Portable DVD players are sharper, cheaper

Norwell mom Tracey Palmer said she couldn't live without her portable DVD player. She doesn't like it when her daughters, Addison, 6, and Hadley, 2, zone out in front of videos, but when they're on long car or airplane rides, her family's portable is a lifesaver.

"Recently we forgot to charge the battery before a plane ride to North Carolina, and boy, was that a mistake," said Palmer. "We didn't bring anything else for them to do, and we learned our lesson big-time."

Portable DVD players have exploded in popularity since their introduction in 1998, although the market has cooled a little with the advent of downloadable movies onto iPods and other digital media players. Still, the more durable and easier to operate portable DVD players remain popular among families with young children.

They're also often used by couples -- husbands will enjoy their favorite DVDs in bed while their wives watch something else on TV. And in a pinch, a portable player can be connected to a home entertainment system and used like a regular DVD player.

And there are other uses: Matt Eventoff, a New Jersey-based public communications specialist, said he uses portable DVD players to review speaking performances with clients immediately after taping them. The screen quality, sound characteristics, and size of portable DVD players has improved through the years, even as cost has fallen.

Many quality portable DVD players can now be purchased for under $200, said consumer electronics analyst Rob Enderle of the Enderle Group, a San Jose-based research firm. Today's portable players range in size from a tiny 2 1/2-inch screen to 15 inches or even larger. EBay gadget director Cat Schwartz said her own preference is a player that weighs about 3 1/2 pounds, with a 7-by-10-inch screen.

"The sweet spot seems to be a seven-inch diagonal, unless it's a player for one person only," she said. "Anything under 7 inches is too small to share." Rechargeable nickel metal hydride or lithium batteries can add weight and bulk to a player, but as Palmer learned, a powerful battery pack is necessary to ensure hours of video playback.

Since the average battery life for most portable DVD players is only five to six hours, experts recommend buying additional batteries, especially for families who fly internationally or cross-country.

"Don't rely on what the manufacturer said regarding battery longevity; look at user reviews," said Enderle. You should also look for a high-resolution, wide-screen LCD unit that can handle different kinds of formats, such as MP3 audio files and JPEG images, so kids can download music and grandma can see pictures of the kids on the screen.

Toshiba offers a model that has a built-in TV tuner and a design that lets you mount it on the wall for easy viewing. And although swivel and flip screen designs are a popular option for offering multiple viewing angles, Enderle said, "This is just something else for kids to break."

Palmer will agree with that. Her three-year-old portable DVD player is already broken. The hinge is busted, and the earphones often fall out of her kids' ears, forcing her and husband Tim to rig up bandanas that tie the headphones around their head. But even 2-year-old Hadley already knows how to operate it, said Palmer.

"We use our portable DVD player when we go drive up to Maine for camping or visit grandma in Western Massachusetts," she said. "It's a big help."