Portable DVD player

[spammie]

Wasn't sure where to ask this question. I am interested in buying a portable DVD player for our next cruise. I don't really know anything about them. What should I look for? Any brand suggestions or what to look for? Wanda

[ScubaJ813]

Most DVD Players are very similar, if you want a standard, cheap unit... $100-150, will buy you a name brand with a nice 7" Screen. Sony, Philips, Toshiba, they are all good, go to a store and look at the screens and pick what you like best that's in your budget.

 

Don't buy the DVD Players that offer iPod connections or hook ups. They don't work, or at the very least, very very user unfriendly. I am very electronic savvy and I hate them. I bought 4 different kinds and had various problems.

[chipmaster]

Wasn't sure where to ask this question. I am interested in buying a portable DVD player for our next cruise. I don't really know anything about them. What should I look for? Any brand suggestions or what to look for? Wanda

 

 

These are really a commodity these days. I would suggest buy the cheapest one and then you don't worry too much. Paying up for Sony or more famous brand make little sense for a portable 7-10" screen portable DVD. In the end you should be able to find it for 100-150 bucks at Target/Wallmart type store if not the local BestBuy.

 

I assume you are getting this for transit entertainment and not for killing time on the boat. We always think about doing it in the dining room, but have decided its a good exercise for the kids to learn about formal-slow dining :eek:

[parody]

These are really a commodity these days.

 

Very true.

 

In the end you should be able to find it for 100-150 bucks at Target/Wallmart type store if not the local BestBuy.

 

A much better price for these can be found on eBay.

[DukeFamily]

I got ours at Best Buy. It's that Insignia brand - I think it's a Best Buy brand. Anyway, it's worked great. We take it on vacations, including and especially cruises! I'm usually first in bed at night and set it up right next to me and fall asleep to a favorite movie.

Be very wary buying electronics on eBay - it is the category with the highest fraud. The little DVD players are too inexpensive brand new to buy used, IMO. Especially, when you can't see it, touch it, test it......

[cruisin'mama]

I just returned from Hawaii yesterday and discovered on the way to the airport to catch our flight to Honolulu that my son's DVD player had died. ( no movies on the plane!!! ). So while in Hawaii we went to Sam's Club and picked up a Sony DVD player that has the extended-life battery ( 6 hours instead of 2 hours ) for $168. ( WalMart had the same one for $198 ). It helps that my son can watch more than one movie on a long flight!

[DanJ]

Have a look around for some liquidator-type stores. You can usually find these units pretty cheap in a place like that. I got my 9-inch Durabrand in one for $79. My Best Buy Insignia died after a year of pretty steady use.

 

Just like a laptop, you'll pay more for longer battery life. But if screen size and battery life is the same, I wouldn't waste money on a name brand. These things are throwaways now.

[nothriver]

My son has a PSP that plays movies. Movies are outrageously expensive for the PSP but it is nice and compact and it is great for games as well as movies, also has wireless internet capability which we've used in hotels and airports. My son has had his for 2.5 years and we have had no problem with it.

 

I've heard so many stories of portable DVD players with very short life spans. I'm just not sure I'd spend the money on something that only plays DVD when you can get a laptop computer that plays DVD's and does so much more, a PSP that plays movies and is a great gaming system, or an iPod or iTouch that plays digital movies in addition toother features. I think there are lots of options to consider instead of a single use DVD player, maybe something else will provide more for your money?

[NYCFOD]

I bought a cheap (about $20) DVD player from a dollar store that connects to a TV, I'd found out from this board that Carnival ships have TVs with the connections at the front. If you want a player with a screen to watch movies on a plane or something, you'll pay more. I've kept the player for future trips. Actually I wish I'd taken it with me last week when I was on a work trip.

[GottaLuvCruising]

Ours is a Polaroid that we purchased at Target a few years ago. I prefer brand name products and am always leery of cheap versions (I tend to think you get what you pay for, but perhaps I'm mistaken).

 

We love ours, but the battery lasts only 2 1/2 to 3 hours. It has worked well for us on flights although I'd like to get an extra battery. Be sure to get noise cancelling headphones (make a huge difference).

 

I never considered taking it on board a ship, but I may do that since TV sucks and I like to relax to some benign show just before bed.

[Dremac373]

I have brought cell phones, house phone and dvd player from Ebay and just like anything else when it come to purchasing some people are gonna be happy and some are not....I say ask yourself how often will you use this DVD player, where will you be using it and what you are willing to spend.. I know my lil off brand player that I paid $70 does the job for the long car rides and stays in the hotel room..came with remote, battery, manual, rca cables, carrying case, wall charger and car charger, its been two years now and still working.. now I am sure that If I watched DVD's on it every day and kept in plugged in 24 hours a day etc etc etc I would increase my chances of it going on the blitz faster.

 

Pick the player that best fits your needs and your choice on where to buy will come easier IMO

[glgolfer]

I always take my laptop and use it to play DVDs and movies instead of buying a separate unit good for one thing. Don't know if that would work for you.

[GottaLuvCruising]

I always take my laptop and use it to play DVDs and movies instead of buying a separate unit good for one thing. Don't know if that would work for you.

 

We tried using the laptop for movies, but volume just wasn't loud enough to use on flights (even with noise cancelling headphones).

Volume on the portable DVD player is awesome. Perhaps it was just an issue with my laptop (or its user!)

[2theship]

I'm on my 2nd DVD player. I can't remember the name of the first one but it died within 2 years. Now I am using an Insignia - the Best Buy store brand as someone has already mentioned. Noise cancelling headphones are great but the really effective ones are very expensive - I was not impressed by my mid-priced pair. Plus, they are so big I hate having to put them in my carry-on. I found a set of ear buds called "Skull Candy" (I'm not sure of the actual brand name) that were less than $20 and work remarkably well. Plus, my daughter taught me a trick - turn on the captions. Even though you can hear, the ambient noise and distractions can make it hard to understand what the actors are saying, especially if they're not on screen at the time. Having the visual cue of the captions can make all the difference in the world.

 

When it comes down to making a decision, make battery life your priority. I wouldn't go with a screen smaller than 7" but the players with really big screens are just a pain to lug around.