Shinco Electronics Group

Shinco Electronics Group is the manufacturer of a variety of consumer electronics and air-conditioning products in China. Its reputation is underpinned by its consecutive ranking in the top 100 national electronic enterprises for the last 14 years. The brand name is now well-known worldwide. Shinco specialises in two mainstream sectors - consumer electronic products and new home devices: DVD players, GPS navigation, EVDs, LCDs, air-conditioners, and portable DVD players. Shinco’s portable DVD players sell in more than 50 countries. Rather like LG Electronics, Shinco also manufacturers for many of the other major brands.

Shinco Portability

The size and weight of a portable DVD player are vital for its portability - or lack of it. The size and weight of the screen and battery pack are major contributors to weight. Typically, a screen size of 7 to 10 inches with an aspect ratio of 16:9, and a lightweight battery will meet the balance between portability and viewing needs. The Shinco SDP-2002 has a 12 inch screen that produces great picture quality, however, it is relatively heavy to carry. The SDP-1720A and SDP-1720C models come with 7 inch screens, the SDP-6820 with an 8.5 inch screen, and the SDP-1250 with a 10.2 inch, TFT LCD screen for portability and performance. The batteries in these models are lightweight, rechargeable lithium batteries that last three to four hours, used appropriately.

Generally, most portable DVD players are now capable of playing other formats, such as CD, CD-R/RW, MP3 tracks, JPEG pictures and photos, DVD+R, DVD-R, VCD, SVCD, and MPEG4 (DivX and XVID). All Shinco portable DVD players support these formats. They can be used to watch many camcorder videos.

Almost all portable players can be hooked up to a home or hotel TV with the use of AV-out cables for transmitting audio and video signals. Picture and audio are further enhanced by the inclusion of component video and optical digital audio-out. Some players come equipped with single headphone jacks for private viewing, while others have two or more headphone jacks. Most portable DVD devices now have built-in digital stereo speakers for reproducing audio. The Shinco SDP-1720A, SDP-1720C, SDP-6820, SDP-1250, and SDP-2002 come with regular AV outputs to connect to an external TV. All these models provide digital audio and video outputs for picture and audio, in addition to built-in speakers and two headphone jacks.

Car Use and Other Features

Portable DVD players can be enjoyed in a car. Some players provide a car power adapter for charging. Other features to watch out for include multi-region capability, progressive scan to avoid scan lines, and anti-shock systems if you are likely to travel over unforgiving terrain. Some players even come with a built-in TV tuner to receive TV channels, together with USB, and a card reader. Almost all Shinco players can be enjoyed in a car. But the SDP-6820 comes with a swivel screen dedicated to this purpose. The SDP1720C and SDP-1280 have a car-mountable carrying case included. All models feature multi-region capability, anti-shock systems, and progressive scan. The SDP-1720C, SDP-6820, SDP-2002, and SDP-1280 also offer TV tuner support.

Conclusion

If you are tired of the limited choice of movies on offer from the in-flight menu, a portable DVD player places the choice back in your lap – literally! If you want to share your photos with friends and relatives, you needn’t necessarily take your camera – just use your new portable DVD player to play back photos or video. Obviously the ability to do this rests with the player’s connectivity options and the format of your existing equipment. In addition, look carefully at whether or not you need multi-region DVD support (many of the cheaper DVDs now bought online may not be from the European region); what other formats do you need to support; will you use it as an additional player at home or in the hotel in which case connectivity matters. These are some of the pertinent questions to ask yourself when considering a portable DVD player.

Lousia Ferry is an independent researcher and author on electronics, financial and business matters.

e-tailers such as 3 Wisemonkeys now offer a guide to portable DVD players at http://www.3wisemonkeys.co.uk/products.jsp?cat=1
As well as producing quick guides such as the one above, 3 Wise Monkeys will respond to individual queries and offers detailed buying advice over the phone with no pressure to purchase.