Anyone who has ever taken a road trip with children will understand that the process can be highly stressful. There are a number of ways to keep children entertained while driving. You could go the common route, of playing the alphabet game on car license plates, but let's face it: this is the 21st Century. Playing "I spy with my little eye" for 8 hours quickly becomes tedious and boring... so you could step it up a notch, and keep the kids entertained with a portable car DVD player.

Most car DVD systems and players now sport a longer battery life than your laptop, and in this age of advancing technology they are becoming smaller and more compact. There are literally hundreds of portable DVD players out there, in a vast range of prices.

A recommendation I would give is to stick to the trusted brands, such as Sony. Other unknown brands may be cheaper, but at least with a well-known company, you can trust what you are buying. You will not get this piece of mind with unproven brands. Also, you can get well known brands for great prices by shopping around online: try places like Amazon, or Google shopping for sales and special offers. Checking user reviews before you buy is a good way to find out what models to avoid and which ones are a good value.

The two most important factors in selecting a portable car DVD player are the battery life, and the size of the screen. If you have three kids in the back seat, obviously you're going to want to consider a larger screen. Also, you don't want your DVD player's battery to die half way through another exciting round of Finding Nemo... when you still have 3 hours left in the car. Bear in mind though that you can also get accessories for use in the car, such as a charger. So shop around, and find the perfect car DVD system for you, your family, and your lifestyle!