Portable video players for movie marathons

By Donald Bell on 14 April 2008

Tags: 605 | 705 | a3 | apple | archos | cowon | creative | ipod | touch | vision | wi-fi | zen

If you need a portable video player (PVP) for watching full-length movies on-the-go, then battery life is a big consideration. Video playback is a processor-intensive activity that requires a lot of juice -- especially at high resolutions.

While battery technology has improved little over the past five years, processor efficiency has become much better. In 2005, the first video-capable iPod (30GB) could only handle 2.5 hours of video playback on its tiny 2.5-inch (6.35-centimetre) screen. The players featured here are capable of at least 5 hours of video playback, some with screens as large as 7 inches (17.78 centimetres).

Another consideration to bear in mind is whether a PVP supports exchangeable battery packs or battery extenders, which can quickly get your player back on track after a battery goes dead. For instance, you can buy additional battery packs for both the Archos 705 WiFi and Creative Zen Vision W, and there are several third-party manufacturers that create iPod-compatible battery extenders.

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