Televisions & Video

Can portable DVD players really take the temperature extremes of car use?

Nov 03, 2009 by great_and_mighty_adam_levine | Posted in Car Audio

They sell lots of portable DVD players with straps for hooking to the back of carseats - but can these players really handle car interior temperatures.

In the winter, temperatures could be subzero, would the LCD freeze?
In the summer,

They are not much different then anything in your dash, but to be safe i remove mine. I have left them in at both extremes and they work fine but i usually remove them for safekeeping.

Sony DVP-FX930 Portable DVD Player

Enjoy sharp, crisp images with the high-resolution Sony DVP-FX930 stylish portable DVD player. The DVP-FX930 features a nine-inch (diag.) screen ...

Is “unplugging” necessary to enjoy nature?

I went camping with my family over the weekend. We’re old school campers. We actually use tents (though we do have good air mattresses), we generally don’t take showers (unless we’re camping for more than a couple of days), and we don’t use (almost) any technology while camping. (I had to say “almost” in that sentence because someone handed me my phone, which I had intentionally placed somewhere I wouldn’t see it, and I was briefly sucked into the email vortex.) So, that means no portable DVD players, no laptops, no gaming devices, etc.  

The campground that we were at has free wifi and plenty of full hookups for RVs and trailers. So, I noticed quite a few people relaxing around the campground watching a movie, working on a laptop, or using a smartphone. I’m sure they also played at the beach, hiked in the woods, went for a bike ride, roasted marshmallows, and did all the other things you generally do when you go camping. They just plugged in when they got back to the campground.

So, I’m wondering, was there a fundamental difference between their experience and mine (beyond the fact that they probably have fewer emails to answer on a Monday morning than I do)? I find that I need to unplug in situations like that if I am going to be truly “present.” Technology affords me the amazing ability to be present in multiple places at once. But, to me that is a drawback if my goal is to be fully present in any one place. I also find that the distraction of technology makes it more difficult for me just to sit and enjoy nature. (Granted, even without technology that can be very difficult in a campground full of energetic children and obnoxious adults.) So, a technology fast has always been an important part of my camping experience.

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