Portable DVD Players, Should I Get One?

02-20-04 | GRRRRR

[GRRRRR]

On sale at Circuit City with a $75 rebate...

I am considering buying this tool to enlarge my knowledge base...what experiences do you all have with this or other portable DVD players?

What key features do you recommend, I've checked EPinions.com and it has good ratings, but we all know Freepers have the best opinions and make fact based decisions.

Thanks,

GRRRRR

[TomServo]

No.

[ambrose]

no

[thackney]

NO!!!

Take all your surplus cash and send it to DEAN!!!

[SaveTheChief]

Just out of curiousity, how would this help enlarge your knowledge base?

[Future Snake Eater]

Honestly, you'd be better off getting a laptop with a DVD-ROM drive.

[July 4th]

You can get a Centrino-based laptop with 4-5 hours of battery life for not much over $1,000. It does a heck of a lot more than a portable DVD player. But that's probably not what you were expecting to spend.

[GRRRRR]

I could enlarge my knowledge base by, er, um...well, you know, watching documentaries on the plane when I travel....

I have a laptop, Dell Latitude 600 but it is a WORK supplied machine and they won't buy me a CDRW with DVD play capabilities...darn it...

As for the "no's"...why not? Would you buy one at all? If so, which one?

Thanks

[GRRRRR]

More input bump please.

[Rebelbase]

NO....but your're gonna get one anyway.

[Samwise]

Got kids? If so, they are a great way to keep the kiddies quiet in the car or on a plane. Make sure you get one with a car adapter and that will hook on the seat. We thought about having one installed in the van but opted for the portable kind--much cheaper, plus it's..well...portable. Not only can the kid use it in the car, but at the doctor's and Grandma's.

[Swordmaker]

You can buy a used Dell Latitude on eBay with a DVD drive for just a little more than the portable player... and you get a larger screen, stereo sound... and a computer.

[Future Snake Eater]

My main problem with them is the limitations imposed by such a purchase. You can play DVDs and...that's it. I know it's kind of an odd gripe, but in these days when the lines between many different forms of media are so blurred, a purchase that relegates you to a certain niche just seems so...antiquated.

That's why I like the laptop with DVD-ROM. You can still watch DVDs, get great sound out of a good pair of headphones (or even with speakers if you get a good-enough model) and you have all the other things that a computer can do.

Look at some of the Toshibas with the 16:9 aspect ratio screens. Perfect for DVD movie watching, and they're (relatively) dirt cheap.

[EuroFrog]

This is the exact same DVD player I have. Hubby and I bought it in December just before our household goods were picked up for our move so it has been the only source of TV for our kids since then. We love it and have had no problems out of it. The battery lasts for about 1 movie (roughly 2 hours).

[sneakers]

We bought one for our son. It plays DVD's & CD's, plus, when we went to my sisters (who has no DVD player), we were able to take it to her place and hook it up to her TV so you could view the movie on her TV. It was about $140 at Walmart. It's very small and compact. Just need to find a carrying case for it. I'm getting my husband one for his birthday.

[Keeper of the Turf]

We were going to get one of those for our trip to Florida last spring. Instead we bought a 9" color TV with DVD built-in, and a car adapter. Now, when we are not using it in the car, we can use it as a second TV for the house. We're much happier.