LG DP391 Portable DVD Player

The basics

LG's DP391 portable DVD player has an eight-inch WVGA screen and 256MB internal memory – which is backed up by a 3-in-1 card reader (SD, MMC, MS). It also has a three and a half hour battery life, two headphone sockets and built-in speakers.

The good

Not simply a portable DVD player, this device doubles up as an 8-inch photo frame for showing off your digital snaps. But it’s definitely a movie player first - slip in a DVD and you’re rewarded with crisp, clear widescreen pictures, bold colours and (provided you watch at the right angle) relatively strong black levels. Avid downloaders will also appreciate its compatibility with DivX digital movies, which can be played from a memory card, USB device or disc.

The bad

The photo frame aspect doesn’t feel as assured as the DVD player, though. Pictures are often displayed with large black borders, fine details are hard to make out and colour reproduction lacks vibrancy. The screen-outward design of the player also means that the glossy display needs to be looked after carefully - it could easily get scratched.

The bottom line

Works much better as a portable DVD player than it does as a digital photo frame: movie-lovers that are constantly on the move will appreciate its talents far more than amateur shutterbugs.