Product Review: Going on a Long Trip with the Kids? The Sony DVP-FX820 Portable DVD Player May Make it Easier

Do you fly frequently or are you planning a road trip with the kids? Then you may want to consider a portable DVD player. These are the perfect "baby sitters" for the kids in the backseat or to keep you entertained while you're idle at the airport. These often have increase battery life compared to laptops and can have excellent displays. Thanks to their excellent reputation and strong offerings in other parts of the audio visual entertainment market it is no surprise that the Sony DVP-FX820 portable DVD player has been one of this seasons most popular. I have spent some time with one of these and I'm going to lay out just how well it has performed for me in this review.

Styling: 4/5

Picture Quality: 4/5

Value: 4/5

Overall: 4/5

Product Overview:

As with about any product you can find that has been produced by Sony the styling is excellent with this portable DVD player. It has a number of different color options including red, blue, pink, white, and black. The model I'm reviewing is the standard Sony Black. The screen is an 8 inch screen and has a glossy black frame only interrupted by the word Sony at the bottom. All of the controls are laid out in the form of buttons across the bottom of the screen. The speakers flank the base on both the left and right side. The DVD in inserted into the base of the unit via a flip open tray. The player itself seems durable enough but the tray feels flimsy. The buttons are clearly marked and easy to manipulate regardless of finger bulk. The speaker quality is a little below average and I found it to be a little tinny at high volumes and lacks some of the deeper tones.

The swiveling screen displays a crisp clear image analogous to a standard definition flat panel television. There is a danger of screen washout in settings that are extremely well lit but I didn't find it to be an unreasonable problem. I found the battery life to be able 6 hours which allows you to watch over 3 average films. My favorite feature is that two headphone jacks are included meaning you can share the film or music with someone next to you without disturbing others. Other uses for this device include viewing photos and playing music.

Product Value:

While many parents will claim that these portable DVD players are priceless retailers do manage to establish one anyway. The Sony DVP-FX820 portable DVD player comes in below $150 this holiday season which is an excellent deal considering the name brand and established product quality. I don't expect this DVD player to drop in price any time soon so don't hesitate to pick one of these up before taking off on those long holiday trips.