Panasonic DVD-LA95 9-Inch Portable DVD Player
This is THE one...
First, I've owned this unit for over five months--don't waste your time reading reviews of someone who has only had their product a few days.  I shopped around on-line and narrowed my list down to three.  At the time, this wasn't the cheapest one, but it offered all the features I wanted, and the size was just about right.    I wanted the biggest screen I could afford without it being overbearing or cumbersome.  The unit is lightweight, thin, and will fit nicely into any briefcase configuration you can imagine.  I use it on a treadmill with headphones.  It fits perfectly into the book ledge.    With headphones and with the screen dimmed a little, I can get more than two hours out of one battery charge.  The speakers are adequate but their range of sound is limited to dialogue and a little bit of background music.  With the headphones you get a great viewing experience.    I really liked watching movies on my laptop because of the portability and privacy.  It's like you're in your own little world.  This player makes the experience perfect because of its smaller size and lighter weight.    It seems reliable enough--I'm sure I've watched over 200 hours by now.  It shows no signs of wear.    UPDATE:  TWO YEARS LATER, 8/27/06    Still working, and I bought a newer model by Panasonic for my wife.  So far so good, but my opinion of Panasonic has been ruined by some recent VCR deaths I've suffered.  Their DVD players seem to be fine, but I wouldn't buy anything else from them.    UPDATE:  SEVEN YEARS LATER!    Yeah, I know they don't make it anymore, but sometimes people use Amazon to find reviews on products they find on eBay.  Would you believe that this thing still works?  The battery still can hold a charge, but the life is diminished to about 50% of what it once was.  I'm sure it can be replaced.  Unfortunately, my usage has dramatically decreased since I bought an iPad.  Buy this player if you get an opportunity.  You can't go wrong with it.  I can't believe I spentover $700 on it in 2004, but I certainly got my money's worth.  My iPad cost about the same.