Can anyone recommend a really good portable DVD player?

[LaBelleDameSansPatience]

Hi. I am travelling by train to the South of France with my husband and 6-year-old daughter. There will be stretches of 6 - 8 hours on one train and I need something to help us get through it. I would like to get a portable DVD player and take some DVD's. Would I need an extra battery? Can you recommend something really good? I would like to have at least two pairs of headphones.

(My husband says it will be fine as she was great last year. He had a cold and slept the entire journey. I spent hour after hour after hour in the bar will her, playing eye spy or walking up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down the train.)

I would go for an ipod with a headphone splitter and download a few films and audiobooks.

Am way behind on technology. Not even quite sure what an ipod is!

I would say it was worth looking into it.

Basically you buy the ipod and download the iTunes programme onto your PC. You then browse the store and click on films/music/audiobooks you want to buy a bit like on Amazon.

It downloads them to your PC and you just plug the iPod into the USB port and it automatically puts them on there for you.

I thank my lucky stars for iPods every time we go on a long journey or have to wait a long time anywhere because we never get "I'm bored" or "Are we nearly there yet?"

If you can do MN you can do iTunes. TBH it does it all for you.

I don't work for Apple by the way!

But an ipod would only work if you took a laptop with you, yes? (clueless)

We had two portable DVD players, both from Tesco, both Technika. They both failed within weeks - failed to load the discs, wouldn't play, USEless. I even bought a head cleaner on the advice of Tesco, but it didn't help.

I returned them both. I'm not sure whether to try another brand or just give up.

www.argos.co.uk/m/static/Product/partNumber/9040281/c_1/1%7Ccategory_root%7CHome+entertainment+and+sat+nav%7C14419512/c_2/2%7C14419512%7CPortable+DVD+players%7C30296420.htm
I Bought this one a recent holiday, fantastic very light. Just bought a double socket adapter so my two could watch films with head phones.

"But an ipod would only work if you took a laptop with you, yes? (clueless)"

No. You load the films and audiobooks onto the iPod before you go.

Then you just need a normal socket for charging it like you would a mobile phone. The battery life is good and it would play several films without going flat. It would need charging after the journey the OP describes but not during it if ours are anything to go by.

Sorry, but isn't an ipod really tiny? How can you watch a movie on an ipod screen? (sorry I am thick)

I like other people asking 'really thick' questions - it means I don't have to! My inlaws in France have a computer and internet access. Could I load up films etc for the return journey easily or would I have to install stuff on their computer? I was also wondering about the tinyness of the screen.

Would I have to use the internet on the ipod directly? Scared of huge roving charges I have heard about.

You would have to download the iTunes programme onto their computer and buy more films etc online of you wanted to change things while you're there.

You can buy iPod with enough memory to hold films for both journeys so you wouldn't need to do anything in France.

No you don't need to use the internet while travelling. You can get iPods on which you can access the internet, listen to radio, stream tv, etc but i was thinking of a more basic one which just stores films, music etc and plays it back. They don't have the ability to access the internet themselves.

How many films/ audiobooks do you think you'd want to load on it for the whole trip?

Don't know - maybe three for each way? Ie one per train. Could you load on DVD's that you have, through your computer, as well as buying them? Maybe four - the last train journey is either six or eight hours, can't remember which.

This page gives you the specs on different iPods.

An iPod Nano has 16GB of space on so if you figure about 1GB per film you could easily get 6 or 8 on plus some music and audiobooks which take up a lot less space.

The screen size doesn't ever seem to cause us an issue. I often lie in bed watching films on my iPod and it doesn't feel at all different from watching tv. Sometimes on holiday DH and I have shared the Ipod to watch a film using the headphone splitter. One has to hold it and remember to make sure the other can see but it's not really a problem.

You can only load on DVDs which come with a special digital copy. It usually says on the outside of the box if it has one included.

You can download some software which allows you to upload normal DVDs but, although I have a friend who keeps recommending I do this, I've never got round to it so can't comment on how easy it is.

I'd go for a secondhand old psp, crack the Bastard with modded firmware then get some conversion software on the pc so you copy your dvds to memory sticks.

We've got a Phillips portable DVD player and it's excellent.

Buy a twin socket adapter and 2 pairs of earphones and you'll be sorted.

"I'd go for a secondhand old psp, crack the Bastard with modded firmware then get some conversion software on the pc so you copy your dvds to memory sticks."

Can you explain that again for me in words of one syllable please?

I second that; sounds interesting but I don't understand it.

Sony psp games console, you get an old one and install modded firmware to make it a far more interesting little machine, then you can download a program on the pc that let's you rip dvds and things and convert them to the format the psp can read, the psp uses memory sticks so you stick the files on that.

I have no idea how long the battery lasts just watching stuff, but it's cheap that's the main thing I'm thinking.

Reading with interest, Sun your first post made me chuckle did you do that on purpose?

I too thought you can't watch films on an ipod, it's a tiny thing! I was pretty sure it carries the info but you have to plug it into something with a screen, surely?

Unless you mean iPAD?

Aaaaahhh I see there is a new ipod with a screen now! but but but it's only the size of a credit card.... surely that's a bit small for watching movies, can't be good for your eyes?