I’ve already written about portable displays with products such as Gechic On-Lap Monitors which sells for $200 and AOC USB Portable monitors are also popular, and somewhat cheaper than I expected at $120 and $199 for a 15.6″ display at respectively 1366×768 and 1920×1080 resolution, although if you live outside the US, shipping and import fees deposit bring the price much higher. A search for “portable display” on Aliexpress only showed some smaller 3.5 to 7″ displays, but I’ve been tipped about a 15.6″ portable DVD player selling for $114.53 on Chinavasion that could be used as an external display too thanks to its HDMI input.
Specifications of this portable DVD player:
- SoC – Mediatek Solution
- Display – 15.6″ TFT LED Screen with 270 degree swivel; 1366×768 resolution; 16:9 aspect ratio
- Disc support – DVD, CD, EVD, VCD, CD-RW, DVD-R. Hitachi lens
- Video Output – AV
- Video Input – HDMI, AV
- Audio – 3.5mm audio jack, 2x 2W speakers
- USB – 2x USB port
- Tuner – CATV support
- Misc – Power and control buttons, SD card
- Battery – 1800mAh rechargeable Li-battery good for 2 hours playing a DVD
- Power Supply – 12V/2A
- Dimensions – 369 x 263 x 43 mm (L x W x D)
- Weight – 1917g
Supported languages include English, Chinese, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian. Beside the player, the package include an indoor antenna, a remote control, a game controller, an AV cable, a power adapter, a car charger, and a user’s manual.
The video above shows various use cases for the player including DVD playback, and playing games, but sadly they did not show HDMI input capabilities. The specifications only mention HDMI, so I first assumed it was HDMI output, which would make sense for a DVD player, but both Chinavasion and an eBay seller confirmed it was HDMI input. Chinavasion has even just added it to their FAQ:
Is the HDMI port used to connect to a TV (HDMI output) or to connect a computer (HDMI input)? Answer: this DVD player only supports HDMI input.
If you have experience and/or recommendations with/for portable displays, or ever used a portable DVD player as an external display, please share them in the comments section.
Thanks to Onebir for the idea.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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Others listing HDMI (please confirm it’s HDMI input if that’s what you need!):
– 13.3″ 1366×768:
https://www.chinavasion.com/chin a/wholesale/Home_Audio_Video/Home_Theater_AV/13.3-Inch-Screen-Portable-Multimedia-DVD-Player
– monitor style (no battery) 15.6″ 1280*800:
https://www.chinavasion.com/china/wholesale/Home-Audio-Video/Portable-DVD-Players/Portable-15.6-Inch-Monitor-DVD-Player/
May be more, but most lack HDMI, sadly:
https://www.chinavasion.com/search?q=DVD
This may be a stupid question.
I see the game controller,and game playing on the video,but how is video gaming possible on
this unit?
Or is the display used for gaming connected to an external gaming machine via HDMI?
But then again I do not understand the inclusion of a game controller in this package?
@Joe Bucks
Good question – no idea!
@Joe Bucks
It’s NES game roms. Like here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnlKxBTzMQ8
@smith
Thanks for the video smith.
This video was uploaded in August of 2009.
This portable dvd player model is more than 6 years old?
@Joe Bucks
I got answer about games on the platform:
It’s quite possible it’s over 6 years old… I’m not sure. I never though about using such device as an portable display for laptop. That’s the main reason I wrote about it.
17.3″ 1366×1280 version:
https://www.chinavasion.com/china/wholesale/Home-Audio-Video/Portable-DVD-Players/17.3-Inch-Portable-DVD-Player/