Portable media players

If you want to do more than just listen to music on the move, or prefer watching films and TV to listening to songs, try a portable media player. With bright, clear screens and lots of memory to store videos, portable media players let you take films, TV shows, video clips and more with you.

Portable media players explained

Portable media players are similar to MP3 players in size and shape. But they can do a much wider range of things. For instance:

• Watch stored videos – anything from a feature film or TV show to short video clips you’ve downloaded off the internet.
• Watch streaming video – some portable media players have wireless networking built in, so you can watch video on sites like YouTube.
• Play music – just like MP3 players, portable media players allow you to play your music back through headphones.
• Read books – a growing number of portable media players are able to display electronic books on screen, so you can read them.
• Look at photos – you may be able to load photos and display them on the screen to show friends and family.
• Record audio and video – some portable media players have cameras and microphones built in, so you can record audio and video.
• Play games – many portable media players have games built in. They’re usually fairly simple, but can kill time on a long journey.

The files you watch or listen to will be stored on built-in memory. This is measured in gigabytes (GB) – in particular, video files can use lots of space, so make sure there’s enough room.

Very versatile

With so many functions to choose from, it’s important your portable media player is easy to use. Look for simple controls and a big screen so you can watch video and see menu options clearly.

Most portable media players come with software to load your media files onto the player. You may be able to purchase and download audio and video through this software, or use it to convert your existing files.