At first glance, the Apex PD-840 offers just about everything you could want in a portable DVD player. This lightweight, compact unit boasts an 8-2/5-inch widescreen LCD display so you can enjoy DVD-Video in their original movie theater format. The rechargeable NiMH battery delivers a respectable 2.5 hours of operation between charges. Depending on the volume and brightness settings selected, this should be enough to enjoy most feature-length DVD movies on a single charge.

To keep the kids entertained on long road trips, the PD-840 comes with a DC adapter for operating the unit from a car power outlet. Apex has even equipped the PD-840 with twin headphone jacks, so two people can listen at the same time. This is ideal for people sitting next to each other on a plane or in the back of a car. For use at home, there is a coaxial digital audio output for routing surround sound signals to a home theater receiver, and the package includes a remote control.

So far, so good, and with an MSRP of $300, the PD-840 is competitively priced as well. This portable DVD player does fall short in a couple of areas, though. The unit is compatible with standard DVD movies as well as home-recorded CD-R/RW, including those loaded with MP3 digital audio files. If you insert a CD encoded with JPEG images, the PD-840 will even create a custom slideshow of your digital pictures. That's where the disc compatibility ends, though, as the PD-840 does not support playback of DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, or VCD.

In addition, the flimsy feel of the PD-840 makes us question how well it will stand up to the rigors of frequent travel or less-than-gentle handling by young hands. Apex also has a poor reputation for reliability, so while this unit has plenty to recommend it, we'd suggest spending the extra dollars on a brand-name portable DVD player with a comparable feature set.

Pros: Widescreen display, progressive scan output, solid feature set
Cons: Cheap construction, limited disc compatibility, brand with a poor record of reliability

Warranty
90 days labor and remote control, 1 year parts