View Full Version : Portable DVD Players
montanadave
04-09-13, 19:34
I want a small DVD player for out at the ranch. I don't have internet or TV out there, but sometimes get to jonesing for a little video fix and I have several courses in DVD format that I could watch, as well as some movies.
I'd like a reasonably sized screen (9 inches or so) with decent battery life, although I can run off AC as I have an off-grid power supply with inverter. Weight is not much of an issue as it will just sit in the bunkhouse.
Any suggestions?
Have you thought about downloading your videos to a tablet or laptop? We briefly went the portable DVD route but found we get more use & versatility with a tablet or laptop.
Sent from my HTC One V using Tapatalk 2
montanadave
04-09-13, 20:45
OK, I'm a tech idiot. How many hours of DVD content can you load on an iPad?
I guess one of the reasons is was considering just a simple DVD player was cost.
GeorgiaBoy
04-09-13, 21:10
OK, I'm a tech idiot. How many hours of DVD content can you load on an iPad?
I guess one of the reasons is was considering just a simple DVD player was cost.
Depends on the storage capacity of the iPad in question.
Most movie-length DVD's are about 1-5GB, depending on the quality.
Sure, that's understandable. The stand alone players are fairly inexpensive & easy to use. As for how many DVDs will fit on an iPad, that's hard (for me) to answer. I don't have one. It would depend on the size of your iPad & how long the videos are. Also whether they're HD vs SD. We've download a couple on our Galaxy but we mainly use our laptop, that has a Blu-ray player, when we travel.
Sent from my HTC One V using Tapatalk 2
Crow Hunter
04-09-13, 21:23
I don't have internet or TV out there, but sometimes get to jonesing for a little video fix and I have several courses in DVD format that I could watch, as well as some movies.
Any suggestions?
You can just say porn you know. Sheese.
We are all mostly adult men here.
:D
Those little tablets can hold a surprising amount of data and are light and easy to carry around. I think there is one that will hold 64GB.
But if you have a large porn library and/or plan on being out there a while, you might be better off with the DVD player.
Might want to check power usage too. Depending on your energy supply.
The tablet idea is a good idea. We had a small portable DVD player but my kid spilled soda on it and wiped it out.
We now put movies on the iPad to watch on planes or where ever. When I had a busted ankle I watched a bunch of movies on the iPad lying on the couch or in bed.
If you rip your own DVDs, and compress them with something like handbrake, you can often get the movie to less than 1gb. If you buy the download type movies, the sizes are probably in the low single digit GB. I don't really know as I have only ever bought one. The rest I rip from my own DVDs.
iPads come in 16, 32, 64, and 128 gb sizes. There is some overhead etc so subtract out a gig or two. The rest is space you can store movies on.
You can also get an HDMI out cable for the iPad 3 (and also earlier ones with more restrictions) and play on a TV if you want or watch on the iPad screen.
Android tablets probably have similar capabilities for movie playback.
Gutshot John
04-09-13, 21:34
What's cell/internet availability is there where you are?
Even if you don't store a movie on a tablet, you can stream video if you have good enough internet or get a mi-fi card.
I wouldn't bother with a dedicated data plan to the tablet.
There are new iPads that will do 128GB, that's a stupid amount of memory.
DVD format movies shouldn't be anywhere close to 5GB. HD formats (Blue Ray) will be considerably larger.
Crow Hunter
04-09-13, 21:34
It just peaked my interest and I looked.
Portable DVD - $75
Ipad - $400- 700
Personally I think I would stick with $75, heck you could even buy a backup and still come out ahead. (Or even 2 backups:eek:)
How bad do you want to see Jenna Jameson? Or depending on your age, Ginger Lynn.
:D
DVD format movies shouldn't be anywhere close to 5GB.
Depends on how much you compress them. Non compressed (other than the native DVD compression) commercial DVDs come in at a couple GB up to 7 or 8GB.
Once you rip and compress them, you can get them down to 1GB plus or minus a few hundred MB. Depends on your quality settings.
---
Nice thing about a tablet is that you can use it for other things besides the video watching.
--
montanadave
04-09-13, 21:56
The problem with buying an iPad with cellular internet access is ... that I would have internet access at the ranch. Which, frankly, I don't want. I spend too much time on the internet when I'm in town. Being out at the ranch with no TV and no internet is a nice break. Plus, as mentioned, I'd end up spending $700-800 on an iPad opposed to $100 mas o menos on a DVD player to watch a four or five Great Courses classes in video format.
how about a terabyte external hard drive. I have one that has somewhere around 3 months worth of tv shows, movies and *ahem* other stuff on it.
Second on the Great Courses. Good on ya.
I assumed you already owned a laptop or tablet. If not, I'd probably just spring for a cheap little DVD player too & just leave it there. I wouldn't drop the coin on an a tablet or laptop specifically just for this.
Sent from my HTC One V using Tapatalk 2
how about a terabyte external hard drive. I have one that has somewhere around 3 months worth of tv shows, movies and *ahem* other stuff on it.
That's what I was gonna suggest.
The problem with buying an iPad with cellular internet access is ... that I would have internet access at the ranch. Which, frankly, I don't want. I spend too much time on the internet when I'm in town. Being out at the ranch with no TV and no internet is a nice break. Plus, as mentioned, I'd end up spending $700-800 on an iPad opposed to $100 mas o menos on a DVD player to watch a four or five Great Courses classes in video format.
In that case get a $100 DVD player and a decent LCD TV and just don't buy any kind of service. Watching movies on those portable player screens gets old fast.
LowSpeed_HighDrag
04-10-13, 04:04
When I was in the military, I had a 1TB HD that I stored months worth of movies, shows, and music on (surprisingly no porn). I had a SSgt with a 3TB plug in HD with almost a lifetime worth of stuff. Just an FYI.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.