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Now showing, on a player near you

Convenient and fun, portable DVD players still carry a hefty price tag

BY ERIC GRIFFITH

It's time to catch up on all the summer movies you missed, only now you can view them on DVD, with all those extras and that superb picture. Don't think you're limited to watching on the living room television or on your computer screen (assuming you have a DVD-ROM drive), though. Portable DVD players can go anywhere, and they provide enough battery life that you could watch both "The Perfect Storm" and "X-Men" before you would need to plug them in.

We looked at the Sharp DV-L70U ($1,399; 800-237-4277) and the Sony DVP-FX1 ($1,599; 800-222-7669). Both are lightweight portable DVD players with built-in 7-inch liquid crystal displays for watching films. Sound is provided by the built-in stereo speakers or via headphones.

Both can hook up to your television like a standard DVD player, complete with infrared remote control. Both are powered for portability by lithium ion batteries that last long enough to watch two feature films back to back. The batteries attach to the bottom to integrate with the player, but Sharp's annoying design requires attaching a small wire from the battery to the player. Sony has a simple, easy-to-understand control interface on the player, compared with Sharp's jumble of 16 buttons.

Each unit plays beautifully, allowing for multiple picture views as you stretch or zoom in. Sony has the edge because the Sharp doesn't display darker, low-contrast scenes as well.

Yes, these are quality products, but the prices are still far too high, especially when DVD players for the family room run less than $250. Portable DVDs are toys for the rich or for frequent travelers sick of airline film fare—but man, are they fun toys.

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Sharp Electronics
www.sharpelectronics.com

Sony Electronics
www.sel.sony.com