In-car DVD Player Test

July 2007

Most children find long car journeys boring - so portable DVD players are usually bought to keep them quiet. But modern units can do so much more.

Many allow both audio and visual inputs, for linking to games consoles, viewing camcorder footage or digital photos. Audio and video outputs also mean they can be connected to a TV.

On top of standard DVDs, most play audio CDs, CD-Rs and CD-RWs, while better machines will often read MPEG4 or Div X compressed video. UK-supplied units tend to play only region 2 DVDs (ie. discs bought solely in the UK and Europe). Multi-region players read DVDs from anywhere.

First, we looked at the essentials – screen size and picture quality, whether viewing was possible from different angles, battery performance and if mains and 12-volt power leads were supplied. We also wanted the players to have simple mounting in the car, plus a storage bag. For easy use, we preferred systems with more than one headphone socket.

Extra points were given for units which could read all regions of DVD, plus MPEG4 and Div X files. We also looked for integrated TV tuners, and checked how well the player could be linked to larger screens, camcorders and cameras, plus USB devices.

Verdict

The Orbit 968DVB is our Best Buy, finishing first mainly because of its large, high-quality screen. But on top of that, the system offers impressive versatility, as it can be used with virtually any format, from basic picture CDs to sophisticated Div X movie discs.

The icing on the cake is the integral TV tuner; the fact it can pick up both analogue and digital pictures shows how much thought the maker has put into this product.

As a result, the competition is left trailing. Closest to the Orbit is Shinco's SDP-6820. Again, picture quality is superb, but this player isn't fitted with a TV tuner, even though it carries a similar price to our winner.

The Venturer PVS3371 makes sense as a great value buy, and puts in a decent performance to take the final place on the podium.

Top 3

1. Orbit 968DVB
2. Shinco SDP-6820
3. Venturer PVS3371

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