Portable DVD players?

[C.Ann]

Let me preface this by saying I know NOTHING at all about them - however, my DD mentioned that my granddaughter might like one for Christmas..

Is 7 years old too young? How much do they normally cost - and what would be a good sale price?

Anything specific I should be looking for if I decide to get one?

Thanks!

 

[DMRick]

We have a pretty expensive Panasonic, but the $99 ones on sale at Walmart, Sears and CompUSA are pretty darn good. My grands have had no problems with these (they all seem similar). There is usually a good sale the day after Thanksgiving. BJ's also often has one that comes in a kit..about $139, with the case and all the stuff to use it in the car.

 

[C.Ann]

We have a pretty expensive Panasonic, but the $99 ones on sale at Walmart, Sears and CompUSA are pretty darn good. My grands have had no problems with these (they all seem similar). There is usually a good sale the day after Thanksgiving. BJ's also often has one that comes in a kit..about $139, with the case and all the stuff to use it in the car.

----------------
Thanks! I don't think it's necessary to have one that works in the car - or at least my DD didn't mention that..

I'll have to keep my eyes open when the sales start..

 

[DMRick]

They all work in the car..but some come with the holder, and hookups..the holder makes it go over the back of the front seat securely, so it doesn't hit the kids in the face in a quick stop. You would usually use them with the rechargeable battery it comes with, but many don't hold a long charge, so it's great to have the plug that plugs into the cigarette lighter plug, so you don't run out of juice. That's just about the only place (and in airpports and airplanes) my grands use theirs. Makes the trips go faster. At home, they use the much less expensive DVD players, that hook to their tv's for a much larger picture. For our grands, the point of the portable, is to watch while away from home, and that's usually when we/they are traveling. I would definately talk to your daughter what her plans were for it..everyone I know uses their portable ones the same way our grands do. Sounds like maybe you plan on this one being used just on the batteries (and again, if in the car, you want the holder, and I'd advise the cig lighter plug) or when near electricity in the house, in which case you wouldn't need the plug or holder.

----------------
Thanks! I don't think it's necessary to have one that works in the car - or at least my DD didn't mention that..

I'll have to keep my eyes open when the sales start..

 

[C.Ann]

Sounds like maybe you plan on this one being used just on the batteries (and again, if in the car, you want the holder, and I'd advise the cig lighter plug) or when near electricity in the house, in which case you wouldn't need the plug or holder.

------------
I'll definitely have to talk to her and see what she had in mind (I'm thinking outside up here, at the beach, on the boat, etc.).. Of course I'll have to dance around the subject with my granddaughter too - I want to be sure I get what she wants.. LOL

 

[wright1baby]

We have one and my 5 year old carries it all over the house with her Princess Sing a Long Songs playing and she sings along. 7 is definately not to young. Just a heads up...Walmart will be having one the day after Thanksgiving for $79. It's one of their early bird specials so it will be one you will have to RUN for. Good Luck

 

[tlbwriter]

We have a pretty expensive Panasonic, but the $99 ones on sale at Walmart, Sears and CompUSA are pretty darn good. My grands have had no problems with these (they all seem similar). There is usually a good sale the day after Thanksgiving. BJ's also often has one that comes in a kit..about $139, with the case and all the stuff to use it in the car.

My dad bought a Panasonic years ago, and it was pretty expensive too. We have a much cheaper one (Magnavox?). It works fine, but it's pickier than the Panasonic - the Panasonic will happily play DVDs covered with fingerprints, etc but the Magnavox is more likely to reject them. We've used both in the car for long trips and they are lifesavers. DD has held the player on her lap (it sits on a pillow) since she was 5 years old - before that, I sat in the back with her and held it. A bag wouldn't work for us because she sits in the center, and I didn't want it suspended between the two front seats. But if your child(ren) sit outboard, there are a variety of nice holders. I'm pretty sure all portable DVDs come with a power adapter to use in the car.

 

[C.Ann]

Thanks for the replies!

 

[DMRick]

A bag wouldn't work for us because she sits in the center, and I didn't want it suspended between the two front seats. But if your child(ren) sit outboard, there are a variety of nice holders. I'm pretty sure all portable DVDs come with a power adapter to use in the car.

While our tv "hung" between the seats, the DVD player does hook over the back of the seat..either the driver or passenger, I wonder if they have such things for DVD's, so yours could be suspended? When the grands got them and I happened to mention it at the dentists (we were talking about vacations), the hygentist told me about one of their patients that lost several teeth when dad braked to miss a squirrel, so we realized it could be a flying missle. The bag that holds them is very inexpensive, and doubles as a storage place. You would think they would have the ones for the center in case two kids are wathing it. They may well all come with a car adaptor now..I know the inexpensives ones my daughter got last year did not. The one from Compusa did..and that one was a 7" and the same price (and the battery had a longer life). The one from BJ's came with lots of extras. I imagine you can get all different configurations nowadays. I know not all play CD's, so that is something to watch for also, if that's important to you.

 

[frannn]

I believe I got it in the begining of this month or the end of last month. It was just past the time everyone except me were getting the Disney portable ones on clearance . The one I got is a Kawasaki brand, and I believe it comes with the car adapter, battery, and the cables to attach to tv. I haven't opened it yet, so I can't vouch for how good it works. I think it was a good price for a smaaaaallll screen, though. Depends on how small you want it.

 

[PaulaSue]

I got the one on sale at Target too. Not opened it yet either, hoping to get the one at Walmart on BF.

Did only use the 3.5" screen ones yet and like them?

 

[Blondiex46]

my 7 year old grandaughter broke it a month after getting it.