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portable DVD player is a compact, lightweight unit, with an integral screen – typically between 7" and 10", or so, measured diagonally – which allows DVD content to be viewed "on the road", as well as in the living room. A portable DVD player can typically be carried unobtrusively in a bag, or briefcase, or installed permanently, or almost permanently, in a car, or other vehicle. So, any business or family trip –whether by car, rail, air, or even sea – can be filled with interest and enjoyment, rather than monotony.
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portable DVD player is a device that is likely to be used, and therefore possibly abused, on a regular basis. It may be knocked about in your hand luggage, or by children, for example, so look for a player that is well constructed and durable; if a
portable DVD player is too flimsy, or lightweight, it may not withstand rough treatment for very long, without breakage, or malfunction. Look, too, for a model that is easy to use; fiddly buttons – on the front panel, or on a remote control – can be a problem for anyone, but especially so for children, so look instead for those that are large, and clearly marked.
If you are choosing a
portable DVD player for use in a car, you may find that a "tablet" design, which allows a player to remain flush against the back of the front seats, with no protruding parts, is more appropriate than a "clamshell" design. Some
portable DVD players have a separate screen, or screens, which can be mounted on front seat headrests, using a harness, or mounting kit. Headphones are a necessity for in car use; the level of audio reproduced by the small stereo speakers of a typical portable DVD player is too low to be comfortably heard above traffic noise, and cranking up the volume may distract the driver. If two, or more, people – children in the back seat of a car, for example – are to share a portable DVD player, make sure that it has sufficient headphone jacks, or that you invest in one, or more, headphone "splitter" cables, which allow two pairs of headphones to share a single headphone jack. You may, of course, want to use a
portable DVD player in other situations – in your home, or holiday hotel, for example – in which case its connectivity options become important. Most
portable DVD players, nowadays, are equipped with composite video, S-video or SCART outputs, but some also offer component video, for enhanced picture quality. Some
portable DVD players also allow you to connect an external device, such as a games console, through standard A/V inputs and use the screen of the player, itself, as a display.
