When the portable DVD player became popular three or four years ago, it cost about HK$4,000-HK$5,000 for a cheap branded model. Since then it has come down in price, mainly because of cheap mainland portable players. They could do all the tricks - and in some cases were better than - their expensive counterparts. Hence, Sony has been relatively quiet in this area - until now, with the release of the affordable and slickly designed DVP-FX810 (below).
It has abandoned the silver styling and replaced it with an all-black look, with an 8-inch widescreen LCD display (480 pixels by 220 pixels) that can be turned up to 180 degrees and folded flat on top of the unit much like a tablet PC.
Sony has covered the screen with a hard, protective acrylic panel to prevent scratching, but this doesn't reduce the screen's glare, which is a big problem if you're watching in daylight.
The picture quality is nothing to write home about. However, at HK$2,400 per player it offers good viewing on the move. The built-in stereo speakers provide good sound for a portable DVD player, but if you prefer something more dynamic, plug in the headphones or external speakers.
The best thing about the DVP-FX810 is its battery life. Sony claims six hours in one go and I managed to watch two movies - well over four hours - and still had power to spare. This may be the best on the market, although it takes almost five hours to charge the batteries. If you're watching a DVD in a hotel, the player can charge using the AC adapter (or a 12-volt cigarette lighter plug if you're in the car). You can save battery power by reducing the brightness settings and using headphones.
The DVP-FX810 will play most discs, including CDs, DVD-Rs, MP3 CDs and JPEG photo discs, but there's no memory stick slot or DivX support. Included in the package is a remote control. It's bulky, but better than the credit card-size ones that always go missing.