I'm looking for a portable video player with like a 3-7 inch screen that plays mainly vids ripped straight from my DVDs at excellent quality. The fact that it can display DVD-rips with absolutely the best video quality possible in a portable - is the only feature I am really interested in.

I saw this article and it was extremely interesting:http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-11297_7-6537147-1.html?tag=txt

However, I didn't know if it's results aren't still valid today, if there are other players to consider or what. But it's interesting that you still have to consider things like contrast ratio as well as resolution to screen size.

What do you guys suggest? Thanks!

I've had both, a 60GB ipod and now a Zune.

Zune is incredible. Big screen, widescreen, very durable (not a scratch yet). I had a huge scratch in my ipod after a week.

Great album art, great software, great interface. All around a good buy at $249.

Convert DVD's to Zune.
http://www.imtoo.com/dvd-to-zune-converter.html

Thanks for the info. How about this though? W/these dedicated "video players..."

Does anybody know about which has the best screen/quality between say the Archos 604, Cowon A2, and Creative Zen Vision:W?

My research indicates that the above three are currently the best portable players for a pure video viewing experience. Does anybody concur or have anything else to add?

Thanks a ton...
-

I honestly just use my laptop. Can't go wrong with a 17" screen.

Ok here is my take on this. I have a video iPod and it did the job. I was not happy with the 1.5 hours battery life with video, and after a while the smaller screen became a little bit of a draw back. I have since received a 60 GB Creative Zen Vision W. All I can say is wow. Watching movies on this is so much nicer. One thing that I have noticed is that it does pixelate very dark pictures and that may be the fault of how I encoded the video and not the player. I can say that it is so much nicer to watch a movie on the Zen and the battery life for video is around 5 hours and they even offer a battery with extended life.

I can't speak for the Archos series as I have not owned one, but their ability to be able to record with the right attachments is something to consider as well. Also at Laptop mag dot com they have had a couple Archos products selected as editor's choices. Now I know that info doesn't make your choice easier. But for my money I do not regret getting the Zen instead of the Archos. That is my .02.

As someone has already mentioned, for video avoid the iPod. I made a similar mistake. The battery life is too inadequate. The Zune IMO has the best software and the Archeos is probably the best dedicated video player with excellent storage capacity.

The PSP is very nice if you don't mind paying for UMD disks.

i use my 15 mac pro can't see watching video on those small screens
although i like the idea my ipod does music videos and album art just to
small to enjoy.

I'm happy with my PSP. I think the latest firmware supports >4GB pro duo sticks, but I still like my homebrew (oops, feel free to delete if this offends any copyright-sensitive people).

480 X 272 native resolution, and I can browse wirelessly (with available service), and play games too (although I use it mainly for browsing and vids). About 4-6 hours per battery (standard), and I carry around an extended-life spare with me, which has about 20% more life.

Granted, not as much storage as iPod or Zen or Zune, but more functionality...I guess it all depends on what your criteria is.

I too made the Video ipod mistake but now i just use it to view Itunes downloads on the TV screen via the dock.
I bought an Archos 604 and really like. I can record straight from the satellite box or rip DVDs so content is not a problem.

Tried the ipod video and did not like it -- too small, must go through itunes or similar program to view content.

I just purchased the Archos 604 Wifi and love it with the exception of the video quality. I have a PSP that I keep on comparing the picture with and the PSP looks much better IMHO.. that said the Archos has other advantages and I believe the video quality problem is not hardware related but has to do with the lack of video adjustments... photos look excellent.

Archos is coming out with a new model the 704 with a 7" Screen, 80GB drive, wifi and a touchscreen -- you may want to wait for this one which should be available within the next few weeks.

The ZEN-W looks excellent, at least when I played with it in the store.

I have been using my video Ipod with this:

http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/ipod/review/sonic-impact-video-55-video-and-speaker-dock-for-ipod/

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=53904C97&nplm=TK629LL%2FA

I love it. Once they fixed the aspect ratio switching I had nothing holding me back from buying it. It gets decent battery life, although long ago when I bought my first portable DVD player I bought a spare battery that works with this so thats not an issue for me. Now I can carry everything on my Ipod and not be forced into squinting for 8 hours on a long flight. Its a great unit especially now at this price point.

The creative zen has one the best, if not the best picture :) It is actually HD for the size of the screen

I have heard great reviews of the archos series. I good place to see a lot of uncommon players is dapreview.com

I've had an Ipod original 5g and traded that in for the Zen M, which is alot better, but more geared for TV Viewing than Movies. I've since bought the Cowon A2 and it's a real nice player especially for Widescreen Movies. And I just ordered the Cowon D2 a Flash based Audio and Video Player, it's 2GB built in and expandable with SD Cards. It has a 74mw amp so its powerful enough to drive large Headphones, Cowon's always sound great and support a huge amount of Codecs.

http://www.cowonglobal.com/product/product_D2_feature.php

My only experience has been with the Archos (PocketDish). I could not ask for better viewing quality. It is built solid and sound quality is good too.

I own an Archos 504. Picture quality is outstanding for a portable, AND it offers you the most flexibility, including swappable rechargeable batteries. Yes, I said swappable. You can buy extra batteries for ~$30 and change it out in 2 seconds. I honestly don't know why people drool over iPod. I can't stand the players.

I like my PSP. You don't have to buy UMD movies. You just need a large (1GB+) memory stick, and free software.