Austrian consumer magazine Konsument tested mobile DVD players and gave the selected products available on the market poor marks. None of the devices received better than an average rating. The main criticism concerned inadequate video display and sound reproduction. The twelve devices, priced between €130 and €270, also had problems with displayed formats and handling, the testers said. “In general, a notebook, which is of course more expensive, is the better choice if you want to watch videos or view photos,” Konsument technology expert Paul Srna concluded in an interview with the online news service pressetext.de.
In the main test category, film playback, every DVD player performed no better than average. Even in normal daylight, only four players achieved a “good” result. Under stronger light, only two managed an “average” result. One of the most expensive devices demonstrated that a high price does not always indicate quality: strong reflections led the Konsument testers to rate it “unsatisfactory”. Some devices lacked contrast controls or options for readjusting brightness and colour. Battery performance could further affect film viewing. Measured running times ranged from two and a half to three hours, which the testers considered too short for more than one film. Charging took between 102 minutes and five and a half hours. Some manufacturers’ devices could not play a DVD while charging.
Displaying digital photographs was considered the second area of use for the mobile devices. The testers were also unimpressed with JPEG image reproduction. Only two products received an average rating, with every other model clearly below that level. “Even a digital camera’s display generally produces a better image,” Srna says. He also described the absence of automatic adjustment to the displayed image format on nine devices as irritating. Switching from 16:9 to 4:3 had to be performed manually. Audio quality also drew sharp criticism. Only one-third of the tested devices achieved a result better than “less than satisfactory” in this category. Srna recommends that buyers purchase high-quality headphones as well.
For consumers who still want to buy a mobile DVD player, Srna recommends choosing the highest possible resolution and making sure contrast and brightness can be adjusted easily. “If you plan to use the player frequently outdoors, you should also examine display reflections carefully beforehand,” he says. Srna sees the products’ main application in cars, where children or adult passengers can watch films on longer journeys. Potential buyers should check how securely the device can be mounted in the vehicle. Srna’s final purchasing recommendation is the Next Base SDV 1102-B. It was tested outside the main comparison because it has no battery and can operate only from an external power source. It can also run from a car’s 12-volt supply, however, and its quality was convincing. At €500, its price was also higher than the players in the main test.
