Philips PET 700
Price £139.98
Tel 01159 240688
Web www.allcam.biz
Size 190 x 140 x 30mm
Screen 7in
Region 2
This reasonably priced, good-quality unit is brimming with features. Its spec - from screen to the outputs - are much the same as those of the more successful entries in our product test. To make the most of the sound, a co-axial socket allows connection to multiple speaker set-ups. You can view digital pictures on the screen and use the set for all sorts of CDs: JPEG images, audio and MP3. The battery gives around three hours of viewing, and the sturdy fabric hold-all lets you suspend the player from the back of the front seats. It also has enough compartments to keep all adaptors and leads together.
Verdict Good price and performance from this well-known brand.
Rating * * * *

Mustek PL407HM
Price: £139
Tel 01159 240688
Web www.allcam.biz
Size 212 x 158 x 40mm
Screen 7in
Region 2
Substantial is the best way to describe this unit – Volvo drivers will love it. It's not that it's particularly big, it's just thick and rather heavy. Unsurprisingly, the battery pack is bulky, too. But don't get excited about this; the weight doesn't mean we get anything better than the usual two-and-a-half hours' playback time. It's simply down to its nickel metal-hydride battery, which is less efficient and takes up more room. The screen works well though. Picture quality is more than acceptable, and it can be viewed, successfully, from either side. Strangely, the sound is better - less tinny – than on any other player here. You won't be surprised to discover that the holder is an extremely sturdy leather affair. But it keeps everything together well, and can be used on seat backs, or between seats. Two bread-and-butter DVD features – zoom and parental control – are missing. But this machine does support the MP4 film format.
Verdict Chunky and slightly heavy. Reasonable in all other ways.
Rating * * *

Roadstar WNG7008DVD
Price £270
Tel 08708 730084
Web www.roadstar-uk.co.uk
Size 200 x 150 x 30mm
Screen 7in
Region 2
At first glance, this doesn't look very different from the Bush, Shinco or Philips models. So why, you may be wondering, is it so expensive? The simple answer is picture quality. The screen offers a higher resolution than most of the players in the group, which makes for a smoother, finer picture. The difference is especially noticeable on small detailed images, such as the text on DVD menus. The screen is equally impressive whether viewed head on or from the sides. Other than exceptional visual quality, this player is relatively basic. Inputs and outputs consist of two headphone sockets, plus the usual video and audio input, and audio and enhanced 'S-Video' output. It's much the same story with the formats supported, which are JPEG image discs, and audio CDs. Build quality is impressive, though, and we like the way all essential navigation controls are on the player itself. A decent holder and lithium-ion battery pack are further advantages.
Verdict Excellent picture quality, but little else to justify the price.
Rating * * *

Goodmans GDVD67W3LCDK
Price £179.99Tel 0870 873 0080
Web www.goodmans.co.uk
Size 210 x 155 x 30mm
Screen 7in
Region 2
This is one sharp-looking gizmo, with its matt-black finish and bright buttons. However, we're less enthusiastic about its performance. The image is good if you're directly in front of the screen, but the picture appears darker when viewed from the side. Still, the player fits in a holder that can be hung between the seats, so everybody in back gets a good view. The digital and audio outputs let you connect it to a bigger screen easily. A digital sound output can be connected to a multi-speaker system, and audio and video inputs allow you to make the most of the bigger screen for viewing some games, GPS systems and digital photos. Disc formats supported include JPEG picture discs, and MP3 and audio CDs. The lithium-ion battery gives around two-and-a-half hours playback time, but others do better with the same type.
Verdict Great looks, but the picture quality isn't so great.
Rating * * *

Shinco SDP-1720A
Price £129
Tel 01159 240688
Web www.allcam.biz
Size 190 x 140 x 28mm
Screen 7in
Region Free
You may be wondering about this unfamiliar-sounding brand. But rest assured, it is one of the world's leading manufacturers of portable DVD players. In fact, many models with better-known labels are actually made by Shinco. That's why the high-spec 1720A is a bargain. Despite being compact and thin, it has a decent size screen with good, rather than excellent, picture quality. Most important, you don't have to be directly in front to get a good view. It has audio and video outputs for connecting to a bigger screen and, for ultimate versatility, it comes with a natty SCART lead adaptor and a co-ax output for surround-sound systems. Other points we like are the audio and video inputs, compatibility with MP3, MP4 and Div-X formats, and a battery that gives up to three hours' playback.
Verdict Good picture, good price and very versatile.
*** BUDGET CHOICE ***
Rating * * * * *

Shinco SDP-1250
Price £279
Tel 01159 240688
Web www.allcam.biz
Size 257 x 168 x 32mm
Screen 10.2in
Regions Free
A pricey player, but you're paying for an extremely clear picture. Not only is the image as good as the Roadstar's, but this is also the biggest screen of any unit here, which has its pluses and minuses. If used in your caravan, you might connect your TV to the player because it has the bigger and better screen. But, the same battery that provides three hours of playback in the 6820 sputters out after two-and-a-half hours here. Moreover, small is beautiful when touring, and the big screen needs a big machine to hold it. Still, this player is ultra versatile, supporting MP3, MP4, Div-X, audio CDs, and JPEG discs. There's also a three-way card reader and USB port for ultimate connectivity. Looking at the side, there's a good variety of connection ports: audio and video inputs and outputs, a co-axial connection to hook the unit up to surround sound systems, and a digital picture output for use with large LCD and high-definition plasma screens. The front panel is laid out much like an old video recorder, making it an absolute doddle to operate.
Verdict The ultimate screen: big and super sharp.
Rating * * *

Apollo SDV 756
Price £139.99
Tel 08457 626625
Web www.halfords.com
Size 210x180x20mm
Screen 6in
Region 2
Hmmm, something seems to be missing here… Oh yes, the bit where you put the disc in. Fear not, for the screen lifts to reveal the drive. This is a tablet-style player and it's easy to hang on the back of a front seat headrest, using the supplied holder. And it's so slim that it doesn't restrict movement in or out of the backseat. To use it on a table, pull out the folding stand at the rear. The screen is as good as that on our Budget Choice, but there are better in the group. Practically every function can be controlled on the player, as well as by the remote, and the control panel below the screen folds forward to reveal more buttons. Inputs and outputs include audio and video, plus digital audio output for surround-sound systems.
Verdict The tablet design makes this one of the best for using in a car.
Rating * * *

Shinco SDP-6820
Price £199
Tel 01159 240688
Web www.allcam.biz
Size 190 x 142 x 37mm
Screen 8.5in
Region Free
This is an all-singing all-dancing model, supporting a wide range of disc formats (MP3, DVD, MP4, Div-X, CD and JPEGs). It also boasts a three-way memory card reader that supports secure digital, multi-media cards and memory sticks so you can view pictures directly from the memory card of your camera, or directly from your camera via a USB port. This is just one of the holiday-enhancing features that won us over. Another is the DC-out socket to power Shinco's optional TV adaptor (which doesn't have its own power source). This way you can keep up with favourite series without bringing a separate TV. All the clever stuff aside, the image appears a bit grainy if viewed from up close, but with a screen this big, you don't need to. The way it swivels is pretty impressive, too. If turned right around, the screen can be folded back, transforming the unit into a tablet-style player, which is ideal for back-seat viewing.
Verdict A big screen and it's a must for gadget lovers.
Rating * * * *
*** EDITOR'S CHOICE ***

Venturer PVS123
Price £69.99
Tel 08706 003030
Web www.argos.co.uk (ref 533/3662)
Size 210 x 150 x 30mm
Screen 4.5in
Region 2
This is the cheapest model in the group. Despite a tiny screen, the player is pretty thick and heavy. But in all other ways, it is almost identical to the bigger Venturer. Formats supported are the same: audio CDs, plus MP3 and image discs. And, again, we find roughly the same outputs. One surprise is its digital audio output; the more expensive Venturer in our group didn't have one. The screen, while smaller, is much the same in terms of quality. There's a slight graininess to it, but this is more than made up for by a decent picture if viewed from the side. Other than the mains adaptor and some leads, little else is supplied. The two important omissions are a holder and cigarette-lighter adaptor. Again, there's a 12V input socket on the player for use with a suitable adaptor.
Verdict Spend another tenner and buy its bigger brother.
Rating * *

Bush PDVD0620
Price £149
Tel 08708 730079
Web www.bush-radio.co.uk
Size 210 x 155 x 30mm
Screen 6.2in
Region 2
This player is bigger than it needs to be: the screen is small, and the price is high for a unit that's this basic. The screen is pretty good when viewed from directly in front, but from the side everything looks dark, and if you're looking down from the side, the view is poor. Playback on the battery drops to two-and-a-half hours, probably because the battery is of the older nickel metal-hydride type. But it's not all bad news. Bush supplies a tough carrying case that holds all leads and adaptors, and can be suspended from the seat backs. A thin remote control is supplied – a good job because there are few buttons on the player. Only JPEG and audio CDs are supported.
Verdict Not a bad all-rounder, but little offered for the price.
Rating * * *

Toshiba SD-P1600
Price £149.95
Tel 08704 424424
Web www.toshiba.co.uk
Size 190 x 155 x 30mm
Screen 7in
Region 2
The most striking feature of the P1600 is how tiny it is, but Toshiba has shoehorned a big screen into it. The picture is marginally finer than many of its competitors here can muster, and it lets you see a decent picture from either side. We aren't keen on the austere matt black finish of the machine and its buttons, but we can't argue with the way they are arranged. All the basics are on the unit, leaving the remote for fine tuning, and the lithium-ion battery plays for three hours. This machine lags behind in versatility. It supports MP3, JPEG, video and audio CDs, but doesn't recognise the compressed-film MPEG-4 and Div-X formats. Input and outputs include two earphone sockets, standard audio and video out- and inputs, and a digital sound output.
Verdict Unusual styling with no-nonsense performance.
Rating * * * *

Venturer PVS12620
Price £79.99
Tel 08706 003030
Web www.argos.co.uk (ref 533/3985)
Size 210 x 160 x 40mm
Screen 6.2in
Region 2
Even though this player is one of two in our survey costing less than £100, it performed well, in fact, better than we'd expected. Admittedly, there's not much in the way of extra features. For instance, it recognises CDs with audio, video, MP3 and JPEG images. And while we get a video out socket, audio output is only available through the single earphone socket. Forget using this player to view images from other devices, too, because there's neither a video nor an audio input. The rationalising continues with the omission of a holder, earphones, and, most crucially of all, an adaptor to run the player from your car's cigarette lighter socket. There is a 12V input on the machine, though, and suitable adaptors are, no doubt, available. Picture quality is slightly grainier than most machines here, but the screen is pleasingly viewable from the side. We also like the basic navigation controls on the player, and the thin remote control included.
Verdict OK as a completely no-frills portable player.
Rating * * *