Review of portable DVD players.

Portable DVD players. What better convenience than to be able to watch your favorite movie while waiting at the airport, or as a passenger on a long road trip. Portable DVD player units have become much more affordable over the past year. Many models also have the capability to stand in for standard home theater DVD players, with the functionality to decode the multi-channel audio standards, Dolby Digital and DTS.

The previous drawback of portable DVD units was their inability to double as a home DVD player unit. In the past, units which could perform in this function were often priced out of reach. This is no longer the case.

The portable DVD player which you should be considering should be able to play all CD and DVD media formats including CD-R and CD-RW discs. Units which also can play MP3 files can allow you to play the music CDs you create with your home computer. This can allow the unit to double as a portable music source when away from home.

The leaders in the portable DVD player field are Panasonic and Sony. These are the usual suspects in the electronics field and both offer middle to upper level portable units. Lower level affordable units are manufactured by Initial , Mintek and Audiovox .

For most units battery life is usually sufficient to watch up to two full movies without having to recharge. This equates to about 2-3.5 hours of viewing time, good enough for travelling, or to pass the time when reading a book just won't do.

My low-end pick is the Audiovox D-1501 DVD Portable Player with 5.8" screen. The built-in rechargeable battery has a 3 hour lifespan, enough for up to 2 full movies. The unit of course plays DVDs as well as CDs, CD-Rs, CD-RWs and MP3 files. Its video display can switch between 16:9 widescreen mode and regular 4:3 full screen mode. The unit also comes with a remote and AC adapter.

Unfortunately the D-1501 does not provide Dolby Digital and DTS audio decoding capabilities. A comparable unit is the Audiovox D1705 Portable DVD Player which does have Dolby Digital and DTS decoding function and also plays MP3 files.

My mid-level pick is the Panasonic DVD-LS5 PalmTheater DVD Portable Player with Built-in Freestyle 5" screen. The DVD-LS5 plays DVD video and CD discs, plus DVD-R & CD-R/RW media, including MP3 discs. The display has an integrated 5" color widescreen LCD monitor which provides sharp detail. The included rechargeable battery pack provides and impressive 3-hours of playback. Connectivity options are excellent with optical output for connection to Dolby Digital and DTS capable receivers. On its own the DVD-LV65 provides virtual surround sound from its 2 speakers. The video display allows for switching between 16:9 (widescreen) and 4:3 (fullscreen) viewing. I think this unit is a very smart buy with wonderful functions and features and at a reasonable price.

My high-end pick is the Toshiba SDP2500 8.9 Inch DVD Portable Player. The Toshiba SD-P2500 features an 8.9-inch Poly-Silicon thin-film transistor active matrix display that provides an exceptionally brilliant 614,000 pixels (1024x600) resolution. The unit includes a rechargeable battery with an impressive 3.5 hour viewing time. More than enough for 2 full length movies. This portable player has outputs for Dolby Digital capable receivers. It has full connectivity to be used as a stand in for a standard DVD player unit in your Home Theater system.The SD-P2500 also comes with an AC adapter/charger. Overall a very capable and high end portable system.

DVD player popularity has caught on and will be the new video standard for many years to come. The long-held reign of VCR/VHS has been challenged and defeated by DVD. Portable DVD players will only advance the media. 17.1 million DVD players were sold in the United States in 2002, up 35 per cent from 2001. Sales are forecast to hit 20.1 million players this year. 90 per cent of U.S. homes will have a player in seven years. There are 18,000 DVD titles available - movies, TV shows and music videos are favorites - with 100 new ones coming out each week.

Statistics for portable DVD player sales have not been compiled and released. Expect another year or so before numbers on this DVD player format are available. What is certain until that time is that portable DVD players are here to stay and should only increase in popularity.