Toshiba gives you an option—something between the land locked DVD player that hooks up to the home TV and the high priced personal DVD players that show movies on a postage stamp. The MD 9DM1 9 in. TV/DVD Combo was just what I was looking for, and I like it a lot.

If you want a DVD player hooked to your TV and not moving around, then don't buy this one. It's more expensive than a home unit that you plug in and leave alone.

If you are high tech (and single), then you don't want this one either. It's not a notebook model that you tuck in your briefcase and show off on the plane. It's not the hot item that will "wow" your buddies.

If you have a family and want a portable DVD, then this one is the ticket.

OK. I've knocked out a lot of the crowd.

I did a lot of research before I got my DVD player.

I'm a single mom with 2 boys. We do have 2 TVs, but one kid loves cartoons and the other loves sports. The boys also differ in what they consider great videos or DVDs. If I hook the DVD to either TV, it ends up being by default the DVD of the kid who watches that set. It also ends up being something that I don't see much at all, since I gave up on TV a long time ago. The kids will be watching the TVs, and I will be out of luck.

A second consideration is that we recently bought an SUV with plugs for high tech items like game players and DVD players. Something to play in the SUV would be great, but the individual screen player would mean that one kid watches a flick and the other whines. The personal screens run about 5 inches or so. Those are not good for two kids or for mom who probably needs glasses but has not gone to see about that.

My thoughts were to get a portable based on our family habits, but the individual units were really small and also very pricey. They just didn't sound right for us.

I saw a review at Amazon where the woman seemed to have a similar family, and she said that she got this one and it worked out great. I didn't know the reviewer, so I hoped that she didn't just write what people would want to hear. I wanted a portable DVD player and one that would work for my family, and she sounded like someone who could steer me well. She said that it was bigger than the personal units (true) but it was small enough to be portable and to move around and do lots of things (true—very easy for even the kids to grab and carry).

I was tempted to jump on one of the $50 specials and get a DVD player to hook to my TV, but I really did want one that I could cart to my bedroom and watch a video when the kids were watching toons or sports, and I wanted one that I could take in the SUV. This one is portable and will do those things but also big enough for more than one viewer. It's 9 inches (while personal ones are usually 5 inches) and the whole family can watch in the living room without any hook ups (just plug it in the wall) or take on a trip and good for two kids to watch at once. If the size is a problem, then it hooks to the TV for the full size when needed.

This unit does more than DVD. It is a TV, but we don't use it for TV. We hook to cable and go land lock on that, and that's fine. At home, we just watch the TV, and on trips we don't really have to see Sponge Bob Square Pants (thank goodness). If you do want a TV to carry around, then this is a TV too.

This one will also hook up with your game player or your video camera. Again, we do those on another track. For game travel, we found the Game Boy Advance (review at http://www.epinions.com/content_85765033604 and DARN hard to find at Epinions on search) was quick and easy to use with lots of games at the store. Our video camera, we just use to shoot video and to watch on super 8 through the camera to the TV or to tape on VHS and watch that way. We can route through this portable, but it's more work than worth it unless we didn't have the other units and a system we are already happy with.

On the plus side, the Toshiba DVD does come with the cord for SUV play. Those are pretty high if you buy them like we did for the Game Boy. It also has earphone jacks, so you can hook it up and have it quiet at home or in the car if you want or need it to be.

If you want a DVD player that you can carry to any room or carry on a trip, then this one is great. You can watch it on your own and even use earphones, or you can have a group watch it. At 9 inches, it's not super big, but it works for portable for one or even more. If you want to increase the group size, it will hook up with the TV and audio.

We got our unit on special for $250, and that is higher than a unit to hook to the TV and lower than one to carry under my arm. Since it does so much and just the kinds of things I'm looking for, I consider it a great buy. Sure, some units are smaller and will do more high tech stuff, but I never needed or wanted that. I just wanted something to move around to watch DVDs and with more than a single viewer, and this is great. Some of the tech folks will tell you that you can get better pictures, and you can. This one is as good as my TV on the picture, and great on the big TV for group viewing. You don't get this portable for the price and size anywhere else, so I'm going to give this the big thumbs up for any family looking for something to carry around at the house or on trips. It's not for every viewer, but I'll bet a heck of a lot of families would be thrilled with this unit.