Portable DVD player doesn't break the bank
By Jeordan Legon
CNN
(CNN) -- First, I must tell you that I am not a fan of the portable DVD player.
I've always wondered why someone would spend upwards of $800 on a mini DVD player when you could get an inexpensive laptop with a DVD player for slightly more.
But I found a portable DVD player that I would buy. Shinsonic's Initial DVD-9510 player is not the lightest or smallest player you could buy. But you can't beat the price: $197.64 on Walmart.com.
Along with the low price, comes a tiny screen that is a little offputting at first. But once you turn it on, you realize the picture quality is good, the stereo sound is adequate and did I mention the price?
Getting to the details
The 9510 measures about 4 inches diagonally. It is 6.8 by 6 by 1.6 inches and weighs 1.5 pounds -- perfect for single viewing on a plane or a car. And it comes with an AC adapter for charging the battery, a cigarette lighter adapter for the car and a remote control.
The unit can perform a 2x or 4x zoom, fast forward or reverse at 2x, 4x and 8x speeds and with the video output, you can hook it up to your television. The battery life is fair. The company says users can get to two hours of viewing before having to be recharge. The player takes up to six hours to fully recharge.
I watched all 113 minutes of "Shallow Hal" with Gwyneth Paltrow without running into a battery problem. This player was a pleasure to use. The movie? That's another story.
