First and foremost, when traveling, anything electronic you buy, you want to know it will last, and what it can go through before it stops working. This is especially important when considering portable DVD players that are usually intended to entertain children on long rides as kicking, hitting and spills are quite common on long road trips. Children are extremely hard on any electronic, but most especially on anything with a screen that is meant to occupy them.

With this in mind, we checked both the description of the product from the company and compared it to what other buyers claimed to have experienced. Most of these products have seen quite a bit of abuse without falling apart or having problems working, and when they do, many have good company reviews when it comes to repairing or replacement. This is good news for any parent looking this list over and hoping to find something durable and easy to use.

Always keep in mind, that many times if a player on this list is having issues reading a DVD or a file type from the USB/SD card, it can be easily fixed with a quick call to the company. More often than not, it is an update that can be gotten easily with such a call, and when it isn’t you can usually get a company to help you find what you need.

Most of these players have been shown to survive kicks, drops and even having something spilled on them during a trip. Of course, we do not recommend testing your own purchase for such, as accidents are just that- accidents. Intentional abuse of any machine results usually in just what you would expect, a broken machine. Just because they survive accidents, which are usually brief, quickly taken care of and not as harsh as an intentional throw at a cement or drowning in a sink, doesn’t mean they will survive all thrown at it.

As mentioned above, and in combination with durability, is functionality. Is this player not only going to survive the use but is it able to play what you need it to play? If you have DVDs from out of a country or a lot of USB/SD card movie files, you don’t want to get stuck with a player that cannot read the DVD or file type. Some DVD players can offer the ability to read USB or SD cards (or both) but only read certain file types. Today the most currently used are AVI, MOV, and MP4- and not all players support all three types.

In selecting our top ten we tried to assure that each player offers one or more of these common file types and listed under the pro/con section which ones were or were not read. Keep in mind that only DVD players listed as “region free” offer the ability to play all DVDs- so if you are not sure, you may want to check the region aspects of both your player and your DVDs to make sure they are compatible before purchasing.

While not always the most important aspect when purchasing a portable player, for those with glasses, who like to watch subtitled movies, or who have more than one set of eyes trying to watch a single screen, size becomes very important. We tried to keep the screen between 7 and 14 inches to allow for both those who have limited room and those who needed more viewing space.

Some important questions to ask when considering a screen for your portable player are: How much room will I really have? What method of travel am I using? How big do I need the screen to properly view what I plan to watch? Lastly, how big of a device is actually permitted in the area I intend to use it? This will help our list to better help you, and if the size is not mentioned in our pro’s/cons section, be sure to check it when you look up the product before purchasing.

Obviously, this is a very important topic to cover with anything portable, and it goes beyond the simple question of “how long does a charge last?”. When considering anything portable you want to know how it charges, where it charges, what kind of battery it uses, and if they are replaceable. Especially on long car trips, you want to know how much time you can rely upon a portable DVD player to keep it’s intended audience occupied before you either need to stop off for a break or if it can be recharged on the go. Keeping this in mind we looked not only at the actual wireless battery life but also on what ways it can be charged and if it can be watched while charging.

Every player on our list has at least a noted four-hour play period with some being much longer. Only one made it on our list due to quality that fell short of that mark, and the reason stays was because it can be used while plugged in. All of the players on this list can be used while charging and nearly every single one has a car charger. In fact, when looking at each of these all but one could be easily plugged into the charger and still reach the back seat which is great for news for parents!

We don’t want to list a product where the most often reason for the purchase whose needs are not met. In this case, you can charge the player while watching it so the battery life is good in a way most do not consider when buying such.

Another consideration we took when considering this aspect was if the player came with the cord to charge it in the car. All of the players on the list at the time it was made came with the car charger and the wall charger. This allows you to rest easy in knowing that you can charge the player whether you're still on the road, or are currently at your first hotel rest stop on a long journey.

How easy is it to contact the company?

Some companies are easier to communicate with than others. If your purchasing a product online a major consideration might be where your product is being shipped from. Language barriers can make it difficult when attempting to find answers or get a problem resolved quickly. A good thing to consider doing before purchasing a product is to try contacting the seller before actually making the purchase. Ask questions that you may have in regard to the product such as how long it would take to ship, and how long it might take if the product needs repairing or replaced for whatever reason. Answers to these can help you decide if the player and its company are a good fit for you.

Some companies can also start out quick to answer and seemingly friendly, but when faced with a problem back away and turn quiet. To assure this won’t be the case once you buy the item, look over customer reviews from your area. Also, check the company’s rating on the site your buying from as well as other sites to see if it has a genuinely good feedback. With larger company’s you can even check the BBB and see what they have to say about the way the company handles its business.

What are you looking for?

While this list was based on the idea of someone going on a trip, you may simply be an artist looking for a player to display your work. If that’s the case- as with any- check what file formats the company says the player can support. Look over the reviews to see if anyone else purchased the product for the same thing and see what they had to say about the quality. If you can’t see anything on the site that says it covers your file type, don’t fret! There is a lot to choose from, and in some cases, if you contact the company they may have an updated driver that will support your files.

There is nothing quite as upsetting for a child who is enjoying a good movie while on the road, then coming across technical difficulty from their DVD player. Not only does this ruin the moment and the movie, but the child will become relentless until the issue is solved. Most of the time portable DVD players can be fixed easily and quickly, with a little bit of knowledge and a whole lot of patience. If you happen to encounter a problem while traveling and it’s nearly impossible to get in touch with a professional, here are some helpful tips that will help you fix your portable DVD player with little to no hassle.

Identify the Issue

In order to fix the problem effectively, you first need to identify the source of the issue. You want to check the power cord and ensure the DVD player is turned on properly. If it doesn’t turn on the next step is to check your cables for any loose connection issues. In the case, that the cables are the issue; this can be easily fixed by replacing the power cords.

On the contrary, if you are able to power the device and it is still having issues playing or recognizing the DVD, it is time to consider other options. In this instance, try interchanging your DVD for another and seeing if this time the movie will play. If that fixes the problem; then the issue was the DVD itself. If that is the case, you simply want to clean the DVD properly and try it again.

Picture Settings

Many DVD’s come with preset widescreen settings and this may cause an issue for some players, particularly those that were designed to read specific picture settings. In most cases, the player will adjust the size of the picture in order to fit the screen, if that is the case the issue will lie in the picture settings.

To fix the picture settings, you want to manually check all corners of your settings and adjust the sizing yourself. Changing the size to suit your player can fix most picture issues if not all of them. Doing so will allow you to find the perfect resolution size and picture image for your player.

Clean the DVD and your lens

It may come as a surprise, but most DVD player issues can be solved by simply cleaning your DVD. Keep in mind, the lens will not be able to read the disk properly if it is filled with dust or dirt and grime. In this case; you want to carefully clean your lens to remove dust or any dirt and grime without causing additional damages or scratches.

Ensure to clean your DVDs with a gentle and clean cloth every time you want to use them. Doing so will help you know if the issue does have to do with the disks you are using in your player. If cleaning your DVDs with a gentle cloth does not solve the issue, consider using a cleaning product such as a DVD cleaning solution. Additionally, it is a good idea to run your DVDs on a regular basis to keep them in tip-top shape.

Running your DVDs or even running your player on a constant basis will keep the player clean while allowing you to get the best bang for your buck. Portable DVD players are expensive; therefore, you want to get the most value out of what you purchase. Keep in mind, you do not want to touch your DVDs with your bare hands as it can damage the lens due to the nature dirt on your hands. Always use a soft cloth or even handling gloves to prevent fingerprints from forming an extra layer of grime.

Apart from the issues above, you may come across battery problems. Conflicts with your battery are easier to fix as there really are only two options; either your battery is completely dead or damaged. In the case, of your battery being dead; you want to completely charge it before putting it back to use.

Additionally, remember to discharge your battery completely before recharging them, doing so will extend their lifespan tremendously. Make sure your battery’s power cable works properly as this could be another reason your player isn't charging the way it should.

Once you take care of all these issues; your portable DVD player will be running like new, without the need of calling a professional service provider.