Summer Survival Guide - Part 2 - DVD players rated

One common holiday problem - bored children - can be readily solved with an in-car DVD system.

Powered by batteries or through your car's 12V output, they'll keep the little darlings distracted long enough to make 'are we there yet?' a thing of the past.

There's no shortage of choice, but which is the best? Read on the find out.

Philips PET830
Price £190
For Style, specification and performance trounce everything else
Against Nothing

Rating

The sleek tablet-style Philips has a substantial 21cm screen, and looks and feels more expensive than it is.

As well as a neat fold-out stand for desktop use, it has a clever headrest bracket for mounting it in a car, and a slot-loading mechanism, making changing discs on the move less of a chore.

The integrated battery pack keeps the player's size down and manages a reasonable three hours' playback.

There's also a remote control and a USB input for MP3 players, and the unit will play a variety of different recording formats.

Most crucially, the Philips performs superbly: it has more realistic colours and better 'off-centre' performance (when viewed slightly from the side) than any rival.

Toshiba SD-P1900
Price £190
For A decent all-rounder at an appealing price
Against The Philips costs the same, but is a better performer

Rating

Toshiba's DVD portables always combine competitive performance with very reasonable pricing, and the new SD-P1900 is no different.

Well equipped (with a remote control and a DC car adaptor) and stylish, it has a hefty 23cm screen, and an equally substantial (but elegantly concealed) external battery promising five hours' operation.

The picture is fine for the price, if not quite as sparkling as the Philips, and we'd rather trade the supplied headphones for a good headrest kit, especially as aftermarket 'phones will always deliver better results.

Daewoo DPC-7400P
Price £100
For Good value; largely complete specification; decent performance
Against Neither sexy to look at nor rewarding to use; noisy

Rating

Criticisms first: next to the larger screens of its rivals, the 18cm display seems tiny, especially given the unit's chunky overall size.

And, while we're complaining, the noisy mechanism would grate with us over time, as would the limited 2.5-hour battery life.

However, you shouldn't lose sight of the price - cheap as standard, amazingly low if you shop around - or the inherent quality.

The Daewoo feels better made than the more expensive Goodmans (below), and its picture is surprisingly decent.

Its inbuilt speakers manage more muscle than its pricier rival's, too.

Panasonic DVD-LS82
Price £250
For Complete spec includes novel pivoting screen and more
Against Picture doesn't meet our expectations at this price

Rating

Like Toshiba, Panasonic has some pedigree in this sector, but the DVD-LS82 is comprehensively beaten by newer, cheaper rivals.

At first glance, though, it seems appealing: the screen allows a wide variety of viewing angles and the Panasonic promises as much as seven hours' viewing time.

It also includes a headrest mounting pack and MP3 playback.

So, why the average review? Simple: the DVD-LS82 lacks the lifelike image and 'snap' of the best.

Colours are unnatural, and 'off-axis' performance - viewing when sitting to one side of the screen - is mediocre. A disappointment.

Goodmans GDVD90W2
Price £200
For Big screen; decent styling; fair spec
Against Now outgunned by bigger-brand rivals

Rating

The Goodmans is the oldest player here, and it shows.

For example, it uses two separate battery packs, each good for 2.5 hours. However, more disconcerting are the weak speakers, making headphones essential.

It's also excessively noisy: as it spins a disc or accesses a menu, the Goodmans sounds like a miniaturised tumble dryer on fast spin.

That said, the picture is fair; off-centre, it retains most of its detail and colour, and brightness is adequate.

However, for overall depth of black and the contrast of colours, the Philips easily has the beating of this player, yet it costs only a little more.