Kids have it lucky these days. For my generation, the best entertainment gadget for the car was a Game Boy with a yellow and black screen. There was no way you could watch video cassettes in the car, and DVDs barely existed.
Today, DVD player options can be overwhelming, and the best choice depends on your family's needs. Do you like playing back pictures as well as video? Do you insist on a quiet vehicle? That will influence your choice of one of the players reviewed below.
Alpine 10.2" Overhead Car Media
Price:
$699.99Available from:
Best Buy
A bright screen, included headphones and the ability to tune TV stations may tip consumers to this unit, but be aware: the Alpine's manual warns consumers that only “experts,” ideally at a car dealership, should install it. The video player needs to be hard-wired to the power cables in the roof of the car. (For this review I used an external 12V power source instead.)
Once the player is bolted to the roof of the car, it fits on top of the dome light and includes two small lamps on either side – wired into the same circuit that powers the dome – to replace them.
I enjoyed the brightness and clarity of the video unit's screen, but the review unit had one stuck pixel in the middle of the display.
You can barely hear the DVD whirring in the unit in a quiet room; the player needs to be turned on to eject it, though.
Audio output goes directly to wireless headphones. One set is included, which means you'd have to buy an extra set or two if there's more than one person in the back seat.
However, there's an FM transmitter built right into the player, which can broadcast the sound to your stereo if you wish.
Timeless 9” Car Multimedia Package
(TRM 9500)
Price:
$179.99Available at:
Future Shop
It's billed as able to do many things – read videos and pictures from memory sticks, DVDs and even has an external output – but the resolution of the screen doesn't handle JPEG compression very well.
A bonus for parents on a budget: this player is much cheaper than the Alpine, and requires no fancy skills for installation beyond a drill and some basic wiring.
It bolts right into the ceiling using an included metal plate, and the ground wire that powers it hooks into your vehicle's 12V power source.
The video quality is decent, with some options for adjusting the brightness and contrast of the display. I had no trouble navigating through DVD menus with the included remote or using the media buttons.
A spring-loaded mechanism loads and ejects the DVD, which doesn't need to be powered to work.
There's also an audio output that goes to your stereo – an RCA standard jack. Let's hope you like to hear what your kids are watching, though, because there's no way to hook up headphones to the video unit. That might be a drawback if you hate SpongeBob SquarePants.
