Anyone here own a portable DVD player, and if so, what model do you have and why do you like it? I am in the market for one, and I need some helpful advice on what to look for.

I am going to be flying quite a bit more this year, and although renting one at the airport has been quite handy, I think I am ready purchase my own.

I am interested in the Panasonic DVD-LV70 (7" screen, etc.) and don't want to go to a smaller screen than that.

Almost all of the units seem to have a bevy of outputs, but has anyone seen one with INPUTS so it could be used as a display for a source to be connected later?

In general, I would really appreciate tips and pointers on what to look for, and what to avoid from those who already took the plunge. They really do seem to be fairly affordable these days, with brand-new units going for $350-500 on eBay.

Thanks for your input,

Rob

Depends on how portable (small) you really want it, but used laptops, like 500mhz with dvd rom drives are under $400 and have about 13" screens. Just an idea, I personlly wouldn't buy a portable dvd player considering the price of them.

I started out this way, but I dropped the DVD drive for a 2nd battery. For trips now I load my laptop up with my backlog of TV shows from my ReplayTV. I can usually pull about 10 hours of movies and shows on my laptop quickly and have plenty to watch on a trip. Nothing grabs the attention of the airline traveler next you faster than watching The Man Show on your laptop.

This is one reason I like the Latitude C800. 2 battery bays and a DVD in the expansion bay on the side. Plus, Macrovision-less composite or svideo output thanks to a hacked XFree86 driver for the ATI chipset in it.

Well, perhaps I didn't state my case clearly then.

I already own a fine laptop, that being the Thinkpad A30p. It has a beautiful 15" screen, and it plays DVD just fine.

The problem, however, is that it is just too big. A 15" screen won't "fly" well in coach when the moron in front of you insists on reclining their seat all the way back. I would be lucky to get the Thinkpad open past say, 45 degrees.

I rented a 7" player from a booth at the airport I was flying out of, and it was brilliant (both in the concept, and the device I was rented - all for about $25 with a movie no less!). I could rent again, and still probably be ahead of the game financially, but at some point, I could have directed all of that cash towards a new unit of my own.

I have lived long enough to have arrived at the conclusion that buying a "multifunction" device for everything possible leaves it half-assed at everything it does. Case in point, those aggravating "All in one" Fax/Printer/Scanner devices. They are the most annoying. Sure, they do it all, but nothing well.

I am focused on buying task-specific equipment that performs the intended function flawlessly.

Excuse my sarcasm, I just was hoping to hear from someone that owned one, and had some input. I very much appreciate the idea of buying a used laptop for this, because they are roughly the same money, but I already have a killer laptop, and I don't need another.

What I am discovering is that among the portables, there are some difficult choices. Some can handle homebrew DVD-R, some cant, some have a video in provision, some do not, etc.

Thanks for the input though...

Rob

I've got a Inspiron 8000 and it's great. It's incredibly heavy when you've got both batteries installed though! I've used it on the plane a few times and it's quite an effort lugging it around.

- Trevor