Many people have difficulty in reading, say, a book, or a magazine, whilst travelling by road, or by air; in the worst cases it can cause headache, nausea and other symptoms of travel sickness. A portable DVD - that is, `Digital Versatile Disk` - player, alternatively, delivers bright, clear, moving pictures, if not to the palm of your hand, then almost. Typical dimensions of 10 inches x 7 inches x 1½ inches, or thereabouts, and a weight of less than 2lbs, mean that most portable DVD players can be slipped easily into a shoulder bag, or briefcase.
Portable DVD Player Features, Benefits & ConsiderationsThe physical size, and weight, of a portable DVD player are probably its most important characteristics. If a player is too large, or too heavy, for your to lift, carry, or fit into your hand luggage, the less likely you are to take it with you, and use it. Both characteristics - along, or course, with your ability to view your DVD content, without squinting, or eye strain - are determined, largely, by a DVD player screen. A typical screen measures 7 inches from corner to corner, diagonally, but larger screen dimensions of 8½, or 9, inches, are also available. Bear in mind, however, that a larger screen not only increases the overall size of a player, but also requires more electronics - in turn, requiring more, and/or larger, batteries - and so has a `knock on` effect on size and weight. The Shinco SDP1713 Portable DVD Player, for example, features a 7 inch, LCD (`Liquid Crystal Display`) screen, and offers up to 3 hours of rechargeable battery life, on a single charge.
You do also need to check that your chosen portable DVD player will actually play back your favourite disk formats; all portable DVD players will usually play commercial DVD and CD media, but not all will play DVD-R, DVD-RW, MP3 or WMA. The Nextbase DVM235 Portbale DVD Player, for example, supports all of the DVD+/-R, DVD+/-RW, CD-R and CD-RW formats.
Connectivity - that is, the ability to connect a portable DVD player to other devices in your home entertainment system - may be important, in which case you should seek out the best available connections appropriate to your system. These include component video, S-video and SCART, for video, and optical, or coaxial digital outputs, for audio.
Many
portable DVD players, nowadays, include features and functionality previously associated only with sophisticated, full-sized players. Screens, more often than not, employ TFT (`Thin Film Transistor`), `active matrix` technology for the ultimate in brightness and resolution. Playback times of, at least, 2 or 3 hours are commonplace, and 5 or 6 are available from better models. Many portable DVD players now feature shock protection, to prevent skipping, and some can be mounted in car headrests, for the benefit of back seat passengers.
Directory 
