Portable Splash

Before you head off to campus this year don't forget to pack a portable video player. These are our picks for the best devices that let you take your TV to go.

Before you head off to campus this year don't forget to pack a portable video player. Great for quick study breaks, long trips, and sharing files among friends. While everyone's waiting anxiously for the "true" video iPod to come out, there are a bunch of portable devices out there right now that let you watch video on the go. You have a number of options, but these are some of our favorites.

For the most part, I recommend sticking to hard drive-based MP3 players and portable media players (PMPs). Their screens are generally large enough to avoid serious eyestrain and they play video at a nice quick frame rate of 30 frames per second. The last thing you want to do after hours of cramming or writing papers is to stare at a substandard display. Keep in mind that when I review a portable device, I take into account its primary function first and rate it accordingly. For example, players like the iPod and Creative Zen Vision:M are video-capable, but they're primarily audio players. Devices like the Archos AV500, however, are obviously audio-capable, but their main focus is on video.

Tiny Flash Players

Because of current hardware limitations for flash-based players, the ones that do play video are limited to 15 frames per second, which means the image appears slightly jumpy, especially in action-packed sequences. Whether or not you'd even want to watch video on the tiny screens most flash players offer is a different story, but I'm picky. Still, if I had to pick a flash player to watch videos on, it would be the iriver Clix, because it's got a 2.2-inch screen and nothing else on the front to distract your eyes.

Small Players with Compact Hard Drives

Many people view the Creative Zen Vision:M as the top MP3 player because it has more features (including an FM tuner and audio recording capabilities) and broader video format support than the iPod. Considering the 30GB ZVM as a video player, I'd agree, but I still prefer the iPod as an audio player, in part because of the iPod's support for lossless compression, and also because I'm not crazy about the ZVM's touch strip control. The ZVM's 2.5-inch screen supports more colors than the iPod's, and the device itself is very nice-looking. (Although a bit on the chunky side for a 30GB player). The thing I like most about it, though, is that I can play most of my AVI video files (including DivX and XviD) without converting them. It's also PlaysForSure-compatible for WMV-based video download, subscription, and rental services.

The fifth-generation Apple iPod (with video) is no doubt the favorite among audio players. Equipped with a sharp 2.5-inch screen this video-capable device has the simplest user interface in the business, although colors don't look as good as they do on the Creative ZVM. The iPod is available in 30GB or 60GB versions. One of the big plusses with the iPod is that you get access to an enormous amount of video content via the iTunes Music Store (iTMS). Although full-length movies aren't available yet, the rumor mill has been churning wildly about the addition of a forthcoming movie-download service to the iTMS, so we'll keep our eyes peeled for you. The drawbacks are that the iPod's native format support is very limited, so if you want to watch AVI or WMV files, you'll need to convert them to a format the iPod can read.

The Toshiba gigabeat S is the newest player on the block, and Toshiba really did a great job designing it. The controls are easy to use (although I don't really like the side placement of the playback buttons), and its interface has a familiar Media Center look and feel. The player has a 2.4-inch screen that's very sharp and bright, and movies can be viewed in landscape mode. On the content side, the gigabeat supports video recorded on a Media Center PC, WMV files, and protected WMV files from PlaysForSure-certified video download, rental, and subscription services like Vongo and CinemaNow. It's available in 30GB and 60GB models.

Midsize Media Players

The now-venerable Archos AV500 is one of the most impressive devices I've come across yet. Shipping in 30GB or 100GB models, this PMP not only plays video, it records it from any analog video source and can even be programmed like a VCR. The 4-inch widescreen LCD is sharp and very bright, and the battery is removable and user-replaceable. File format support includes DivX-encoded AVI video using the MPEG-4 Simple Profile. The device is also PlaysForSure-compatible with WMV-based video download, subscription, and rental services.

The Creative Zen Vision caused quite a stir when it came out, thanks to its stunningly high-resolution 3.7-inch screen. The polished interface is easy to navigate, and the controls are very simple and effective. It is still an excellent choice for watching video on the go despite a less-than-ideal viewing angle, and you can use the tiny built-in speaker to share content with your friends. You can't record video directly onto the device, though, as you can with the Archos AV500. Unfortunately, the player is available only in a 30GB capacity, but the battery is easily replaceable. The Zen Vision works with PlaysForSure video download, rental, and subscription services.

While I haven't had a chance to formally review it yet, the ATO iSee was on display at CES 2006, where I had the opportunity for a hands-on demo. This impressive iPod add-on lets you use any dock-connector-equipped iPod as a storage device for recording video from any analog source. And you can also watch video even on older monochrome-screen iPods, thanks to the built-in 3.6-inch color LCD, which is sharp and bright. Watch for my upcoming review here on PCMag.com.

Living Large

The Archos AV700 is the granddaddy of PMPs, with a bright, 7-inch widescreen LCD. It's not cheap and it's not pocketable, but it is perfect for the back seat of a car, or for travelers who don't want to bring a whole laptop with them. The device measures 4.2 by 8.2 by 0.8 inches, has a removable battery, and is available in 40GB or 100GB capacities. Like the AV500, it can record video from any analog source, and it supports DivX-encoded AVI files (using the MPEG-4 Simple Profile). It's also PlaysForSure-compatible with WMV-based video download, subscription, and rental services.