Portable DVD player recommendations?

[Alan Mills]

I'm interested in getting a portable DVD player. Primarily for the kids to watch in the back of the car.

Features I'd like are:

* Must drive from in car 12 volt socket or be rechargeable from mains.
* Nice if it plays DVD-Rs
* Nice to be multi region (I'm in region 2 but have mostly region 1 disks).
* Need some sort of handy carry case so I can mount the thing on the back of car headrests.
* At least a 7" screen

Multi region is not important if it plays DVD-Rs consistently as I'll likely use DVD-Shrink to make backups for in car use anyway, much the same as I do for music CDs.

Looking to spend maybe a little over £200 UKP.

Seems to be plenty out there but few quote mutli region and/or DVD-R playback.

Recommendations anyone?

[Marc Peters]

Komplett.co.uk (?) keep on advertising a portable DVD player for c200 quid.

[Alan Mills]

Just got off the blower to Richersounds. They have a Kobe M270 in the right price range which fits the bill completely all except one thing...

.. doesn't come with a obvious way of mounting the thing in the back of the car.

They do a Toshiba one also which they rave about (well they would woudn't they?) which is all signing and dancing but for £300.

might pop up there tonight and have a chat with them.

[Ian in Northampton]

Millsy: last time I changed my car, I thought about doing this as a way of putting an end to the incessant arguing/bickering/whingeing/fighting that is a feature of car journies with the family. However, I concluded that I would just switch the focus of the arguing/bickering/whingeing/fighting to "what video we watch" and kept my money in my pockets... Cheers, Ian.

[Alan Mills]

Well, this isn't do much an initiative to reduce squabbling in the back so much as it is a convenience for long journeys.

I bought the Toshiba SDP1400 from Richer sounds in the end. Does all I want it to do. Multi region and plays DVD-Rs so I'm plenty busy firing up DVDShrink making a few backups at the moment for the car.

Details at http://tinyurl.com/53w4o

[Davewav]

I bought one this weeked and tried it out - it was a cheap one that I figured I would return if it I didn't like it, but I love it.

It plays multi region and DVD- too

The brand name is AKAI and I picked it up for $199 CANADIAN! What's that worth a nickel U.S. (probably about 150 U.S.)

As much as I thought I would upgrade before I kept it - I like this one fine. The screen is a little smaller than you might want, but the resolution is better than some of the ones I looked at for twice the price

[Alan Mills]

The one I bought stopped working on the first day we wanted to use it for real. No screen. Good sound though I was ratehr thoping that we had simply managed to hit the right (or wrong) combination of buttons and simply stopped output hitting the screen but the info in the guide explaining how to turn it on and off does nothing. ergo, it's broke!

And then, when I dived intot he manual proper I found words that sound "should not be operated in a moving vehicle". What's the bloody point of buying the damn thing then? I'm just glad it went wrong before we got that far so I can happily return it. I'll be looking for a refund rather than a replacement if I can get it.

[p4ocer]

This one looks rather neat

http://shopping.kelkoo.co.uk/sitesea...=2902uk875&orw

Review here == http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/nextbas...vd-review.html

still lookiing to see if it is multiregion

[Alan Mills]

SOunds like a decent enough spec. Adaptor for car lighter socket and car seat mounting unit. Be careful though, my one had/has all that too but the manual still says "not to be used in a moving vehicle!"

Somewhat defeats the point eh?

[Marc Peters]

Ah, is that not just a legal disclaimer?