Sony DVP-FX930 9-Inch Portable DVD Player, Black

Tech Test Drive: portable DVD players San Jose Mercury News

Savvy business travelers know that battery life is precious, so why waste your laptop's battery on a movie when you can whip out a portable DVD player? Some of these eye-catching little units also provide great backseat entertainment for the kids on long road trips. We're starting to see some competition in the high-res screen market with two players that offer 800x480 resolutions.

Toshiba SDP93S

The good: Large 9-inch screen with 800x480-pixel resolution; SD card slot; MP3, WMA; DivX playback; decent speaker performance.

The bad: No USB port; included remote is a tad large.

The bottom line: A high-res 9-inch screen, solid battery life, SD card slot and DivX playback make this portable DVD player easy to recommend.

Sony DVP-FX930

The good: High-res 9-inch screen with 800x480 resolution; full 180-degree swivel screen; includes remote control, AV cable, and car charger; reliable six-hour battery.

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Portable DVD Players

Which Portable DVD Player Should I Buy?

There are lots of portable DVD players on the market, at price points affordable for all. If you're planning a long trip in the car, these handy devices can keep the kids happily mesmerized for hours on end. They can also be great for grownups on a plane, or even on the exercise machine. I checked out several of them and came up with six favorites, based on features, intended audience and price. Here's my list...

Philips' DCP750/37 has the unique distinction of being able to charge your iPod while you watch movies. Plug it into the dock and watch your music videos on its 7" 16:9 swivel screen. At a size of 8.3 x 7 x 1.5" and a weight of 5 pounds, this portable player also has their signature Zero Bright Dot screen with a 300:1 contrast ratio, a SD/MMC memory card reader, onscreen display, Dolby Digital sound and is compatible with CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD+RW, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD and CD. Oh, and the dual headphone jacks are a must-have feature if you've got more than one child in the back seat. The company has several other models to suit your budget and most of them come with a dock. We found the Philips' DCP750/37 on Amazon at a price of only $69.90 with car adapter and rechargeable batteries that will last up to about 2 1/2 hours. Before purchase, make sure your iPod is compatible.

Sony has its own portable player with a larger 8" swivel screen and high 800x400 resolution. In addition to playing movies, the Sony DVP-FX820 will play CDs, MP3s and display your photos. At a size of 8.9 x 6.5 x 1.8" and available in your choice of 5 colors, Sony promises up to 6 hrs. of battery life so that you can make it a double feature trip. The player also has 2 headphone outlets, dual sensor for the remote and is compatible with DVD, DVD-RW, DVD-R, DVD+RW, DVD+R, DVD+R DL, CD, MP3 and JPEG files. You could probably even stick a Pop Tart in this machine and get something interesting to show up on the screen. The company covers all its bases by saying that "it is designed for adults, its durability is certainly built for kids." A car adapter is included in its $179.99 price.

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