portable dvd?

[megan2346]

This is a little off topic but I knew this board would be the best place to ask this question. We are going to San Francisco in November. The flight will be 6 hours with a 4 year old and 1 year old, I was looking for a portable dvd player to take with us. I was wondering if anyone has suggestions on which dvd players are good. I will also take any suggestions on what to bring to entain the kids on the flight. We drove to WDW last time so I have not been on a airplane with children in a while and have never flown with 2 children.
Thank You,
Megan

 

[megan2346]

I am bumping this hoping someone will please please help.
Thanks,
Megan

 

[Feelin' Goofy]

The portable dvd we have is a 7" widescreen that is made with the name Initial. It went bad before the 90 day warrenty was up and I had to get it replaced (had to pay shipping back to manufacturer in Cal.) I have read that a lot of people have had problems with them and have suggested going with a laptop with DVD drive which will have a bigger screen. If you do go with a portable dvd I would go with a more poplar name brand and a longer warrenty.

 

[Paull117]

Toshiba 1500 I have had this now for 2 1/2 yrs now I have taken it to DL on the plane the first year. The battery lasted the whole flight from MSP to LAX. Last year I took it to WDW in the car plugged into a power converter. I also use it as a DVD player in the house. I paid almost 800 for it back then I know that it has been replaced by a couple different modals that cost less now. You would have to check with Toshiba's website to see what there latest modal is. Another one I was looking at was the panasonic but the battery that it had then only lasted 2 hrs. The picture was better though. The Toshiba won primarily because of the battery my wife travels a lot and she doesn't want to keep charging it up when she goes some where.

 

[Rapunsel]

My son and I travel from NY to LAX about 3-4 times a year.. I would never go with out my portable DVD> we found a panasonic one at Best Buy for about $200 at Christmas. it is a God send.. I just love it.. The battery lasts about 3 hours, but on the panes there is a car charger under at least one seat per row. So we use the batter while in the airport and the car charger on the plane. I don't realy worry about headphones, as he sits at the window in his car seat and the people around us really can't hear it.. We also use it when we take his Great Grandma to her DR. appointments and stuff...

I recommend one over a computer for the fact that they are smaller and easier to carry. My husband had a dvd in his laptop, but it can get slow and distort the picture..



Rapunsel

 

[alloyd1170]

We have a Panasonic as well and it is a God send! We use it all the time for long car rides and on planes (and in hotels / on cruises). Check with the airlines though because not all planes have the plug ins on board yet. You cant use the player during take offs and landings so you may want something for those periods. Most of our flights have been short so the battery life wasnt an issue. If we have a layover, I will try to charge it up while we wait (though if son wants to watch it then I cant charge it). Spare batteries are available for most if not all models. Make sure you get a cigarette adapter that has an adapter for the airline seats (sorry dont know the name of it but the cigarette plug pops off and theres a pronged plug underneath), and headphones are a must too!

alison

 

[alloyd1170]

One more thing-if you adjust the brightness level to a lower setting you can get more battery life out of the players.

alison

 

[MPLsDad]

This may seem like a totally ridiculous suggestion, but I suggest getting alaptop with a DVD player in it. First off, the screen is bigger, and then you can use it for email, downloading pics from digital cameras, etc, while you are away...And then you can use it all the time when you are at home as a regualr computer. That's what we do...

 

[maciec]

We have a Sony protable DVD player. We took it everywhere with us prior to getting a minivan with one built in. I am excited that we will be able to take it on the place with us this year though. I think it will be a Godsend for us too.

I agree with the previous poster about the laptop, unfortunately, we don't have the $$$$ to spend on another computer.

 

[AspiringCindy]

We have the Disney Portable DVD player that Sears sells! We just took it on our flight to Puerto Rico last week! It works great! It comes with a nice case that holds all the accessories(wires etc.) and 2 headsets! Oh yeah, the case is done in Mickey Colors! Not only do we use the DVD player for trips on planes and long car trips, but we also hook it up to our large TV and watch movies occasionally!

 

[disneycrazzzy]

We have a Panasonic DVD player. We've had it for 3 years. It is worth its weight in gold. Suggestions: Get an extra battery. These can be pricey, but they extend the play time from 2.5-3 hours to 5-6 hours. I would not suggest a laptop because most can't stay charged long enough for one good movie. We also get an earphone splitter so that we all can watch the movie (all three of us) at once. I'd recommend the biggest screen you can afford.
Good luck shopping. Be sure to check out bizrate for reputable dealers.

 

[robinb]

We own an Apex PD-650S. It has 6.5 inch screen and can play DVDs and CDs that our home Sony unit cannot! It's a workhorse and goes everywhere with us where we might be in a car/plane/bus for more than 2 hours. We got it for less than $200 on Amazon.com when they were running one of their electronics promotions. We protect it in a $15 case bought at Wal*Mart. The case was supposed to fit over the the front seat of the car, but that didn't work on our car (2001 Saab 9-5 Wagon) so my DD holds the unit in her lap.

 

[StarPM]

We have a Mintek with a 7 inch screen. I found it on Amazon.com. It came with the case that hangs on the car seat, a car adaptor, and 2 headphones. The cost was 249.99, but it came with a 50 dollar rebate. Have used it a few times, and we love it Plus, it plugs into our TV in our camper, so we can watch DVD's while camping too!!