, Apple discarded a few other things along the way as well. Still, despite the limited storage capacity (16 GB in the most expensive model), critics say the Touch is a stylish and capable portable media player.