With the increasing popularity and affordability of personal media players (PMPs), I’m personally a little surprised that portable DVD players still have enough of a pull in the marketplace to be a viable option for many consumers. I guess it’s quite a bit easier for travellers on the go who don’t want to bother with ripping the video from their collection. Toshiba is trying to breathe new life into the aging technology by producing a portable DVD player that has an integrated digital TV tuner, an industry first.

The SD-P30DT comes with component video outputs, so you can connect it to you huge plasma television when you get home from your business trip, but even while you on the plane, the 9-inch widescreen display (800 x 480 pixels) is more than adequate for your on-the-go movie watching experience. The 170-degree viewing angle isn’t anything to sneeze at either, allowing you to share the experience with whoever’s on the bus beside you.

It won’t come cheap, however, as the Toshiba SD-P30DT portable DVD player will weigh in at $609USD when it starts shipping this May. For that price, I’d rather put in a little extra and get my hands on a notebook computer.