Portable DVD Players

[FOV]

Hi - I don't know if this is the right board for this topic but please feel free to re-direct me if that may be the case......

We have a few 3+ hour airplane trips planned and I think it would be great to invest in a portable DVD player to help our kids get through! It will also come in handy for lengthy car trips.

I would like a 7" or 8" screen and am hoping to keep it under $300. On top of that I am willing to spend an additional $75-100 for accessories (head phones, battery charger, carry case etc..). We don't need lots of extra bells and whistles. I want to make sure the picture is clear and the sound is decent. Pretty modest expectations!

Can you offer any advice?

Thanks!!!!

 

[ToyStory Fan]

It may be tough to get a 7" or 8" screen for under $300. Your 1st option if you have a laptop computer would be to just by the DVD-ROM drive which you can get for around $100. If not you are definitely going the right way by looking for the 7-8" screen. The 5.8" just doesn't cut it.

As far as accessories go that could be the difference in what you buy. Aiwa for instance includes a car adapter with their, but they stick with a smaller screen size. Not a huge deal though for the car adapter since a (12vdc to 120vac) power inverter can be purchased for about $30. The travel bags are nice but just about any laptop bag will work. Headphones again you will most likely be stuck with "wireed" headphones and they don't usually come with any of the dvd players.

If you already have a PS2 or XBOX to just get a screen and use that...I think they made one screen for the PSOne for like $99 or something. It would probably work for that, but you'd need to get a 2 outlet inverter $45 vs the cheaper single outlet version.

I used to have a Sharp DVD player, but it had some power button issues and I returned it...they no longer had the same model for a replacement...probably because of the problems. I use this place for alot of my electronics... www.jandr.com and they are very willing to give you a better price...just ask what's the best price they can give you on somehthing and they usually knock 10-15% off their already low prices.

Also, wait for debster812 to chime in she's "in the business" and may have some more insight.

 

[4greatboys]

I dont have one but i have been looking to get one also. Go to amazon.com they have bunch listed there. They tell you all about it, the price and it even comes with reviews of people that have bought that model. Good Luck!

 

[FOV]

ToyStory - Thanks for your thorough answer! For the record we don't have a laptop, x-box etc... so we will be starting fresh. I'll check out the link you provided.

4GreatBoys - I started doing some research and checked out Amazon etc... I don't know if there is anything I should watch out for as we are still old-fashioned at home and watch VHS tapes - lol! They list an 8" for $299.99 but no reviews. Is there something I am missing in the description? All the descriptions make the models sound great - even the cheapest models. I haven't figured out how to read between the lines on these things yet. Let me know if you see a good deal while you search for your own portable DVD - and GOOD LUCK!

 

[December99]

I've been looking at these too. We have a very long trip planned for this summer and were wondering about something like this also. I saw one last weekend in the Best Buy ad for like $399 but it was a, I believe, 5" screen and the screen was detachable from the main player.

 

[janette]

I just bought one based on some recommendations on the budget board. Great Portable DVD player- Thanks CTillberg

I purchased it from www.wholesaleconnection.com and received it in about 3 days The girls love it and I've used it some too. It will be nice to have a DVD player I can use anywhere in the house or car. The girls have already used it some, we haven't tried the battery yet but everything else is great. The shipping was $20 so the total was $319.

I'm going to look for a case since with all the different plugs etc it does need something just to help keep it all together. I might have an old camera case or something.

 

[debster812]

Did someone call my name? (hi TSF )

FOV--Before you start searching online, I HIGHLY reccommend going to your local retailer (Circuit, Best Buy, Target, etc) and looking at and trying a few out. I agree that you need to buy as much screen as you can afford, but you also do not want to get stuck with a picture that looks as if you are receiving signal from an antenna. LCD technology is moving at leaps and bounds, and some manufacturer's are better at it than others.

Feel free to PM me if you have narrowed down your choices, and I can give you some honest and candid opinions from our salespeople and buyers.