I’m going to be in the hospital for at least 5-10 days with my upcoming surgery. I am seriously thinking of investing in one of those laptop DVD players. I’m assuming I can also listen to CDs on it? How is the picture, sound, etc? I won’t be bedbound all the time, but I am pretty sure that at some point of day 2, I will be bored out of my skull. HOw long does the battery last? Is the recharger some huge deal that will blow the circuit at the hospital, or is it manageable? Anyone have any semi-reasonably priced brands they would recommend? Thanks!
I have a rather cheap one that I bought on a whim during a long car trip back in February. The speakers are awful, so I use headphones with it. The battery on mine doesn’t last very long at all…less than two hours. It came with both a car adapter and an AC adapter, though, so I rarely need to use the battery pack. It also plays CDs. It has a 7-inch screen and was around 200 dollars at Walmart. The brand is Venturer. Also came with a bizarre little game controller with a whole bunch of weird games on it that I’ve never really used.
I don’t have any specific advice, but a DVD player won’t necessarily play CDs. You have to look at the box to see if has that capability.
We have one we bought at the navy exchange about 10 years ago when they really first were readily available. IIRC it cost about $700US more or less. It was our only dvd player [we could jack it into the front of our tv to playback] and it lasted until it died about 2 years ago [it just stopped being willing to play dvds, we keep meaning to get it repaired but at this point it would probably be cheaper to buy a new one] I can’t access it right now to give you make and model.
FWIW, the sound was tinny, and best through headphones or when jacked through the TV…it would have been perfect for the hospital, or in robs rack on the sub, or any other area where headphones would be most appropriate.
It would play in either widescreen/letterbox format, or in wholescreen if the disc supported it. It would play audio cds as well. I would guess that a brand new one would play regular cds and mp3 cds…not sure though=)
We have a Toshiba SD-P2600. Mine has MP3 and JPEG compatibility. If you don’t want to invest the $200+, you may be able to rent one. Or try e-bay for videophiles who are ditching their 7" ones for the bigger, better ones.
You may want to join NetFlix for their month trial and pre-order some DVDs. Or, better yet, join Blockbuster.com and you’ll also get 2 monthly rentals from your local store thrown in.
We have one - a Cyberhome model we got from Wal-Mart last year. I think we paid somewhere around $280 USD for it. I intentionally went for this cheapo brand because it will play virtually any format. We can play dvds, cds, mp3s, jpgs, vcds and svcds on it (we can make 'mix vcds of our dvds at home- great for getting dora, bob the builder, and teletubbies on 1 disk). The only thing it’s missing is a DivX player. Speakers are okay, though I am sure there are better. the screen is actually fairly big for one of these models.
We got it before our trip from Little Rock to San Antonio…it was well worth it. Still use it for short trips, and it’s a lifesaver for our little one during holiday get togethers with the relatives.
Yes, they can. But check the box to be sure.
I’ve got the same one as Mishell too and the picture is pretty good. It’s a 7 inch screen. That seems to be the smallest you want to go and still have a decent picture.
About three hours, not enough for two movies. But you can just plug the thing into the wall at the hospital, no problem.
Very manageable, it’s about the same size as the battery and weighs nothing.
Check target and Wal-Mart. Buy the cheapest 7 inch screen you can find. They usually come with the whole package; tote bag, patch cords, charger, etc.
Tip for you travelers;
You can use a standard cassette adaptor in your cars stereo (if it has a cassette player still) to listen to the sound through the car’s speakers. Just like when you used to hook up a walkman to the car. Plug the adaptor into the headphone jack in the DVD player (or laptop) and then just shove the cassette adaptor into the stereo and you can listen through the speakers. Most of these units don’t come with this adaptor, you might have to thieve one from your old walkman or buy one at the electronic store. The sound is awsome.
I have a Panasonic that I take on plane trips. I recommend getting a set of sound-deadening headphones even if you’re not on a plane. It really helps with the sound quality.
Costco has good deals on them. They usually include a carrying case, 2 headphones, etc. in a bundle.