Have DVD player, will travel

The NextBase tablet DVD player.

Drive along any motorway in Tokyo at night and you'll see the flicker of TV screens mounted on the dashboards or headrests of passing cars.

The Japanese have been doing for years what we're just starting to - watch TV and movies in our cars.

It used to be an extravagance to have an in-car screen, now they're a fixture in many vehicles as removable flat-screens fall in price.

NextBase specialises in such screens and the tablet DVD player - which comes with a 12-volt power cable that plugs into the cigarette lighter but has enough juice to outlast the running time of most movies - is a great travel companion.

It has a pouch allowing it to be mounted on a headrest for passengers in the back to watch.

With an infra-red FM transmitter you can pipe the sound from the movie into your car stereo in the same way the Griffin iTrip lets your iPod talk to your car stereo wirelessly.

The advantage of the tablet DVD player over permanently fitted screens is you can use it in different cars and also as a personal media device in the home. The value of that last function shouldn't be underestimated.

The tablet DVD is an impressive update on its predecessor. Gone is the bulky disc tray, which has been replaced with an easy to load slot drive. The speakers are louder and more powerful and the dimensions of the 216mm widescreen display are much better for movie viewing.

I was hoping the tablet DVD player would have improved screen quality, but the picture is about as good as that offered by the previous version.

It's no match for the remarkably clear screen of the Sony PSP.

It is, however, easy to view with background lighting, which makes it useful for day-time car trips.

There's optical audio in/out and video in/out so the DVD signal can be fed into a larger TV or stereo system.

I found the tablet great for watching movies in the home and plugged it into my stereo for surround sound.

A TV tuner unit comes as an optional extra and would be ideal for camper van owners and travellers who want to watch TV on the move.

The tablet will also play DVD data discs, which can hold hundreds of songs or photos.

It would have been nice to have a memory card slot built into the tablet so songs could easily be loaded on to take advantage of its music-playing function.

A sturdy performer, the tablet DVD player will be an attractive buy when it drops in price by a couple of hundred dollars.

But for around $1000 you can get an entry-level laptop. Not ideal for the car, but certainly a nice mobile entertainment device.

Pop-up DVD player

Stepping into the market for portable media players is the NextBase pop-up DVD player.

It is similar in shape to Sony's Discman but thicker and with an adjustable 89mm screen on it.

It's rubberised body makes it sturdy enough to give to the kids, but I doubt the average pre-teenager will have enough patience to watch a screen this size for long.

Again, the PSP serves a better function as a mobile video player.

The problem currently is that movie titles supplied on the tiny UMD disc that the PSP uses aren't in great numbers yet.

In that regard, the pop-up DVD drive fills a hole in the market.

You'll be able to play all your old DVDs on this device, which has enough power from four AA rechargeable batteries to get through a two-hour movie.

The button layout is straight-forward and the screen tilts to your desired viewing angle.

Screen quality is similar to that of the DVD tablet. Its video-out connector allows you to feed the DVD signal into a full-sized TV screen and the sound from the device is good enough for personal viewing.

At this price, the pop-up DVD player is a good alternative for those wanting a second DVD player and the convenience of being able to watch movies in transit.

* NEXTBASE TABLET DVD PLAYER

Pros: Slot drive; nice design
Cons: Average screen quality; pricey
Price: $849
Herald Rating: 7/10
On the web: www.backseatmovies.co.nz

* POP-UP DVD PLAYER

Pros: Sturdy; easy to use
Cons: Pokey screen
Price: $299
Herald Rating: 6/10