Need your imput on auto dvd players...

[VickiVM]

I've given up trying to find decent airfare at this stage of the game for our Christmas trip. Resigned ourselves to driving. So now we're researching dvd players for the kids to watch in the car (not a laptop version). We've seen a new model from Radioshack ($499) that can be strapped in between two seats. The saleswoman said it could even be strapped to a headrest that faces towards the back. We have 3 children. So two children are in the middle (no middle bench seat) and the third one is in the back seat - or two in the back and one in the middle. So a player that is in a console between the driver and passenger seat really isn't the best viewing option for us.

What kind of player do you have, how much did you pay for it and are you happy with it? Is there a model out there you'd rather have. I don't want to pay $500 for something we would only use on occassion (our last trip we drove without one and the trip went rather smoothly, considering). But I don't want to purchase something that isn't worth the price.

Thanks.

 

[mom2of2]

I was right there with ya! trying to decide what to buy and how much to spend when my DH actually came up with a brainstorm. My DS already had a small 12' color tv w/ vcr so we bought an adapter at Radio Shack that could accompany 2 plugs and he built a little box and we stuck the tv on it, on the floor of our van. He bungie corded it down and it didn't move at all. The screen was also alot bigger then the little ones that the car ones come with. The boys alternated between movies and the X-box all the way from NJ to FL and it was nice and quiet in my van lol! The only expense was the adapter and that was $60 I think. A lot cheaper then buying another tv that we would hardly ever use. Sorry that I can't be of any other help to you but that was our solution.

 

[janette]

I'd go with a personal DVD player. You can put it anywhere easily and it can be used everywhere. Ours has a battery so I'll be using it on the plane this week

You can also get 2 for $500.

 

[ALostBoy]

Hi,

Sam's Club has an AC/DC 9" TV/DVD player
for about $ 200 to $ 250. We have the
older TV/VCR and have used it many times.
This is also the tv in our little kids room at
home so it does double duty. We built a
cabinet that fits in our van and use
racheting straps to hold it in place. This
unit looks similar in size to a regular TV
not one of the thin ones. Sam's also has
that one for around $ 1000.00. Good luck.

 

[SueM in MN]

The racheting straps that ALostBoy mentioned are meant for fastening things down securely.
Bungie cords are not a good choice. Most of them are rated for between 2 and 20 pounds, which might be enough when you are not moving. in an accident or sudden stop, the TV will continue wanting to move with a force of its weight times the speed you were going. So, in a sudden stop from 30 miles an hour, your 10 pound TV will exert 300 pounds of force on the bungie cord - way more than it is designed to take. If you've ever had a rubber band snap or shot at you, you can imagine what would happen to a bungie cord that is overworked. I know of someone who lost an eye to a bungie cord, so I try to mention the hazards.

 

[janette]

Just back from Walmart and found a small case for a personal DVD player that has straps to hang it in the car. About $16, although we don't need the straps right now it will be handy and fit the DVD player, battery, cords and a few DVDs. I'm all set.

 

[mudnuri]

We use our laptops now, however in the past have used, and still on day trips use a 13" tv/vcr combo that sits on the console of our truck..we ratchet strap it to each seat base...secure....

The Laptops- the girls place them on their laps, usually though they use their game boys..

Brandy

 

[pocohontas2004]

We bought an RCA portable DVD player. It came with both a 12V plug and a plug for a regular outlet. It can be strapped to a car seat or bungee-strapped some other way to keep it secure in the car. It travels well and the anti-skip works great. We use it in the car, at home, and in hotels and in our camper. You can see it on amazon.com by this keyword: RCA BLD774 Mobile LCD DVD Player

 

[mom2of2]

SueM
After reading what you wrote I asked DH what he used and he said racheting straps. I should have asked him prior to responding to the post. I apologize. DO NOT USE BUNGEE CORDS!!!!

 

[SueM in MN]

I'm glad to hear that. A lot of people are not aware of the dangers of bungee cords and would not use them if they were. So that's why i mention it.

 

[kadaten]

Hi Vicki

We do lots of trips home so a mobile DVD became a must for us. We have the Audiovox mobile DVD player and have added on an additional screen. We paid $400 for the player and $200 for the extra screen, although both are currently on sale at Circuit City, where we got them. This same system is also carried at Best Buy and Target (at Target it now has Eddie Bauer written on it, but it's the same system).

The good thing about this player is that you can leave the screen attached to the player OR use the cord and put it in an included bag that straps it to the back of the headrest. The second screen always uses the cord, and also came with its bag. We have one screen on the back of each front seat, as our 2 kids sit in seats in the middle row like 2 of yours. We went with 2 screens just because our littlest had a hard time seeing, and because for awhile he was facing backwards and couldn't see the screen at all. When he was backwards, we just attached it to the front of the headrest on his seat. The player came with it's own bag to arrange as you like, but we find it easier to sit it on the table between the front seats....it's very easy to reach and change movies there. We have it sitting on a sheet of that extra large bubble wrap, and have never had a problem with skipping or anything (even though the van needs a new strut!)

We've also taken it in at the hotels to keep the little ones busy while we dress in the morning, etc. It comes with the regular plug and car plug, as well as a cable to hook it to the TV if the TV has A/V inputs (most hotel TVs don't but the grandparents appreciated it since all the kids' movies were on DVD).

We are very happy with our player and would pay the same money again. It is on sale now at Circuit City...not a big sale, but every little bit helps
player-- http://www.circuitcity.com/detail.jsp?c=1&b=g&catoid=-10201&qp=0&bookmark=bookmark_4&oid=53126
extra screen-- http://www.circuitcity.com/detail.jsp?c=1&b=g&catoid=-10201&qp=0&bookmark=bookmark_12&oid=57296

They also have one with slightly smaller screens for less money, but with some viewing from the back row, you may not want to sacrifice on the size. And sometimes you can find one that comes with 2 screens included. Circuit City has a VHS player with 2 screens right now for $350 so if you're using VHS, there you go.

HTH! Good luck with the drive! Doing a 12 hour drive (not including kid-induced stops) ourselves in 30 days!
Katie

 

[kadaten]

Hi Vicki

We do lots of trips home so a mobile DVD became a must for us. We have the Audiovox mobile DVD player and have added on an additional screen. We paid $400 for the player and $200 for the extra screen, although both are currently on sale at Circuit City, where we got them. This same system is also carried at Best Buy and Target (at Target it now has Eddie Bauer written on it, but it's the same system).

The good thing about this player is that you can leave the screen attached to the player OR use the cord and put it in an included bag that straps it to the back of the headrest. The second screen always uses the cord, and also came with its bag. We have one screen on the back of each front seat, as our 2 kids sit in seats in the middle row like 2 of yours. We went with 2 screens just because our littlest had a hard time seeing, and because for awhile he was facing backwards and couldn't see the screen at all. When he was backwards, we just attached it to the front of the headrest on his seat. The player came with it's own bag to arrange as you like, but we find it easier to sit it on the table between the front seats....it's very easy to reach and change movies there. We have it sitting on a sheet of that extra large bubble wrap, and have never had a problem with skipping or anything (even though the van needs a new strut!)

We've also taken it in at the hotels to keep the little ones busy while we dress in the morning, etc. It comes with the regular plug and car plug, as well as a cable to hook it to the TV if the TV has A/V inputs (most hotel TVs don't but the grandparents appreciated it since all the kids' movies were on DVD).

We are very happy with our player and would pay the same money again. It is on sale now at Circuit City...not a big sale, but every little bit helps
player-- http://www.circuitcity.com/detail.jsp?c=1&b=g&catoid=-10201&qp=0&bookmark=bookmark_4&oid=53126
extra screen-- http://www.circuitcity.com/detail.jsp?c=1&b=g&catoid=-10201&qp=0&bookmark=bookmark_12&oid=57296

They also have one with slightly smaller screens for less money, but with some viewing from the back row, you may not want to sacrifice on the size. And sometimes you can find one that comes with 2 screens included. Circuit City has a VHS player with 2 screens right now for $350 so if you're using VHS, there you go.

HTH! Good luck with the drive! Doing a 12 hour drive (not including kid-induced stops) ourselves in 30 days!
Katie

 

[geffric]

we have the same one that kadaten has. We bought it at Sam's for $397.00 for both screens and bag etc. Works really well, we drive 20 hours at least once a year. We use one screen between the drivers and the second on the seat in the middle row for the person in the back seat.
We also like that we can take it out of the van and not worry about it during the night,

 

[kadaten]

That was worth the price of Sam's membership right there! Boy am I jealous! When we bought, we were at our wit's end with a toddler who hates the car but loves TV and we were facing a 10 hour drive home the next day, so we didn't have time to shop for a deal. I kept looking afterwards, hoping for a price match, but the only one cheaper was 1 week after the time limit for matching! Oh well, it's still been worth the $$. Don't know how we wouldn't survived all the trips home in the last year without it!

Katie

 

[VickiVM]

Thanks for all your replies. I'm going to definitely check out the one kadaten mentioned. I'm going to check Costco first since we have a membership there.

Vicki

 

[SonicLogic]

We got this one from Wal-Mart:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/prod...9&dept=3944&path=0:3944:3987:62055#long_descr

It works great!

 

[floridafam]

We opted for a portable DVD player.

I was not happy with the sound on the ones that came with the extra screen-we looked at these at Circuit City.

For some reason, the portable ones-that look like a lap top had better sound-at least when we bought one last May.

We purchased the Panasonic DVDLA95. It has a 9 inch screen and was around $600. I looked locally at many stores and ended up ordering from JandR. They even knocked the price down a little and I had it the next day before 10 am-I ordered it around 4pm.

We have been MORE than pleased with it-very vibrant, crisp picture and great sound. We use an adaptor (sp?) that plugs into the lighter area of our car. I have no complaints about it.

 

[kadaten]

Just found the Audiovox on sale at walmart.com for $338.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/prod...95602&type=1&dept=3944&path=0:3944:3947:95602

Says it's online only. They also have another brand for $238, but have no experience with it. Here it is

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/prod...5602&type=19&dept=3944&path=0:3944:3947:95602

We're happy with the Audiovox sound. When we bought, there was one other brand displayed, but it sounded like it was coming through a tin can, so we didn't get it. The cheaper one doesn't say online only, so maybe you can try it out at your local store before deciding. Before you think sound isn't very important, remember that the screen and therefore the speakers will be strapped to the back of your headrest....and if the sound is poor quality, it may just drive you nuts! Good to be happy with it, even if it's a little more money.

Katie

 

[VickiVM]

We went back to the model at RadioShack. It's a Go Vision TV/DVD Travel Theater. It also is a CD and MP3 player. It is $499. It has a 10.4" screen and comes in a case that can set on the floor or on a headrest. It comes with straps that attach to the seat frame. It has a back flap that folds out to a wedge to support it at a slight angle. It also has a "visor" above the screen to prevent sun glare. It has a TV tuner and can be adapted to a lighter, A/C-D/C plug, plus it can adapted to another TV to use the CD player only (like at hotels without DVD player). I'm watching it right now (Lord of the Rings) and it's not bad. We bought 3 headsets for each of the kids so the highway noise won't interfere with the sound (or the sound won't interfere with my nerves...)

We were assured that if the price came down w/in the next 30 days, we can get the price adjusted.

We have a short trip to Houston next week and will try it out! Gee, my kids are sooo lucky. I hope they remember this as teenagers when they're thinking about bad-mouthing us to their friends. All I had growing up on car trips was the License plate game.

 

[laurabelle]

For those still looking, my dad just emailed me this, he knows I'm shopping for one and he's really into electronics. I thought it was a good deal and read about it, the picture is good, only complaint I read is it gets a bit hot. I went ahead and ordered it.


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